Are you ready for MOROCCO?

If you're looking for an exciting, real-life experience this coming year, consider participating with our incredible ZRS fossil, mineral and agate collecting adventures in exotic Morocco! Within this mailing you will find photos and summaries of daily itineraries for our 2024 Spring Rockin' in Morocco GeoTour, which includes visits to some of the best collecting sites, along with fantastic cultural experiences certain to provide you with true immersion into this magnificent country. While our primary focus is on collecting fossils, minerals, agates and experiencing some of the most unique geology on the planet, our GeoTours also provide travelers with plenty of opportunities to explore everything Moroccan -- horticulture, cuisine, art, photography, weaving, shopping, music, history, birds, archaeology, etc. -- doing our best to satisfy a broad range of group interests. No expertise necessary -- only a sense of enthusiasm for adventure! We try to remain flexible in our scheduling to allow for a choice of touring options for days when there are multiple things to do and travel plans make this feasible. This year, our group will have access to four vehicles each day to allow for such variation. As is often the case, the fun is not just in visiting a special site, it is also in getting there. The goal for each of our adventures is to provide you with some of the most unique and memorable experiences of your life!

This upcoming adventure is scheduled for April 10th through 25th, 2024 - with departure flight on April 9th and return flight on April 26th (note possible 1 or 2 day schedule variation depending on flight status) - resulting in SIXTEEN phenomenal days on the ground in Morocco! The package cost of this trip is $8500 (per person double occupancy hotel) and INCLUDES your round-trip airfare, all of your ground transportation, three to four-star hotel accommodations, all of your meals, admission to museums and cultural sites, translation and guide service, assistance with finding, identification, collecting/purchasing specimens throughout the tour. Additionally, this package rate includes the shipment of fossil and/or mineral items collected or purchased in Morocco at a nominal fee for delivery to Minneapolis, MN.

The initial payment (nonrefundable deposit) of $3000 is due upon registration to reserve your space. The second payment of $3000 will be due on February 10th, 2024. The final payment of $2500 is due on March 9th, 2024 - and will also include any additional costs for single occupancy accommodations in Morocco, along with any additional fees and final airline charges. We will inform you of your final payment amount (if any additional fees are incurred) once the airline reservations have been completed for the group. If you are making any of the above payments via credit card, you will need to add $80 per person with each charge submitted.

Please note that we limit the size of each of our Moroccan expeditions to a total of twelve participants. This year we have a number of people expressing interest in joining us and we will be filling this trip on a first-come basis until the maximum group size is reached. If you would like to participate in this exciting expedition this spring, please contact us as soon as possible by phone (612.824.1068) or email (info@zrsfossils.com) to verify that space is still available. Then download and complete TWO copies per participant of the Spring 2024 Rockin' in Morocco GeoTour Agreement linked below. You may either personally deliver or send all completed forms along with your payment to our business address. Credit card payments may be called in via our retail store phone number - ZRS Fossils and Gifts / 612.824.1068 between the hours of Noon to 6pm Tuesdays through Saturdays.

Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns. We hope the following details will energize your consideration of experiencing a spectacular, new adventure to look forward to this year.

Ma'a salama! Kelly and John

Please remember that there are only TEN available spaces for this trip - filled on a first-come, first-served basis - therefore, if you wish to join us in April 2024, early registrations are highly recommended!

To secure your space on this fantastic adventure, download and print two copies per person of the ZRS Morocco GeoTour Spring Agreement form (linked above). Each individual should complete two forms and either deliver them to our store - or send in the mail along with your nonrefundable deposit (to reserve your space) to the following address:



ZRS FOSSILS / 3018 LYNDALE AVE SO

MINNEAPOLIS MN 55408

Call or email us with any questions.

KELLY - 612.210.9711 / JOHN - 612.803.5301



Check out our online photos from previous Morocco Tours!

2019 Rockin' in Morocco GeoTour Facebook Album

2018 Rockin' in Morocco GeoTour Facebook Album

2017 Rockin' in Morocco GeoTour Facebook Album

2015 RIM Tour    2013 RIM Tour    2011 RIM Tour 

2024 MOROCCAN SPRING GEOTOUR ITINERARY

- Depart from MSP International Airport - Lindbergh Terminal

- Arrive to Paris, France - Charles DeGaulle International Airport

- (April 10th) Depart from Paris CDG enroute to Morocco (CMN)

- Arrive in Casablanca early afternoon - and off we go!

We will arrive at the Casablanca / Mohammed V International Airport (CMN) and develop our land-legs as we gather our luggage. Our dear friends and local guides for this wonderful adventure through Morocco will meet us at the airport upon arrival. Everyone is always ready for this anticipated experience as we all buckle our seat belts and jump right into our exciting road-trip with an approximately 65 mile drive southeast to Khouribga. It doesn't take but a few miles for most people to realize just how special this amazing trek is going to be. For many, the views through the windows of our SUVs driving from Casablanca to Khouribga reveal totally unique sites reflected through the mixed modes of transportation in the traffic, the styles and colorful dress of the people, the unusual language apparent in the signage and the obvious flow of an intriguing culture and life within this amazing new world.

After driving out of the city and into the area of sprawling fields - past countless roadside stands, donkeys, shepherds and camels, our first stop will be Khouribga. While the local agriculture in this area produces cereals and raises sheep and goats, the dominating economic activities of Khouribga are related to the enormous phosphate deposits of the region - one of the world's largest. Our main interests in these deposits, of course, are the magnificent crystalline geodes and fossils (mosasaurs, crocodiles, turtles, sharks, etc.) that appear throughout this area. There also exists some iron-ore mining to the north of the city.   Khouribga Info  Khouribga Phosphates

- Arrive to Casablanca / collect our luggage / drive to Khouribga

- Rest and/or look for fossils and white quartz geodes in the phosphate mines

- Enjoy a "Welcome to Morocco" dinner in the evening   

Moroccan Tea

- Symbol of Hospitality and Grace

The Golden Tulip Hotel - Khouribga

Cooking with tagines at a roadside restaurant where we may perhaps stop for lunch.

You can take your pick of the many options -- all sizzling away before you!

In the area around Khouribga, Morocco phosphate is mined in large open pit mines. This phosphate is used in everything from fertilizer to rechargeable batteries. In these deposits one can find many types of marine fossils (ray teeth, shark teeth, fish remains and Mosasaur teeth). The phosphate deposits are from the Maastrichtian (part of the upper Cretaceous Period) and from the Eocene. The shark teeth from this site have a beautiful light brown color.

Now a commercial and touristic center - among the industries of Marrakech are processing of fruit, vegetables, and palms, tanning, wool, flour, building materials, leather products, carpets, mining of lead, zinc, copper, molybdenum and graphite.   

- Collect and tour phosphate mines / look for vertebrate fossils & quartz geodes 

- Visit local miners and collectors

- Drive to Marrakech / approximately 125 miles southwest 

Collecting fossils and geodes in the phosphate mines near Khouribga

Mosasaur Skull

Very rare sail-backed fossil turtle

Stunning Wildflowers in Phosphate Deposits

Shark Teeth for Sale by the Flat

Stunning spring growth of Poppies

Phosphate conveyer tubes continue for miles

Smiling children around every corner!

Magnificent Marrakech - often called the "Ochre City" because of its beautiful old red sandstone walls - holds some of Morocco's favorite treasures. Founded in 1062 by the Almoravids - pious and learned warriors from the desert, the city developed into an early cultural and trading community for the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa. We have never seen anything quite like this exciting city of Old World Andalusian influence. Once you walk through the 12^th century Bab Agnaou - the famous Almohad Dynasty entrance gate into the royal Kasbah in the Medina (old city) of Marrakech, you will immediately feel transported back in time to another world! Situated at the foothills of the snow-peaked Atlas Mountains, Marrakesh remains Morocco's most visited city due to an enchanting fairy-tale quality that is genuinely a unique experience you are certain to talk about for years to come. We will peruse the number one attraction in the city - Djemaa el-Fna, an amazing UNESCO listed public square evoking a carnival-like atmosphere bustling with acrobats, story-tellers, henna artists, water sellers, dancers, snake charmers and musicians. During the evening the entire square turns into a giant open-air restaurant with countless vendors both cooking and serving an enormous variety of Moroccan dishes - truly an impressive venue. The square is edged along one side by the Marrakech souk -- the traditional North African markets which service both the common daily needs of the people of the city, and the tourist trade. We will also spend time touring the Bahia Palace, Saadian Tombs and the landmark Koutoubia Mosque. 

Marrakech Lonely Planet Info                    More Marrakech Info

Exciting Djemaa el-Fna - Main Square & UNESCO Marketplace in Marrakech Medina

For a more tranquil experience, we will also visit the Jardin Majorelle & Museum of Islamic Art, owned by the Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint-Laurent Foundation. This exotic sub-tropical garden provides a haven away from the hectic pace outside. This magnificently colorful and exquisitely designed garden was created by the French painter Jacques Majorelle, who lived here from 1922 to 1962. In among the cooling water features, the cacti, majestic palm trees and cascades of bougainvillea, is a small, but wonderful museum. Highlighting the rich diversity and creativity of the Berber culture, this museum contains an impressive collection of displays, examples and relevant information focusing on Berber and Tuareg jewelry, textiles, carpets, wedding curtains and cobalt blue pottery -- and serves as an invitation for the beholder to appreciate the beauty of Berber art across rural Morocco. Lonely Planet Marjorelle Gardens Link

This interesting day in Marrakech will be entirely devoted to shopping and fantastic sightseeing!  

Ornate Design & Courtyard - Bahia Palace

Beautiful Jardin Marjorelle

Visit the 14th Century Islamic College - Ben Youssef Madrasa

Fascinating Storks, a symbol of good fortune, can be seen in several places throughout Morocco!

Koutoubia Mosque

Beautiful Old Mosque Lamp

The Carpet Show in the Medina

So many shopping options -

^^ Colorful Babushkas

<< Essential Straw Hats

Large Antique Copal Beads >>

^^ Handcrafted Hamsa Hands

<< Dying Yarn & Fibers

Colorful Handcrafted Scarves >>

Handcrafted Copper and Brass

Delicious Olives from Djemaa el-Fna Vendor

Saadian Tombs

Hand-Painted Madrasa Ceiling

Water Carriers Djemma elFna

After spending a day touring the sites of Marrakesh, we will venture out for some more collecting -- meeting warm and gracious new friends and feeding our appetite for crystals, geodes and agates!

- Visit Sidi Rahal Mines / great sites to collect agates, quartz crystals, amethyst, chalcedony geodes

- Perhaps visit & enjoy a traditional tagine meal with a Berber family in this beautiful, scenic area

Sidi Rahal for Agates, Geodes and Amethyst

Hills of Sidi Rahal and Mohammed's home

Tagine Lunch - Mohammed's Home

Mohammed's Family Chefs

Exciting Mineral Selections

Mohammed with Giant Agate

Stalactitic Amethyst Mine

Stalactitic Amethyst (above)

Sidi Rahal Agate In Situ (below)

Sidi Rahal Amethyst Flat (above)

Orange Red Geode (below)

Ouarzazate is the main Berber city in the south known for spectacular sunsets and dramatic mountain and desert scenery. Surrounded by breathtaking valleys, Ouarzazate was once crossing point for African traders seeking to reach northern cities in Morocco and Europe. During the French period, Ouarzazate expanded considerably as a garrison town and later became the administrative center of the Zagora region. 

Ali Baba's Rock Shop -- always a delight to stop and see what treasures he has!

- Drive from Marrakech to Ouarzazate / Ait Benhaddou

- Full day of agate collecting at a brand new locality

- Fabulous day filled with jaw-dropping, gorgeous views through the unique geological deposits of the High Atlas Mountains / plenty of photo opportunities, so make sure to have extra batteries

- Along this day's route, we will stop to collect agates and crystals / visit rock shops along the way

- Arrive at the fortified village (ksar) of Ait Benhaddou in the evening

One of Morocco's best preserved kasbah villages and UNESCO World Heritage Site, Aït Benhaddou was once a significant stop for traders carrying gold, salt and slaves along the famous Southern Caravan route moving through the Sahara. Only ten families still live within the ksar, while most of the town's present-day inhabitants now reside in a more modern village across the river - where we will also stay for the night. 

This area is a warm blending of such a unique variety of colors and textures at every turn.

Mountains & Mosques

Crystal and Goethite Geode

Berber Carpets hung to dry

Quartz Crystal Cluster

Moroccan "Herkimer"

Cerrusite Crystal on Barite

Pyrite Crystals

Chevron Amethyst

This incredible stretch of road is filled with countless dramatic mountain views.

   Ait Benhaddou Site Info         Ouarzazate Info  

We will spend the earlier part of this day exploring the exquisite village Ksar (Arabic castle) of Ait Benhaddou - a striking example of southern Moroccan architecture created mainly from ornamented clay bricks to construct a collective group of interior dwellings surrounded by defensive walls with corner towers and gates. During our stroll we will meet local artists and vendors offering local Berber handcrafts and unique antiques for sale. We may also have opportunity to visit with some of the ksar's current residents.

The group will then be on the road for an incredible drive northeast approximately 70 miles along a sensational route past almond and fig groves, with stunning landscape views within the Dades Valley - populated with gorgeous palm oases on the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs! This route is sprinkled with intriguing fortresses and citadels also constructed from rammed (unbaked) earth, which are both simple and ornately decorated with geometrical designs representative of the Berber culture. Along this day's journey we will also experience the colorful panoramas of the dramatic Dades Gorge, whose craggy landscape and snaking hairpin turns has a very unique and haunting beauty. Incredible and surreal red rock formations line either side of the steep gorge that is divided by the Dades River. This drive is so impressive that Cadillac Corporation filmed a TV promotion featuring these awesome twists and turns (promo link). This phenomenal gorge is located near the town of Boumalne du Dades, where we will spend the night.

Situated in the heart of the Dades Valley, Boumalne Dades is surrounded by the majestic mountains in the very spine of the High Atlas range with impressive ravines sketched out by the whims of erosion.

Boumalne Dades Info   Dades Gorge Info

- Tour Ait Benhaddou in the morning

- Dramatically scenic drive throughout the day with plenty of wonderful photo opportunities

- Stop at Ali's rock and pottery shop to find high quality examples of both from local sources

- Visit Kelaat M'Gouna, the Rose Capitol of Morocco where you will find miles of small, pink and 

 very fragrant Damascus roses-cultivated as hedgerows dividing the plots of land in the Dades Valley

- Visit an artist's cooperative that is reviving the ancient art of making ornate knives and swords

- Check into a wonderful hotel at the end of our drive and enjoy fantastic local cuisine

Ait Benhaddou - Fortified Ksar

Berber Musician playing an Aoud at the Ksar

Mud Brick Towers Ait BenHaddou

Tifinagh Script - Berber Alphabet

Old Berber Doors & Tent Stakes

Our group will stop at special rock shops along our route, like Ali's, for minerals & pottery.

Heart wreath from Kelaat M'Gouna - the Rose Capital

Handcrafted Berber Knives - Artisan Coop

View from the top of the dramatic Dades Gorge

On this day we will travel east to the small village of Tarhia - the site of the Cambrian fossil quarries and starting point for an exciting back-road crossing of the Anti-Atlas Mountains. Our destination for the evening is Alnif - a small Berber town inside a palm grove oasis and surrounded by the Anti-Atlas mountains. Alnif is well known for its rocks, fossils and minerals offered for sale in shops and by dealers waiting to make sales along the roadside. Alnif is also considered to be the fossil capital of Morocco with its impressive quantity and quality of fossil beds -- and more specifically renown as the Moroccan center for collecting trilobites. We'll stay here for three nights and take day excursions from the Kasbah Meteorites.

- Visit Lalla Mimouna Water Museum (great collection of African artifacts)

- Collect quartz crystals & garnets / Visit local collectors

- Visit Cambrian fossil quarries and barite mines

- Spend time with diggers from local villagers

- Visit petroglyph site of Ait Ouazik

- While in the field collecting, we will always enjoy fresh and fabulous picnic lunches in scenic areas

   Alnif Basin Info   Trilobites of Morocco Info   Lalla Mimouna Water Museum

Zaid Abbou of the Lalla Mimouna Museum ^

Natural Spring-Fed Pool on Museum Grounds >

Antique Berber Babouches

Berber Artifacts

Berber Wedding Headdress

Abbou Caligraphy Paintings

Antique Berber Make-up Box

Berber Spice Cabinet

Included Hematic Amethyst

Red Moroccan Quartz Crystals

Large Hematic Amethyst Crystals

We will stop to visit the homes of collector friends before heading into the mountains.

The back-country drives through the Atlas Mountains en route to Alnif provide spectacular scenery and photo opps -- lots of interesting details to spot along our way. This journey winds us into a small settlement based within a beautiful palm-lined oasis.



Touring Ait Ouazik to view this amazing Neolithic Rock Art

We will visit the Devonian Orthoceras deposits

Did we tell you about our phenomenal picnic lunches in shady oases, mountain groves, or riverside?

Uromastix - Desert Lizard ^^

<< Acheulean Scraper - Homo erectus

Collecting Devonian Trilobites at famous Mt. Issimour sites

- Visit Devonian and Silurian fossil quarries                   

- Visit Atchana site / others quarries in the area

Krattaspis Trilobite

Collecting Trilobites with Locals

Air Prepped Spiny Trilobite

Collecting 400 MYO Diacalymene Trilobites

Working the Phacops Trilobite site with local collectors, who will then offer to sell us some of their material - beautiful specimens!

Local rock shops often have rare fossils, artifacts, antiques & at times, very unusual minerals.

^^ Cute little sandfish - Scincus scincus

Camel Ride to view the Sahara sunset >>

It is a fairly short drive (hour or so) to this day's destinations, which are going to be fantastic for fossils and minerals with lots of great specimens of all kinds coming from these areas. There will be many local collectors and artisans offering these items for sale as well.

Spinosaurus Teeth

Sand Stromatolites

Several fun rock shops in Erfoud

Crinoid Specimen

Spinosaurus Teeth

Azurite & Malachite

Hour-Glass Amethyst

This night's 4-star Kasbah Xaluca awaits with cold drinks and a great evening feast!

In Erfoud, we will take the morning to relax at one of the finest hotels on our tour, visit fossil preparation laboratories, Devonian orthoceras / goniatite limestone workshops and local mineral and fossil dealers.

We will then drive approximately 130 miles north to the highland town of Midelt -- which is described as a "frontier" town between the High and Middle Atlas Mountains in the beautiful Ziz Valley. Midelt is an important center for local rugs and carpets - and also offers some great mineral, agate and fossil collecting sites.      Xaluca Hotel Link

Beautiful courtyard of the Kasbah Xaluca Erfoud ^^

Xaluca Musicians greeting guests >>

An opportunity to visit special fossil prep labs to see experts at work and purchase fabulous specimens

^^ Meticulously air-abraded fossil specimens

<< Basilosaurus Whale Jaw Specimen

- Visit special agate-collecting nomadic family   

- Collect at Mibladen mineral mines        

- Check out the dinosaur tracks at Mibladen

- Visit local mineral and fossil museums and shops

- Visit local weaving and embroidery school

Midelt Wiki Info      Mibladen / Aouli Info  

Midelt is a mineral collectors dream with many rock shops! Cobalto Calcite & Hourglass Amethyst

Amazing opportunity to spend time with a warm & wonderful nomadic family who collect & sell agates

Explore Vanadinite Mines with our friends

< Photo courtesy of Rock & Gem Magazine

We will explore the Malachite and Azurite mines - Collect Fluorite minerals - Visit with local collectors

Sampling of some of the outstanding agates collected in these areas - cut and polished

On this day we will first visit a special women's cooperative and educational center focused on supporting women in their endeavors to become independent through mastering the fine art of weaving and embroidery skills. Our group will then travel about 200 miles northwest to the city of Rabat. Along our route we'll make a number of photo stops at scenic points, collect fossil shark teeth (if land conditions allow) and visit a very unique site where you will be able to view Barbary Apes (monkeys) up close in their natural cedar forest habitat. Make certain that you have cameras charged up for this adventure!

We will visit the Andaz Nouska Women's Cooperative to see magnificently embroidered & woven rugs & fine tablecovers -- handwork at its finest!

Barbary Ape Family in the

Cedar Forest at Azrou

Collecting Black Fossil Shark Teeth at Bakrit

Shopping and Touring sites in Rabat as the group desires during our last day in Morocco ... for this trip!

- Early morning beach walk among the Atlantic tide pools

- Visit to Chellah archeological site / Mohammed V Mausoleum

- Possible tour of a fossil preparation lab

- Last-minute shopping for gifts at the Medina

- Enjoy a farewell dinner at a special restaurant in Rabat

Fishing off Atlantic Coast - hotel beach walk view

Fountain at Mohammed V Mausoleum

A trip to a friendly and familiar Fossil Preparation Lab in the countryside always proves to be fun and interesting.

Beautiful Roman Ruins of Chellah with historic madrasa, gardens, Islamic burials, cats and storks

Mohammed V Mausoleum

This very last day in Morocco provides an perfect opportunity to shop for last-minute gifts in the souks/medina - everything from Moroccan tea glasses, pottery, Berber jewelry, woven cactus silk or wool carpets to fresh spices, brass lamps, wood containers, handbags, and special argan creams and oils. It's all there!

Catch a flight from the airport in Casablanca to return back home in the United States with a lot of incredible memories to record and stories to share throughout the rest of your life. Hope you can join us!

ZRS Fossils and Gifts - 3018 Lyndale Ave So, Minneapolis MN 55408

TEL 612.824.1068 / info@ZRSfossils.com