Morocco is known for its rituals and beliefs that have survived over the centuries, remnants of the ancient Mediterranean cultures that once inhabited the region.  These customs remain a large part of Morocco’s modern culture, expressed poetically in the daily lives of its people.  One of the most important aspects of this culture is music, emphasized on every occasion in order to display thoughts and feelings that are impossible to put into words.  This otherworldly journey will introduce you to a world filled with spirituality and beauty that transcends religion, as you absorb an atmosphere replete with authentic Moroccan music and culture.

Day 1: New York – Casablanca

You will depart for Morocco on an overnight, non-stop flight from John F. Kennedy Airport to the Mohamed V Airport in Casablanca, via Royal Air Maroc.

Day 2: Casablanca – Volubilis

You will arrive the following morning at the Casablanca airport, where Sarah Tours staff will greet you and escort you to the city of Volubilis.  Visible for miles, Volubilis is a remarkable site, once the central location for the introduction of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam to the natives of Morocco.  You will spend your day relaxing at the peaceful Volubilis hotel, which overlooks a valley of the city’s ancient ruins.  In the afternoon, you will walk through the first Islamic city in Morocco, Moulay Idriss, home to many Sufi Orders founded throughout the centuries.  This tour will be your initial introduction to Moroccan society with regard to spirituality, as you explore the city’s labyrinth-like streets.  After dinner, you will attend a brief introductory session about Sufi music, followed by a rhythmic celebration, after which you will return to your hotel early for a good night’s sleep.

 Day 3: Volubilis – Moulay Idriss
You will spend your morning exploring Volubilis, the Roman capital of Northwestern Africa, complete with a meditation session amidst the city’s ruins.  You will walk back to your hotel through an ancient olive tree grove, which Martin Scorcese used as a filming location for the Last Temptation of Christ.  You will eat lunch in the hotel gardens, overlooking the legendary Roman ruins, followed by an hour-long drumming workshop including an introduction to the local trance dancers and drummers of the Hmadsha, who are well respected throughout the Islamic world. 

Day 4: Volubilis – Fez
In the morning, you will depart for Fez, where you will check into your hotel, a Moorish Riad in the Medina, and eat lunch upon arrival.  You will devote your afternoon to the exploration of Fez, with a historic tour including visits to the Mellah (the Jewish quarter), the King’s palace, and the Bat’ha Museum of Moroccan Arts.  Afterward, you will participate in a walking tour of the Medina, a walled city with a maze of twisting alleys and blind turns with numerous mosques, shrines, fountains, workshops, and markets.  You will stop at El Hajj Lebbar House for mint tea and an introduction to Issawa spiritual music, followed by dinner at a typical Moroccan restaurant in the Medina.  Afterward, ou will return to the El Hajj Lebbar House for a night of Issawa spiritual chanting and drumming. 

Day 5: Fez – Zallagh
You will have the morning at your leisure, free to do what you please.  In the afternoon, you will attend an introduction to Jajouka rhythm and other traditions, followed by an excursion to Mount Zallagh in the Riff Mountains.  You will meet a mule caravan, which will accompany as you explore the mountains, escorted by the Jajouka musicians and dancers.  Afterward, you will enjoy a mint-tea party at the shrine of Sidi Ahmed Al Barnoussi, a sanctuary for Sufis from all over Morocco, as you watch the sun set over Fez.  You will complete your day with dinner and dancing in a Moroccan restaurant with entertainment by Chaabi musicians. 

Day 6: Fez
You will devote our morning to shopping in the Medina, where you will find a variety of musical instruments and other artifacts.  In the afternoon, you will attend a workshop about Gnawa rhythms, trance ritual, and customs.  After dinner, you will return to the heart of the Medina, where you will attend the Jilala Ceremony, trance dancing, and a Henna ceremony at Dar Hadara Moorish palace.

Day 7: Fez – Azrou – Midelt – Erfoud
In the morning, you will leave Fez and venture into the Atlas Mountains.  Your first experience with the Atlases will probably surprise you, since the hills of the Middle Atlases seem oddly un-Moroccan: they are covered with evergreen pines, tall cedar trees, and poplars, laced with flowing streams.  Azrou, the first real town of the Middle Atlas Mountains, stands at a major junction, functioning as an important center of business and trading for the Berbers who inhabit the region.  At Midelt, the Middle Atlases suddenly give way to the soaring peaks of the High Atlas Mountains, rising behind the town to a distance of over 12,000 feet.  In order to do justice to this tremendous view, you will stop in Midelt for lunch.  Afterward, you will travel to Erfoud via one of the most beautiful of the Southern routes, crossing a dry, red belt of desert, which drops unexpectedly into a valley filled with date palm groves.  Dinner and accommodations will be provided at the Hotel Belere.  Afterward, you will attend a tribal ceremony on the dunes.

Day 8: Merzouga Dunes – Rissani – Erfoud
You will have the morning at your leisure, followed by an excursion to the holy city of Rissani after lunch.  You will then continue your journey to Erg Chebbi and watch the sun set behind the spectacular Merzouga dunes of the Sahara, a sight so beautiful that words cannot describe it.  Afterward, you will have dinner with the Tuaregs, followed by the tribal Rokba Tagmount Dance.  You will spend the night camping on the dunes.

Day 9: Erfoud – Tinghir
Only fifteen kilometers from Tinghir, you will find the highest, narrowest gorges in the region: the Todras.  You will then travel through the Dades valley, where you will find thousands of rose bushes acting as hedgerows to divide plots of land used for local produce.  Along the Dades River, thousands of majestic Kasbahs appear, timeless in their beauty.  You will visit a Berber home where you will experience Ahwash music and Megouna dance, followed by dinner and accommodations at the Hotel Bougafer in Tinghir. 

Day 10: Tinghir – Ouarzazate
You will depart Tinghir and journey through El Kelaa De Mgouna and Boumalne, exploring the Dades Valley as you continue onward to Ouarzazate.  Ouarzazate is defined by one large Oasis that intercepts the flow of water between the Dades, the Draa valleys, and the majestic High Atlases.  Dinner and accommodations will be provided in the Belere Hotel, followed by a visit to a local home where you will enjoy a night of tribal music with Howara dancers.

Day 11: Ouarzazate – Marrakech
You will depart in the morning for Marrakech, traveling via Taddart and the Tizin’Tishka Pass.  The Pass, at an elevation of 11,000 feet, divides the mountains into two totally different aspects.  The first side acts as a shield, protecting the hinterland from the Sahara’s harsh, dry climate.  The second side is soft and evergreen, collecting moisture brought by the Gherbi winds from the Atlantic Ocean.  You will arrive in Marrakech, a pleasure city where Southern tribesmen and Berber villagers bring their goods, spend their money, and find entertainment.  For tourists, Marrakech is perpetually fascinating, sitting majestically before the soaring Atlas Mountains.  You will have lunch at your hotel, followed by a visit to the bustling Jemaa El Fna Square.  Afterward, you will visit a local home, where you will enjoy dinner, the local Kekka music, and the famous Gnawa music and dancing. 

Day 12: Marrakech
You will devote your morning to discovering the many historical sites that Marrakech has to offer, followed by lunch at La Paix Restaurant, a French restaurant with an art deco theme.  You will have a farewell dinner at a Jewish restaurant in the Mellah, followed by festivities complete with Andalusian and Sepherdic music.  Accommodations will be provided at the Atlas Hotel.

Day 13: Marrakech – Casablanca – New York
In the morning, you will leave your hotel for Marrakech Airport, where you will catch a transfer flight to Casablanca.  There, you will board your plane for the transatlantic flight back to New York.

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