Family Holiday For Toddlers In Morocco

Join your tour in the lively "Red City". Depending on the schedule of your flights, you may wish to spend time exploring Marrakech independently before meeting your group and Tour Leader at the hotel.

Overnight Comfortable Hotel Swimming available

Like many North African towns, Marrakech is divided into two distinct parts, the Gueliz (the modern French-built city) and the Medina (the Old City). For generations it has been a meeting place for the mountain Berbers and the desert peoples of the south, who come to trade and barter amongst the colourful souks, turning the centre of the old city into a rich cacophony of noise and colour. We journey out into this vibrant city by horse drawn calesh this morning, to enjoy a tour of some of its most enthralling sites with a local guide. The city’s beating heart is the spectacular Djemma-el-Fna, a site not to be missed and a scene straight out of the pages of the Arabian Nights. Here you will find the streets and alleys alive with storytellers and musicians, jugglers and acrobats, snake charmers and clowns. You can wander past vendors selling doughnuts and fried grasshoppers, meander through native markets where Muslim women, their hands and feet dyed with henna, call out to sell their wares and enjoy the sounds and the smells of the exotic. After our tour the rest of the day has been left free for personal exploration and there will be the option to stay in town and make your own way back to the hotel, taking time to enjoy more of the remarkable Medina, perhaps haggling for a bargain or two, or simply sitting at one of the local cafés and watching the street tableaux unfold before you.

Overnight Comfortable Hotel Included meals: Breakfast Swimming available

Leaving the city behind later this morning we drive south, towards the craggy peaks and plunging valleys of the Toukbal Massif. Crossing the Haouz Plain we pass through the tiny town of Asni, from where our road begins to climb towards the foothills of the Massif. Below us the valley of the Oued Rhirhaia stretches out into the distance and small villages cling to the sides of the steep hills as we meander our way towards the village of Ouirgane. The towering peaks of the High Atlas are North Africa’s greatest range of mountains, a wild region, culturally removed from the rest of Morocco, and a barrier between the northern plains and the pre-Sahara. This is the land of the fiercely independent Berbers, the “Lords of the Atlas”, whose traditions and ways still hold sway up here in their mountain strongholds far away from the cities below. The Berbers present us with a unique view of a way of life lost to the rest of North Africa, where music and dance, even language and religion, are far removed from their Arab neighbours. This afternoon we plan to travel the short distance to the beautiful and remote setting of Tin Mal, whose 12th century mosque is considered one of Morocco’s most important historic sites. The spiritual home of Ibn Toumert, the founder of the Almohad dynasty, the old town and its fortified mosque once lay at the heart of the Ibn Toumert cult, until its destruction by the conquering Merenids in 1276. Today its imposing walls present us with a formidable, and largely unique setting, in that it is one of the few mosques anywhere that allows access to non-Muslims, affording us a rare opportunity to explore the intricate interiors of a traditional Almohad mosque.

Overnight Comfortable Hotel Included meals: Breakfast Swimming available

Ouirgane presents the perfect spot to relax and enjoy the magnificent scenery of this superb part of North Africa and today has been left free to enjoy something of its abundant charms at your own pace. You may like to join your tour leader on a short walk to see more of the countryside and communities and observe the daily lives of the hardy berber people. There’s also plenty of time to enjoy the amenities of our hotel including the swimming pool.

Overnight Comfortable Hotel Included meals: Breakfast Swimming available

Taking the road back towards Marrakech we then turn west, heading towards the Atlantic coast and the resort town of Essaouria. Situated within the confines of its15th century Portuguese fortifications, the town has a lively relaxed feel to it, where whitewashed houses and traditional fishing boats present a perfect backdrop for our stay. The town has a rich and somewhat colourful history and its importance as a trading port during the 18th and 19th centuries saw it prosper, attracting British, French, Arab and Jewish merchants and sailors to its shores, influences still reflected in the architecture and layout of the town. An interesting, and it has to be said, wholly suspect legend claims the town’s patron saint to be a Scotsman by the name of McDougal, who was believed to have been washed up onto these shores after a storm in the 14th century. Another interesting footnote is that much of Orson Welles’s version of Othello was filmed here, its ramparts and coastline providing a rich and original setting for Shakespeare’s Moorish tragedy. On arrival the rest of the afternoon has been left free for you to enjoy this lovely spot at your own leisure.

Overnight Comfortable Hotel Included meals: Breakfast Swimming available

Your time here today is free to indulge as you wish. We suggest a stroll around the old town, walled ramparts or along the fine sandy beach from the harbour. Not to be missed is a visit to the Medina, but be warned, after passing through the narrow, highly decorated arched entrance, it may be hard to resist snapping up some of the exquisite gifts of locally made rustic leather belts, gleaming gold and silver jewellery and wooden boxes exquisitely inlaid with mother of pearl. The town abounds with galleries and workshops, cafes and souks, making it a pleasurable way to pass the day. You may also like to visit the open air fish stalls close to the harbour where you can buy the days catch and see it cooked in front of you on an open barbecue.

Overnight Comfortable Hotel Included meals: Breakfast Swimming available

With some extra free time this morning to enjoy the last of Essaouira’s laid back ambience, or perhaps grab a last minute bargain, we then head back once more to the eclectic delights of the ‘Red City’ of Marrakech where, on arrival, there should be some time this afternoon to explore something more of this wholly captivating city before our final evening. Marrakech is a city like no other and a walk through its bustling streets will fill the senses and fire the imagination. The city boasts a staggering array of spectacular architecture and wonderful facades, but do remember that many of the mosques will be forbidden to non-Muslims and be careful of photographing women, however photogenic they look, as the Moroccans are very sensitive about such things. If you are unsure, it is always best to ask.

Overnight Comfortable Hotel Included meals: Breakfast Swimming available

The tour ends in Marrakech after breakfast. Depending on the schedule of your flights, you may wish to spend some additional time wandering in the souks independently or buying the last souvenirs.

Included meals: Breakfast