Morocco Agriculture Study Tour

Arrival at Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca. Meet with your tour leader, who specializes in agronomy and modern Arido culture. A warm welcome, then Transfer to the hotel. The remainder of the afternoon will be spent relaxing and acclimating. At about 8:00 pm, enjoy a typical Moroccan dinner at the hotel. A brief orientation meeting will be held in the hotel conference room. Then get some rest after your long travel and jet lag! Overnight good 4* Hotel.

The morning following breakfast, the Casablanca city tour, including the Hassan II Mosque. Then proceed to Rabat, only 45 45-minute drive, where a local guide will be devoted to the historic sites and gardens of this elegant city and Capital of the Kingdom.

We will end our monumental visit by meeting with a well-versed member of the Ministry of Agriculture who will introduce the group to innovative agricultural projects of socio-economic development in Green Morocco and Arid and semi-arid areas of the Kingdom. This will be emphasized in plans with a strategy outlined by the Moroccan government for agricultural development and poverty alleviation by 2022. Later, we will retreat to our hotel for a good dinner and comfortable accommodation.

This morning, following breakfast, we visited some horticultural productions. Units in the neighborhood of Rabat and the center of cloning of fruit trees and various shrubs at Bernslimane Agro-Center. In the afternoon, drive back to Rabat, visit Skhirate horticulture nurseries, and stop along the coastline to visit private-owned shrubs and garden plant growers. Back to our hotel in the evening for dinner and overnight. Overnight good 4* hotel.

In the morning, we will visit the Agricultural University in Rabat and the Institute of Agronomy and Veterinary Science Hassan II. A professor of Agronomy will conduct the tour. After that, we will take off to Kenitra, where we will have lunch at Mehdia. Then, we will visit the INRA Agricultural Research Station on Citrus at Dar Bel Amri. Finally, we will continue through the Maamora Forest to join the Highway to Fes. Dinner and accommodation will be at our great 4-star hotel.

After breakfast, the morning will be devoted to a guided tour of the Medina sightseeing. Lunch will be at a typical Moroccan restaurant in the Medina. Then, drive to Kansara commune about 30 mn outside of Fez to visit mills and traditional crop growing of this semi-arid region at the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. High officials and farmers of this commune will receive us. We will crown our visit with a mint-tea ceremony hosted by the region’s farmers to honor our visitors as the tradition calls for. We finally returned to Fez for dinner and overnight at our hotel.

Meknes is considered the hub for big crops, extensive vineyards, fruit growing, modern farms, and ancient olive groves thousands of years old. Our first stop will be at the National School of Agriculture, where an agronomist will give us a tour of the school and speak to us about the role of agricultural development in this region and Morocco. Later, we will visit Zniber Domaines' farms of peaches, almonds, and other fruits, simultaneously the most significant wine producers in Morocco. We will break for lunch and continue to Moulay Idriss Zerhoune for traditional non-irrigated olive groves from the Roman times. This is an opportunity to visit the old Roman site of Volubilis, an old traditional stone mill for select olive oil. Return to Fez for dinner and overnight.

Morning depart for Errachidia across the Middle Atlas Mountains with a Stop in Ifrane and drive through the cedar forest and rangeland of Morocco. At noon, arrive in Midelt City, the capital of apple production in Morocco, visit apple orchards in the Midelt region. Break for lunch, then continue on the red belt of Tafilalet Valley, filled with ancient oases and palm groves that lace along the Ziz River. Outstanding desert beauty and unsurpassed landscapes. Drive through Errachidia along the Aoufous date palm groves to reach Erfoud, where overnight accommodation will be at the Chergui Hotel.

We will visit the Valley with its oases at El Kenz Valley of Meski in the morning. Lunch will be in a small palm grove oasis. Then we will cruise the desert in our 4x4 land cruisers to reach the far dunes of Merzouga, away from all tourist camps, where a luxurious Camp is set for us. Camels are saddled for an afternoon dunes excursion for a dramatic sunset. Finally, return to Camp for dinner in the Saharan fashion around a Bedouin fire animated by local Touareg Musicians.

We will get up at dawn to walk to the upper dunes to watch the sunrise in the Sahara desert, which is an experience to experience. Breakfast will be in Camp, and then we will ride our 4X4 vehicles to meet our bus at Chergui Hotel and continue along the Todra and Dades Valleys to reach Ouarzazate. After breakfast, depart Merzouga for Ouarzazate, stopping at various oases to get acquainted with oasis agriculture. The best place to stop is the Tinghir Valley and Sekoura Oasis. We will reach Ouarzazate in the afternoon, where dinner and accommodation will be reserved for the group. Accommodation suitable 4* hotel.

You will spend most of your day en route to Marrakesh, exploring the legendary Kasbah of Aït-Benhaddou, a renowned architectural marvel classified as UNESCO World Heritage.

Your journey will lead you to the highest pass in Morocco, the Taddart, and passes at an altitude of 11,000 feet. This pass divides the mountains into two distinct facets: the harsh, stark side acting as a shield that protects the hinterland from the robust, dry expansion of the Sahara, and a lush side, soft and evergreen, which collects the moisture from the Gherbi winds of the Atlantic Ocean.

You will arrive in Marrakech, a city of pleasure for visitors and locals, where southern tribespeople and Berber villagers bring their goods to market and find a variety of entertainment. To tourists, the city is a feast for the imagination, full of incomparable beauty, situated before the towering mountains that provide a thrilling backdrop. After a visit to the bustling Jemaa El Fna square, the Koutoubia Mosque and Gardens, and the Bahia Palace, if time allows, You will conclude your day with dinner and other accommodations at your hotel.

Visit farms that grow citrus, olives, and other fruit trees in the morning. Then, visit the neighboring Ourika Valley and possibly Oukaimeden, the largest ski resort in the country. It is located in the foothills of the High Atlas Mountains. The Ourika Valley contains several Berber villages, female co-operatives that manufacture Argan oil and other cosmetics, Pottery workshops, and small plots of agricultural terraces. You will also visit the Setti Fadma waterfalls and landscapes unique to the High Atlas Mountains. Explore Berber's rural life in this valley. Finally, return to Marrakech overnight.

Today, we will travel to Casablanca, stopping in Settat for a thorough visit to the National. Agricultural Research Institute, Centre of Agriculture. The Center is also interested in rural sociology and economics. The workforce comprises 63 researchers and managers, 41 technicians, eight technical staff, and 95 support staff. In addition, an occasional crew of 58 people is often used.

The field of intervention covers 35,000 square kilometers and concerns an estimated population of 6.5 million people. In addition to 18 laboratories, three greenhouses, and 12 growth chambers, the Center has four experimental areas located in the regions of Safi (Jamâat Shaïm area), El Jadida (Khémiss Zemamra estate), and Settat (Jémâat Lariah and Sidi El Aydi estates).

Upon arriving in Casablanca, you will finish the day and check in to our hotel.

Today is a free day to shop and go sightseeing on your own. However, we have a “Farewell Dinner” this evening at a local restaurant.

Final Moroccan breakfast at the hotel, and then we check out and Transfer to the airport.