The June 2013 Sefrou Cherry Festival in Morocco, which celebrates the annual harvest, is the 93rd in its history and the first since its inclusion as part of the UNESCO immaterial cultural patrimony. The first Cherry festival held in Sefrou was In 1918. A cherry queen is crowned as a climax to street events and musical concerts. There will be exhibitions by cooperatives in the region to boost the local economy.
Tag: High Atlas Mountains
Trekking and climbing in the Atlas Mountains and Toubkal National Park is increasingly popular,catering for all levels of fitness and available for short trips or extended treks over a period of several days.It is an opportunity to see the Atlas mountains and its people, it is by far the most beautiful of Morocco’s diverse countryside, still largely unchanged from the time when it was remote and cut off from the ouside world.
Terres D’Amanar is a stunning estate located at the foothills of Morocco’s Atlas Mountains, just 30 minutes outside of Marrakech. Terres D’Amanar abuts the pristine forests of Toubkal National Park. Ziplining at Terres D’Amanar is one of the many activities that can be done during a Marrakech Tour extension or during a Morocco Tour. The Terres d’Amanar estate is a grand example of ecotourism in Morocco done at its best. Terres d’Amanar is suitable for families, couples and groups.
Kasbah Telouet is one of Morocco’s most impressive Kasbahs. Most travelers who visit Kasbah Telouet…
a Mamounia is a legendary property in Marrarkech, Morocco that radiates with class, tradition and beauty. It is said that stepping into Le Mamounia is akin to a setting of 1001 Arabian Nights. La Mamounia Hotel is a Marrakech institution of Luxury and Flair. Originally the Marrakech palace of a crown prince of Morocco it was converted by the French administration into a hotel in 1923. Named for its 200-year old gardens, which were given as an 18th century wedding gift to Prince Moulay Mamoun by his father, the gardens cover nearly 20 acres and display an incredible variety of flowers and trees.
New Years Eve in the Sahara Desert is the one of the best ways to experience Morocco and ring in the New Year. Travel Exploration’s 3 Day, 4 Day and 5 Day New Years Sahara Desert Tours depart from Marrakech, Fes and Ouarzazate daily during the holiday season. There’s nothing more charming then sitting around a campfire with family and friends in the Sahara on New Years Eve after you’ve taken a camel trek across the golden dunes and watched the majestic sunset.
“Ouarzazate has one main street, about fifty yards long, and two thousand people, of whom two hundred are French. The temperature can reach 110 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer. ” So says world-renowned journalist John Gunther in 1952, of his visit to Ouarzazate, during the reign of the Pasha Glaoui, whose honored guest he was.
Isolated in the Rif Mountains, Chefchaouen is one of Morocco’s hidden treasures. Chefchaouen is situated in the Rif Mountains, just inland from Tangier and Tetouan making it the perfect Rif Mountain holiday adventure. The city was founded in 1471, as a small fortress which still exists to this day, by Moorish exiles from Spain ed by Moulay Ali Ben Moussa Ben Radhed El Alami to fight the Portuguese invasions of northern Morocco. Chefchaouen was known as one of the main concentrations of Moriscos and Jews who sought refuge in this mountainous city after the Spanish Reconquista in medieval times.
For anyone interested in touring Morocco’s kasbahs or ksars, I highly recommend starting with Kasbah Taourirt, the Pasha Glaoui’s former palace in Ouarzazate. Kasbah Taorirt was built by the Pasha Glaoui. Its location was strategic for trading routes and in the 1930’s when the Glaoui ruled the South was then considered one of Morocco’s largest Kasbahs. Kasbah Taourirt was one of the places Glaoui kept his slaves. As a Moroccan traveler you can explore its nooks and crannies to discover its history and often local female painters who sell their art inside as well as the many quality silver shops just steps outside the Kasbah.
Pasha T’hami Glaoui was the most powerful man in Morocco between 1953 and 1956, in addition to being one of the richest men in the world at that time. The title Pasha means Governor. Glaoui was the Pasha of Marrakesh (since 1912), Ouarzazate, and most of the Moroccan south during the time Morocco was under French rule. The most important Kasbahs’ in Morocco that were occupied by the Pacha Glaoui during his reign and are frequented by Moroccan travelers today are Kasbah Taouirt, located in the center of Ouarzazate, Ait Benhaddou, located 15 kilometers outside Ouarzazate and Kasbah Telouet which sits in the village of Telouet nestled outside the Onilla Valley.