Fes, Oasis and Desert

day 1
Origin – Fes

Reception and transfer to the hotel.

day 2
Fes

Full day dedicated to the discovery of the city of Fes, in the evening we will return to the hotel, to enjoy a deserved rest.

Fes is considered in Morocco as the religious and cultural center of the country. The city is divided into three zones, Fez el Bali, (the old zone within the walls), Fez-Jdid, (the new zone where is the Mellah, the Jewish quarter), and the Ville Nouvelle (the French zone in the northwest of the city). The medina of Fez el Bali is one of the largest medieval sites in the world today. The whole medina is declared World Heritage by UNESCO, its souks and alleys have not changed since the Middle Ages. To get to know the medina of Fez el Bali, start at the Bab Boujloud gate, enter the souk and walk its narrow, labyrinthine streets, often dodging mules laden with large bundles.

• Visit the Bou Inania Madrasa, with its valuable works in cedar wood, stuccoes and marble and onyx decorations.
• The zaouïa of Moulay Idriss, founder of the city.
• The Andalusian quarter with its mosque and the Es-Sahrij Madrasa.
• The ancient Dar Batha palace, in the Arabic-Andalusian style, dedicated to the arts and traditions of Fez.
• The University Mosque of Al-Karaouine is one of the oldest in the world, founded in 859 by Fatima Al-Fihri, daughter of Mohammed Al-Fhri, a very rich merchant of those times. After the death of her father, Fatima and her sister received a large amount of money, and then Fatima decided to create the University Mosque. Inside you can see many arches, mosaics, wood carvings and paintings of great beauty.

The district of the tanners, in the Middle Ages, the city became one of the main commercial centers of the Maghreb, being the main producer of adargas. (shield made of leather and oval shape), originally used by the Muslim cavalry of Al-Andalus, with the name of addárqa.

The Fez World Festival of Sacred Music, created in 1994, is part of the spiritual and artistic life of the city; since its creation, this event has been a true international success. The 2001 Fez Festival was declared by the United Nations as one of the most exceptional events contributing to the dialogue among civilizations. It is held every year in June.

“Fez Hats” The fez or tarbush was conceived by the Andalusian Muslims of the city of Fez in the seventeenth century, as a fashion for high society. The artisans who participated in its design were the most select members of the city’s souks.

Until the nineteenth century, the city of Fez was the only producer, until France and Turkey began to develop this product.

day 3
Fes – Oujda

Salimos de fes por autopista, llegaremos a Oujda, y visitaremos la puerta de Bab el-Ouahab, antiguamente en los bastiones de dicha puerta colgaban las cabezas cortadas de los rebeldes, desde aquí entraremos a la medina, famosa por sus puestos de aceitunas. En las calles de Oujda están muy animadas, es habitual encontrar en cualquier rincón de la ciudad músicos callejeros, especialmente en verano y durante el mes del ramadán.

Durante el mes de julio, se celebra en la ciudad uno de los encuentros musicales más importantes del norte de África, se trata del Festival de Música Räi de Oujda que acoge infinidad de artistas de todo el planeta.
Noche en el hotel.

day 4
Oujda – Oasis of Figuig

After breakfast we will leave Oujda towards the road that runs parallel to the mining railway line built by the French in 1930.

From Oujda to Figuig we will travel approximately 300 km. through amazing Saharan landscapes full of dunes, nomad camps and small Berber villages unaccustomed to receiving tourists.

In the oasis of Figuig is formed by 7 different villages, separated by short distance from each other, is a traditional structure in the oases isolated from the Sahara.

Of the seven villages Zenaga is the largest and El-Maiz is said to be the most beautiful here we will find incredible vaulted streets, and large porches. A very ingenious resource to attenuate the rigor of the high summer temperatures. In Figuir, like the whole south of Morocco, it is usual to find white sanctuaries “morabitos”, an important part of the popular cult, they are tombs of saints that the faithful visit to venerate them or to benefit from the protection “la baraka”. In the streets and markets of Figuir we will see some women dressed in a completely white tunic that covers their whole body, they are married women. It’s all part of the tradition.
The Figuig oasis has up to 200,000 date palms, visiting the palm grove and the villages is an experience that will show us the way of life of the communities in the oases.

day 5
Oasis of Figuig – Boudnib – Erfoud

After breakfast we will leave Figuig towards Erfoud, by the classic route where the Paris-Dakar rally passed, we leave behind the oases of the eastern part to enter the historical region of Tafilalt that for centuries was the final end of the caravans that crossed the Sahara towards West Africa by the Salt Route. We will go along the pre-Saharan hamada of the Guir to Boudnib and we will continue through the abundant palm groves of the Tafilalt valley bathed by the Ziz river until we reach Erfoud, where we will spend the night and departure point to visit the dunes.

day 6
Erfoud – Rissani – Merzouga – Ramlia

After breakfast we will leave for Rissani, 20 km from Erfoud, we will visit the market, an important trade center frequented by desert people. The market of Rissani is ancestral, in which there are craftsmen of wood, sale of cattle, of spices… here we will be able to see the curious Parking of donkeys, where the people who go to the market keep the animals here.

Rissani is also a meeting place for collectors, fossil hunters and researchers; in its vicinity are numerous mineral quarries and fossil deposits.

Historically Rissani was a kingdom itself between the 8th and 14th centuries, known as Siyilmasa and very important in the area due to the trans-Saharan caravans and commercial movement that existed at that time, rivaling Fez and Marrakesh. From here came large caravans of camels that exported metals, fabrics and dates to Sudan and Guinea.

Ibn Battuta on his trip to Mali in 1352 relates:
I arrived in the city of Siyilmasa, which is one of the most beautiful and abundant in excellent dates, in which the city of Basra resembles it, but those of Siyilmasa are better (. . .) I acquired camels and put myself on a journey in a caravan where many merchants of Siyilmasa traveled. . .

In the center of Rissani we will visit the ksar AbouAm, one of the few mud fortresses totally inhabited.

In the afternoon we reprimand the desert route and return to Merzouga. Known for “the door of the dunes”, for being located at the foot of the dunes, also known as “Erg Chebi”, true wonder of nature in a landscape that changes constantly, it is said that this desert of dunes has the largest in the world. Rheumatism treatments are currently being carried out in the sands of the Merzouga desert. At the foot of the dunes we will leave the 4×4 and ride the camels that will take us to the high dunes of the desert to enjoy an unforgettable sunset. We will spend the night in a Berber tent and enjoy a traditional dinner enlivened with the sound of the tam-tam (drum), in the most authentic heart of the desert.

Climbing the dunes, watching the sunset and sunrise are some of the experiences that undoubtedly do not leave us indifferent.

day 7
Ramlia

We will get up early to see the sunrise in the dunes, and after a good breakfast we will visit the Ramlia oasis, a beautiful oasis of palm trees in the Tafilalt region, located in the southeast of the Sahara desert, next to the border of Algeria and Morocco.

The track to Ramlia is through beautiful desolate landscapes. Ramlia is in the middle of nowhere, its inhabitants are ancient nomads, lovers of hospitality and tradition, they all belong to the tribe of Aït Khebbach, which is part of the great Amazigh group of Ait Atta of the south-east Sahara Desert of Morocco. We will enter the palm grove where are the orchards irrigated by the tergua or ancestral irrigation channel of collection and conduction of groundwater that is intimately linked to the life of the oases and their culture.

In the surroundings of Ramlia we will also see the prehistoric necropolis and cave engravings of the zone of the period of the humid Sahara.

At night we will have dinner and sleep in a hotel located in the middle of the purest desert.

day 8
Ramlia – Ziz Valley – Sefrou – Fes

We will have breakfast and spend part of the day through the impressive valley of the Ziz River. We will travel through its majestic gorges with incredible mountain landscapes bordered by oases and fortifications.

We will cross the Tzi n’Talrhmeht High Atlas pass, known as the “camel pass” that will take us to Midelt, where we will make a brief stop in the famous cedar forests of the Middle Atlas, here lives one of the last communities of Barbary monkeys, a species of macaque that can only be seen here and in Gibraltar.

From Midelt we will arrive at the province of Ifrane, located in the Middle Atlas in a mountainous area at 1713 meters of altitude and with a cold climate, which has influenced the nickname of the small African Switzerland, to the exit of Ifrane, we will take the route until arriving at Sefrou, medieval locality with its magnificent medina protected by the walls of the XVIII century. Sefrou means in the Berber language “place to hide”, the city owes its name to the tribe of the Ayt Sufru, a Berber tribe of Jewish religion of the first centuries of our era. The Sefrou Cherry Festival has been inscribed by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2012. Every year, in June, the residents of the city of Sefrou celebrate for three days the natural beauty and cultural richness of their region, symbolized by the cherry. The weekly market in Sefrou is interesting, attracts Berbers from the surrounding area and is a good place to experience the culture of the region.

After a walk through the city we will go to Fes, where we will stay in the hotel.

day 9
Fes – City of Destination

At the established time, transfer to the airport and end of our services.

EXTENSION TO MEKNES – VOLUBILIS – MOULAI IDRÍS

day 9
Moulai Idrís – Volubilis – Meknes – Fes

Breakfast in the hotel and then we will go to the city of Mulay Idris, raised on a rock, 70 km from Fes and 4 km from Volubilis.

Mulay Idris is one of the most famous places of pilgrimage in Morocco. The Mausoleum (Zaouia) of Mulay Idris is a sanctuary dedicated to the king of Morocco between 807 and 828 and founder of the city. Mulay Idris is the most revered saint in the whole country and there are thousands of Muslims who visit the mausoleum to obtain its blessing. After the visit we will enter the Roman city of Volubilis, to admire the triumphal arch, the columns of the capitol and the wonderful mosaics. The city of Volubilis is the most important archaeological site in Morocco, and inscribed on the list of World Heritage by UNESCO. After the visit of Volubilis, we will continue to Meknes, one of the four imperial cities of Morocco. Founded in the 11th century by the Almoravids (a Berber tribe called Meknassi), it became the capital of the Maghreb in the 17th century. In Meknes we can see the Bad el Mansour gate, one of the largest and most beautiful entrance doors in Morocco, built in 1732. The door of Bad el Mansour, is the usual entrance to the Medina, where we can admire its souk, historic buildings and the Great Mosque of Almoravid origin of the twelfth century. Accommodation at the hotel in Fes

day 10
Fes – City of Origin

At the established time, transfer to the airport and end of our services.