Morocco: January
Salam family! Follow with us the star that guides the Three Wise Men of the East and discover why everything around them is filled with magic! Catario, the best dromedary rider, is ready to embark on a new adventure in the desert of southern Morocco with his Berber friends... Join him!
At Barcelona airport, we will begin our adventure. Three expert arenologists are heading to southern Morocco to analyze new grains of sand and share their knowledge. They are aware that this area is being traversed by the Three Wise Men and dream of being able to find them... Catario, a renowned sand composition explorer, accompanies us on our journey. He always travels with his friendly pet, an expert all-terrain sand digger who is always looking for "little treats" from families. He always wears his pith helmet and tries to put on a turban underneath, but he never succeeds because he gets all tangled up with it... We will also be accompanied by Rastrillo, who is a collector of sands from around the world and an expert in the ceremony of selecting grains. Ever since she was a child, playing on the beaches of Benidorm with her parents named Dunas and Oasis, she has been completely obsessed with rolling around in the sand. She has developed a technique to carry as much sand as possible in her socks, and she will collect samples that Catario will later analyze. Pala, an expert gemologist who collects minerals and fossils found in the desert, will also be with them. Pizpireta photographs them and creates jewelry with the findings, proudly showing them to families. She is known for her skill in bargaining and bartering, to the point that the markets of Morocco tremble when they see her coming! Pala is eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Three Wise Men and always carries her letter with her. She gets very nervous at the thought of possibly encountering them... One of the Three Wise Men has lost his crown. Pala will analyze the gems of the found crown and she is the only one who can tell us if it is authentic! With our help, will Catario, Rastrillo, and Pala be able to return it to its rightful owner? To accomplish this, we will experience numerous adventures in the desert, explore the tracks in 4x4 vehicles, see fossils millions of years old, encounter nomads, and even sleep in authentic haimas under the starry sky.
Day 1. Barcelona / Errachidia / Tombouctu - Outbound Flight.
Three expert arenologists will join us on our flight to Morocco because they also want to meet the Three Wise Men. They will be the best companions for the adventure that awaits us... We depart on a special direct flight to Errachidia, and after less than two hours of flying, we will arrive in this small town in southern Morocco, where we will be greeted with local folk music in true Berber style. Once we have our luggage, we will set off with Catario, Rastrillo, and Pala in 4x4 vehicles heading south. Situated in the Ziz River Valley, in the palm grove of Tafilalet, Tombouctu is a small city in the middle of the desert, at the gateway to the Sahara. During the journey, we will make a stop to admire the breathtaking panoramic view of the Ziz Valley palm grove from a high vantage point, where we will replenish our energy with a snack. After the break, we will descend in our off-road vehicles to see the local houses before continuing to our destination. In this beautiful city, we will experience our first adventures. Catario, Rastrillo, and Pala will share many more things with us, and we will learn from them in this lovely country of contrasts. We will enjoy dinner at the hotel in Tombouctu, where we will also spend the night.
Day 2. Tombouctu / Jorf Wells / Merzouga / Tombouctu - 4x4 Excursion.
We will start the day with a delicious buffet breakfast at the hotel to fuel ourselves for another day full of adventures. For the moms and dads, it's time to try the famous Moroccan tea. In all the restaurants of the Xaluca hotels, during breakfast and dinner, you will always find tea in the traditional Berber style. You won't have tasted anything like it before, so have as much as you want! After breakfast, we will set off with our new friends, Catario, Rastrillo, and Pala, for a 4x4 excursion to the Jorf area, where we will discover a plain with scattered wells. It looks like a lunar landscape. The wells, called "khettarat," are an ancient irrigation system known since ancient Persia more than 3000 years ago. Next, we will head to Jebel Lamdawar, a magical place that has been the setting for several film productions such as The Mummy, Sahara, Babel, and Hidalgo. In June 2015, the largest explosion in the history of cinematography took place there for the film Spectre, featuring the famous actor Daniel Craig (James Bond 007). With Catario, Rastrillo, and Pala, we will continue until we reach the hotel in Tombouctu, where we will have some free time. In the evening, we will enjoy a buffet dinner accompanied by folklore. After dinner, we will have a great time in the hotel's chillout area.
Day 3. Tombouctu / Rissana / Erg Chebbi - Fossil quarry, lunch in an oasis, meeting with the Three Wise Men, and night in haimas.
And the day we've been waiting for has arrived! We will start the day with a hearty buffet breakfast before setting off on the tracks that are used for rallies like the famous Merzuga Rally, until we reach the fossil quarries where we can find different types of fossils that are over 360 million years old with our own hands. Along with Catario, Rastrillo, and Pala, we will arrive in Rissani, a historic city built on the remains of the medieval city of Sijilmassa, an important trade center in the 16th century. We will visit its typical and traditional market, which operates three days a week and is the largest in the area. The inhabitants of the surrounding "ksars" and the desert nomads come here to stock up. We will be able to see different traditional crafts such as barbers and blacksmiths... The donkey parking lot is a very curious place that is worth visiting. With Catario, Rastrillo, and Pala, we will continue our journey, enjoying a marvelous landscape and observing the way of life of the Berber nomads until we reach an oasis in the middle of the desert where we will have lunch. We can rest and recharge our energy for the adventure that awaits us today. We will continue our journey to the magnificent Erg Chebbi (Dunes Desert), with its fine sand, where we will exchange our 4x4 vehicles for the most famous animal-powered vehicle in the desert, camels! We will venture into the dunes and from the top, we will be able to witness an unforgettable sunset. We will continue on camels to our haimas camp, where we will spend the night like authentic nomads. The Three Wise Men pass through this desert area during their journey to the West. It will be a unique and special moment for the youngest members of the family! We will have the opportunity to deliver our letters and receive a small preview of the gifts. Could Pala determine if the gems she found were authentic? If so, will we be able to return them to the Wise Men? After this magical moment, we can enjoy a dinner in the authentic Berber style with folklore before going to sleep under the incredible starry sky of the desert, in a modern yet authentic haima with a private bathroom.
Day 4. Erg Chebbi / Erfoud - Desert safari, Rissani market, and kasbah tour.
"Appointment with the Sunrise"... when we sleep in the desert, it is recommended to wake up a little early to walk to the top of the Great Dune and witness the sunrise. What better way to start our last day in this country of contrasts than with a unique spectacle that is worth experiencing. Later, we will enjoy our final breakfast in Morocco before setting off in our 4x4 vehicles, circling the Erg, and bidding farewell to the desert. We continue our adventure today towards the abandoned village of Merdani, where only two families reside. From there, we will reach the M'Fis Mines, which are currently practically abandoned, with only a few military families living in a surveillance post in the area. Our next stop will be the Sudanese-origin village of Khamlia, where the inhabitants will treat us to their traditional dances and mint tea. We will embark on a kasbah tour with the possibility of visiting one that was a residence of the Sultan Alaouite Mulay Hafid's family in the 19th century. Arrival in Erfoud, where we will enjoy a delicious lunch at a pizzeria. Erfoud has an important souk and market, located near the central square and close to the river. Its Royal Palace is the only one in Morocco located in the Sahara Desert. The rest of the afternoon will be spent at the hotel, where the children can play with Catario, Rastrillo, and Pala, and the adults can relax after the day in the desert with a good hammam (Turkish bath), a jacuzzi, a massage, or simply a swim in the hotel's heated pool. Dinner at the hotel with some surprises from Catario, Rastrillo, and Pala.
Day 5. Erfoud / Errachidia / Barcelona - Return flight.
Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Free time until the transfer to Errachidia airport for our direct return flight to Barcelona. Catario, Rastrillo, and Pala have been the best companions during our adventure. It will be sad to say goodbye to them and all the new friends we have made during the trip. But we will return as experts in grains of sand, with multiple adventures and moments lived that we will cherish in our memories, having had an unforgettable experience with Their Majesties the Magi under the stars... and surely, we will meet again in the next adventure!
We will share fantastic moments as a family, rolling with laughter in the sand and enjoying unforgettable sunsets over impressive dunes. With turbans on our heads and aboard our 4x4 vehicles, we will traverse tracks like true rally drivers, following in the footsteps of the Wise Men. We will discover spectacular sand fortifications, giant minerals, and fossils that date back hundreds of millions of years. We will sleep under the stars, learn about different ways of life from other cultures, haggle in colorful markets, and savor amazing food to the sound of joyful rhythms. Who said, "in the desert, there is nothing / it is nothing"? Prepare your passport for the Moroccan stamp!
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