Global Basecamps to introduce tour of Morocco that comprehensively introduces travellers to the Sahara Desert, Imperial Cities and High Atlas Mountains of Morocco
Encinitas, CA (PRWEB) March 29, 2012
Encinitas-based specialty travel company Global Basecamps introduced a fully customizable eco-friendly Morocco tour on Friday. Global Basecamps strives to create itineraries that give travelers a glimpse into the daily lives of the local people and highlight the unique culture of each region. Global Basecamps’ Eclectic Morocco Itinerary is designed to acquaint travellers with Morocco’s varied landscapes and truly warm culture. The custom tour will take you from the famed city of Casablanca, through Fez, Rabat, and Meknes to Marrakesh. From the northern coast through the Sahara Desert and out again.
Travel from day to day can be a mix of by train or car, but this itinerary forgoes the speed of trains for the opportunity to appreciate the landscape. Morocco is a country that should be enjoyed like a glass of wine, not a shot of whiskey. The itinerary begins in Casablanca, but the famous city only acts as a gateway into the rest of the country. Travellers will pass through the capital city of Rabat on their way to Meknes. This is one of Morocco’s lesser-visited imperial cities and features one of the country’s most impressive gateways, Bab Mansour. Options in this city include a private guided tour of its highlights or a cooking workshop. Thirty minutes outside of town are the Roman ruins of Volubilis and sacred town of Moulay Idriss. These two sites are evidence to the ancient and varied history of Morocco, and a forecast of what is to come on the tour. This day will end with arrival in Fez for the night.
Following is a full day in Fez. This is Morocco’s oldest imperial city, and the cultural capital (if not the actual one) of the country. The day is spent with a private guide, exploring the Fez Medina. Medinas (markets) dot the countryside of Morocco, and when it comes to its bigger cities, they are less markets and more beehives of commerce, activities, and distractions. The private guide will not go unappreciated, as it is exceedingly easy to lose one’s way within the maze of the medina. Cafes, mosques, covered booths, mules and donkeys, children and the smell of spices all begin to blend together in this uniquely Moroccan place.
The following day schedules a travel south to Erfoud via Ifrane and Midelt. This is the beginning of the Sahara Desert leg of the trip. Erfoud is an oasis in the largeness and its hotels and riads offer welcome respite from the heat most of the year. This city is exactly what one imagines when they think of a Saharan desert town. The adobe walls, the rooftop balconies and gardens, the long sunsets, all combine into a picturesque and ideal desert haven.
Day four brings the opportunity of a lifetime. Global Basecamps’ regional partners employ tour guides who openly welcome travellers into their homes for a meal and conversation. The Ziz Valley is the area’s largest date production region, and the tour includes a walk through date palms and farms. The day must continue, and travellers will enjoy it on a camel’s back as they arrive at their campsite for one of their most memorable nights ever. The night will be spent under a starry sky in a Bedouin-style luxury tent.
The following days continue the journey out of the Sahara Desert through Rissani, the Dades Valley, Skoura and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ait Ben Haddou. The Tiz n Tichka pass is the gateway out of the High Atlas Mountains down into Marrakesh.
Marrakesh itself is the tourism center of the country. If the High Atlas Mountains were the calm before the storm, Marrakesh is that storm. Activity does not begin to describe the movements, smells, sounds and varied souks of this city. Again a private guide is provided here to navigate the 9,000 alleyways, streets and side passages that make up this great city.
The advantages of travelling in small, Morocco ecotour groups number far beyond the health of our environment. Small groups give opportunities for smaller, locally owned boutique hotels to show off their hospitality to travellers. All of Global Basecamps’ itineraries strive to work exclusively with local partners who employ local workers and support local social programs. “We are so proud that our programs not only increase tourism to this beautiful country, but also positively impact the local culture of the region,” says Global Basecamps’ travel specialist Andres Zuleta. Every eco-tour organized this way also has the opportunity to help plant fruit and nut trees in the region either directly or indirectly through monetary donations, which boosts not only the health of the environment, but the economy of the smaller villages. The goal is always to have tourism positively impact the environment and culture of the region.
Global Basecamps is a specialty travel resource designed to simplify the process of researching and booking sustainable hotels, lodges and private tours worldwide. Allowing independent travelers to journey at their own pace and ensuring trip priorities are met while keeping maximum flexibility on the road, Global Basecamps truly makes exploration easy. Please visit http://www.globalbasecamps.com.
###
For the original version on PRWeb visit:http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2012/3/prweb9324589.htm
.
