Hortus goes to Tangier
Tangier, one of the Mediterranean’s oldest and most strategically placed seaports has had a long and dramatic history of intrigue and multicultural occupation, attractive to a fluid population of adventurers and diplomats, spies and socialites as well as being the legendary haunt of the literary lions of the Beat Generation. Today – to the regret of some – Tangier has shaken off its slightly seedy reputation, grown considerably smarter and acquired a cosmopolitan confidence, perhaps more attractive to business than bohemians. But the city still has its secrets and the best of these are its private gardens, hidden within the heart of the old city or behind the high walls of the fashionable Vieille Montagne. Here, a wonderful cast of men and women have married their love of Tangier to a love of plants and created gardens in the image of their own diverse personalities.
Your Tour Includes
- Return flights with Air France from London Heathrow to Tangier via Paris
- Private coach transfers and excursions
- Four nights’ bed and breakfast in the five-star El Minzah Hotel,Tangier
- Four dinners with wine and four lunches
- Guided visits to sites listed in the programme
- Services of the Tour Leader and Hosts
- Detailed programme and garden notes
- All entrance fees, taxes and gratuities for coach drivers and waiters
- Spend a day with ecologist and plantsman, Umberto Pasti
- Sundowners with designer Madison Cox in his own clifftop garden
- Exclusive entry to Tangier’s most private homes and gardens
- Indulge in a lantern-lit dinner with a celebrity host
Itinerary
Please choose your preferred 5 day itinerary
This morning we depart London Heathrow for Paris where we join our connecting flight to Tangier. On arrival we transfer to the El Minzah Hotel and enjoy the rest of the afternoon and evening here. This evening we dine together at the hotel’s Moroccan restaurant.
Today we visit a cluster of gardens on Vieille Montagne, all enjoying sublime views over the Bay of Tangier and just a short drive from our hotel. Both lunch and dinner are hosted in the very private gardens of two of Tangier’s most distinguished residents.
Umberto Pasti hails from Milan, but for the past thirty years has spent much of his time both in Tangier and Rohuna, a small village close to the Atlantic coast an hour to the south of the city. Ecologist, writer and gardener extraordinaire, Umberto’s passion for plants, especially those native to Morocco and in danger of extinction, is legendary and we have the great privilege of visiting both his gardens in his company as well as enjoying lunch with him at Rohuna. We return to the Minzah for dinner in the hotel’s French restaurant.
The Donabo Botanic garden is an exciting and beautifully planted new project, set on the glorious, wooded slopes of the Cape Spartel nature reserve, a short drive out of the city. After a guided visit, we enjoy a light lunch in the gardens followed by an optional guided walk from the hotel, taking in some of the city’s most important historical sites – or if you prefer, the colourful souks of the Medina are just a short stroll from our hotel.
After breakfast, we depart Tangier for Paris where we join our connecting flight to London Heathrow.
- Return flights with Air France from London Heathrow to Tangier via Paris
- Private coach transfers and excursions
- Four nights’ bed and breakfast in the five-star El Minzah Hotel,Tangier
- Four dinners with wine and four lunches
- Guided visits to sites listed in the programme
- Services of the Tour Leader and Hosts
- Detailed programme and garden notes
- All entrance fees, taxes and gratuities for coach drivers and waiters
Accommodation
