/ L&C Travel/ A Grand Tour of Morocco with Anthropologist Oren Kosansky 2022

A Grand Tour of Morocco with Anthropologist Oren Kosansky 2022

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Participants are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Trip Dates: May 30th to June 12th, 2022: 13 Nights, 14 Days

Group Size: About 14 - 22 participants

Cost: $5,295 (double occupancy/per traveler); $6,595 (single occupancy/per traveler)

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Includes: Airport transfers from Casablanca airport on 5/30/22 and to Marrakech airport on 6/12/22. Transportation and guides throughout the journey. 13 Breakfasts, 9 Lunches, 8 Dinners. Accommodations for 13 nights.

Full Terms and Conditions Here

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Program Overview
This extraordinary Moroccan adventure combines breathtaking scenery, with excursions to ancient ruins, imperial cities, sacred mosques, lush desert oases, imposing kasbahs, spirited souks, and villages where life proceeds much as it has for centuries. Follow a fabled ancient caravan route in the snow topped High Atlas Mountains and see spectacular Todra Gorge. Immerse yourself in Berber culture, influenced by Islamic, African, and European traditions.

Lewis & Clark professor Oren Kosansky’s expertise regarding Moroccan society and his experiences in North Africa will be a resource along the journey. The local staff from Experience Morocco will coordinate ground transportation and lodging and share their culture and insight with participants.

Highlights

See six celebrated UNESCO World Heritage sites including Essaouira, Rabat, Volubilis, the Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou, and the Medinas of Marrakesh and Fés.
Take-in the dramatic vistas in the Rif Mountains, and stroll along the African coast.
Enjoy a sunset camel ride, campfire feast, stargazing in the Sahara, overnight in luxury tents and breakfast amidst expansive dunes.
Delight in culinary adventures featuring traditional Moroccan cuisine, lunch with a family in a local village, cooking lessons, and opportunities to wander and taste in outdoor markets.
Benefit from collaborations with Lewis & Clark partners Center for Arabic and Islamic Studies (NLAC) in Fez, The Center for Language & Culture (CLC) in Marrakech, and the Moroccan Jewish Museum in Casablanca.
Facilitated discussions with local experts and Dr. Oren Kosansky to further grow in understanding of Moroccan culture.
If you choose, participate in a special opportunity arranged by our academic partners in Marrakech, CLC, to stay in pairs in a home-stay.

Example Itinerary (may be modified as schedules evolve)

Optional Pre-Trip Home-Stay Experience: 5/27 - 5/30 (details below)
5/30 Monday - Day 1: VIP “Fast-track” pick-up at Casablanca airport. Sites of Rabat for early arrivals. Welcome Dinner. Overnight in Rabat.
5/31 Tuesday - Day 2: Presentation by Oren Kosansky regarding religion in Morocco. Visit to Hassan II Mosque (second largest functioning mosque in Africa and is the 7th largest in the world) and Museum of Moroccan Judaism (only museum devoted to Judaism in Arab world). Lunch in Casablanca. Sites and dinner in Rabat. Overnight Rabat.
6/1 Wednesday - Day 3: Sites and lunch in Meknes, Roman ruins of Volubilis. Dinner at Riad in Fez. Overnight Fez.
6/2 Thursday - Day 4: Guided tour of Fez. Small group tasting tour of markets. Lunch in Medina. Dinner on your own. Overnight in Fez.
6/3 Friday - Day 5: Presentation by Oren Kosansky. Free-time. Dinner at Lewis & Clark partners INLAC. Presentation about Women in Morocco. Overnight in Fez.
6/4 Saturday - Day 6: Early morning start. Scenic drive and journey into the Sahara. Lunch enroute.SUV ride to camp. Sunset camel ride. Dinner and Bonfire. Overnight in Luxury Tent Camp.
6/5 Sunday - Day 7: Sunrise sandboarding. Dades and Todra Gorges and Valley. Lunch and dinner included. Overnight in Ouarzazate.
6/6 Monday - Day 8: Stop at Kasbah Ait Benhaddou. Drive to Marrakech through summit and past Tizi N’tichka peak with stop for lunch. Presentation about Diversity in Morocco. Welcome dinner with CLC staff and local friends in Marrakech. Overnight in Marrakech.
6/7 Tuesday - Day 9: Guided Tour of Marrakech with lunch in the medina. Evening at leisure. Overnight Marrakech.
6/8 Wednesday - Day 10: Visit to more sites in Marrakech. Cooking Class and lunch at non- profit Amal. Reception at CLC with presentation about Education in Morocco. Visit to English class. Dinner following with CLC staff. Overnight Marrakech.
6/9 Thursday - Day 11: Optional day-trip to Atlas Mountain village. Hiking (or mule ride) visit with villagers. Free-time in Marrakech. Overnight Marrakech.
6/10 Friday - Day 12: Drive from Marrakech to Essaouira with stop at winery for lunch. Visit the Oceanside. Overnight Essaouira.
6/11 Saturday - Day 13: Guided tour of town, explore medina. Afternoon at leisure. Overnight Essaouira. Farewell dinner.
6/12 Sunday - Day 14: Early departure from Essaouira to return to Marrakech. Afternoon departure for flights to US.

Accommodations
Boutique Moroccan Riads with distinct architectural features. The equivalent of four and five star hotels. Luxury Tent Camp in the Sahara. Proposed Riads (or equivalent):

Rabat - Riad Kalaa
Fez - Palais Amani
Ouarzazate - Ksar Ighnda
Marrakech - Riad Elegancia
Essaouira - Villa De L’O

TRAVEL INSURANCE IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED for Lewis & Clark trips, please click here for more information.

Optional Pre-Trip Home-Stay Experience

Dates: May 27th to May 30th, 2022: 3 Nights, 4 Days.

Arrival night in Riad followed by a two night home-stay in Marrakech. Participants should book a round-trip flight to Marrakech.

Cost: $950

Includes: Airport transfer, one night in Riad, welcome dinner, home-stay orientation, two days and two nights with local family in pairs, train from Marrakech to meet-up with the larger group upon their arrival in Rabat. All meals, with the exception of lunch on Monday, May 30th, 2022.

Faculty Leader

Dr. Oren Kosansky, Associate Professor of Anthropology and
Program Director of Middle East and North Africa Studies.

Professor Kosansky has published widely on topics of religion, language, colonialism, and nationalism in North Africa, with special focus on Morocco. He is the director of The Rabat Genizah Project, which brings together an international team of community representatives, scholars, archivists, and information technologists to develop a digital archive of Moroccan Jewish documents. Dr. Kosansky was the co-founder and inaugural leader of the Lewis & Clark Morocco program. Oren led a group of alumni, parents and friends on this Grand Tour in 2018.