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9 Day Best of Morocco - Da'at Educational Expeditions
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9-Day Best of Morocco

Air & Land
$2,929
Land Only
Morocco Tours

Visit North Africa and experience a country of vast beauty and changing geography. Learn some of the history and cultural influences that make Morocco a fascinating place to visit. Walk the winding alleyways, marketplaces and places of prayer and study for Jews and Arabs alike in Morocco's ancient walled cities and quarters. Meet with Moroccan Jews living in this Muslim country and find out about their lives and family histories.

 

 

Program Highlights Need to Know Register Now
 
Tour Highlights
  • Fantasia show in Marrakesh
  • Dialogue with one of the last remaining Jewish families in Mekens
  • Guided walk through the Medina, in the footsteps of the famous Jewish scholar Maimonides.
  • Experience the Djma El Fna Square

 

Trip Includes


  • 7 nights accommodation in selected hotels
  • 2 night Casablanca
  • 2 nights Fez
  • 3 night Marrakesh
  • Breakfast daily and 2 dinners
  • Sightseeing per itinerary in a modern air-conditioned motor coach with panoramic windows
  • Services of a friendly and professional English-speaking Expedition Educator throughout the trip
  • Entrance fees per itinerary
  • Airport transfers on arrival and departure
  • All hotel portage and tipping included    

DAY ONE: Sunday
DEPARTURE

  • Depart from the U.S. to Morocco.

Overnight: Flight


DAY TWO: Monday
ARRIVAL IN CASABLANCA

  • Arrive at Casablanca Airport.
  • Welcome by our representative and assistance with arrival formalities.
  • Transfer to your hotel and check in. Airport transfer included.
  • Relax, unpack and settle into hotel room.
  • Meet your Expedition Educator and fellow travelers for opening dinner and orientation.

Overnight: Casablanca


DAY THREE: Tuesday
CASABLANCA

  • Breakfast at your hotel.
  • Dialogue with tour educator about the Glory of Moroccan Jewry.
  • Da'at Encounter: Meet and hear from the leaders of the Casablanca Jewish community - “Why I Still Live in Morocco” - at the Beth El Synagogue.
  • Museum of the Jews of Morocco - A Glimpse at the Past and a Look Toward the Future. Enjoy a guided visit into the rich and colorful world of Moroccan Jewry, a community that at one time numbered close to 250,000 Jews.
  • Hasan II Mosque - After the mosques at Mecca and Medina, it is the third-largest mosque in the world and host to the world's tallest minaret at 689 feet.
  • Dinner on your own.
  • Da'at Encounter: Late night visit to the famed Rick's Café from the movie “Casablanca.” Meet and chat with entrepreneur and owner, Kathy Kriger.

Overnight: Casablanca


DAY FOUR: Wednesday
THE LEGACY OF MOROCCAN JEWRY

  • Breakfast at your hotel.
  • Depart for Rabat, capital of Morocco and home to settlement in the area as early as the 3rd century BCE. Guided visit around the walls of the Royal Palace and the Mausoleums of Mohammad V, who reigned (with a short period in exile) from 1927-1961 and his son, Hassan I, who reigned until his death in 1999. Both kings had good relationships with the Jewish community, and Hassan I worked quietly behind the scenes, encouraging early talks between Israel and Arab countries due in part to the sizeable Moroccan Jewish population in Israel.
  • Drive to Meknes, the ancient walled city and one-time imperial capital.
  • Visit the Mellah - the walled ghetto was the Jewish Quarter of Meknes, once one of Morocco's thriving Jewish communities.
  • Da'at Encounter: Dialogue with one of the last remaining Jewish families in Meknes.
  • Drive to Fez, one of the four imperial cities - Meknes, Marrakech and Rabat are the others.
  • Check in to your hotel.
  • Da'at Encounter: Dinner with members of the Fez Jewish community.

Overnight: Fez


DAY FIVE: Thursday
THE MYSTERIES OF FEZ

  • Breakfast at your hotel.
  • Dialogue with tour educator - Jews and Moslems: Learning, Working and Living Together in the Imperial City of Fez.
  • An analysis of Fez overlooking the Medina, Fez's walled quarters in this ancient city - with labyrinthine alleyways to wander and explore.
  • Guided walk through the Medina, in the footsteps of the famous Jewish scholar, Maimonides.
  • En-Nejjarine Square and Fountain and the Museum of Wooden Arts and Crafts.  Housed in the beautifully restored former caravan stop, or fondouk, one of many traditional stopping places for merchants traveling Saharan trade routes.
  • The Al Karaouine University and Mosque - founded in 859 BCE, it is the oldest, continually operating university in the world, and played a leading role in establishing cultural and academic relations between the Islamic world and Europe. Maimonides studied there.
  • Madrassas of the Medina - Morocco's definitive style of Islamic architecture reached new heights with the madrassas or Islamic schools of Fez, built between 1321 and 1357.
  • The Tanners' Quarter -- responsible for Fez's wonderful leather goods, with intense aromas and fascinating traditional craft methods.
  • The Arts and Crafts and Nejjarine Souks or markets, where carpenters still build and decorate furniture and cabinetry from fragrant cedar wood.
  • Lunch on your own.
  • Guided visit through the Mellah or Fundouk al Yahudi - the Jewish Quarter of Fez --  stopping in at a few of the former synagogues.
  • Visit the famous Fez Jewish cemetery - with sections for children, adults, priests and people of distinction, it is where some of Morocco's legendary rabbis are buried.
  • Free time and dinner on your own.

Overnight: Fez


DAY SIX: Friday
THE ATLAS MOUNTAINS

  • Breakfast at your hotel.
  • Check out of the hotel.
  • Head for Marrakesh, Leaving Fez and driving via the Central Atlas Mountains, through the Royal Ifrane ski resort and the Berber town of Azrou.
  • Arrive in Marrakesh and check into your hotel.
  • Relax and prepare for Shabbat.
  • Optional Shabbat services at the Al Azmeh Synagogue.
  • Da'at Encounter: Festive Shabbat dinner with members of the Marrakesh Jewish community.

Overnight: Marrakesh


DAY SEVEN: Saturday
THE WONDERS OF MARRAKESH

  • Breakfast at your hotel.
  • Optional Shabbat services.
  • Guided tour of Marrakesh, including stops at The Medina Gates, the Bahia Palace, the Dar is Said Museum and the Saadian Tombs.
  • Lunch on your own.
  • Free afternoon to wander through Marrakesh's enormous marketplace.
  • Dinner on your own.

Overnight: Marrakesh


DAY EIGHT: Sunday
THE EURIKA VALLEY

  • Breakfast at your hotel.
  • Full day tour to the Eurika Valley, a lushly green spot high up in the Atlas Mountains. Admire waterfalls, canyons and the quiet nature of the area.
  • Dialogue with Hananiyah Elfassie, the last Berber Jew in the area and caretaker of the grave of Rabbi Shlomo ben Hensh. One of the Moroccan Jewish community's most revered leaders and righteous men, Rabbi Ben Hensh died more than 500 years ago.
  • Return to Marrakesh.
  • Free evening and dinner on your own.
  • Experience Djemaa El Fna Square, one of the most colorful public squares in the area, replete with snake charmers, street vendors, musicians, jugglers, fortunetellers and storytellers.
  • Da'at Encounter:: Closing dinner with members of the Marrakesh Jewish Community.

Overnight: Marrakesh


DAY NINE: Monday
DEPARTURE

  • Breakfast at the hotel.
  • Transfer to the airport for flight home. (Airport transfers included. Please allow a minimum of three hours for check-in).
  • Flight back to the U.S.


Need to Know
  • Tour prices are per person in U.S. dollars. All hotel accommodations, motor coach transportation, special dinners, sightseeing, admissions, luggage handling and the services of local guides, drivers, and the Expedition Educator are included.
  • Hotel Accommodations: The tour price includes all hotel accommodations, in hotel rooms with private baths. Our standard is to provide the best available hotels while considering value. Although the level of the accommodations may differ slightly from hotel to hotel, we are committed to your comfort. Two-bed rooms are reserved in most hotels. Triples are two-bed rooms with a rollaway cot where available and are not recommended when considering the comfort of those in the room. King-size beds are not available in most hotels; what is considered king-size usually consists of two single beds pushed together and made up separately, but with one headboard. Some two-bed rooms may have two twin - not full- or queen-size - beds.
  • Meals are included as specified in the itinerary.
  • Expedition Educator: All trips are conducted by our Expedition Educators or local guides who remain with the group throughout the tour.
  • Gratuities Included: All gratuities for restaurant and hotel staff.
  • Luggage Responsibility: All tour packages allow one piece of luggage per person and one carry-on bag. Excess luggage will be subject to charge of up to $100 per piece. The Travel Agent and/or Tour Operator shall not be held responsible for any damage to or loss of luggage/personal items. All damage/loss must be reported at time of incident and documented in writing by local authorities for submission to your insurance company.


Not Included


  • Airfare to the tour departure point and from the tour ending point is not included. Airfare may be purchased from us for travel originating in the United States. Please see Flights tab in the right-side toolbar.
  • Personal Expenses: All personal expenses such as: laundry, valet service, cables, telephone calls and postage are not included.
  • Guide and Driver Gratuities:
    • 4 seater - $70  (i.e. 2 pax) - per day
    • 7 seater - $90 (i.e. 3-5 pax) - per day
    • 10 seater - $110 (i.e. 5-7 pax) - per day
    • 10-19 passengers: Guide $10, driver $5 - per participant per day
    • 20 passengers and more: Guide $8, driver $4 - per participant per day 


       

Additional Information


  • Airline Security Measures: In the U.S., you must provide identification in the form of a passport at the time of airport check-in for travel to international destinations. Your passport name must match the name on your tour reservation and airline ticket or you may be denied boarding.
  • If you are traveling from an airport outside the jurisdiction of the U.S, you will need to determine what travel documentation and identification is required for that particular airport.
  • Due to heightened security regulations, certain items such as a metal nail file, pocketknife, cigarette lighter or tweezers, and some liquid, gel, or aerosol items may not be permitted in your carry-on luggage. Please call your airline prior to departure to obtain current information on non-permissible carry-on items and recommended airport check-in times. You may also wish to visit the Transportation Security Administration website at www.tsa.gov to obtain more information on acceptable identity documentation and prohibited luggage items.
  • Holidays and Museum Closures - Museum visits and personal shopping time may be disrupted due to unforeseen circumstances or the many religious, state and local holidays locally observed in the destinations being visited.
  • Photography During Tours: We will occasionally use photographs taken by fellow guests or your trip director for promotional purposes. If you prefer that your photo not be used in any marketing activities, please notify us at the start of your tour.
 
9 Day Best of Morocco
2010Land OnlyStatus 
Oct 3$2929On Sale
 
Oct 31$3056On Sale
 
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