Casablanca Trip Overview
Discover Morocco Through its music is a twelve days tour traveling with a small group with other music enthusiasts like yourself. Enjoy authentic live music and dance from classical and spiritual Sufi music of Fez to tribal music of the Atlas Mountain to free drumming in an oasis or over the dunes of the Sahara. Fuse with them or simply enjoy being in the circle of enchantment. Be welcomed in Moroccan homes or under their nomadic tents to celebrate memorable events the way they do in a most authentic way. This time you will take a trip to Morocco that allows you to immerse in the Moroccan culture to celebrate and share most sacred moments of a musical cross-cultural journey.
Additional Info
* Duration: 12 days
* Starts: Casablanca, Morocco
* Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours
Explore Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Casablanca, Casablanca-Settat, Morocco
Discover Morocco Through its music is a twelve days tour traveling with a small group with other music enthusiasts like yourself. Enjoy authentic live music and dance from classical and spiritual Sufi music of Fez to tribal music of the Atlas Mountain to free drumming in an oasis or over the dunes of the Sahara. Fuse with them or simply enjoy being in the circle of enchantment. Be welcomed in Moroccan homes or under their nomadic tents to celebrate memorable events the way they do in a most authentic way. This time you will take a trip to Morocco that allows you to immerse in the Moroccan culture to celebrate and share most sacred moments of a musical cross-cultural journey.
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival at Casablanca – Meet the small group and Transfer to Volubilis
Stop At: Volubilis, Morocco
Arrive at Casablanca airport where you will be greeted by the Sarah Tours staff. Transfer to Volubilis a striking site visible for miles from the various bends in the approach road. This ethereal place was the central point of the introduction of Judaism by the Jewish traders, Christianity by the Romans and Islam by the grandson of the prophet Mohamed, Moulay Idris Al Akbar to the Berber natives of Morocco. Relaxing day at the peaceful hotel of Volubilis overlooking the valley and the ruins of this ancient sanctuary of great spiritual stature. Afternoon walk to the holy city of Moulay Idriss, the first Islamic city in Morocco and home of many Sufi orders that have been formed through the centuries. This is an important introduction to a spiritual aspect of the Sufi Moroccan society. Explore the labyrinth of this medieval and venerated city in Morocco. A brief intro session and rhythm get-together after dinner. Sleep early on the first night.
Duration: 4 hours
No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight at Riad Zerhoune or similar
Day 2: Guided Historic tour of Volubilis and Moulay Idriss – Introduction to Sufi Music of Morocco
Stop At: Moulay Idriss Zerhoun, Meknes 50353 Morocco
A visit to Volubilis, the Roman capital of Northwestern Africa in the morning with a meditation session in the ruins of this ancient site. Walk back to the hotel hiking through the ancient olive tree grove that attracted Martin Scorsese, Orson Wells and especially Fellini with his master production of “The Last Temptation of Christ”. Lunch at the gardens of the hotel overlooking the legendary Romans Ruins. An hour workshop of drumming with an introduction to the local trance dancers and drummers of the Hmadsha Sufi Order who are well respected throughout the Islamic world for their spiritual Praises and hunting Percussions.
Duration: 6 hours
No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight at the Same Riad
Day 3: Travel from Moulay Idriss to Fez overland with your Tour leader
Stop At: Fez Mellah, Fes Morocco
Travel to Fes. Check into the hotel for lunch. An afternoon devoted to discovering the beauty Fes. The historic tour begins at the Mellah, (the Jewish quarter), the king’s palace and the Bat’ha museum of Moroccan arts then the walking tour of the Medina, the fascinating walled city with its incredible maze of medieval twisting alleys, blind turns, mosques, shrines, fountains, workshops and every conceivable kind of market. Stop at El Hajj Lebbar House for mint tea and an introduction to The Issawa spiritual music, dinner will be served in a typical Moroccan restaurant in the Medina then return to the Moorish house for a complete Issawa Sufi order night of chanting and drumming.
Duration: 6 hours
No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Riad La Perle de la Medina or similar
Day 4: Day excursion to Mount Zalagh – Hiking the afternoon around Fez
Stop At: اسفار المدينة, Bloc E3 N8 ERAC, Fes 30000, Morocco
Morning to relax. An introduction to Jajouka rhythm and customs will be reserved to accompany us while hiking up to the shrine of Sidi Ahmed Bernoussi Shrine. Afternoon excursion to Mt. Zallagh in the Riff Mountains. Meet the mule caravan and explore the region escorted with the Jajouka Musicians and dancers. A mint tea party with the sunset over Fes at the shrine of Sidi Ahmed Al Barnoussi. A retreat sanctuary for Sufis who come to retreat here from all parts Morocco. Dinner and dancing in a Moroccan restaurant with Chaabi musicians.
Duration: 6 hours
No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight at The same Riad,
Day 5: Guided Tour of Fez Medina – Andalusian Music Discovery
Stop At: Medina of Fez, Fes 30000 Morocco
Morning devoted to shopping in the Medina for musical instruments and other artifacts. An afternoon workshop in the Gnawa rhythms, trance ritual, and customs. After dinner, a trip back to the heart of the Medina at the Mernissi Moorish palace for the Gnawa Ceremony, trance dance and Henna ceremony.
Duration: 6 hours
No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight at the same Riad
Day 6: Travel from Fez across the Atlas Mountains to the Sahara Desert
Stop At: Fossiles d’Erfoud, Avenue Molay Ismail Erfoud, Erfoud 52200 Morocco
The first hills you see of the Middle Atlas seem oddly un-Moroccan. Evergreen pines, tall cedar trees on the peaks and poplars stand copiously on the foothills, laced with flowing streams. The road across is almost ceremonial. Azrou, the first real town of the Middle Atlas, stands at a major junction of routes, it’s an important market center, and it has long held a strategic role in controlling the Berbers of the mountains. The Middle Atlas cease at Midelt, where suddenly, through the haze, appear the much greater peaks of the High Atlas which formidably rise to over 12,000 feet behind the town to reach a massive range, the Djebel Ayashi. The drama of this sight, tremendous in the clear, cool noon, is the most compelling reason to stop over for lunch. Erfoud, one of the most pleasing of all southern routes: a dry, red belt of the desert, and then suddenly, a drop into the valley filled with date palm groves. Dinner accommodations at Kasbah Asmaa Guest House.
Duration: 8 hours
No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight at Kasbah Leila over the Dunes of Erg Chebbi
Day 7: Explore the Valley of Tafilalet Oases and Kasbahs – Enjoy Saharan Music
Stop At: Souqs of Rissani, Rissani Morocco
Lecture in the morning on Berber tribal music with an ethnomusicologist. Visit the holy city of Rissani after lunch, then continue the quest to Erg Chebbi. An experience not to be missed is to watch the sun sets from the spectacular Merzouga dunes of the Sahara which is so beautiful that no words can describe it. Dinner with the Tuaregs and the Rokba Tagmount Dance. Enjoy a night jamming with local musicians over the dunes of Merzouga under the African Skies.
Duration: 6 hours
No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight at the same Guesthouse
Day 8: Travel from The Sahara Dunes to the Canyons of Todra and the Valley of Tinghir
Stop At: TINGHIR, Avenue Kassem Zahiri, Tinghir 45800, Morocco
Enjoy a wonderful day trekking the highest the narrowest gorges in the region Todras, only 15 km from Tineghir. Traveling through the Dades valley in spring you will find the bloom of thousands of Persian roses filling up the air with an ethereal aroma certainly from heaven – cultivated as hedgerows dividing the different plots. Thousands of Kasbahs scattered in a surreal fashion as sand castles standing erect in the shadow of time along the Dades river. Ahwash Megounamusic and dance in a Berber home. Dinner and accommodation at Hotel Bougafer in Tineghir.
Duration: 6 hours
No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight at Kasbah Lamrani or similar
Day 9: Travel from Tinghir to Ouarzazate exploring the Dades Valley
Stop At: Dades Gorges, R704 Atlas Mountains, Boumalne Dades 45350 Morocco
An active day awaits for you hiking and trekking the trail of a thousand Kasbahs. Travel through El Kelaa De Mgouna and Boumalne exploring the Dades Valley and continue to Ouarzazate: one large Oasis intercepting the flow of ages between the Dades, the Draa valleys and the Majestic High Atlas Mountains. Dinner and accommodation in the Hotel.
Duration: 6 hours
No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight at Hotel Tichka Salam
Day 10: Across the Tichka Pass to Marrakech visiting Kasbah Ben Haddou
Stop At: Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou, Douar Ait Ben Haddou, Ait Ben Haddou 45000 Morocco
Depart to Marrakech via Taddart and Tizi-n-Tishka pass at an elevation of 11,000 ft. in an impressive site dividing these mountains in two distinct aspects: one side acts as a shield to protect the hinterland from the Sahara harsh and dry expansion, the other side collects the moisture of the Gherbi winds from the Atlantic ocean, soft and evergreen. So is the life of the Berber dwellers on your way the legendary Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah hiking up to its summit. Arrival in Marrakech the “Morocco City” as the early travelers called it for it has always been something of a pleasant city, a market place where the southern tribesmen and Berber villagers bring in their goods, spend their money, and find entertainment. For tourists, it’s an enduring fantasy – a city of immense beauty, low, pink, and tent-like before a great shaft of mountains, and immediately exciting. Lunch at the Almoravides Hotel. Visit of the famous Jemaa El Fna square. Dinner in a local home with the local Dekka music and the famous Gnawa music and dance. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration: 8 hours
No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight at Hotel El Andalous or similar 4 stars
Day 11: Walking tour of Marrakech historic site with a local guide
Stop At: Koutoubia, Medina Jamaa El Fena, Marrakech 40000, Morocco
Morning devoted to a walking tour discovering the historical sights of Marrakech with your local guide. Lunch will free to discover eateries around Jamaa el Fna square. Farewell Dinner will be at a Jewish restaurant in the Mellah, a typical festivity of Andalucian and Sephardic music. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration: 6 hours
No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight at Hotel El Andalous or similar
Day 12: Transfer to Casablanca Airport
Stop At: Casablanca Airport Transfer, Boulevard Abdelmoumen, Casablanca 20360, Morocco
Early morning transfer to Casablanca airport, connect with the transatlantic flight back home with a memorable journey to treasure for a lifetime. Come back for more on another Morocco Cultural Tour.
Duration: 3 hours
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
