Welcom to our special Morocco cultural and music tours. Discover Morocco through its music is a twelve-day tour that involves traveling with a small group of other music enthusiasts like yourself. Enjoy authentic Moroccan live music and dance, from classical and spiritual Sufi music of Fez to tribal music of the Atlas Mountain to free drumming in an oasis or over the dunes of the Sahara. Fuse with them or enjoy being in the circle of enchantment. Be welcomed in Moroccan homes or under their nomadic tents to celebrate memorable events the way they do most authentically. This time, you will take a trip to Morocco that allows you to immerse in the Moroccan culture to celebrate and share the most sacred moments of a cross-cultural musical journey.
Is Morocco a good travel destination? Morocco, as an ancient Mediterranean culture, is known for its surviving rituals and beliefs, poetically expressed in the daily life of its people. Music is a reflective mirror of Moroccans' secular and spiritual life; music is expressed on every occasion to reflect the thoughts and feelings universally known to be difficult to express otherwise. The celestial essence of this journey will take you to a world of marvels and reflection emerging in diverse types of music, from Moroccan pop music known as Oughnia and Chaabi music to Sufi spiritual music of different tariqas expressed in chants of Samaa Of the Tariqa Boutchichia or Tijani, or Shadhiliya Tariqa, to trance drumming as in Issawa, Hmadcha, Jilala, Heddawa, Gnawa and many other Sufi orders in Morocco. Rai music, Regguada music, and Jajouka oboe melodies have attracted even big stars of Western Pop music, such as The Rolling Stones, Crosby Still Nash and Young, the Dooby Brothers, Cat Stevens, Jimmy Hendrix, Peter Gabriel, Sting, and many others who have fused or borrowed some rhythms and melodies from traditional Moroccan music. Join this Morocco Cultural and Music tour designed for small, intimate groups to learn about the first structured written music known as the Andalusian music that gave birth in the 13 and 14th centuries to Classical Western music and the popular Flamenco and Fado in Spain and Portugal. The Malhoune Music is rhythmic prose in a trendy style unique to Morocco and most authentic since the 12th century, a style that does not exist anywhere else but in Morocco. Some of the Berber Tribal music is hard to trace, as some rituals and beliefs in Morocco can go as far as the Neolithic time. Join us for this very informative palette of the Morocco music journey that might enrich your repertoire or add to your knowledge about world Music. Learn about the history of some handmade musical instruments that exist only in some Western history books. You are welcome to dance, share, participate, and absorb a wide spectrum of indigenous Moroccan music. Are group tours cheaper? Group tours are usually cheaper than private. However, it would be best if you also considered that group tours save you a lot of time researching, organizing, and booking your trip and activities. Enjoy our Music expeditions to Morocco Berber regions for groups and private customized tours around the year.
Arrive at Casablanca airport, where the Sarah Tours staff will greet you. Transfer to Volubilis, a striking site visible for miles from the various bends in the approach road. This ethereal place was the central point of the introduction of Judaism by the Jewish traders, Christianity by the Romans, and Islam by the grandson of the prophet Mohamed, Moulay Idris Al Akbar, to the Berber natives of Morocco. Our small group will have a relaxing day at the peaceful hotel of Volubilis overlooking the valley and the ruins of this ancient sanctuary of great spiritual stature. In the afternoon, we will walk to the holy city of Moulay Idriss, the first Islamic city in Morocco and home to many Sufi orders formed over the centuries. You will have an essential introduction to a spiritual aspect of the Sufi Moroccan society. Explore the labyrinth of this medieval and venerated city in Morocco—a brief intro session and rhythm get-together after dinner. Sleep early on the first night.
A visit to Volubilis, the Roman capital of Northwestern Africa, in the morning with a meditation session in the ruins of this ancient site. Walk back to the hotel, hiking through the ancient olive tree grove that attracted Martin Scorsese, Orson Wells, and especially Fellini with his master production of "The Last Temptation of Christ." Lunch at the gardens of the hotel overlooking the legendary Roman ruins. An hour drumming workshop with an introduction to the local trance dancers and drummers of the Hmadsha Sufi Order, who are well respected throughout the Islamic world for their spiritual Praises and hunting Percussions.
Travel to Fes. Check into the hotel for lunch—an afternoon devoted to discovering the beauty of Fes. The historical tour begins at the Mellah (the Jewish quarter), the king's palace, and the Bat'ha Museum of Moroccan Arts. Then, the walking tour of the Medina, the fascinating walled city with its incredible maze of medieval twisting alleys, blind turns, mosques, shrines, fountains, workshops, and every conceivable kind of market. Stop at El Hajj Lebbar House for mint tea and an introduction to The Issawa spiritual music; your dinner will be in a typical Moroccan restaurant in the Medina, then you will return to the Moorish house for a complete Issawa Sufi order night of chanting and drumming.
Morning to relax. An introduction to Jajouka rhythm and customs will be reserved to accompany us while hiking up to the shrine of Sidi Ahmed Bernoussi Shrine—an afternoon excursion to Mt. Zallagh in the Riff Mountains. Meet the mule caravan and explore the region, escorted by the Jajouka Musicians and dancers. A mint tea party with the sunset over Fes at the Sidi Ahmed Al Barnoussi shrine. A retreat sanctuary for Sufis who come to retreat here from all parts of Morocco. Dinner and dancing in a Moroccan restaurant with Chaabi musicians.
The morning is devoted to shopping in the Medina for musical instruments and other artifacts. Afternoon workshop in the Gnawa rhythms, trance rituals, and customs. After dinner, a trip back to the heart of the Medina at the Mernissi Moorish palace for the Gnawa Ceremony, trance dance, and Henna ceremony.
The first hills you see of the Middle Atlas seem oddly un-Moroccan. Evergreen pines, tall cedar trees on the peaks, and poplars stand copiously on the foothills, laced with flowing streams. The road across is almost ceremonial. Azrou, the first real town of the Middle Atlas, stands at a significant junction of routes; it's an important market center and has long held a strategic role in controlling the Berbers of the mountains. The Middle Atlas ceases at Midelt, where suddenly, through the haze, appear the much greater peaks of the High Atlas which formidably rise to over 12,000 feet behind the town to reach a massive range, the Dgebel Ayashi. The drama of this sight, tremendous in the apparent, calm noon, is the most compelling reason to stop over for lunch. Erfoud is one of the most pleasing southern routes: a dry, red belt of the desert, and then suddenly, a drop into the valley filled with date palm groves—dinner accommodations at Kasbah Asmaa Guest House.
Lecture in the morning on Berber tribal music with an ethnomusicologist. After lunch, visit the holy city of Rissani, then continue the quest to Erg Chebbi. An experience not to be missed is to watch the sun sets from the spectacular Merzouga dunes of the Sahara, which is so beautiful that no words can describe it—dinner with the Tuaregs and the Rokba Tagmount Dance. Enjoy a night jamming with local musicians over the dunes of Merzouga under the African Skies.
Enjoy a fantastic day trekking the highest the narrowest gorges in the region Todras, only 15 km from Tineghir. Traveling through the Dades valley in spring, you will find the bloom of thousands of Persian roses filling up the air with an ethereal aroma certainly from heaven - cultivated as hedgerows dividing the different plots. Thousands of Kasbahs scattered surreally as sand castles standing erect in the shadow of time along the Dades River. Ahwash Megounamusic and dance in a Berber home. Dinner and accommodation at Hotel Bougafer in Tineghir.
An active day awaits you, hiking and trekking the trail of a thousand Kasbahs. Travel through El Kelaa De Mgouna and Boumalne, exploring the Dades Valley, and continue to Ouarzazate: one large Oasis intercepting the flow of ages between the Dades, the Draa valleys, and the Majestic High Atlas Mountains—dinner and accommodation in the Hotel.
Depart to Marrakech via Taddart and Tizi-n-Tishka pass at an elevation of 11,000 ft. in an impressive site dividing these mountains in two distinct aspects: one side acts as a shield to protect the hinterland from the Sahara's harsh and dry expansion, the other side collects the moisture of the Gherbi winds from the Atlantic ocean, soft and evergreen. So is the life of the Berber dwellers on your way, the legendary Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah hiking up to its summit. Arrival in Marrakech, the "Morocco City," as the early travelers called it, has always been a pleasant city, a marketplace where the southern tribesmen and Berber villagers bring in their goods, spend their money, and find entertainment. For tourists, it's an enduring fantasy - a city of immense beauty, low, pink, and tent-like before a great shaft of mountains, and immediately exciting. Lunch at the Almoravides Hotel. Visit the famous Jemaa El Fna square. Dinner in a local home with the local Dekka music and the famous Gnawa music and dance. Overnight at the hotel.
Morning devoted to a walking tour discovering the historical sights of Marrakech with your local guide. Lunch will be free to discover eateries around Jamaa el Fna Square. Farewell Dinner will be at a Jewish restaurant in the Mellah, a typical Andalucian and Sephardic music festivity. Overnight at the hotel.
Early morning transfer to Casablanca airport, connect with the transatlantic flight back home with a memorable journey to treasure for a lifetime. Come back for more on another Morocco Cultural Tour.
| DEPARTING | FINISHING | SEATS | TOTAL IN USD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 25 Jan 2025 | Fri 7 Feb 2025 | Available | $2685 | INQUIRY |
| Tue 25 Feb 2025 | Mon 10 Mar 2025 | Available | $2685 | INQUIRY |
| Tue 25 Mar 2025 | Mon 7 Apr 2025 | Available | $2685 | INQUIRY |
| Fri 25 Apr 2025 | Thu 8 May 2025 | Available | $2685 | INQUIRY |
| Sun 25 May 2025 | Sat 7 Jun 2025 | Available | $2685 | INQUIRY |
| Wed 25 Jun 2025 | Tue 8 Jul 2025 | Available | $2685 | INQUIRY |
| Fri 25 Jul 2025 | Thu 7 Aug 2025 | Available | $2685 | INQUIRY |
| Mon 25 Aug 2025 | Sun 7 Sep 2025 | Available | $2685 | INQUIRY |
| Thu 25 Sep 2025 | Wed 8 Oct 2025 | Available | $2685 | INQUIRY |
| Sat 25 Oct 2025 | Fri 7 Nov 2025 | Available | $2685 | INQUIRY |
| Tue 25 Nov 2025 | Mon 8 Dec 2025 | Available | $2685 | INQUIRY |
| Thu 25 Dec 2025 | Wed 7 Jan 2026 | Available | $2685 | INQUIRY |
Cost per person: $2685 USD
Single supplement: $465 USD
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