Feast With Your Hands
Moroccan Caravan Pilot
Food, History & Culture Tour for Women

June 16th-July 1st, 2020
16 nights

Early Bird Special!
$2975
($200 discount)
Payable in 10 monthly payments or 3 payments if booked before 9/25/19
double occupancy, airfare not included

Join me, my family and a small group of women travelers for an epic journey. We will explore Arab, Jewish, European, African & Amazigh (Berber) culture from Fez, along Morocco's ancient saharan caravan route, to Essaouira on the Atlantic coast .

We will stay at luxurious riads and simple auberges, eat at fine restaurants and sample the best sizzling street food, relax in opulent spas and local hammams. We will learn to cook sumptuous Moroccan dishes, wander through history at the edge of the desert, swim in the ocean, and unwind in shaded gardens, all this and much more.

As part of a commitment to solidarity tourism we will also support not-for-profit organizations and businesses run in service of women and marginalized communities in Morocco.

Testimonials & Photos
Fez
Morocco's oldest city and spiritual capital. Home to the oldest university in the world and the Sidi Ahmed al-Tijani Zawiya , a pilgrimage site for many West African sufis .
A town in Morocco's apple country and home to a Franciscan Monastery where local women learn the art of embroidery.
Founded by Africans who escaped enslavement. Their descendants continue the Gnawa music tradition that came out of their shared history and experience.
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There is a sign here that reads, "Timbuktu, 52" days. This meeting place on the Saharan caravan route is home to several ethnic groups.
A city famous for the Jemaa El Fna, a massive plaza that at dusk becomes a riot of food entertainment and sensory experience.
A city that once connected the Saharan caravan route to the ocean and lands beyond. Today it is a vibrant, artistic, musical city, and home of world famous Gnawa musicians.
Itinerary
June 16th
June 17th
June 18th
June 19th
June 20th
June 21st
  • 9am Khamlia cultural immersion activities (tagine cooking, date syrup-making, bread-making, hand-rolling couscous, weaving, embroidery & handcrafts)
  • 1pm Lunch at Khamlia Bed and Breakfast
  • Free Afternoon
  • 7pm Dinner in local home
  • Gnawa Women's Music
June 22nd
  • 9am half-day tours of caves with minerals and crystals or
mountains with dinosaur bones and ammonites
  • 1pm Lunch at Khamlia Bed and Breakfast
  • Free Afternoon
  • 7pm Dinner and farewell party on the dunes
June 23rd
June 24th
June 25th
June 26th
  • 9am Depart Ait Benhaddou for Marrakech
  • Stop at Telouet for Lunch and a guided tour of the remains of an ancient slave village, the salt mines once worked by a thriving Jewish Community, and Glaoui Kasbah
  • Dinner at Riad L'Orangeraie
June 27th
June 28th
June 29th
June 30th
July 1st
  • Departures
*Itinerary is subject to change

Trip Includes 
  • Transfer from airport in Fez and to airport in Marrakech
  • 3 nights in Fez
  • 1 night in Midelt
  • 2 nights in Khamlia
  • 1 night in the desert near Khamlia
  • 3 nights in Zagora
  • 1 night in Ait Ben Haddou
  • 3 nights in Marrakech
  • 2 nights in Essaouira
  • All activities listed on itinerary 
  • All meals
 
Dates & Costs 
  • June 16th-30th, 2020
  • Tour limited to 10 women 
  • $3,175 per participant double occupancy
  • $200 off if first payment/deposit made by 9/25/19
  • (airfare not included)
 
Payment
Plan 1
  • 10 payments of $298 are due each month starting September 25, 2019 and ending on June, 15th 2020 (this plan is only available if first payment (deposit) is made before 9/25/19)

Plan 2
  • $775 deposit due before December 15th, 2019 ($575 if made before 9/25/19)
  • $1200 due by February 15th, 2020
  • Remaining $1200 due by May 15th, 2020

  • All payments must be made through Paypal. Paypal charges a 3% fee which will be added to your final payment.  
 
Registration  
Send an email requesting registration paperwork to Gia at [email protected] . Please note that your registration is not guaranteed until your deposit is received. Registration closes on December 15th, 2019.
 
Weather
Summer in Morocco, especially in the desert, can be very hot during the afternoons and will probably be between 85 and 105 degrees depending on the location. Mornings, evenings and nights will be much cooler getting down to 65 degrees. All planned outdoor activities will be during these cooler time. The hot afternoon will be free for relaxing at the riad/hotel, doing indoor activities as a group, or traveling in our air-conditioned vehicle.

Activity Level
Moroccan cities, town and villages are, for the most part, pedestrian places and building are usually several stories high and close together. Often roof tops are great places to get good views or to eat meals. In order to enjoy this tour participants should be comfortable with several hours of walking in the sun and climbing 3 steep flights of stairs.

Travel
This tour covers a lot of ground and participants should be prepared to spend time in transit. We should never be in transit for longer than 4 hours on a travel day. Most trips will be broken up with at least one stop to eat and/or visit a place of interest.

Passport
You will need a valid passport for travel to Morocco. Make sure that the expiration date is more than 6 months from the date of return from Morocco. US Citizens do not need visas.

Insurance
Travel insurance is required for this trip to cover any medical emergencies, lost baggage, or any other unforeseen events.
Feast With Your Hands 

Director Gia Rae is a private chef, educator and writer. She has lived, taught and led travel experiences in Morocco since 2009. This will be her 6th time leading a tour to Morocco. Gia currently lives in Brooklyn, New York with her three Moroccan-American children. Check out her  website and recent articles in  Edible Vineyard  and  The Vineyard Gazette  and a radio interview on  WCAI  for more information about Gia's cooking and other offerings.