Morocco Kosher Tours For Jewish Heritage Lovers

by Elaine Finklstein Morocco Tour Expert

This Jewish tour of Morocco is designed carefully to bring the warmth and color of the Moroccan landscape and its people to life and illustrate the fresh regional produce from the market to the table, we will be combining our menu with the specialty of each region, but the intriguing thing in this private tour is the possibility of cooking and dining kosher with award winning chef Elaine Fink Stein. On this tour we will also focus on the Jewish heritage of the south of Morocco.

Day 1: Marrakech

Winston Churchil described it to Roosevelt in 1943 as 'the loveliest spot in the world'- Marrakech is the work of two dynasties; the Almoravides from the Sahara who founded the city in 1062 & the Almouahades dynasty from the Atlas Mountains who conquered the city in 1147 and became rapidly one of the most important dynasties in the Islam world. Marrakech is famous for its pink color, palaces, museums, mosques and market. Marrakech enchants every visitor with its great Jemaa Elfna Square - particulary with the many food stalls where your meal is cooked in front of your eyes. The old is Medina surrounded by magic mud walls and its numerous monuments. Overnight in a Riad

Day 2 – Marrakech

After breakfast, we will leave for a local market in the old medina and purchase all necessary ingredients to prepare the dish of the day. Lunch in the riad will feature the dishes taught at the cooking demonstration. In the afternoon we will have a guided city jewish heritage tour of Marrakech Medina with its markets, terminating in Djema el'Fna, Marrakech's famous and lively open square with its performers, story-tellers, henna tattoo artists and vendors of food, traditional medicine and magic.

Day 3 Marrakech – Tinghir

Moving southwards in the morning after breakfast is a rewarding trip one should never miss! The spectacular Tizi In Tichka pass, about 100km of charming curves on the High Atlas mountains, is there to make you appreciate the south of the kingdom and how magnificent it is! We will stop at the famous village of Ait Ben Haddou: a very celebrated village classified as a cultural heritage for humanity by the UNISCO and the setting for great films such as the Gladiators, Marry of Nazarett. We will continue through Ouarzazate heading to the beautiful village of Skoura. After the visit of Skoura we will continue our trip through the one thousand and one Kasbah route to El Kella M'Gouna, famous for the Festival of the Rose's: a yearly celebratrose of the main product of this small but beautiful village. We will go on to Dades and its beautiful valley before continuing our trip to Tineghir for overnight.

Day 4 – Tinghir

After breakfast, we will go to a local market to shop for todays plate. After lunch we will have a city tour to discover the so charming city of Tinghir. The city is a very special one with a big oasis of more then 40 kms. The oasis is very rich with most sorts of fruits, thousands of palm trees, olives and much more. Some free time to walk through the old mud houses, making your way to wander in the very green oasis along very narrow paths is really a very special experience! We will continue northwards to crown our experience in the Toudr a Gorges: a wall like mountain fissure of about 300 m. Just the route to Toudra Gorges is simply magical! Overnight in Tinghir

Day 5 - Tinghir – Merzouga

We will leave Tinghir via Tinjdad to Erfoud: a city at the foot of the desert and the great golden sand dunes. After visiting Erfoud we will continue via Rissani to Merzouga for dinner and overnight by the dunes. Optional two hours camel ride to witness the great and the most beautiful sunset over the dunes.

Ait Ben Haddou Tour

Day 6 - Merzouga – Zagoura

Early morning optional two hours camel ride to witness the great and the most beautiful sunrise over the dunes. After breakfast, we will leave this peacefully magical world heading towards Zagora. As one of our guests said once about Merzouga "I don't think there is a more peaceful and mysterious place on Earth than that". We will pass through the Berber villages of Alnif and Tazarine to Zagoura. An excursion to the famous Tamgroute library with its very old Coranic scripts dating back to the 12th century is not to be missed. Dinner and overnight

Day 7 – Zagoura

After breakfast, we will go to a local market to shop for todays ingredients. Lunch in the riad and then tour the city of Zagoura with its huge palm groove and Tamgroute library with very old Coranic scripts dating back to the 12th century. Possibility of an excursion to Mhamid El Ghizlane

Day 8 - Zagoura - Agdez – Ouarzazte

After breakfast we will leave Zagoura to Agdez: a Berber village with its charming mud houses and nice people. After the visit of the village we will continue the trip to Ouarzazate for overnight.

Day 9 - Ouarzazate

A hot spot for film making industry - to name but a few: Laurence of Arabia, Gladiator, The shelter in the sky, Jesus of Nazareth. Ouarzazate will dazzle you with the stunning scenery of its surrounding areas and proximity to both the desert and the Atlas mountains. It's the land of the Kasbahs, Ait Benaddou Kasbah is given heritage status by the UNESCO. Farewell dinner. Stay overnight for a flight to Marrakech in the morning.