Newmarket Holidays Launches New Tours of Morocco and Authentic Spain & Portugal

Monday, Dec 11, 2023 0

New itineraries visit Morocco’s ancient cities, desert and mountains, and combine the paradors and pousadas of Spain and Portugal for the first time

Escorted tours specialist Newmarket Holidays has launched a new tour to Morocco, the Sahara and the Atlas Mountains, and expanded its range of European holidays with a new group itinerary staying in historic hotels across Spain and Portugal.

Imperial Cities of Morocco & the Sahara Desert is a nine-day tour that explores the country’s oldest cities, visiting Marrakesh, Rabat and Fes for highlights that include the world’s largest mosque and tallest minaret, traditional souks, fascinating old towns and ancient ruins. The tour then travels to Erfoud, Gateway to the Sahara, for a driving experience though the Merzouga dunes as the sun sets, followed by two days in the High Atlas Mountains, exploring a series of towering limestone canyons, known as ‘wadi’, experiencing the mesmerising Dades Valley and enjoying lunch with a local Berber family.

Prices start from £1,492 per person, saving £263, and including breakfast, one lunch and eight dinners, tours and return flights form Gatwick. Departures range from May 2024 to December 2025, with dates to tie in with the Geminids Meteor Shower, which streaks across the Sahara skies each December.

Paradors & Pousadas of Spain & Portugal is an eight-day tour with accommodation in a selection of hand-picked historic yet luxurious hotels. The holiday starts in Lisbon to experience the nearby beaches, historic Belem and Alfama, the haunting sounds of Fado and the brightly coloured castle of Sintra. It then travels south to the authentic Algarve to take in local villages, markets and mountains away from the usual tourist trail, before crossing into Spain and visiting glorious Seville, the whitewashed villages of Cadiz and fascinating Ronda, with new and old towns built either side of the dramatic El Tajo Gorge.

Prices start from £1,757 per person, saving £92 and including bed and breakfast, city tours, transfers and return flights from airports across the UK. Departs from June to October 2024.

Verity Rice, Newmarket Holidays Director of Product, Purchasing & Operations says: “We’re thrilled to be launching only our second tour of Morocco, with a perfectly paced itinerary that takes guests from colourful, vibrant, bustling cities to the awe-inspiring Sahara Desert and the mesmerising Dades Valley, where they get to experience a more remote way of life.

“Whereas Morocco is a new destination for us, Spain and Portugal are old favourites, but this is the first time we’ve brought together Spain’s paradors and Portugal’s pousadas to give our guests a fascinating mix of sights and culturally significant historical accommodation. It’s a combination we think will sell well for agents.“