Explore the magic of Marrakech and the mysteries of the Sahara

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Magic & Mystery: Nights in Morocco
Trek under the sheltering sky

Morocco has a natural seductiveness, a charisma which attracts travelers like an exotic lover. Its power has attracted a number of people with discerning tastes: great writers and poets, painters and film directors, rock stars and movie idols. But Morocco's arms are open for all who recognize the romance and the richness of this fascinating country.

On this trip we spend the first two days in that pearl of cities, Marrakech, with its magnificent mosques, palaces and the famous Djemaa F’na Square. And we experience the city from a local perspective, by staying in a small riad (restored home), rather than in a large, impersonal hotel.

From Marrakech, we drive up into the High Atlas Mountains where we stay two nights at a remote mountain lodge, offering great hiking deeper into the mountain valleys. We then cross several passes and follow the long, lush Dra’a River valley to the palm oasis of Zagora, our home base for three days while we explore the vast dunes of the Sahara Desert. We will also visit a casbah, a large earthen building that serves as a village unto itself. Local conditions permitting, we will also spend one night in tents in the desert.

From Zagora, we drive back past the palm groves of the Dra'a valley to Ouarzazate, once a remote French Foreign Legion post, and now home to a magnificent casbah and the movie studio where Mankiewicz’s Cleopatra, starring Elizabeth Taylor, was filmed. On our last full day in Morocco, we cross back over the High Atlas Mountains to Marrakech for our farewell dinner at one of the country’s finest restaurants.

Although it is small compared to some of the vast countries of Africa, Morocco contains within its borders a great variety of scenery, from the blue Atlantic coast, to the snow-capped High Atlas Mountains, to the treeless Sahara desert with lovely oases of palm groves.

Morocco’s original inhabitants were the Berbers, who still represent a significant portion of the population. They established their kingdom of Mauritania in the north around 200 BC. Later the region became a Roman province, and in the 7th Century the Arabs arrived and brought with them the benefits of their faith, language and arts. We will see many fine examples of their splendid architecture in Marrakech and elsewhere. As was once the case in nearby Spain, there was also a significant Jewish community thriving side-by-side with their Arab neighbors. France took control of the country early in the 20th Century and remained in control of Morocco until 1956. The French left behind an excellent road system (albeit with most 2-lane roads having only one paved lane down the middle), schools, hospitals and a tradition of fine cuisine which the Moroccans lost no time in adapting to their own tasty cooking. French is also spoken fluently by most educated Moroccans.

Due to its unique blend of nomadic Berber culture, Arab influences, and French colonial legacies, Morocco is - and has been for a hundred years - a tourist paradise. There are few health problems for travelers, and visitors are made comfortable in pleasant hotels and, as the members of our previous tours found, truly welcomed by the friendly, cheerful people.

Highlights of this trip include:

• Explore Marrakech, one of Morocco's four ancient imperial cities and the jewel of Morocco.
  
• Stay in unique lodgings, including a Marrakech riad (traditional merchant's house) near the old city.
  
• Experience the color, sounds, and chaotic fun of a centuries-old bazaar.
  
• Hike in the High Atlas Mountains, a stunning natural boundary between the North African plateau and the Sahara desert.
  
• Journey through the Dra’a Valley, a long oasis following a shallow river lined by date palms.
  
• Trek into the Sahara Desert and spend the night in a tent surrounded by endless sky and sand (local conditions permitting).
  
• Enjoy delicious Moroccan cuisine along with Eastern music and dance.
  
• New York-Morocco flights available at excellent rates in both Economy and Business Class.
  

Dates:
Oct. 24 to Nov. 3, 2008: $2,795: A trip for gay men & lesbians.

Travelling Alone?
So are most of the people who travel with us. You do not need to pay extra to travel by yourself. Prices are per-person, and the single supplement applies only if you'd like a room by yourself.

Location: Starts and ends in Marrakech

Price includes: Accommodations at fine hotels and riads for nine nights, plus one night in a tented camp, in double occupancy; Subject to availability we offer single rooms for an additional supplement, but please note that at some hotels this may be a single room in a 2-bedroom suite, and all tents are shared for our one night in the desert; All transportation by motorcoaches or vans, cars, camels, jeeps and other modes during the trip; Airport transfers for those arriving in Marrakech on group arrival and departure days; Breakfast each day, 4 lunches, 8 dinners; Wine or soft drinks at the Welcome and Farewell dinners; Services of a knowledgeable Hanns Ebensten Travel tour director and local Moroccan guides; Meal, hotel, and driver gratuities and baggage porterage; Admissions to sites, museums and attractions that are shown in the itinerary.

Not included: Airfare to and from Marrakech; Airport departure taxes; Airport-hotel transfers if not arriving or departing on group travel days; Meals not included in itinerary; Tips to guides and hotel staffs; Personal items such as alcoholic beverages, telephone calls and laundry.

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