In November, I joined the fast paced eight day “Highlights of Morocco” tour with Explore. It started in Marrakech and took to the Atlas Mountains, Sahara Desert, Todra Gorge, Imperial Fes, Roman ruins of Volubilis, the Road of 10,000 Kasbahs before ending back in Marrakech!
My husband and I decided to embark on this tour because of the variety of places it incorporated. We, along with our seven travelling companions, were apprehensive about the distances covered on this trip, however our minds were soon put at rest on setting out in a comfortable mini bus. It soon became apparent that the varied scenery and frequent stops meant that the time spent travelling was very manageable.
Marrakech was our first stop, and it we saw the beautiful Ouzoud Falls. Then we travelled to Bin el Ouidane Lake, staying in a small hotel that overlooked the lake and Atlas Mountains. In the next morning, we departed for Fes stopping at Meknes, known for its imperial past and Volubilis, Morocco’s best preserved Roman site.
Our Moroccan tour guide, Hassam was very knowledgeable during the journey and made sure everyone stuck together in the Medinas and Souks in the Cities. We had local guides in most destinations which was great as they showed us around the area they live in.
We stayed two nights in fascinating Fes, taking in the Medina, Tannery, Royal Palace and viewpoint as well as trying tasty tangines and pastilla. The food this trip was fabulous, with traditional Moroccan dishes a plenty but also many European dishes if we wanted.
We had a long but scenic drive through the Atlas cedar forest, Gorge du Ziz and land traditionally held by the Beger community (known as the lords of the Atlas). Finally, we arrived at our Berber camp at the edge of the sand dunes. We watched the sun set, then had traditional tangine and sat around the campfire. In the morning, we chose to ride on camels out of the camp, although we had the option to travel in a 4x4. The camp was very comfortable, proper comfy beds, shared bathroom facilities and hot showers. For all of us this specific day was a real highlight of our trip.
Heading away from the Sahara, we travelled to Tinerhir, set amongst the dramatic cliffs of the Todra Gorge. We had around an hour walk through the gorge, a change from the desert. The changing landscape whilst travelling was quite striking: the desert, mountains and the gorge all in one day!
Onward, we travelled through Dades Valley and the Road of 1,000 Kasbahs via the Valley of the Roses. We stopped to buy rose oil products, and our bus smelt lovely! Lunch today was included, we stopped in a Berber village and after a tour of the local farmland with the local family, we had a traditional tagine lunch.
We passed through Ouarzazate via Skoura before ending our journey in the UNESCO world Heritage site of Kasbak Ait Ben Haddou. We climbed to the top of the hill for great panoramic views. The village dates to the 11th century, when it was a stop on the old caravan routes. It’s a popular filming location for many films and TV shows including Lawrence of Arabis, The Jewel of the Nile, The Mummy, Gladiator and Game of Thrones. The view from my bedroom window of the Kasbah felt like looking onto a film set and I had a certain Billy Ocean song stuck in my head for the rest of the day!
Our last journey was over the Tizi n’Tichka pass observing the again changing landscape desert, snow covered mountains in the distance to Marrakech’s green plains. We stopped at a women’s cooperative where we were shown how aragan oil is produced and were able to purchase products directly from them. Moroccan cooperatives have enabled the rural population and in particular women to flourish and to secure income for their families and local community.
Finally, we were back in Marrakech where we had a guided tour of the Bahia Palace followed by a guided walk around the souks. Our tour ended in the famous main square Jemaa el Fna Square which was alive with stalls and street entertainers.
I really enjoyed this jam packed whistle stop tour of Morocco and would recommend it to anyone who doesn’t have a lot of time but would want an adventurous trip. It didn’t feel too hectic or rushed, and the continuous travelling and changing landscapes were a part of the trip. I particularly like to travel as part of a small group and enjoy the visits to local people and cooperatives that Explore always include. I also loved the optional activities, especially the camel ride as its good to be taken out of your comfort zone once in a while!
Please contact me about this trip or any other adventure travel trip. Yalla! (Lets go!)
