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The Trip

Morocco -- exotic, magical, transcendent. Most first-time travelers to this genuinely magical place discover that all they’ve heard about this land is true.

Known to the Arabs as "the farthest land of the setting sun," Morocco stands at the western edge of the Muslim world. Separated from Europe by just nine miles at the Strait of Gibraltar, it is a crossroads of past and modern, a land of amazing contrasts where medieval minarets tower over exotic souks and soaring mountains give way to sensuous deserts.

Starting in Casablanca we travel to the "imperial cities" of Rabat, Meknes, and Fez, exhibiting stunning traditional Moroccan architecture that includes blue-tiled facades and elaborately carved woodwork. Exploring the labyrinths of the cities’ souks, we admire the craft shops using ancient techniques and savor the scent of spices, sizzling kabobs, and sweet honey cakes. We continue across the Middle Atlas Mountains to Erfoud, where we reach the pink sands of the Sahara and witness the sunrise and sunset over the dunes. Here we experience a touch of nomadic Berber life as we ride camels with the local tribesmen into the majestic solitude of the Sahara desert. We enjoy a night in Berber tents with a traditional feast and Berber folklore.

Traveling west, our next destination is the Todra Gorge, a striking natural wonder with1,000-foot walls. Through the Dades Valley set amid the snow-capped High Atlas Mountains, we travel on to Ouarzazate along the "Road of a Thousand Casbahs" and then to Marrakesh.

A short drive from Marrakesh brings us to the foothills of Mt. Toubkal, at 13,356 feet, the highest mountain in Morocco and North Africa. We spend three days trekking on well-maintained trails and sleep in rustic mountain lodges with dormitory lodging. We then travel back to Marrakesh for a well-deserved rest and spend the next two days exploring the busy souks, famous gardens, and towering minarets.

Our last stop is the lovely walled town of Essouira on the Atlantic, an artists’ haven of white-washed houses with blue shutters. We explore the medina, the fisherman’s market, and the harbor where wooden fishing boats continue to be built in the traditional manner. On our last day we drive back to Casablanca by the scenic coastal route.

Itinerary

Note: This itinerary is subject to change based on weather and/or other factors.

Day 1: Our adventure begins at 9 a.m. at a hotel in Casablanca. Participants will want to arrive in Morocco at least one day early to stay at our Casablanca hotel or another nearby lodging. After an orientation meeting, we visit the modern Hassan II Mosque (one of the largest in the world) and take a tour of the city. We then drive to Rabat, Morocco’s capital, for lunch and a tour of some of the most famous sites, including the Royal Palace, the Roman ruins of Chellah Necropolis, the medina, and Le Tour Hassan and Mausoleum. We arrive in Meknes for dinner and overnight.

Day 2: We begin our day with a visit to the former stables and granary of Moulay Ismail. We have lunch at the village of Moulay Idriss, a beautiful hilltop town named after Morocco’s most revered saint and founder of the country’s first real dynasty. We then drive to the 1,700-year-old site of Volubilis, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the best preserved complex of Roman ruins in Morocco. We walk amid towering marble columns and gawk at the well-preserved mosaic tableaus. We take a scenic drive by back roads to Fez. Before we arrive at our hotel we enjoy a sunset view overlooking Fez with the haunting "call to prayer" echoing from below.

Day 3: We spend today touring the walled medina of Fez. The oldest of Morocco’s imperial cities, it is the symbolic heart of the country and a UNESCO World Heritage site. We explore on foot the medieval Medina where narrow winding alleys and covered bazaars offer every conceivable type of craft workshop, market, restaurant, and mosque, all surrounded by magnificent old stone walls. Some of the finest Berber carpets in Morocco are found in this medina. Our stroll through this ancient labyrinth highlights the colors and activity of Moroccan souks (markets). We enjoy a local dinner show with traditional food, music, and belly dancing.

Day 4: From Fez we begin to drive south to the desert. We start with a morning drive across the Middle Atlas Mountains, dotted with cedar forests. We stop en route to see the Barbary apes that invariably sit at the edge of the road waiting for travelers to toss them peanuts. In the afternoon we reach the Ziz Valley, an oasis of date palms, with its magnificent gorges. We continue past palm-fringed towns and old fortresses to Erfoud, a small town at the gateway to the Sahara, where we overnight.

Day 5: After breakfast we explore an ancient ksar (a fortified village) where modern restoration is being done. This desert region is famous for the petrified remains of plants and animals. We visit a local workshop to learn about the fossils and watch them being made into jewelry, furniture, and works of art. In the afternoon we journey to Merzouga, the gateway to the Sahara. Tonight we stay in a comfortable lodge at the very edge of the sand dunes.

Day 6: This morning we board Land Cruisers to visit an oasis where we will enjoy a one-hour walk to visit some desert Tuareg nomads and learn about their agricultural practices. In the late afternoon we meet up with our camels for a safari through the desert to our campsite. (Those who do not wish to ride a camel may ride in a Land Cruiser). Tonight we experience the desert in local fashion as we spend the night in a traditional Berber tented camp. The camp has a large main tent for meals. Each of the sleeping tents has two beds, a table, solar powered illumination, a private bathroom, and shower. Before dinner we will climb the dunes, watch the sunset, and return to camp to be entertained with Berber folklore. After dinner we can gather around the fire to share stories and listen to the local Gwana music under the star-filled sky.

Day 7: We rise early this morning to climb the sand dunes for sunrise over the Merzouga Dunes. We return to town in Land Cruisers and continue on in our bus to explore the Todra Gorge with its limestone cliffs and fig orchards. This gorge lies at the end of a lush valley filled with mud-brick villages and enormous palm groves. Hemmed in by barren, craggy mountains, it is one of Morocco’s most magnificent natural sights. The walls surrounding it are 1,000 feet high and a river runs through the gorge bottom that narrows to a width of 30 feet. We will hike in the gorge after lunch. We overnight in Tinghir.

Day 8: We travel west along the "Road of a Thousand Kasbahs," stopping to explore Kasbaah Saad, which dates back 200 years. We join a local family for mint tea. We then visit the spectacular Dades Gorge with brilliantly colored rock formations. Our next stop is the Rose Valley where we take a short hike. Our overnight is in Ourzazate, Morocco’s premier movie-making center.

Day 9: This morning we visit the legendary casbah of Ait Benhaddou, a restored medieval casbah, the location used in the filming of Lawrence of Arabia and The Last Temptation of Christ. After lunch we leave the desert scenery of south-central Morocco behind and head northwest to Marrakesh, a palm-fringed metropolis that has existed for a thousand years.

Day 10: We depart early this morning to start our three-day trek in the High Atlas Mountains, a two-hour drive from Marrakesh. We will be traversing the foothills of Mount Toubkal, Morocco’s highest mountain and the highest mountain in all of North Africa at 13,356 feet elevation. With several peaks above 12,000 feet, the Central High Atlas is part of a large chain of mountains that spreads from the Atlantic Coast in the west to the Algerian border in the east. We start hiking at Aguersioual, a half-mile from the village of Imlil at 5,280 feet before reaching Ait Ouaougmoute for lunch. We then continue to Tizi Oussem for dinner and overnight at 8,250 feet at a gite d’etape, a rustic mountain lodge, that has 15 shared bedrooms and showers. There is approximately six hours of hiking today on well-traveled trails through high mountain Berber villages. The scenery of mountains and valleys is spectacular.

Day 11: Today we hike from Tizi Oussem south to the watefalls at Enebro at 9,900 feet, then back north along the trail to Armed, a mountain village. We overnight there at another gite d’etape at 6,419 feet. There is approximately six hours of hiking today.

Day 12: After breakfast we hike from Armed to Imlil, east to Tinerhuhine at 7,590 feet, and west to Aguersioual at 5,280 feet as we finish our trek in the afternoon. There is approximately five hours of hiking. We drive back to Marrakesh to our hotel for dinner and a welcome rest.

Day 13: After breakfast we tour Marrakesh visiting the Koutubia Mosque, the Saadian Tombs, Bahia Palace, and other well-known sites. After lunch we take a horse-drawn carriage ride to visit the exotic Majorelle Gardens and Islamic Arts Museum formerly owned by Yves Saint Laurent. We will have time to explore the Djemma el’Fna, a huge square and focal point of Marrakesh that turns into a fascinating spectacle every day and night. A massive food court is erected every evening while storytellers, dancers, fire-eaters, snake charmers, musicians, and acrobats keep their audiences spellbound. There will be some free time in the afternoon to wander on our own or possibly enjoy a hammam, a Turkish bath where attendants use rhassoul mud, henna, and olive soap to improve your skin and hair.

Day 14: After breakfast there is time for shopping or just enjoying the unique atmosphere of Marrakesh. After lunch we take a three-hour drive to the lovely port town of Essaouira where we will spend two nights at the seashore. Essouira is a quaint, historic walled town filled with interesting streets, a colorful harbor, a small souk, Portuguese ramparts and fortifications, as well as miles of white sand beaches. It also offers some of the best seafood in all of Morocco. We stay at a comfortable beach-front hotel, just a short scenic walk from the walled city.

Day 15: After a morning walk on the beach to birdwatch, we tour the medina of Essouira with its artisan workshops and fishermen’s market, stopping at a local Thuya wood cooperative where tradesmen make articles of this wood endemic to the area. We eat lunch at an open-air fish market. We enjoy our farewell dinner together at a fine Moroccan restaurant.

Day 16: We leave Essouira after breakfast and take the coastal route to Casablanca, arriving by 5 p.m. Trip members can take a late night flight home or stay overnight in Casablanca and fly out the next day.

Getting There

Book your flight into and out of Casablanca, Morocco (CSM). You will be picked up at the airport and transported to our hotel in Casablanca. The leader will be happy to give you recommendations and assist you if you wish to extend your stay on either end of the trip.

Accommodations and Food

For 12 nights we stay in comfortable locally owned hotels with swimming pools; some of these offer fitness centers and opportunities for spa treatments including hammams, Turkish baths. On our trek for two nights we stay at simple mountain lodges or gites with dormitory sleeping arrangements and shared bathrooms and showers. We spend one night at a fixed Berber camp among the sand dunes of the Sahara. Each goat-hair tent has two beds, a shower, and a bathroom. All rooms are double-occupancy except for the mountain lodges. If you come alone you’ll be sharing with another person of the same gender.

The food will be delicious with a variety of many fruits and vegetables. Moroccan food is fresh, locally grown, and homemade. The cuisine is a blend of Mediterranean, Arabic, Jewish, Persian, West African, and Berber influences. We will sample traditional meals, including the famous couscous and tagines of Morocco, in all of the restaurants we visit. Vegetarians will be accommodated and any other food limitation or allergies should be shared with the leader as soon as possible.

Trip Difficulty

To fully appreciate this outing you should be in good physical condition and enjoy moderately strenuous hikes. On nine of our days we will be touring historical and cultural sites on foot. We will take short one- to two-hour walks on three of our days in the canyons and the desert. During our three-day trek in the High Atlas Mountains we hike an average of six hours per day with a daily elevation gain of between 1,100 and 3,000 feet and a daily elevation loss of between 2,300 and 3,100 feet. On the trek we will sleep at elevations of 6,419 feet and 8,250 feet. The trails are in good shape and generally not rocky.

Equipment and Clothing

A detailed equipment list will be shared with the group after you register. The Saharan campsite is furnished with beds and blankets. Hiking poles will be useful on the mountain terrain during our trek. Everyone will want good binoculars and cameras to photograph the amazing scenery.

References

Books:

• Abouzeid, Leila, The Year of the Elephant.
• Ben Jelloun, Tahaar, The Sacred Night.
• Bergier, Patrick and Fedora, A Birdwatcher’s Guide to Morocco.
• Bowles, Paul, The Sheltering Sky.
• Clarke, Suzanna, A House in Fez: Building a Life in the Ancient Heart of Morocco.
• El Koudia, Jilali, Moroccan Folk Tales.
• Lonely Planet, Morocco.
• Mernissi, Fatima, Dreams of Trespass: Tales of a Harem Girlhood.
• Shah, Tahir, In Arabian Nights: In Search of Morocco Through Its Stories and Storytellers.
• Shah, Tahir, The Caliph’s House: A Year in Casablanca.

Website:

• www.visitmorocco.com

Conservation

The Sierra Club is an environmentally focused entity. We are concerned about conservation and sustainability of resources, both locally and globally. Our work is accomplished by volunteers and aided by a salaried staff, encouraging grass roots involvement. Our outings seek to empower participants toward understanding parallel environmental concerns at home and abroad.

The Moroccan government has a firm commitment to the protection of its biodiversity and has set up a protected area network comprising three national parks (Souss-Massa, Toubkal and Tazekka), four proposed national and natural parks, and 146 existing or proposed nature reserves.

Morocco is party to a number of international treaties including Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, and Wetlands.

However there are significant environmental issues currently including land degradation and desertification with soil erosion resulting from farming of marginal areas, overgrazing and the destruction of vegetation, water supplies contaminated by raw sewage, silting of reservoirs, and the oil pollution of coastal waters. We will hear a discussion of these issues from a representative of a local environmental NPO.

Trip Price

This trip requires a $200 per-person deposit. An additional payment of $300 per person is due six months prior to trip departure. International trip prices are subject to change and are based on double-occupancy or group accommodations as described above. Single rooms may not be available or may cost more than the listed price. If you have any questions regarding double occupancy, please contact the trip leader.

See the How to Apply for an Outing section for more details on registering for this trip and details about our Reservation and Cancellation Policy.

The payment of a deposit does not confirm you as a member on the trip. Participants must be approved by the trip leader. After signing up for this trip, you will be sent a confirmation packet containing approval materials (Participant Approval Questionnaire, Medical Form, Liability Release Form). Each applicant (including those on the waitlist) must fill out these forms and promptly mail them to the trip leader. The leader will review the approval materials and notify you of your acceptance in a timely manner.

The Sierra Club accurately and fairly budgets and prices our trips. However, unforeseen costs such as devaluation of the dollar compared to other currencies and fuel surcharges assessed by our international providers may necessitate adjustment in trip price. We will make every effort to mitigate and absorb these fees. If a price increase is necessary, however, you will have 14 days after announcement to cancel without penalty.

Staff

Rochelle Gerratt loves Morocco for its exotic scenery, rich history, and friendly people. Rochelle has been leading international trips for Sierra Club Outings since 2000. She enjoys designing and leading natural history trips in the United States, Central and South America, Europe, and the Mideast. Her trips feature scenic hiking, good food, and authentic cultural experiences. An avid traveler, Rochelle works as a career coach when she is at home. She looks forward to sharing Morocco's treasures with you.

E-mail: rgerratt@comcast.net

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General Notes About Sierra Club Trips

• Carbon Offsets
• Electronic Devices
• Equipment
• How to Apply for a Trip
• Leader Gratuities
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• Medical Issues
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