Fes Festival of World Sacred Music Tour
Fes, Meknes, Sefrou, Marrakech, Essaouira and Casablanca
May 29-June 11, 2009
$2950.00
NOTE: The info below is from the tour on May 29-June 11, 2009. Updated info for the 2010 tour will be posted here when it is available.
Itinerary
Days 1-2: Departure from US and Arrival in Casablanca, Morocco
Friday-Saturday, May 29-30
Travelers will depart
on or before May 29, 2008 and arrive into Morocco by June 2nd. Steve will
be in Morocco to meet people at the Casablanca airport upon their arrival
on May 30. We will take train or bus to Fes, about a 3 hour trip. Once
we settle into our hotelwe will meet for orientation with Steve and take
a walking tour of our quarter of Fes el-Bali. This evening will be our
first concert at the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music.
Days 3: Fes, Festival of World Sacred Music
Sunday, May 31
Morning breakfast at our hotel is
followed by free time or attendance at the Fes Colloquium that takes place
every morning of the first 5 days of the festival. This gathering of scholars,
activists, mystics, politicians, musicians, poets and writers is an integral
aspect of the World Sacred Music Festival program. Sessions are held at
the Batha Museum and involve festival musicians. Simultaneous translations
are available through headphones as speakers address this year's theme
of Giving Soul to Globalisation. Films and Colloquium lectures are included
in the package, and allow us a chance to meet people from around the world
in a stimulating environment of global dialogue. Tonight we will have a
group dinner courtesy of Imagine Adventures.
4:30 pm: Afternoon intimate concert at Batha Museum
6:30 pm: Open concert in the City at BabBoujeloud.
8:30 pm: Evening headline
concert at BabMakina
Midnight: Sufi Nights concert held a short walk from
BabMakina at Dar Tazi
Days 4: Fes, Festival of World Sacred Music
Monday, June 1
Enjoy breakfast at our hotel and
a morning lecture Steve on “The Way of the Sufis", an introduction
to Islamic mysticism with special reference to Moroccan Sufism who have
lived and taught in Fes over the centuries. Then you can join the Fes Colloquium
or venture out to explore Fes on your own or with friends from our group.
In the afternoon, Steve will lead those of us interested in visiting a
hammamto experience the baths of Fes.
4:30 pm: Afternoon intimate concert
at Batha Museum
6:30 pm: Open concert in the City at BabBoujeloud.
8:30
pm: Evening headline concert at BabMakina
Midnight: Sufi Nights concert
held a short walk from BabMakina at Dar Tazi.
Day 5: Fes, Jewish Heritage and Festival of World Sacred Music
Tuesday, June 2
Enjoy breakfast at our hotel.
Then you can join the Fes Colloquium or venture out to explore Fes on your
own or with friends from our group. In the afternoon, we will explore the
Jewish heritage of Fes visiting the Jewish quarter and the magnificent
Jewish museum in of Fes el-Jadid.
4:30 pm: Afternoon intimate concert at
Batha Museum
6:30 pm: Open concert in the City at BabBoujeloud.
8:30
pm: Evening headline concert at BabMakina
Midnight: Sufi Nights concert
held a short walk from BabMakina at Dar Tazi.
Day 6: Fes-Volubulis-Meknes and Festival of World Sacred Music
Wednesday, June 3
Breakfast at our hotel precedes
an orientation with Steve for today's journey to the imperial city of Meknes,
the sacred city of MoulayIdris, and the Roman ruins of Volubulis. An ancient
Roman capital of Northwestern Africa, Volubulis is a two-hour drive from
Fes. Time permitting, we will pay a short visit to shrine city of MoulayIdris,
the cradle of Moroccan Sufism. We will stop in Meknes for lunch and a 2-hour
walk through its historic palace grounds and medina. Meknes is a wonderful
place to explore and shop for textiles and other Moroccan goods in the
souk (market). We depart Meknes by 3 pm and will be back in Fes in time
to attend the evening concerts.
8:30 pm: Evening headline concert at BabMakina
Midnight: Sufi Nights concert held a short walk from BabMakina at Dar Tazi.
Day 7: Fes-Sefrou-Bhalil
Thursday, June 4
Our last full day in Fes Enjoy
breakfast at our hotel. For those who want to venture out of the city,
Steve will lead a group to the nearby city of Sefrou and the village of
Bhalil. Sefrou, in antiquity, was the last stop of sub-Saharan caravans
transporting goods for the European markets. This is a scenic place for
hiking and we can explore trails some of which lead to springs in the hills
above the town or just wander through the town's souk (market). The village
of Bhalil is a favorite spot, a town built into the side of the mountain
where many live in trogdolyte cave homes. We will be back in Fes in time
for the afternoon and evening concerts.
4:30 pm: Afternoon intimate concert
at Batha Museum
6:30 pm: Open concert in the City at BabBoujeloud.
8:30
pm: Evening headline concert at BabMakina
Midnight: Sufi Nights concert
held a short walk from BabMakina at Dar Tazi.
Day 8: Fes to Marrakech
Friday, June 5
Breakfast and check-out of the hotel. Today is a travel
day to Marrakech. Arrival in the Red City of Marrakech and check in to
our hotel.Steve will lead a walking introduction to the medina of Marrakech
and the famed great square, Djema el-Fna, home to storytellers, snake
charmers, musicians, dancers, comedians, and fortune tellers. Marrakech
is a treat. It is more laid back than Fes and the prices are less expensive
than in Fes for jewelry, carpets, leather goods, and other Moroccan crafts.
Nightlife is lively in Marrakech!
Day 9: Marrakech
Saturday, June 6
We will begin our day with breakfast
at the hotel and further exploration of the old medina. Highlights will
be visits to the Saadian Tombs, Bahia Palace, and the Dar Si Said museum.
There will be plent of time for personal exploration and discovery in this
fabled and fascinating city. Evening is free time.
Day 10: Marrakech
Sunday, June 7
Light schedule. Possible ideas
are to explore a new quarter of the old city in the morning, and in the
afternoon tour the Ville Nouvelle, including stops at the beautiful gardens
of Marrakech: Yves Saint Laurent’s Majorelle Gardens and the Menara and
Agdal Gardens. .
Day 11: Marrakech-Essaouria
Monday, June 8
Breakfast and check-out of our hotel.
We depart Marrakech for Essaouira by bus. Essaouira is an 18th-century
fortified port city with beaches to the north and south. Here we will have
a chance to relax, hit the beach and enjoy this incredibly beautiful home
to some of the most talented artisans in Morocco. Essaouira is where Orson
Wells filmed his screen version of Othello and the city has been a favorite
haunt of musicians from around the world.
Day 12: Essaouira
Tuesday, June 9
After breakfast at the hotel,
time to either wander through the old city or just relax at the beach.
For the adventurous, windsurfing shops can get you out into the waves.
In the afternoon, Steve will lead a hiking expedition south of town along
the beach to the ruins of the fort Bordj el Berod. From this spot we can
seethe offshore islands known as the Iles Purpuraires, named for the dyes
for purple imperial cloth that the Romans once produced on the islands
from the murex shellfish. The islands are a breeding site of Eleonora’s
falcons, Morocco’s most dramatic bird. Near the fort we will cross the
river OuedKsob, where we should spot waders and egrets.
Day 13: Essaouira - Marrakech
Wednesday, June 10
Breakfast and check-out from
the hotel. Morning free for final shopping or walking tour of Essaouira.
After lunch we will take our bus back to Marrakech for our final night
in Morocco. A final group dinner.
Day 14: Departure for Home
Thursday, June 11
Today we complete our journey
into the heart of Morocco and sacred music from around the world. We can
expect to return home transformed by the experiences, connections and insights
of our pilgrimage. As our schedules require, we board bus or taxis to the
Marrakech airport for our departures home.
Note About Booking Airline Travel:
Many travelers prefer to book their own airline travel or use frequent flyer miles. Our trips, therefore, are priced not including your air travel to and from Morocco. However, if you wish Imagine Adventures to assist you with ticketing, we can do so. There is a $75 fee for this ticketing service. We strongly recommend that you schedule travel to arrive in Casablanca on the morning of May 30.
