Archive for January, 2011

Casablanca One- Day Tours, Your Morocco Travel Guide

Thursday, January 27th, 2011

Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca

A private one-day tour of Casablanca, Morocco is the best way to see the city if you’re arriving from the Casablanca airport or a short visit or if you’re coming by way of cruise ship into the Casablanca Port. Casablanca. Casablanca Tours are available from the airport, your Casablanca hotel or the Port of Casablanca.

Casablanca or more affectionately known as Casa has a population of three and a half million and is the  largest city and  port in Morocco. It’s also the biggest city in the Maghreb and the sixth biggest city in the entire continent of Africa.

Saint Catherine Cathedral Casablanca

Casablanca, the most famous name in Morocco Travel, is considered the  economic capital of Morocco because it is the heart of Moroccan business. It is also the primary naval base for the Royal Moroccan Navy. Casablanca is the headquarters and main industrial facilities for leading Moroccan and international companies based in Morocco. Industrial statistics show Casablanca retains its historic position as the main industrial zone of the country.

The area which is today Casablanca was settled by Berbers by at least the  7th century. A small independent kingdom, in the area then named Anfa, arose in the area around that time in response to  Arab Muslim rule, and continued until it was conquered by the Almoravids in 1068. Originally modeled after Marseilles when the  French landed Casa in 1907,  Casa is the most  European of Morocco’s cities and is known as a huge metropolis where modernity and tradition co-exist. As a tourist you can enjoy Casa’s bustling new town or its old medina and also meet immigrants from the countryside. At night you can  dance at beach clubs and  rub shoulders with the  elite and also dine in some of the most liveliest and tasteful seafood restaurants on  Casa’s port, the  Corniche.

Museum of Moroccan Judiasm, Casablanca

Casablanca also has one of the only Jewish Museums in the Muslim world. The Museum of Moroccan Judaism of Casablanca is a museum of history and ethnography, created by the Jewish Community of Casablanca in 1997 with the support of the Foundation of Jewish-Moroccan Cultural Heritage. It uses world-class standards of conservation for its national and international collections. The Museum, which covers an area of 700 square meters, is the first of its kind in the Arab world. It consists of a large multipurpose room, used for exhibitions of painting, photography and sculpture; three other rooms, with windows containing exhibits on religious and family life (oil lamps, Torahs, chanukah lamps, clothing, marriage contracts (ketubot) Torah covers…) and exhibits on work life, two rooms displaying complete Moroccan synagogues; a document library, a video library and a photo library. The Museum offers guided visits, sponsors seminars and conferences on Jewish-Moroccan history and culture, and organizes video and slide presentations.

Hassan II Mosque Interior Architecture

CASABLANCA ONE-DAY TOUR:

►Pick up at the Your Hotel or The Port in Casablanca at 9:00am.

►Start your morning off with coffee and baguettes at one of the cafes at Parc de La Ligue Arabe, a huge garden with avenues lined with tall palm trees, ficus , arcades, pergolas and flower beds.

►Moving north, we will take the road towards the old medina as you move through Place Mohammed V and the Place des Nations Uniones, the main focal points of Ville Novelle, Casa’s new town. See French architecture complemented with Moorish design in Place Mohammed V, the protectorate square. Pass by the prefecture, law courts, central post office and cultural centers.

►Make sure you have a camera in hand to take pictures of the famous clock tower, art deco hotels, the eleven story Moretti apartment block and the high rise art deco buildings covered with loggias, columns, zellij tiles and geometric carvings on Boulevard Mohmmed V. Visit the famous residential blocks: the Glaoui, the Bessonneau and the Asayag. The Boulevard links Place des Nationes with the railway station and is the gateway to the central market. Continue a short way to the Avenue des Forces Royal, a commercial area that leads into the old medina. With the help of your guide, move easily through the labyrinth of narrow streets lined with jewelers, barbers and artisans. See the squala, a fortified 18th century bastion. Visit the nearby shrine containing the tomb of Sidi Allal el-Kairouant, Casa’s first patron saint.

►Enjoy lunch at one of the international restaurants by Casa’s port, the Corniche or Rick’s Cafe- a famous Piano Bar run by an American and named after the Movie “Casblanca.”.

Cafe Maure Casablanca

►After lunch visit the Mosque of Hassan II. Casablanca is home to the Hassan II Mosque, designed by the French architect  Michel Pinseau. It is situated on a promontory looking out to the Atlantic, which can be seen through a gigantic glass floor with room for 25,000 worshippers.

►A further 80,000 can be accommodated in the mosque’s courtyard. Its minaret is the world’s tallest at 210 meters. Work on the mosque was started in 1980, and was intended to be completed for the 60th birthday of the former Moroccan King Hassan II, in 1989. However, the building was not inaugurated until 1993. Authorities spent an estimated $800 million in the construction of the building. It is an enormous architectural masterpiece and the second largest religious building in the world. Tour its famous minaret, dome, royal doors made of marble. On Fridays, the Mosque of Hassan II is open to non-Muslims.

►The Mosque of Hassan II’s promontory offers lovely views overlooking Casa in the residential Afna quarter. After touring the Mosque, head over to the New Town of Casablanca also designed by the French architect Henri Prost for an hour of shopping. The main streets of the New Town (Ville Nouvelle in French) radiate south and east from Place des Nations Unies, where the main market of Anfahad been. The New Town you past in your morning journey is possibly the most impressive in Morocco.

Former administrative buildings and modern hotels populate the area. Their style is a combination of Hispano-Mauresque and Art Deco Styles.

OPTIONAL:

►Visit Temple Beth-El, the Jewish Synagogue in Casablanca. Beth-El, is considered the center piece of a once vibrant Jewish community. Its stained glass windows and other artistic elements, is what attracts tourists to this synagogue.

►Visit the Jewish Museum in Casablanca.

►Next visit the old Jewish Mellah of Casablanca. The Jewish Mellah of Casablanca is young by Moroccan standards, not much more than a century old. It assaults the senses in the evening, with a sea of women in brightly colored djellabas carrying and selling fruit and vegetables throughout the cramped, narrow streets.  While Jews no longer live in the mellah, kosher butchers are found in the old market, next to other butchers selling horse meat. The Jewish cemetery in the mellah is open and quiet, with well-kept white stone markers in French, Hebrew and Spanish. Once a year, Casablancans celebrate a hiloula, or prayer festival, at the tomb of the Jewish saint, Eliahou.

►The 4,500 Casablancas’ Jews live outside the mellah in the European city, where they worship in over 30 synagogues, eat in kosher restaurants, entertain themselves in community centers, and attend Jewish schools and social service centers. Beth El is the largest synagogue and an important community center, seating 500 persons.

►End the day with a visit to The Parc de la Ligue Arabe (formally called Lyautey) which is the city’s largest public park. On its edge is situated the Cathedrale du Sacre Coeur, which is disused, but is a splendid example of Mauresque architecture.

For more information about Casablanca Tours or Casablanca One-day tours

For more information about Travel and Tours to Morocco plus highlights on Moroccan culture visit Morocco’s Imperial CitiesSeaside Resorts,Sahara DesertBerber villagesA Taste of MoroccoMagical Kasbahs, Ruins & WaterfallsAbsolute Morocco, The Best of MarrakechFes, and Ouarzazate

Discover The Best of Morocco - Travel Exploration

Travel Exploration specializes in Morocco Travel.We provide Tours and travel opportunities to Morocco for the independent traveler and tailor-made tours for families and groups with a distinctly unique flavor. From Morocco’s Seven Imperial Cities, to the Magical Sahara Travel Exploration offers a captivating experience that will inspire you. At Travel Exploration we guarantee that you will discover the best of Morocco! Call Travel Exploration at 1 (800) 787-8806 or 1 (917)703-2078 and let’s book a tour to Morocco for you today.

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Caroline Myss, The Sacred Spaces Morocco Tour, Your Morocco Travel Guide

Monday, January 10th, 2011

Caroline Myss The Sacred Spaces Tour

Smith Events and Travel Exploration Morocco have partnered together to create the first “Sacred Spaces Morocco Tour” featuring spiritual author, holistic speaker and medical intuitive Carolyn Myss. Pack your bags for a life-changing experience as you embrace Morocco, one of the ancient intersections of civilization with Caroline Myss!

Attending a Morocco Tour with host and speaker, Caroline Myss will offer a once in a lifetime experience to those who are looking to discover the deeper aspects of Morocco and how its culture intersects with world religions and traditions.

Each participant on this Morocco Sacred Spaces Tour will encounter 17th century palaces, glorious houses of worship and majestic gardens along with sacred spaces that maintain a bold place in Moroccan history. On this Morocco Sacred Spaces Tour one will be whisked away in every city to discover Morocco’s customs, exquisite cuisine and a shoppers’ paradise of hand made goods, made by local artisans, along with sprawling markets. Morocco’s markets, also referred to as souks, offer a wide array of pottery, fabric, antique jewelry, leather goods and carpets indigenous to each city and region. No stone will be left un turned as each day of this Sacred Spaces Morocco Tour will be filled with a sense of authenticity as you discover Morocco with like minded people.

Caroline Myss will offer lectures every other morning on a wide array of subjects ranging from Sufism to the meaning of prayer. Those lectures will be complimented by local workshops given by Moroccan experts on symbolism in Moroccan culture and feminism on the road to modernity in the Maghreb.

The breathtaking architectural sites of Morocco’s Sacred Spaces Tour with mystic, Caroline Myss at the helm of this journey will leave you with lifetime memorable moments that will offer a unique opportunity to explore and perhaps redefine your own archetype.

About Smith Events: Smith Events creates unique world tours and events featuring celebrity authors, speakers and organizations that specialize primarily in the fields of Alternative Health and Spiritual Consciousness.

About Travel Exploration Morocco: Travel Exploration Morocco is a Morocco Travel Agency based in Marrakech and Ouarzazate that creates customized, private Morocco tours to the Imperial Cities, Sahara Desert, Berber Villages and Morocco’s Sacred Spaces.

Caroline Myss, The Sacred Spaces Morocco Tour October 15th – 26th, 2011

The Sacred Spaces Tour Itinerary

Saturday, October 15

Meet at New York, JFK airport for group flight. Do NOT forget your passports. Departure early morning.

Sunday, October 16 – Casablanca | Rabat | Fes

• Casablanca Arrival at Mohammed VI Airport

• Visit Hassan II Mosque

• Take the road to Rabat
Lunch at a Traditional Moroccan Restaurant in Rabat

• Visit Hassan II Tomb & Hassan Tower

• Take the road to Fes

• Welcome Dinner – Andalucian Music Show at Les Merinides Hotel

• Spend the Night at Le Merinides Hotel in Fes (6:30pm – 8:00pm)

Monday, October 17 – Fes Historical Tour Part I

• Breakfast at Le Merinides in Fes

• Workshop with Caroline Myss: 1-2 Hours

• Fes Historical Tour for 3 Hours: 14th Palace Gates of the King

• Jewish Mellah & Tomb of Siluca, Small Jewish Museum

• Spice Market Walk through old Neighborhood

• View of Fes & Ancient Les Merinides Tombs

• Pottery & Zellij Tile Cooperative

• Batha Museum & Gardens

• Lunch in a Palais Mnebhi Restaurant in Fes
• Afternoon Shopping

• Dinner at Les Merinides Hotel (6:30pm – 8:00pm)

• Spend the Night at Le Merinides Hotel in Fes

Tuesday, October 18 – Fes | Meknes | Volubilis

• Breakfast at Les Merinides Hotel

• Take the road to visit Meknes (passing Arab Villages and Olive Groves)
• In Meknes Visit: The Bab El Khemis, (Thursday Gate from 17th Century)

• Agdal reservoir built by Moulay Ismail
• Old Horse Stables

• The Maouselm of Moulay Ismal Mausolem & Mosque where Berber Wife is Buried

• Bab Mansour Gate,the Royal Golf Club

• Shopping for textiles made by Franciscan nuns and Tinseling process of metal
smithing onto black iron material

• Visit the Meknes souk where olives and other condiments are sold and Meknes
square where people congregate with some drumming and open space

• Lunch in Meknes at Restaurant Talib that offers local wines -made in the
region of Meknes .

• Visit the Roman Ruins of Volubilis

• Take the National Road returning to Fes

• Dinner at Les Merinides Hotel in Fes (6:30pm – 8:00pm)
• Spend the Night at Le Merinides Hotel in Fes

Wednesday, October 19 – Fes Historical Tour Part II

• Breakfast at Les Merinides in Fes
• Carolynn Myss Morning Lecture (1-2 Hours)

• Fes Historical Tour for 3 Hour

• Enter through the Bab Boujloud – the Blue Gate of Fes

• Visit the Kairouine Medersa

• Visit the Nejjarine Mosque
• Visit the Mausoleum- Zaouia Moulay Idriss (Shrine) and Zaouia Moulay Idriss II.

• Visit the Tannery

• Lunch at Palais Dar Tazi OR another Palace Restaurant in the Old City

• Afternoon Shopping

• Dinner at Les Merinides Hotel in Fes (6:30pm – 8:00pm)

• Spend the night at Les Merinides Hotel in Fes

Thursday, October 20 – 
Fes | Immozer | Ifrane | Azro | Beni Mellal | Marrakech

• Breakfast at Les Merinides in Fes

• Morning Lecture

• Take the road to Marrakech

• Coffee stop in Ifrane, Ski Town (1 Hour Break)

• Lunch in Beni Melllal en route to Marrakech – PAID BY GUESTS SEPARATELY

• Dinner at Le Meridien N’Fis

• Spend the Night at Le Meridien N’Fis in Marrakech

Friday, October 21 – Marrakech Historical Tour Part I

• Breakfast at Le Meridien N’Fis

• Carolynn Myss Morning Lecture (1-2 Hours)

• Majorelle Gardens & Visit of Mosques & Palaces, Bahia Palaces, Jewish Mellah

• Afternoon Shopping

• Lunch at Le Meridien N’Fis Hotel

• Relax at Hotel

• Dinner & Chez Ali Equestrian & Moroccan

Saturday, October 22 – Marrakech Historical Tour Part II

• Breakfast at Le Meridien N’Fis

• Bring in A Speaker or Lecturer (1-2 Hours) Find Someone for Marrakech?

• Visit of Menara Gardens & Afternoon Shopping OR Relax at Hotel & Use Spa

• Lunch at Le Meridien Hotel

• Relax at Hotel

• Dinner at Le Meridien N’Fis

• Spend the night at Le Meridien N’Fis in Marrakech

Sunday, October 23 – Marrakech | Essaouira

• Breakfast at Le Meridien N’Fis

• Carolynn Myss Morning Lecture (1- 2 Hours)

• Take the road to Essaouira

• Stop at an Argan Cooperative in Route to See How the Argan nut is made into
Argan oil, Argan butter and cosmetics

• Arrive in Essaouira

• Lunch by the sea, fresh grilled fish- catch of the day.

• Check into Sofitel Jamai Essaouira

• Half- Day Historical Tour
• Dinner at Sofitel Essaouira

• Spend the night at Sofitel Essaouira

Monday, October 24 – Essaouira

• Breakfast at Sofitel Jamai Essaouira

• Morning Lecture with Rachida About Women in Morocco, Her Views on
Classical Ideology verse Moroccan, among other subject matters

• Day FREE to explore Essaouira and relax

• Dinner at Sofitel Essaouira

• Spend the night at Sofitel Essaouira

Tuesday, October 25 – Essaouira | El Jadida | Casablanca

• Breakfast at Sofitel Jamai in Essaouira

• Carolynn Myss Morning Lecture (1- 2 Hours) Closing Lecture

• Take the road to Casablanca up the coast.

• En route to Casablanca stop in El Jadida to visit the Portuguese Cistern

• Ali Baba El Jadida at Ali Baba

• Continue the road to Casablanca

• Dinner -– PAID BY GUESTS SEPARATELY

• Dinner & Spend the night at Royal Mansour Casablanca

Wednesday, October 26 –Casablanca Departure

• Breakfast at Royal Mansour

• Departure from Casablanca Mohammed V Airport

Please note that this itinerary may be changed at any time.

For more information about  The Sacred Spaces Morocco Tour

For more information about Travel and Tours to Morocco plus highlights on Moroccan culture visit Morocco’s Imperial CitiesSeaside Resorts,Sahara DesertBerber villagesA Taste of MoroccoMagical Kasbahs, Ruins & WaterfallsAbsolute Morocco, The Best of MarrakechFes, and Ouarzazate

Discover The Best of Morocco - Travel Exploration

Travel Exploration specializes in Morocco Travel.We provide Tours and travel opportunities to Morocco for the independent traveler and tailor-made tours for families and groups with a distinctly unique flavor. From Morocco’s Seven Imperial Cities, to the Magical Sahara Travel Exploration offers a captivating experience that will inspire you. At Travel Exploration we guarantee that you will discover the best of Morocco! Call Travel Exploration at 1 (800) 787-8806 or 1 (917)703-2078 and let’s book a tour to Morocco for you today.

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Top 10 Things To Do In Ouarzazate, Your Morocco Travel Guide

Wednesday, January 5th, 2011

The Atlas Film Studios in Ouarzazate

Things to do in Ouarzazate. The Top 10 Things to do in Ouarzazate, Morocco is a hot list of activities and experiences that one can do alone, with their spouse or friends and family in the the door to the Sahara Desert. The most popular activities on a Ouarzazate Tour typically included spending time visiting the Oasis of Fint, the many Kasbahs in the region such as Ait Benhaddou Kasbah, Kasbah Tifoultoute, Kasbah Taouirirt, Kasbah Telouet and Kasbah Telouet in the Tizzin’ Tichka Pass. A Sahara Tour from Ouarzazate to the region of Zagora where one can pass through the Draa Valley’s volcanic rock, the old road of Caravans and have lunch with a Berber, Moroccan family is not to be missed. In Zagora or the M’hamid Sahara Desert one can take a 4×4 tour by pise and explore the unique flora and fauna of Morocco’s Sahara region.

The top 10 activities in Ouarzazate are Visiting Kasbahs in Ouarzazate, Ait Benhaddou Kasbah, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kasbah Taouirit, Kasbah Tifoultilte, Kasbah Telouet, the Oasis of Fint and have Tea With Azziz, the Atlas Film Studios, a Sahara journey, the Draa Valley region and have lunch with a Berber, Moroccan family, Valley of Nomads in the region of Bouthgrar, the Dades Valley and Todra Gorg and dine at Le Kasbah D’Sable, a work of art with the finest French- Moroccan food in Ouarzazate.

Nomads in the Middle Atlas Mountains

Top 10 Things To Do in Ouarzazate:

  1. Visit Ait Benhaddou Kasbah, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
  2. Visit the Oasis of Fint and have Tea With Azziz
  3. Visit the Atlas Film Studios
  4. Visit Kasbah Taouirirt
  5. Visit Kasbah Tifoultilte
  6. Take a Sahara journey for one day or a Sahara overnight 4×4 adventure to Zagora, M’hamid or Merzouga
  7. Visit the Draa Valley region and have lunch with a Berber, Moroccan family
  8. Head to the Valley of Nomads in the region of Bouthgrar and have tea with a Nomad family
  9. Visit the Dades Valley and Todra Gorge
  10. Dine at Le Kasbah D’Sable, a work of art with the finest French- Moroccan food in Ouarzazate

For more information about  the Top 10 Things To Do in Ouarzazate and Ouarzazate Tours

For more information about Travel and Tours to Morocco plus highlights on Moroccan culture visit Morocco’s Imperial CitiesSeaside Resorts,Sahara DesertBerber villagesA Taste of MoroccoMagical Kasbahs, Ruins & WaterfallsAbsolute Morocco, The Best of MarrakechFes, and Ouarzazate

Discover The Best of Morocco - Travel Exploration

Travel Exploration specializes in Morocco Travel.We provide Tours and travel opportunities to Morocco for the independent traveler and tailor-made tours for families and groups with a distinctly unique flavor. From Morocco’s Seven Imperial Cities, to the Magical Sahara Travel Exploration offers a captivating experience that will inspire you. At Travel Exploration we guarantee that you will discover the best of Morocco! Call Travel Exploration at 1 (800) 787-8806 or 1 (917)703-2078 and let’s book a tour to Morocco for you today.

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