4x4 TOURS SOLD BY BERBER TOURS ARE OFFERED AS "INDIVIDUALIZED OR PRIVATE GROUP TOURS"

CLIENTS MAY NOT PURCHASE "PLACES" ON SOMEONE ELSE'S 4X4 TOUR

THIS PACKAGE DOES NOT INCLUDE AIRLINE COSTS

PRICES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME

Optional:

FANTASIA DINNER SHOW AT CHEZ ALI SUPPER CLUB: $75.00 USD PER PERSON.
Arabian Nights-style entertainment: Chez Ali is the original, and is probably still the best. Catering for hundreds of guests each lunchtime and evening, it is a logistical phenomenon on the scale of a mini Disneyland. They may not be genuine cultural experiences, aimed as they are at the coach tour crowd, but the entertainments are fun and you can be sure children will love the fantasia horsemen and the camels, not to mention the laser projected girl on a flying carpet.

HIGH SEASON - September 1 to May 31

ITINERARY

Day 1: Arrive in Marrakech

Day 2: Marrakech

Marrakech is the Imperial City of the South. This city boasts interesting architecture and an extraordinary street life that makes it a fascinating stop. You will have time to investigate the many shops and the narrow alleys around the city. In the evening, the center of life is in the place Jemaa El-Fna, where a swarm of fanciful snake-charmers, narrators, minstrels, fortune-tellers entertain amid the stalls of foods and fresh orange juice.

Day 3: Marrakech / Oukaimeden* (December to April)

Leave Marrakech around 8:00am for the approximately 75km drive to the ski resort of Oukaimeden in the High Atlas Mountains. The peculiarity of the High Atlas climate enables the tourist board to boast of Marrakech being a base from which you can go skiing in the morning and sunbathe in the afternoon. The ski resort of Oukaimeden (2,650 meters/8,700 ft.), an hour's drive south of Marrakech, expects snow from December to April — but the snow is not to be relied on. Skiing is not the same as in Colorado or Switzerland with many trails and courses; in fact, many "seasoned" skiers might consider the slope to be nothing more than a "bunny hill." But for a country as far south as Morocco which is primarily known for its arid, desert climate, the skiing is the best that can be expected.

Day 4: Oukaimeden / Ouarzazate

Meet your driver at your hotel at 8:00am and travel through the High Atlas Mountains via the Tizi-n-Tischka Pass to the city of Ouarzazate. On your way, you will visit the "seat" of Glaoui tribal power, Telouet Kasbah, now mostly in ruins except for the magnificent state rooms of this once great Kasbah which can still be visited. British author Gavin Maxwell accomplished the twofold task of detailing the daily life, customs, and rituals in pre-independence Morocco and of recounting the rise and fall of El Hadj T'hani El Glaoui, the legendary tribal warlord through whom the French ruled one of their prize colonies in North Africa in his famous book, Lords of the Atlas. Maxwell, who died in 1969, considered himself an explorer and wrote of faraway places; in Lords of the Atlas he introduces readers to the harshness and beauty of Morocco. He shows how the blend of Berber, Arab, and black African races created an extraordinary cultural mosaic and explains how the French colonialists recruited the Atlas Mountain tribal warlords to subdue the other tribes. As the chief beneficiary of this policy, El Glaoui was able to rule most of southern Morocco in an absolute fashion, until Morocco's independence from France in 1956 brought an end to the rule of a very colorful warlord. The book contains many superb color photographs that enhance Maxwell's lively narrative. From Telouet Kasbah we will take the piste (dirt) road along mountainous cliffs high above the valley floor and then stop at another Glaoui Kasbah, Aït Benhaddou, which is the oldest continuously inhabited Kasbah in Morocco (500+ years) and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Day 5: Zagora

The road from Ouarzazate to Zagora crosses surprising lunar landscapes. At the end of day you will reach Zagora, door of the desert, the heart of a beautiful oasis. You will visit the old Jewish Kasbah in Amezrou and be taken to the top of Mount Zagora.

Day 6: Zagora / Tamegroute / M'hamid

Tamegroute is dominated by a zaouia (religious cloister) of the Sufi Naciri brotherhood that has been a center of religious learning since the Almoravide dynasty spear-headed a wave of religious reawakening in the 11th century. The zaouia also attracts some of the most underprivileged members of Moroccan society, people suffering from mental or physical illness, or simply lost souls who find their way to its peace and charity from as far away as Casablanca. It was also the cradle of the Saadian dynasty. The zaouia incorporates a madrassa which, although now a modern school, has its origins in the 17th century. Alongside the school is a celebrated library (another modern building) which counts among its treasures Islamic commentaries written on gazelle skin dating from before the 13th century. The library is open to visitors.

Also in Tamegroute is a "co-op" of artisans who produce some of the finest examples of Moroccan pottery, jewelry and other folk art in all of Southern Morocco. All of the pottery is made from local clay. The artisans will even show you how it is all done from the "refining" of the clay, to the forming of the pottery on the wheel, to the decorating with traditional symbols, and finally, to the firing of the finished product. Spend the night at Chez le Pacha hotel in M'hamid.

Day 7: M'hamid

M'hamid sits at the very "end" of the road. Tonight you will sleep in Berber Tent in the heart of the Sahara. From here you will be driven out to the big sand dunes at Erg Chigaga for the night where you will have lunch and be able to explore the surrounding desert. Picnic lunch in the Sahara on this day is included.

Day 8: Zagora

Return to Zagora where you will be able to explore the surrounding area. Toyota Land Cruiser 4x4 and driver are at your disposal.

Day 9: Marrakech

Return to Marrakech. Half-day free in Marrakech. Toyota Land Cruiser 4x4 and driver are at your disposal.

Day 10: Return flight home

INCLUDED IN TOUR:

10 Day Program from arrival in Marrakech to departure from Marrakech

1 day of skiing included at Oukaimeden Ski Resort*

Includes all transportation in air conditioned Toyota Land Cruiser 4x4

All 3-star or 4-star hotel accommodations

Dinner and breakfast accommodation with hotel rooms

Airport transfers

Services of one English speaking driver for the ENTIRE tour

Note: Breakfast and dinner are included in the in the cost of this package. However, if the clients wish they are not obligated to have dinner or breakfast "when or where" Berber Tours says that they must. The clients are free to go somewhere else if they choose, but there will be NO REFUND or DEDUCTION to the base price should the clients choose to have dinner or breakfast on their own and that is not supplied by Berber Tours.

NOT INCLUDED IN TOUR PRICE:

Tips and portage for Berber Tours Employees: Ten percent (10%) of the TOTAL TOUR COST

Additional entrance fees: Not able to quote, depends on where you go. However, the "average price" is $2.50 to $6.00 USD PER PERSON.

Additional Guide Services: Cost depends on what is required. For example, a guide in Marrakech averages approximately $40.00 USD - $50.00 USD per day for a 7 hour day. Due to restrictions by the Moroccan Government, ONLY those guides who live and work in the city visited are allowed to guide any clients and they set their own rates. This is the reason why Berber Tours does not include guide services in the cost of a 4x4 tour. However, if given prior notice, Berber Tours will arrange for a guide but it is the responsibility of the client to pay for the guide services themselves.

Lunches unless provided by Berber Tours: $7.00 to $13.00 USD PER PERSON. This is considered a "free time" for the clients to explore the towns and villages that we visit.

Incidentals: such as soft drinks, wine or beer with meals; personal purchases, or tips.

Single room supplement: $45.00 USD per room, per day

Airline costs are not included and Berber Tours does not supply other information such as airline cost; hotel costs; transportation not directly supplied by Berber Tours.

RATES FOR THE SOUTH OF MOROCCO AND SKIING PACKAGE:

HIGH SEASON: SEPTEMBER 1 TO MAY 31

Prices are based on 3-star hotel accommodations with double occupancy:

$3,960.00 USD total package cost: 1 person, 3-star hotel accommodations

$4,860.00 USD total package cost: 1 person, 4-star hotel accomodations or a combination of 4-star hotels and riads - 4-star hotel rates will be charged

$3,735.00 USD total package cost: 2 people, dbl. occ., w/1 room, 3-star hotel accommodations

$4,635.00 USD total package cost: 2 people, dbl. occ., w/1 room, 4-star hotel accomodations or a combination of 4-star hotels and riads - 4-star hotel rates will be charged

For a 3rd person add $300.00 USD total

$3,510.00 USD total package cost: 4-6 people, triple occ., w/3 rooms, 3-star hotel accommodations

$4,410.00 USD total package cost: 4-6 people, triple occ., w/3 rooms, 4-star hotel accommodations

A SECOND 4X4 WITH AN ADDITIONAL 4-6 PARTICIPANTS — 25% REDUCTION IN PRICE

Optional:

FANTASIA DINNER SHOW AT CHEZ ALI SUPPER CLUB:
$75.00 USD PER PERSON. Arabian Nights-style entertainment: Chez Ali is the original, and is probably still the best. Catering for hundreds of guests each lunchtime and evening, it is a logistical phenomenon on the scale of a mini Disneyland. They may not be genuine cultural experiences, aimed as they are at the coach tour crowd, but the entertainments are fun and you can be sure children will love the fantasia horsemen and the camels, not to mention the laser projected girl on a flying carpet.

Hotels in Morocco:

Berber Tours uses a variety of different 3-star and 4-star hotels around the country for our 4x4 tours. While we cannot guarantee a specific hotel, we can guarantee that ALL of the hotels we use are clean and comfortable and will have many of the amenities you would expect to find in any hotel. The hotels we use also offer either breakfast or dinner, but usually both, as part of the hotel stay. Where available, as in Marrakech, we can also offer at the 4-star hotel package rate, the option of staying at one of the many quaint and comfortable riads within the Medina. However, at a riad, usually only breakfast is offered as part of the cost for staying there.

Hotel standards in Morocco and Europe DIFFER from those in the United States; in most cases, a "3-star" hotel by U.S. standards is the same as a "4-star" hotel in Morocco and Europe.

4x4 TOURS SOLD BY BERBER TOURS ARE OFFERED AS "INDIVIDUALIZED OR PRIVATE GROUP TOURS"

CLIENTS MAY NOT PURCHASE "PLACES" ON SOMEONE ELSE'S 4X4 TOUR

THIS PACKAGE DOES NOT INCLUDE AIRLINE COSTS

PRICES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME