Highlights

Egypt with Morocco Mosaic

10 Nights & 11 Days

AFG 1 H

 

Destination

Egypt

Continent

Africa

Location

Egypt has coastlines on both the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Egypt borders Libya to the west, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, and Sudan to the south.

Capital City

Cairo

Language

Egyptian, Arabic

Currency

Egyptian Pound

Season

October to December is Spring / January to March is Summer

April to June is Fall / July through September is Winter

Airport

Cairo International Airport

Time Zone

UTC +2

Dial Code

+20

Tour Type

Heritage, Leisure, Family, Honeymoon, Couple

 

Package Itinerary

Day 01Arrive Cairo - Light & Sound Show

Upon arrival at Cairo International Airport, transfer to your hotel. Rest of the day is at leisure. This evening, enjoy Sound and Light Show at the Giza Pyramids. This spectacular show uses innovative techniques to narrate the history of ancient Egypt with magnificent sound and light effects against the Pyramids as a backdrop. Over Night stay at Cairo.

Day 02Cairo - Great Pyramid, City Tour and Shopping

After early B/F, start exploring ancient Egypt with a visit to the famous Pyramids. The Great Pyramid of Cheops which was built by manual labor is the largest of the three main Pyramids and is the only survivor of the Seven Great Wonders of the Ancient World. The Pyramid of Chephren, which is the best preserved, and the Pyramid of Mycerinus. Nearby see the Sphinx, a marvelous sight carved out of a natural rocky outcrop, the lion's body stretching 45 m; with its paws 15 m. long.

Post Lunch explore the city tour of Cairo, visit the Egyptian Museum, the Papyrus Institute. See the processes and efforts it took to make this ancient form of paper. Also, enjoy the beautiful illustrative Egyptian art and stories painted depicting Egyptian lifestyle and culture.

Transfer to your hotel. Over Night stay at Cairo.


Day 03Cairo – Marrakech

After B/F, check-out from Cairo and transfer to Cairo Airport to board a fight departing for Morocco. Upon arrival, check-in to your hotel in Central Marrakech. Visit to Djemaa El Fna Square for a first taste of Moroccan food at one of the main stalls, while watching the many streets performers and salesmen offering their wares. Over Night stay at Marrakech.

Day 04Marrakech – Atlas Mountain – Tizi N Tichka Col – Dades Canyon – Tinghir

After B/F, check –out from Morocco and depart for Tinghir. En-route, enjoy a spectacular drive across the Tizi N Tichka Col which at 2,260 m. is the highest pass in Northern Africa. Get great views of the Atlas Mountains. Then descend and pass Ouarzazate, or ‘Place of no noise’. An incredibly dramatic landscape, this area has played host to countless well known films. Later, drive through the Dades Canyon with its steep winding across road with numerous switchbacks providing great views of the steep cliffs and the river below which rushes dramatically through the gorge, especially in the spring when the mountain snows are melting. Later, drive to Tinghir. Upon arrival, check-in to your hotel. Over Night stay at Tinghir.

Day 05Tinghir – Berber Camp

After B/F, check-out from Tinghir. Your next taste of dramatic Moroccan scenery comes at the Todra Gorge close to Tinghir, where you'll stop for a short hike along the valley floor with rocky cliffs towering above on both sides. Then continue along the 'road of a thousand Kasbahs' to Erfoud before switching into 4WD vehicles to travel to Merzouga and through the Erg Chebbi sand desert to a traditional Berber Camp amidst the dunes. Here a sunset Camel Ride is included plus a walk to the top of some of the dunes for spectacular views as the sun sinks below the horizon. You'll enjoy a hearty Bedouin meal and a campfire this evening, often with local musicians helping enhance the atmosphere, before sleeping in comfortable Berber camel-hair tents.

Day 06Berber Camp – Draa Valley – Ouarzazate

After B/F, head out of the dunes and drive back to Rissani and the birthplace of the Alaouita Dynasty. Leave your 4WD vehicles here and drive to Erfoud. Lodged in an idyllic setting between the Atlas Mountains to the north and the Sahara desert to the south, Erfoud is the administrative capital of the region. Continue back along the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs through the Draa Valley to Ouarzazate. While in Ouarzazate, visit to the movie studios that have taken advantage of the amazing scenery in the area. Some of the most famous films that have been shot from the Atlas Studios here include Lawrence of Arabi, The Living Daylights, The Last Temptation of Christ, The Man who would be King, The Mummy, Gladiator, Asterix & Obelisk, Kingdom of Heaven, Kundun, Legionnaire, Hanna, and Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (2011), as well as part of the TV series Game of Thrones. Your final visit today is to Morocco's most well-known Kasbah at the UNESCO world heritage site of Ait Benhaddou. This is a huge fortified city (ksar - a group of earthen buildings surrounded by high walls), with houses and kasbahs crowding together inside the defensive walls, an excellent example of traditional Moroccan earthen clay architecture. Over Night stay at Ouarzazate.

Day 07Ouarzazate – Taliouine Kasbah – Taroudant Town

After B/F, drive to the foothills of the Atlas Mountains with some great views to our right hand side, stopping for a break en-route to see the Kasbah at Taliouine and to learn about the production of saffron, the world's most expensive spice, which takes place in only this area in Morocco. If you are lucky then you will see some of Morocco's famous tree climbing goats before arriving Taroudant. These goats have learned to climb the local Argan trees in search of the fruit and nuts inside. Taroudant is a large walled Berber market town, and its souqs are reputed to be the best in the south with some excellent local crafts on sale. As you are off the main tourist trail here, you'll get a much more authentic glimpse of everyday life, as well as finding better value in the markets than in Marrakech. The town walls are some of the longest and best preserved in Morocco, with their mud construction changing colour atmospherically as the day progresses - they're best seen in the early evening. You will have some free time here in Taroudant to explore the souqs, and walk along the walls. Over Night stay at Taroudant Town.

Day 08Taroudant Town – Agadir – Essaouira

After B/F, head to the coast with first stop at Morocco's main resort town of Agadir. take a short tour of the harbour and the famous High Kasbah, destroyed by the earthquake of 1960, before continuing along the coast towards the North Atlantic coastal town of Essaouira. Well regarded as one of Morocco's most beautiful areas, Essaouira has always attracted and inspired artists, drawn by its good light and tranquil, relaxed way of life. Wandering around the old Medina and its fascinating streets dotted with art galleries it's not hard to imagine why the city drew visitors such as Orson Welles and Jimi Hendrix throughout the years. Essaouira has a wide sandy beach, though the prevailing winds and currents mean this is more of a mecca for kite surfers than for swimming or sunbathing. Over Night stay at Essaouira.

Day 09Essaouira – Marrakech

After B/F, first half of the day is free today to explore Essaouira. You could visit the working port with its busy fish auction market and traditional wooden boat builders; explore the craft stalls and shops in the walled Medina which is UNESCO World Heritage listed and a great example of late 18TH Century European fortifications in Africa; take a boat trip to the nearby island of Mogador which is a nature reserve popular with birdwatchers; try a windsurfing or kite-surfing lesson from the beach; or just explore randomly at your leisure. Post Lunch, drive back to Marrakech. Over Night stay at Marrakech.

Day 10Marrakech – Cairo

After B/F, check-out from Marrakech & transfer to Airport to board a flight departing for Cairo. Upon arrival, check-in to your hotel. Visit to the city’s Islamic areas – including the Citadel of Saladdin and its Alabaster Mosque of Mohammed Ali, Coptic Cairo, El Muallaqa, the Hanging Church, St. Sergius & Perfume Factory. Dinner & Over Night stay at Cairo.

Day 11Cairo – Air – Onward Destination Journey

After B/F, check-out from Cairo & transfer to Cairo Airport to board a flight departing for onward destination journey.