Where: Morocco, North Africa

When: May 19 – 29, 2012 (11 days, Saturday to Tuesday)

Cost: $3600

Deposit: $1800, due upon registration

Class Size: 6-7

Tour Leader: Younes Bounhar and assistant Amanda Large

If you have any questions, or if you wish to register for this workshop, please email us at younes@younesbounhar.com

Bound by the Mediterranean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean to the north and west and by the Western Sahara desert to the south, with mountains and lush farmland in between, Morocco is truly a land of contrasts. Landscape and travel photographer Younes Bounhar will take you on a tour to discover the rich past and landscape of his native country, providing you a unique access to the Moroccan culture, and, of course, to amazing photo opportunities.

This adventure is designed as photo-tour, meaning that the focus will be on taking you to the best places in the best light. This is not a whirlwind tour that emphasizes quantity over quality. On the contrary, we deliberately chose to reduce the number of places we visit to take our time, to give you ample opportunity to excite your senses, immerse yourself and absorb your surrounding and delve into the subtleties of the best Morocco has to offer. We have every intention to let you experience the country like few ever do. We will be photographing early in the morning and late into the evening. When not traveling, we will take time during the day to discuss all aspects of photography, including a review and discussion of images made during the trip.

The tour will be concentrating on the southern parts of Morocco, between mountain and desert. We will split our time between Morocco’s High Atlas country side, the Southern valley of the thousand Kasbahs (old fortifications) and the famous dunes of Erg Chebbi and their mesmerizing red sands.

Day 1 – May 19: You will be picked-up at the Marrakech airport and taken to your hotel. A meet and greet dinner will follow, where we will discuss the adventure that is about to start.

Day 2- May 20: Marrakech – Tizi n Tichka – Télouet. We will slowly make our way up some incredible countryside into the High Atlas mountains to finally catch sunset at the Tizi n’ Tichka pass (Morocco 2nd highest pass), then spend the night in Telouet, home of the ruins of one of the largest Kasbahs in Morocco.

Day 3 – May  21: Télouet – Tizi n Tichka – Télouet. We will head back to the Tichka for sunrise. The rest of the day will be spent discovering the Telouet area, including the Glaoui Kasbah.

Day 4 – May 22: Télouet – Ounila Valley – Aït Benhaddou. We will catch another glimpse of the Glaoui Kasbah and surrounding areas at sunrise, then head to Ait Benhaddou via the magnificent red and golden rocks of the Ounila valley. Ait Benhaddou is home to the gorgeous Unesco Heritage Kasbah, a grandiose example of southern Moroccan architecture, dating back to the 17th century.

Day 5 – May 23: Aït benhaddou – Agdz. After catching the sunrise in the Ait Benhaddou area, we will head to Agdz in the valley of the thousand Kasbahs. This big sky country will offer us some great views of the Kissane mountain and the Draa river.

Day 6 – May 24: Agdz – Merzouga. We will head to the red dunes of Erg Chebbi in Merzouga. The Erg Chebbi dunes are one of Morocco’s most impressive sights. Its distinctive forms reach up to 150 meters high, and comprise a composite erg 22 km long (north-south) and 5 km wide.

Day 7 – May 25: Merzouga.  Participants will be able to enjoy camel rides into the sunrise to experience the magic of the dunes away from the crowds.

Day 8 – May 26: Merzouga – Dadès Gorges. After catching sunrise in the dunes for one last time, we will head to the magical Dades Gorges

Day 9 – May 27: Dadès Gorges – Tassaout Valley – Demnate. As we head away from the desert and into the lush countryside of the high Atlas, we will visit the Natural Bridge and cascade at Imi N’ Ifri.

Day 10 – May 28: Demnate – Cascades d’Ouzoud – Marrakech. The cascades d’ouzoud are Morocco’s highest falls, a sight to behold. The journey slowly unwinds into sleepy Marrakech where you will have a free evening.

Day 11 – May 29: Marrakech. You will be driven to the airport to catch your flight.

Participants are to be in good health and able to carry their gear around over long periods of time. While the itinerary includes no intense physical activity per se, a decent level of fitness will certainly add to your enjoyment of the tour.

While the tour is set to accommodate all levels of photographic experience, it is recommended that participants have a digital SLR and a laptop order to get the most out of this experience.  A complete list of recommended equipment will be sent to all participants upon registration.

• Local transportation (including pick-up and drop-off at the airport; air-conditioned minibus and driver).

• Double occupancy lodging. For single room accommodations, a supplement of $600 will apply.

• All meals (not including beverages).

• Entrance fees.

• Airfare to Morocco. Royal Air Maroc offers twice daily flights from Montreal (Canada) and New York (USA) directly to Casablanca, where participants may take local flights or the train to get to Marrakech. Alternatively, there are several direct flights to Marrakech from most major European cities everyday.

• All beverages

• Gratuities