Moroccan Tales

DAY 8 | 28 SEPTEMBER | THE SAHARA DESERT

Our adventure into the Sahara Desert begins with tea with a local Bedouin family who live in a traditional tent tol learn about traditional nomadic Bedouin life. After lunch in a beautiful oasis  we will entertained by the ritual songs of Gnawa musicians, and will witness the making of traditional Medfouna “Berber pizza” – a dish that is only cooked in this area.  Mounting camels we take a spectacular ride across the dunes as the sun sets, taking in the golden glow across the landscape, to reach our Luxury Desert Camp.

This evening we will enjoy fine Moroccan fare served under an enormous canopy of twinkling desert stars.  With no air pollution, no lights and nothing reflecting its light back into the night sky, the viewing is spectacular and the chance for some highly creative photography is superb!

DAY 9 | 29 SEPTEMBER | DADES VALLEY | 1 NIGHT

Channel your inner ‘Sex and the City’ character once again, encounter the shifting sandscapes of ‘The English Patient’ and relive scenes from the novels we have read, with an optional sunrise sand dune climb this morning. #instaworthy!

After breakfast  we continue our journey into the Dades Gorges. Described by many as one of the most picturesque locations in all of Morocco!  We will visit a Rose cooperative to hear how artisans cultivate the plant and convert its petals, stop in an ancient fortified Ksar to visit a women’s handcraft workshop and view traditionally embroidered shawls and we will be hosted by a Berber family in Tinghir for lunch before continuing to our idyllic accommodation, nestled on a hillside and surrounded by beautiful terraced gardens in the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs.

DAY 10 | 30 SEPTEMBER | SKOURA | 1 NIGHT

Heading south today we will reach Skoura with its rich concentration of date palm, olive, fig, and almond trees and pathways that tunnel through verdant, fertile vegetation, to settle into our Ksar.

We will arrive before lunch to allow plenty of time to enjoy the stunning pool and (optional) indulgence in the hamman.  Later this afternoon we will join the chefs in the Ksar’s private gardens and orchards to gather ingredients for our evening cooking class where we will learn to make traditional Moroccan dishes such as tajines, couscous, or pastilla.  On completion we will feast on our very own culinary creations!

DAY 11 | 01 OCTOBER | MARRAKECH

Today we drive to Ouarzazate, home to Morocco’s largest film studio, where films such as Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator and the epic television fantasy series Game of Thrones have been produced.  We will continue along the valley visiting the impressive Kasbahs from the 17th Century, including Ait Ben Haddou, a masterful ighrem – a fortified village – resembling a medieval castle. Lunch will be enjoyed in a café before we visit Imik Simik Women’s Association to learn how a group of women came together to support one another while promoting education and skills training in this traditionally male-dominated village.

We are treated to the scenic views of mountains and semi-desert terrain, topped by Kasbahs and adobe homes, as we journey over the Mountains via the Tizi N’Tichka Pass – the highest major mountain pass in North Africa. After visiting an Argan Oil Women’s Co-operative we will descend into the rose-coloured, thriving city of Marrakech to settle into our home for the next four nights – a stunning Riad, minutes from Jemaa el Fna square in the heart of the Marrakech medina.  Dinner on the roof terrace this evening.

DAY 12 | 02 SEPTEMBER | THE ATLAS MOUNTAINS

Today is always a highlight on our Morocco journeys as we wind our way high into the mountains – our destination a traditional Berber family home where we will feast on an authentic Berber lunch surrounded by soaring peaks. On this non-strenuous trek we will encounter traditional village life with women transporting bundles of sticks and djellaba-clad men herding livestock.  We will follow the switchback paths as we climb higher, marvelling at the stunning views back down the valley and we will revel in the landscape that is reminiscent of the wedding festival described in ‘The Moroccan Daughter’.  Our third and final #minibookclub (although our journey will be punctuated with reminders of all the novels) will be held over lunch.

A medium level of fitness is required for this hike, however we will be accompanied by mules and you can choose to ride atop a donkey for the duration of our climb, or whenever required.

After lunch we will descend to the valley floor and end our time in the Atlas in style with a G&T, or cup of tea, in Richard Branson’s renowned Kasbah Tamadot before returning to Marrakech.

DAY 13 | 03 SEPTEMBER | EXPLORING MARRAKECH

After breakfast we set off on a walking tour of Marrakech, a city of honeycombed alleys & minarets, where time seems to have stood still. Our tour will take in the famous Koutoubia Minaret, the 12th century Kasbah and the Saadian Tombs. We will be enchanted by the wonderful architecture surrounding the medina before we finally delve into the maze of alleyways and narrow streets that make up the souk.  Here sellers offer everything from spice, sandalwood and black soap to clothing, baskets, leather goods, furniture, lanterns, fabrics, pottery and almost anything else you could wish for!

Lunch will be enjoyed inside the souk at a favourite rooftop hangout, popular with locals and visitors alike, which serves great food and even better cocktails!  And then you will be let loose to get lost in the sights and sounds of one of the world’s most fascinating old cities!

In the early evening we will meet in our Riad before setting out to experience Djemaa el-Fna, the famous square at the entrance to the Marrakech medina, where we will encounter the contemporary personality of this ancient marketplace – by day home to orange juice and water sellers, leather goods stalls and snake charmers, and by night, a bustling food market peppered with dancers, oral historians (story tellers), magicians and peddlers of traditional medicines.  The square delivers an assault on the senses, while showcasing the rich stories and traditions that are so inherently a part of Moroccan culture.  Hosted restaurant dinner this evening.

DAY 14 | 04 SEPTEMBER | EXPLORING MARRAKECH

This morning we will meet with an ethno-botanists who, inspired by Yves Saint Laurent, have created their own range of perfumes. Under their tutelage we will create our own fragrance – exotic and Arabian in nature. Think ingredients like musk, patchouli, jasmine and amber.  You can take home our own ‘Moroccan Tale’ in a bottle!

Continuing to the famous Marjorelle Gardens we will enter this colourful oasis that surrounds the equally colourful villa that was once the private home of painter Jacques Majorelle.  You are free to wander this calming retreat and we recommend visiting the fascinating onsite Berber Museum. There will also be time to shop in the stylish boutiques across the road which, in sharp contrast to the medina, are representative of modern Marrakech.

Lunch will be enjoyed at AMAL Restaurant – run by a non-profit association empowering women through culinary skill and then the afternoon is all yours!  Head back into the souk, window shop along the streets of Gueliz  – Marrakech’s ‘new town’ home to wide avenues and high street stores or retreat the riad for a swim and a snooze.  At 6pm we will rendezvous to depart for a celebratory Farewell Dinner.