5* Morocco Tour Summer 2021 Kosher LeMehadrin

August 9th to August 19th

A truly unique, 5* hotels, Kosher LeMehadrin gourmet, magical 11 day tour of Morocco.
 
We are excited to announce our new tour to the magical land of Morocco!

Beaches and Berbers, medinas and mosques, souks and sand dunes... Morocco has variety and an exotic feel that has fascinated travellers since long before the modern traveller arrived.

Morocco's mix of traditional and modern strikes the perfect balance between the intensely exotic and comfortingly familiar. Cities like Fez, Marrakech, and Casablanca evoke images of medinas, spice markets, and couscous, while the geographic extremes – from the Atlas Mountains to beach resorts to camels in the desert – make it eminently photogenic. The mad circus of Marrakech's Djemaa el Fna square, packed with incense, salesmen, and snake charmers, is so bizarre and entertaining you'll be looking for the hidden camera. With rich Jewish history at every corner, you will be captivated and inspired!

Morocco is once again welcoming tourists!

We have planned a fantastic itinerary for you: 10 Nights and 11 days, from August 9th to Thursday August 19th, 2021.

Here are some of the highlights;

• We will visit the important sites of Morocco, including Jewish landmarks 
• We will stay in top 5* hotels for your ultimate comfort.
• You will be wined and dined by the best caterer in North Africa (glatt kosher gourmet meals)
• We will be accompanied by the best guide; Raphael Elmaleh.
• Ken Spiro, the world-renowned lecturer and historian will be with us on our tour as well!
• A private cameraman to video our experiences throughout the tour, for an unforgettable memory!

Our accommodations are:

• 3 nights in Marrakech: at the 5* hotel Le Naoura Marrakech
• 3 nights in Essaouira: at the 5* Sofitel Essaouira Mogador Golf & Spa
• 3 nights in Fez: at the 5* Palais Faraj
• 1 night in Casablanca: at the 5* Le Casablanca Hotel

Option: upgrade to hotel suites, for a supplement.

Kashrus 

Halak Beit Yosef, pas yisroel, chalav yisroel, all meats are imported from France, Glatt Kosher
A maschgiach temidi for the whole trip

As places are limited, we would like to have your reply as soon as possible.

To secure you place for this amazing trip a deposit of $1000/person will be required.

If you have any questions or require any additional information, please contact us

We thank you and look forward to seeing you in Morocco!

Itinerary

Day 1: Monday 9^th August: MARRAKECH

Welcome to Morocco!

Landing in Marrakech around noon time, you will immediately plunge into the tour!

You will meet your guide for a tour around the Medina, you will see the stalls of the old walled city before heading to the Bahia Palace to see its fantastic courtyards and mosaic walls built for Bou Ahmed.

You can discover the hidden Saadian tombs, built during the reign of Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur in 1557, and also visit some of the shops in the souk to buy spices and Morocco's famous argan oil.

You will eventually arrive at the Koutoubia Mosque, completed during the reign of the Almohad Caliph Yaqub al-Mansur (1184–1199), before experiencing the electric atmosphere of Jemaa El Fna, Africa's busiest square and market. You can taste freshly squeezed orange juice while watching snake charmers, henna tattoo artists, and water merchants.

Lunch boxes will be provided for our lunch during the day.

Fantastic gourmet dinner will be ready for us at the hotel where we stay overnight.
 
Day 2: Tuesday 10^th August: MARRAKECH

Shachris and splendid breakfast at the hotel.

You will start your visit with a walk through the 16th century alleys of the Jewish Mellah, a distinct district in the Medina with great historical significance, where you will notice the difference in the architecture of the neighborhood. 

This is where the Jews settled in Marrakech to practice their businesses and crafts. You will visit Lazama Synagogue, one of the main remaining synagogues in the Mellah district and certainly the most picturesque with its splendid blue and white colors.

Then you will visit one of the largest Jewish cemeteries in the country. Established in the originally Jewish district of Mellah, the Jewish cemetery of Miaara bears witness to the long history of the Jewish community of Marrakech. Over 500 years old, this vast space contains tombs of simple appearance and varying sizes, dating back centuries and years.

There are many anonymous graves, testimony to the epidemics that have raged in the city forcing a rapid burial of the bodies.

Continuation of the visit to the Guéliz district, the city center of the city of Marrakech. Free time to visit the mall or the shops.

Lunch boxes will be provided for our lunch during the day.

Fantastic gourmet dinner will be ready for us at the hotel where we stay overnight.
 
Day 3: Wednesday 11^th August: OURIKA - AGAFAY

Shachris and splendid breakfast at the hotel.

The Ourika Valley is so close to Marrakech and yet so different. It is a journey through time and space. Indeed, one leaves the permanent activity of the city of Orcre to discover a region at the foot of the Atlas Mountains populated by Berbers leading a traditional life. During our walk, we will  discover how life revolves around the "Ourika" stream which supplies the gardens with aromatic and medicinal plants as well as traditional vegetables.
 
In the afternoon we continue to the Agafay desert, high up the  Atlas Mountains.
 
This tour will allow you to experience life in the desert by quad and camel. Easy to access from the city, the Agafay desert is located south of  Marrakech.

Let the team welcome you and teach you to maneuver the quad. Learn to control your machine, follow your quad guide and discover the magnificent landscapes of the Agafay desert. Then meet your guide for a camel ride and set off on an adventure. Put on the traditional clothes of the nomads and go for a camel ride as the sun sets over the immense rocky desert.

A magical BBQ dinner will be prepared for us out there in the dunes of the Agafay dessert, in an authentic Berbere Tent, for an unforgettable experience.
 
Night at the hotel in Marrakech.

Day 4: Thursday 12^th August: ESSAOUIRA

After Shachris and breakfast at the hotel, we will relax by the pool until lunch.

A gourmet lunch will be served after which we will board our bus and travel to the sea-side town of Essaouira.
Arrive late afternoon, we will check into our 5* Hôtel Sofitel Essaouira Mogador Golf & Spa. The hotel is near a beach, and we can all enjoy and relax by the ocean until dinner.

A special dinner will be prepared by our gourmet chef once again!
 
Day 5: Friday 13^th August: ESSAOUIRA

Shachris and splendid breakfast at the hotel.

Essaouira (formerly "Mogador") is a city classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Essaouira you will discover, shows a completely different aspect of Morocco, with the old port, the old Medina by the ocean and the sandy beaches.

A beautiful Jewish town in North Africa. In the early 1950s: The Jewish community represented 65% of the population of Essaouira with 1600 people. Jewish heritage is visible throughout the city.

You will visit the port of Essaouira, the Kasbah, the old Mellah, the port of the navy "bab el marsa", the craft center, the place Moulay Hassan and the beach of Essaouira.

Many painted houses in Essaouira still have the Star of David above the doors of Jewish houses. Rabbi Haim Pinto's house and synagogue have been preserved as a historical and religious site. Visit the shrine of Haim Pinto and Dar Darika (the latest Museum) inaugurated by the King Mohamed VI.

We will visit an association of Berber women producing argan oil, stroll through the local markets and marvel at the jewels of the jeweler’s district.

Hadlakas Neros, followed by Kabolas Shabbos at the hotel.

Unforgettable Friday night gourmet dinner at the hotel in Essaouira.
 
Day 6: Shabbos 14^th August: ESSAOUIRA

After Shachris at the hotel followed by a beautiful gourmet lunch.

We will have a wonderful Shabbos program that will include lectures by the world renowned historian and lecturer Rabbi Ken Spiro.

Seuda Shlishis followed by Havdolo will conclude this unique Shabbos.
 
Day 7: Sunday 15^th August: FEZ

After Shachris and breakfast we will departure to Fez via a short flight, arrival around noon time.

We will transfer to our hotel, the magnificent 5* Palais Faraj, and after lunch we will start our introductory tour of Jewish Fez.

Visit of the Danan Synagogue Built in the 17th century by a wealthy Moroccan merchant, this synagogue is one of the most important in North Africa. Yet although it is one of the jewels of Moroccan Jewish culture. Next,the Jewish Museum of the Em Habanim synagogue, followed by a visit to the Jewish cemetery which contains the tombs of Yehuda ben Attar, Abner Ha Serfati, Solica Hatchel.

We will also visit the house of Maimonides with its mysterious water clock. Maimonides lived in the city for 1159-1165, suffering from the persecutions of the Almohad dynasty. They emigrated to escape forced conversion.
Gourmet dinner will take place back at the hotel.

Day 8: Monday 16th August: OUAZZANE - CHEFCHAOUAN

Shachris and splendid breakfast at the hotel.

We will depart to Ouazzane, a holy city, and visit the kvorim of several Moroccan tzdikim, particularly Moul Anrhaz, the local name for Rabbi Amram ben Diwan, an eighteenth-century rabbi who lived in the city and whose burial site is associated with a number of miracles.

After our delicious lunchbox we will departure to Chefchaouen, a picturesque town in the Rif Mountain range, that has been thriving for decades due to its scenic surroundings and buildings painted in a striking blue hue.
The town's dramatic location surrounded by valleys and gorges make it an idyllic base point for a variety of nature walks and day trips across the region. Handicraft and souvenir shopping remains a popular.

We return to our hotel in Fez for an incredible gastronomic experience.
 
Day 9: Tuesday 17th August: FEZ

Shachris and splendid breakfast at the hotel.

Our first stop on this tour of Fez is the Bab Jelloud Gate, one of the gates leading to the medina. Admire the intricate architecture of Madrasa Bou Inania and El-Attarine, two Koranic schools of religious studies, as well as Al-Karaouine University and Mosque

Next comes the famous Nejjarine Museum of Wooden Arts and Crafts. Here, learn about traditional tools, rugs, furniture, and musical instruments in a beautifully restored caravanserai.

Continue to the famous tanneries, where the leather is still processed as it was hundreds of years ago. Watch the workers from a gazebo and learn about this ancient craft.

Chat with the locals and learn the art of bartering while shopping for handcrafted leather bags and belts.
Hear stories about Moroccan royalty at the Royal Palace in Fez and photograph the magnificent Bab Fettouh Gate
Venture outside the Medina, where the Royal Palace is located. You can admire all the Moroccan art through this monument. there are multiple doors and a large square with maintained green spaces. the king comes to spend a few days a year there.

Fantastic gourmet dinner will be ready for us at the hotel where we stay overnight.
 
Day 10: Wednesday 18th August: RABAT – CASABLANCA

Shachris and splendid breakfast at the hotel.

We departure to visit of the capital of Morocco, Rabat. Visit the Royal Palace, the Hassan tower which stands on the hill overlooking the Wadi Boregreg. It is a gigantic mosque emblematic of Rabat and famous for its unfinished minaret where storks’ nest. Visit the Mausoleum Mohamed V(the king who protect the Moroccan Jewish)decorated with stained glass windows, white marble and a wrought-iron entryway with a stairway leading to an impressive dome. We will finish by visiting the Kasbah Oudaya. 

After lunch we will leave Rabat and travel to Casablanca.

In Casablanca, we start with a panoramic tour of the city and its diverse neighborhoods,

Check in at the 5* Le Casablanca Hotel and dinner at the Jewish cercle “l’alliance”.
 
Day 11: Thursday 19th August: CASABLANCA

Shachris and splendid breakfast at the hotel.

After breakfast we will visit of the Mellah (the Jews Quarter) and be guided through the Museum of the Jews of Morocco, after which everyone will be transferred to the Airport to catch the flights home.