Insight Vacations Review – Treasures of Spain, Portugal & Morocco – Tangier to Fes
Insight Vacations Review – Treasures of Spain, Portugal & Morocco – Tangier to Fes
WJ Tested: Insight Vacations – Day 9: Tangier to Fes in Morocco
Insight Vacations Review – Treasures of Spain, Portugal & Morocco – Tangier to Fes
16-Night Motorcoach Trip in 2011
Tangier to Fes
Our destination today was Fes, 313 km to the southeast of Tangier. We departed the hotel at 9 am and started our scenic drive through the outskirts of Tangier and along the Atlantic coast to Assilah. En route, we stopped a couple of times to take photos of the scenery, and at one stop a couple of brave women (not us) in our group even took a camel ride.
Assilah
By 10:30 am we were on a 90-minute walking tour of Assilahwith Abi as he escorted us through its Medina (the old section of an Arab city in North Africa).
Insight Vacations Review – Treasures of Spain, Portugal & Morocco – Tangier to Fes
Larache
Carrying on, we made a 1-hour lunch stop in Larache where some of us walked 20 minutes (each way) through town to the beach and others went into the recommended restaurant for a lunch of fried squid, fries and bottled water.
Soon we were back on the winding country roads in the direction of Fes. Taking the scenic route through rural villages and agricultural areas allowed us to witness the true flavor of Moroccan life: men sitting in cafes; donkeys and mules transporting wheat and other goods; springs where animals where drinking; streams where people were washing laundry and filling water bottles to take home. All around there were green fields, prickly pear cactus coming into bloom and shepherds with their flocks of sheep. It was a view of culture and local people going about their everyday lives that we would not have caught a glimpse of had we been driving along toll roads and highways. The afternoon was punctuated by a 15-minute comfort stop at a truck stop – a great experience for viewing Moroccans in-transit.
Fes
Our long day of touring put us in Morocco’s third largest city and at our Fes hotel by 5:30 pm. Promptly, we were given the keys to our room for the next 2 nights at the 1-month old, 5-star Palais Medina and Spa Hotel, with spectacular views of the nearby old Medina.
Insight Vacations Review – Treasures of Spain, Portugal & Morocco – Tangier to Fes
After a quick turnaround we met Javier and Abi back in the hotel lobby at 6:30 pm to drive to a typical Moroccan restaurant for the included highlight dinner and entertainment. Our meal was delicious and along with the traditional music and belly dancing, made for a fine way to spend the evening.
If You Go:
Visit WAVEJourney’s Insight Vacations Treasures of Spain, Portugal & Morocco Review:
Overview | Itinerary | Hotels | Photos | Day 1: Madrid | Day 2: Segovia | Day 3: Toledo & Salamanca | Day 4: Fatima & Lisbon | Day 5: Lisbon & Cascais | Day 6: Sevilla | Day 7: Cordoba | Day 8: Gibraltar & Tangier | Day 9: Fes | Day 10: Fes & Meknes | Day 11: Marrakesh | Day 12: Ourika Valley & Marrakesh | Day 13: Casablanca & Rabat | Day 14: Torremolinos | Day 15: Granada | Day 16: Madrid |
