MOROCCO: MAGIC OF THE ORIENT

Itinerary

Day 1, Mon Casablanca – Marrakesh

Arrival to Casablanca, meeting and orientation. We'll take the scenic route from Casablanca to Marrakesh, Pearl of the South. If there‘s time after dinner we‘ll visit one of the first jewels of our tour, the lively, bustling Jemaa el-Fna Square. Here food stalls are jammed together, water sellers, snake charmers, story tellers and “healers” of every type and kind.

Day 2 Tuesday: Marrakesh

“The Red City” or the “Pearl of the South” are but two of the names given to Marrakesh – the most beautiful city in Morocco that lies at the foot of the Atlas Mountains. The city is divided in two: the new and the ancient. We’ll visit the Almanara Gardens and the city center with its lively markets. We’ll pass through the Melah, and stop by the Koutoubia Mosque, visit a Berber pharmacy and the Bahia Palace. We’ll visit a Melah where Jews no longer live, but where there is an ancient synagogue that is more than 500 years old. We’ll tour the “medina” – the market quarter of the city. The market is a mass of colors, voices and smells, a polyglot of all the treasures that exist in this country. The “medina” is divided according to type of product: an area for silver houses silversmiths and silver dealers, while gold is dealt in a different area, and rows upon rows of stalls sell leather, copper and jewelry. We‘ll end the day with a visit to the Ourika valley also known as ‘Valley of the Jews’ where enjoy the view of the red wild scenery and the picturesque villages among the mountains. We‘ll return to Marrakech. In the evening, we'll all go out to see “Fantasia” – a Berber folklore show.

Day 3, Wednesday Marrakesh – Aït Benhaddou –Ouarzazate

After breakfast we‘ll head to the French built regional city Ouarzazate. Along the way we‘ll stop at Aït Benhaddou, a Kasbah built in the 16th century and considered one of the most beautiful in Morocco. Upon arrival to Ouarzazate, we‘ll start with a panoramic tour of the city. We’ll then continue through beautiful scenery, traditional villages and picturesque Kasbahs which are often used as backgrounds in the production of Hollywood movies.

Day 4 Thursday: Ouarzazate – Tenerir – Todra Gorge - Erfoud

After breakfast we’ll start making our way toward the desert. Before we leave town we'll stop at the film studios for which the town is famous. We‘ll pass the city of Tenerir as we travel to the Todra Gorge at the southern edge of the High Atlas Mountains. We’ll see some magnificent scenery, dotted with orchards and Berber villages. We‘ll examine how the locals store water for the long dry season. Toward evening we‘ll arrive at Erfoud, the place from where the famous Abu Hatzeira rabbinic dynasty originates.

Day 5, Friday Erfoud – Midelt - Ifran - Fes

We‘ll get up very early this morning and head out by Jeep to the Merzouga dunes, the largest dunes in the world, part of the western Sahara, from where we‘ll view a fantastic desert sunrise (weather permitting), and then return to Erfoud for breakfast. After breakfast we’ll cross two important rivers, the Ziz and the Riche which lie along the Middle and High Atlas Mountains, an area of magnificent scenic vistas. We’ll stop at a cedar nature reserve where we’ll see towering cedar trees. From the mountain tops we’ll see the oasis of Tafilalt palm groves in the Sahara Desert; this amazing oasis runs for 50 kilometers, all along dotted with millions of date palm. We‘ll stop for lunch at the town of Midelt. We’ll travel along the oasis until we reach Ifran, a Swiss-type Moroccan town, located at 1600 meters above sea level. The entire area is surrounded by magnificent monkey-inhabited cedar forests. The town also hosts the Peace University, where members of the three monotheistic religions were supposed to have studied together. After the tour continue to Fes. In the evening we recommend going out to a typical Moroccan "Hafla".

Day 6, Shabbat: Fes

After Shabbat services and lunch we‘ll taking a walking tour to the new city areas of Fes. After Shabbat we‘ll enjoy a typical Moroccan folklore evening and possibly a Moroccan wedding.

Day 7, Sunday: Fes

Today will be mostly devoted to this, the religious and cultural capital of Morocco, which combines old and new. There will be a guided tour with a local English-speaking guide. The area of Fes is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its narrow lanes with their workshops remain as they have been for hundreds of years. We'll visit the square of the Royal Palace, which is alongside the Jewish quarter – the oldest Melah in Morocco, as well as the Jewish cemetery and the Abu Danan Synagogue in the Melah. We'll view the Dynastic Tombs and city as a whole from the green roofs and walls of Fez. From the rooftops we'll see the tannery quarter where hides are treated, and we'll visit a ceramics factory where we'll learn about this unique local craft. The city's ramparts surround a maze of winding alleys and a bustling market divided according the guilds of its artisans.

Day 8 Monday: Fes – Meknes – Rabat - Casablanca

After breakfast we‘ll head to the city Meknes, built by Sultan Mulai Ismail in the 17th century. Meknes was a lively Jewish center until its Jewish inhabitants made aliyah with the founding of the State of Israel. We’ll tour the many sites that adorned the city in the times of Sultan Ismail, including the famous Mansur Gate. We’ll visit the Melah, the former Jewish quarter, and see the old Talmud Torah (if it’s open we’ll be able to enter the building as well). We’ll continue to the town of Ouezzane in the Rif Mountains where we‘ll visit the tomb of the sacred Tzaddik of Morocco, Rabbi Amram ben Diwan. From here it‘s on to the town of Chefchaouen, where we‘ll spend the night.

Day 9 Tuesday: Casablanca

Today we'll spend the day visiting the most important city in Morocco. We'll take a panoramic tour of the city during which we'll see the newer part of this North African metropolis, including the United Nations Square, renowned for the Neo Moorish buildings that surround it, and for the fountain, which sprays water all around. From there we’ll head to Great Mosque built half on land and half on water. Many of Morocco’s finest artists and artisans worked for many years to create this magnificent edifice. In fact, every Moroccan citizen donated funds for the project in one way or another to ensure that the project’s costs, which soared to over $800 million, would be covered. The mosque’s minaret rises to a height of 200 meters, and its central prayer hall can contain thousands of worshippers. This is a true architectural wonder. We'll visit the new and old cities, the colorful bazaars and the promenade along the ocean.

Day 10, Wednesday Casablanca – Home Gateway

After breakfast we'll bid a sad farewell to Morocco. Our tour is now over and we take our memories with us as we head to the airport from where we take our flights home.

Price Includes

• 5* Hotels
• Entrance fees as per the itinerary
• Comfortable air conditioned touring coach
• Kosher half board & lunch packs daily
• Professional experienced English-speaking Eddie's Travel guide
• Local English-speaking Guide as required

Price Excludes

• Travel & Health Insurance
• Personal expenses and evening entertainment not included in the itinerary
• Tips for local service providers $100 to be collected in cash abroad)
• Shows and evening entertainment not included in the itinerary
• Tip for our Tour Guide (Recommended: $3 per person per day)
• Miscellaneous expenses such as departure fees, visas, security surcharges etc. where applicable.

Important To Know
There may be changes to the order of places visited. We will make every effort to visit every place mentioned in the itinerary.
The tour organizers have no control over airline services such as seating, special meal requests, changes in departure times or delays. These remain the sole responsibility of the airline company.

Kashrut on Tours
Kosher food is provided to our travelers on all our tours. We work with the local Rabbinate to provide Hashgacha for all local ingredients and fresh meat and poultry. In some cases, we fly in kosher food from Israel and other sources, depending on the destination of the tour. We do not guarantee Pat Israel and Chalav Israel for all destinations.

In many destinations we have our own crockery and cutlery. Where we don't, we provide disposables at the meals. When we cook in Hotel kitchens, we ensure proper Kashering and we use our own kitchenware on kashered and covered surfaces. All this is done under the strict supervision of our trained staff/guides who function as our Mashgichim.

Our travelers enjoy gourmet meals prepared by our team including fresh local fish, fruit, and vegetables. This is an integral part of Jewish travel. We make great efforts to assure that our travelers will experience local foods first-hand, while maintaining stringent observance of Kashrut laws on all occasions.

Rabbi Menahem Fogel
A native of Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Menahem Fogel served as a pulpit rabbi in South Africa and Canada before returning to Israel in 1984 to take up the position of spokesman of Yad Vashem, in Jerusalem, a position he held for six years.

Since that time he has held senior positions in both the public and private sectors developing interactive computer systems for museums around the world. He also lived and worked in the USA, Netherlands, Austria, UK and India. A lifelong yearning for travel led to his becoming a Tour Manager in 2000 and developed expertise tourism to Japan & China, Alaska, Canadian Rockies and Africa. Recently he took on the added role of Rav Hamachshir for The Kosher Travel Club to ensure the highest standards of Kashrut are implemented on all our Kosher Tours.

For any questions about Kashrut please feel free to email menahemf@netvision.net.il

Deposit, Cancellation Fees & Policy:
A $500 USD Deposit per person must be received at the time of booking in order to confirm your reservation. Payment in full is due 90 days before departure. A minimum number of participants are required to operate tour dates. If a minimum number has not been reached prior to tour departure and the tour is cancelled you will receive a FULL refund.

• 90 days before departure bookings are refundable less a $100 administration fee
• 60-90 days prior to departure: $500 + $100 per passenger
• 30-60 days prior to departure: $1,000 + $100 per passenger
• Less than 30 working days prior to departure: 100% of total - no refund
• We strongly recommend purchasing Travel Insurance.