Morocco Sahara Odyssey (2012)

Rabat • Fez • Sahara Tented Camps • High Atlas • Marrakesh • Casablanca
  • 15 days
  • from only:
  • $2495
  • $167 per day
    Land Tour Only
  • 16 days
  • from only:
  • $3495
  • $219 per dayIncludes international airfare and government taxes
IN THIS SECTION:
Detailed Itinerary
Video: Travelers' experiences of Morocco Sahara Odyssey
NEW-Private Departures
Is this Adventure Right for You?
It's Included
Unique Accommodations
Extend Your Adventure
Tangier, Chefchaouen & the Berbers of the Rif
Essaouira & Casablanca
Optional Tours
Trip Leaders
Grand Circle Foundation
Your Travel Handbook
Air Information
LearnMore
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Customize your trip

Learn how to customize your adventure, or view standard air routing and travel times. The choice is yours with our True Choice program.

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Customize your trip

With our True Choice Program, you can choose to stay longer before or after your trip on your own, or combine two adventures to maximize your value. Here are more ways to create the OAT adventure that’s right for you:

  • Choose our standard air routing, or work with us to select the airline and routing you prefer
  • Make your own international flight arrangements, applying frequent flyer miles if available
  • Stay overnight in a connecting city before or after your trip
  • Request to arrive a few days early to get a fresh start on your adventure
  • Choose to “break away” before or after your trip, spending additional days or weeks on your own
  • Extend your adventure with our optional pre- and post-trip extensions
  • Combine your choice of OAT adventures to maximize your value
  • Upgrade to business or premium economy class

These options will involve an additional fee of $100 per person for confirmed requests (as well as incremental airfare costs based on your specific choice). This service fee will be waived for Sir Edmund Hillary Club members.

Or, when you make your reservation, you can choose our standard air routing, for which approximate travel times are shown below.

GATEWAY

TRAVEL TIME*

Atlanta, Orlando

14hrs

Boston

12hrs

Baltimore, Houston

17hrs

Dallas, Minneapolis

19hrs

Detroit, New York (JFK), Washington, DC (Dulles)

13hrs

* Estimated total time, including connection and layover. Actual travel time may vary.

The information above reflects approximate flight times from the gateway cities listed to Casablanca, Morocco. Routing is based on availability and subject to change. You will receive your final air itinerary approximately 14 days prior to departure.

REFER and EARN

Earn increasing rewards as a Vacation Ambassador

REFER and EARN as a Vacation Ambassador with
the BEST referral program in the industry

Inspiring new travelers to join the OAT family is a rewarding experience—both for you and your new travelers.

Share your love of travel with others and, for each referral who embarks on an OAT trip, you will earn $100 in CASH or credit. With your 4th referral departing on a 2012 departure, your reward increases to $200 in CASH or credit per person. And once you refer 8 travelers departing in either 2012 or 2013, you'll earn a FREE trip valued up to $4,500 per household—which will bring the total value of your earned rewards up to $5,600.

And you are also passing along savings to your new traveler: We'll instantly deduct $100 off the cost of their reservation when they mention your name and Customer Number while reserving.

To learn more about the benefits of our Vacation Ambassador Referral Program, please call us toll-free at 1-800-955-1925 or click here.

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Pre-Trip: Tangier, Chefchaouen & the Berbers of the Rif

5 nights from only $895

On the slopes of the Rif Mountains, near Morocco’s northern coast, stand the blue-washed buildings of Chefchaouen. Venture here with OAT to experience its striking scenery and meet the Berbers who dwell amidst the Rif’s 6,000 peaks. Then travel to Tangier, where the legendary Hercules rested after forming the Strait of Gibraltar. Heroes, explorers, artists, and adventurers have been journeying to Northern Morocco for centuries—join us to discover both the beauty that drew them here, and the intoxicating mix of cultures they’ve left behind.

Single Supplement: FREE.

Please note: This extension only available on select departures. Ask your Adventure Specialist for details.

It's Included

  • Accommodations for 1 night in Casablanca, 3 nights in Chefchaouen, and 1 night in Tangier
  • 10 meals—5 breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 3 dinners (including 1 Home-Hosted Lunch)
  • 4 small group activities
  • Services of our own resident OAT Trip Leader, who speaks English and the native language
  • All transfers

Optional Tour

Tetouan Cultural Mix ($65 per person)

Day 1
Depart U.S.

Depart the U.S. on an overnight flight to Casablanca.
Day 2
Arrive in Casablanca, Morocco

We arrive in Casablanca this afternoon, and enjoy a welcome briefing with your Trip Leader and dinner with your fellow travelers at our hotel. We have the evening free to rest, or discover the romance of Casablanca after dark.
Day 3
Overland to Chefchaouen

We depart this morning for the city of Chefchaouen, known for its distinctive blue-washed buildings perched on the foothills of the Rif Mountains. The name “Chefchaouen” comes from a Berber phrase that means “watch the horns,” a reference to the Tisouka and Megou Mountains that rise dramatically above the city like a pair of horns.

We enjoy lunch en route, and check into our guesthouse this afternoon, then enjoy an orientation walk through the narrow streets of the surrounding neighborhood, followed by an illuminating discussion with a local woman on the Mountain Berber culture. Tonight, we’ll enjoy dinner together in a local restaurant.
Day 4
Moroccan Cooking Lesson/Home-Hosted Lunch/Chefchaouen walking tour

After breakfast this morning, we’ll head to Houmar to meet a rural family for a hands-on cooking lesson in the countryside, enjoying the striking scenery of towering mountains and endless pine forests along our drive. Our hosts will tell us about farming in Northern Morocco as we select our ingredients from their garden, and then we’ll join them in the kitchen to prepare a regional, seasonal specialty, like harira, a traditional soup served during the month of Ramadan, or tagine, a slow-cooked savory stew.

After enjoying the fruits of our labor during a Home-Hosted Lunch with our gracious hosts, we’ll return to Chefchaouen for a walking tour of its medina—a feast for all of our senses, with its lively vendors, sumptuous scents, and distinctive blue-washed buildings—before dinner on our own.
Day 5
Chefchaouen/Optional Tetouan Cultural Mix tour

Today, you may join our Tetouan Cultural Mix optional tour. We’ll explore the historic medina of Tetouan, including an illuminating stop at the Royal Palace (which the royal family still inhabits). We'll also explore a lively marketplace, then stop at an artisan shop to observe local craftsmen at work. Afterward, we’ll enjoy lunch by the seaside before returning to the city.

Or, enjoy the day at leisure, and discover Chefchaouen’s hidden corners, bustling markets, and mountain views as you walk its charming cobbled streets on your own. Perhaps you’ll view its beautiful Great Mosque or the gardens of the kasbah, journey downhill to explore the new city, or ascend for a brief hike on the mountainside.
Day 6
Overland to Tangier

This morning, we travel to Tangier, the beautiful light and multicultural spirit of which have drawn such varied artists as Tennessee Williams, the Rolling Stones, and Henri Matisse. People have been living in Tangier since colonists from Carthage settled there in the fifth century BC, and over the years it has traded hands between several kingdoms and empires, and served as refuge for countless cultures.

After lunch on our own, we’ll experience the lively modern culture of this ancient coastal city during a guided tour. Then, we explore the wondrous Caves of Hercules, carved out the cliffs by the work of man and tide, from inside of which we can enjoy a stunning view of the Strait of Gibraltar.

Dinner is at our hotel tonight.
Day 7
Overland to Rabat/Begin main trip

After breakfast, we drive overland to Rabat to meet our fellow travelers and begin our Morocco Sahara Odyssey.