Morocco Yoga Travel Trip!
**DATE CHANGE-SEE BELOW**
Join me in beautiful Morocco for this unforgettable adventure!
Dates: Thursday April 14, 2022- Saturday April 23, 2020
Itinerary:
- APRIL 14 – DEPART BOSTON
- Depart Boston on an overnight flight to Casablanca.
- APRIL 15 – CASABLANCA, FES (L, D)
- Arrive in Casablanca and meet your driver outside the airport.
- Begin with a visit to the stunning Hassan II Mosque, the largest in Morocco and the third largest mosque in the world that non-muslims are allowed to enter, able to accommodate up to 105,000 in prayer. This marvel of modern Moroccan architecture is the work of hundreds of expert craftsmen from around the country, many of them donating their work.
- Enjoy Moroccan hospitality with lunch at a local family’s home in Casablanca.
- After lunch, head up to the roof for a yoga session to unwind from the travel.
- Complete your journey to Fes, where you will check into your riad for the night.
- Dinner included at the riad.
- Overnight in Fes.
- APRIL 16 – FES (B, L, D)
- Begin the day with heading up to the rooftop terrace for yoga to start your day.
- Tour Fes with a private guide. (Walking tour with some transportation between sites)
- Begin at the royal palace, with its seven golden doors, and learn about the significance of the intricate decor.
- Stroll through the Mellah, or Jewish quarter, which was built next to the palace to offer protection.
- Take in the view of the city from Borj Sud, a former fortress and one of the lookouts on a hill where you can see all of Fes laid out, allowing you to spot landmarks otherwise hidden by the skyline-obscuring buildings.
- Visit a pottery co-op to see how they make the unique Fes pottery, as well as handcrafting the intricate mosaics adorning half of Morocco.
- Head into the ancient medina and step into a sort of living museum. The Fes medina is very much a local community that lives and works and goes about daily life in the medina, so be sure to keep moving and watch out for the donkeys!
- Stop by the Al-Quaraouiyine University, the oldest degree-granting university still in operation, having been founded in 859 CE by a woman.
- Visit handicraft workshops, where you will see why Fes is considered the handicraft capital of Morocco. This can include, among other things, the silk weavers, where beautifully colorful fabrics are woven from silk fibers of the agave plant, and the famous Fes tannery, where they process all manner of animal hides by hand, much as they have for nearly 1,000 years. They also sell leather items in every shade and style, and can even alter an item to be delivered to your riad by the end of the day!
- During your tour of the medina, you will stop for lunch in a restaurant that would be very easy to walk right past but is truly a hidden gem.
- That evening, enjoy dinner at the historic La Maison Bleue.
- Overnight in Fes.
- APRIL 17 – MEKNES, FES (B, L, D)
- Travel south to Meknes, where you will visit Morocco’s premier winery, Les Celliers de Meknes.
- Begin with a yoga session on the beautiful lawn of the tasting room, under the shade of olive trees.
- Tour the building where the wines are made and stored, followed by a tasting of three wines in their beautiful tasting room.
- Enjoy a delicious lunch at Chateau Roslane, the winery’s five-star boutique hotel, situated in the midst of the vineyard. If the weather is good, dine outside by the pool.
- Return to Fes for a free afternoon.
- Dinner that night at La Maison Bleue Batha.
- Overnight in Fes.
- APRIL 18 – ATLAS MOUNTAINS, MERZOUGA (B, L, D)
- Depart Fes after breakfast and begin your journey south.
- Make a coffee stop in Ifrane, a small ski resort town that is also known as the Swiss village due to its alpine-style architecture.
- Visit the wild monkeys in the cedar forests outside of Azrou, where they are happy to be fed but surprisingly well mannered.
- Stop in Zayda for lunch, enjoying fresh barbecue in one of the many streetside restaurants.
- Take in the scenery as you cross the Atlas Mountains
- View the lush green date and almond trees filling the gorge in Errachidia
- Arrive in Merzouga in the evening and check into your riad.
- Head up to the roof for some yoga to stretch out after the long drive.
- Dinner at your riad that night.
- Overnight in Merzouga.
- APRIL 19 – SAHARA DESERT (B, L, D)
- Begin your day with a visit to a local shop that sells goods made by local women. Weaving, sewing, and otherwise crafting items is one of the few jobs available to women who have no other means for support.
- Visit the Gnawa Village to listen to their entrancing music. The rhythmic, hypnotic music has long been part of their ceremonies, from the time their ancestors were brought to the area as slaves. The music has influenced an entire genre that is performed all across Morocco and has even inspired several music festivals.
- Enjoy a Rissani specialty, medfouna, for lunch.
- In the early afternoon, meet your camels for your trek into your desert camp. You will journey through the dunes, and your camel guide will be able to get some great pictures for you as well!
- Arrive at your camp and enjoy a welcome glass of tea and some Moroccan cookies.
- Take your mats out onto the sand to really work on your balance with yoga in the desert.
- OPTIONAL: head back out into the dunes via camel to watch the sunset.
- Enjoy dinner at the camp. Afterwards, head out to the bonfire for the live music.
- Overnight in the Sahara Desert.
- APRIL 20 – BOUMALNE DADES (B, L, D)
- Optional: Wake up early to watch the sunrise over the dunes. Remember it gets cold in the desert overnight, so don’t forget your jacket!
- Enjoy a traditional Moroccan breakfast at the camp.
- Depart camp via camel (or SUV if one camel was enough for you!).
- Meet up with your driver once more, and begin your journey west.
- Make a stop in Boumalne Dades to see the stunning Todra Gorge, carved from the red rocks of the landscape by a river.
- Check into your accommodations in Boumalne, and then head into the Rose Valley for a guided hike, which can be as relaxed or as challenging as you would like.
- When you return to your riad, stretch out with some yoga around the pool, overlooking the city.
- Dinner at your riad that night.
- Overnight in Boumalne Dades
- APRIL 21 – OUARZAZATE, MARRAKECH (B, L, D)
- Depart in the morning to make your journey to Marrakech.
- As you are leaving Ouarzazate, make a stop at Ait Ben-Haddou, an ancient Ksar that has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Located along the former trade caravan route between the Sahara Desert and Marrakech, the Ksar is now often used as a filming location for movies including The Jewel of the Nile, The Mummy, Gladiator, and Kingdom of Heaven.
- Continue across the Atlas Mountains via the winding Tichka Pass to arrive in Marrakech in the late afternoon.
- Check into your riad in the medina, before heading up to the roof for an extended yoga session to relax from the long journey.
- Dinner at your riad.
- Overnight in Marrakech.
- APRIL 22 – MARRAKECH (B)
- Begin your day with a quick yoga session in the morning, to harness the energy for one final day.
- Afterwards, take a tour of the city with a private guide.
- Visit the Koutoubia minaret, the tallest in Marrakech. Within the city walls, no building is allowed to be taller than the Koutoubia’s 253 feet. The minaret is part of the largest mosque in Marrakech, which was completed in 1199.
- Stop at a Berber Apothecary shop, learning of the medicinal uses of many of the common spices and herbs that are still used across Morocco to treat common illnesses. While it’s not as picturesque as the heaps of spices you find in the market, it is far more informative!
- Tour the Bahia Palace, a late 19th-century palace built for the grand vizier and named for his favourite wife. The rooms set in a 2-acre garden include the rooms which housed his harem, an often political position.
- Explore Jemaa el Fna, the primary square in the medina and a UNESCO world heritage site. Though now filled with street performers, snake charmers, merchants, and orange juice stalls, when it was created in 1050, it was used for public executions, perhaps leading to its name which can be translated as “assembly of death”.
- Head into the souks surrounding Jemaa el Fna, where you can find everything from cookies to clothing, jewelry to hand-crafted lamps, and everything in between..
- Enjoy a free afternoon to explore the city on your own, or perhaps indulge in a traditional hammam.
- Overnight in Marrakech.
- APRIL 23 – DEPART CASABLANCA (B)
- Start the morning with one final yoga session on the rooftop terrace.
- After a leisurely morning, transfer north to Casablanca for your return flight to Boston.
Cost:
$3185 per person, based on double occupancy
Includes:
- Round trip airfare between Boston and Casablanca via Royal Air Maroc
- Ground transportation via minibus with English-speaking group guide
- 2 bottles of water per person, per day
- 8 nights accommodations with breakfast
- Dar Victoria, or similar, in Fes
- Riad Madu and luxury camp, or similar, in Merzouga and the Sahara Desert
- Ksar Sultan, or similar, in Boumalne Dades
- Riad Merzouga, or similar, in Marrakech
- Six dinners
- Six lunches
- Professional city guides in Fes and Marrakech
- Professional hiking guide in Boumalne Dades
- Yoga daily with a professional instructor
- Yoga mats
- Winery tour and tasting at Les Celliers de Meknes
- Camel trek
- Sahara Desert excursion
- Entrance to all included sites and monuments
- Tips for luggage carriers, hotels, and servers at included meals
Does Not Include:
- Beverages
- Meals not noted as included
- Snacks and incidentals
- Hotel services, such as room service or laundry service
- Tips and gratuities for drivers and guides
- Travel Insurance