Morocco yoga holiday
| country: | Morocco |
| location: | Essaouira |
| departures: | 2009: 22 Oct, 5 Nov, 19 Nov, 23 Dec, 30 Dec |
| price: | From £595 (8 days) excluding flights. All bookings include free carbon offsetting and yoga mat bag |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
read 3 travellers reviews
the amazing things you'll be doing
An exceptional opportunity to practice yoga in the stunning surrounds of Berber Morocco. Morocco is that rare jewel: a modern nation swathed in vibrant history. Our trip takes us from the pink city of Marrakech to bohemian Essaouira on the Atlantic coastline, with the possibility to shop, ride a camel, windsurf, explore Marrakech’s chic bazaars - or just revel in Morocco’s undiscovered beaches. This holiday is an excellent way to improve your yoga practice or for beginners to get a concise introduction to yoga and meditation.
Away from daily life of the West, you have time to clean up the body without the distractions of work, television or the family. Over the course of the holiday you develop an intensive contact with your body leading to increased fitness and a great detox.
Each day we have either one or two yoga workshops, usually lasting between an hour to an hour and half. We cater for all different levels and our teachers also offer different aspects of yoga, so while one group focuses on postures, another might be doing breathing exercises. In this way, you're getting more individual attention and rapidly improving your yoga technique.
Away from daily life of the West, you have time to clean up the body without the distractions of work, television or the family. Over the course of the holiday you develop an intensive contact with your body leading to increased fitness and a great detox.
Each day we have either one or two yoga workshops, usually lasting between an hour to an hour and half. We cater for all different levels and our teachers also offer different aspects of yoga, so while one group focuses on postures, another might be doing breathing exercises. In this way, you're getting more individual attention and rapidly improving your yoga technique.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Arrive in Marrakech. Meet our tour leader and yoga instructor at our accommodation, the chic Riad Omar. |
| Day 2: | In Marrakech. An early morning yoga session as the city wakes, followed by a visit to the bazaars and sights of the old town. Marrakech is Morocco’s elegant southern capital, a city swathed in history and the exotic. Scattered through the old medina are picturesque riads, many now converted into boutique hotels, while each night the city’s famous djemma el Fna square erupts into a carnival of traders, witchdoctors, drummers and hawkers. The bazaar is littered with plush slippers, copper sinks, rare stones, spices and everything in between - or just lose yourself in the maze of narrow streets filled with the sounds, colours and smells of the exotic. In the afternoon there’s a chance to visit a beautiful hammam, followed by evening yoga class. |
| Day 3: | Travel to Sidi Embarque. A morning yoga class before leaving Marrakech. We drive through the coastal tableaux of rippling hills that lead towards Sidi Embarque, a vast, empty and undiscovered Atlantic beach. Our charming riad is the home of a local sculptor: with camels hunched under olive trees and gnarled shepherds tending their goats, Sidi Embarque is gloriously isolated and has almost no tourism so it’s the perfect spot for our two days here. Evening yoga class overlooking the sea. |
| Day 4: | By the Atlantic at Sidi Embarque. As well as our yoga there’s plenty of time to explore the ten kilometres of beach adjacent to our riad. There are no other buildings at all on this stretch of coast, so it’s a perfect opportunity for a full days relaxation and soaking up the sun. As well as yoga there’s the chance to visit a local waterfall, followed by an evening yoga class on the beach. |
| Day 5: | Travel to Essaouira. A morning’s yoga class before travelling to Essaouira, Jimi Hendrix’s favourite haunt in the 1970s. We stay at the Riad el Medina, Hendrix’s old pad, now refurbished into a glorious 3-storey town house. Hendrix loved Essaouira’s café society and the town’s French influence is still strong. Battered Renaults potter past small eateries serving pain au chocolate, café au lait and tasty baguettes. Essaouira is still famous for its artistic flair: hidden alleys reveal art shops and galleries, while the town is world famous for its seafood cuisine. Evening yoga class as the sun sets. |
| Day 6: | In Essaouira. After a morning class there’s the chance for a full day’s exploration of the town. Inside the Old Town’s walls there’s art, carpets and traditional metalwork and a bustling market selling fuits, fish and other goodies. A vibrant port still hums with the sound of fishing boats while along the beach the tangy breeze means Essaouira is home to some of the best wind and kite surfing in the world. Evening yoga class. |
| Day 7: | To Marrakech. After a morning’s yoga class we say goodbye to the sea and head inland again and back to Marrakech. On arrival to the city we check in to the hotel and the rest of the day is free for more personal exploration of this fascinating city. |
| Day 8: | Tour ends. |
travellers' tales
The whole trip was great. The location was interesting and vibrant, the yoga was relaxing and challenging. (more)
how this holiday makes a difference
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All our accommodation and transport is locally managed and owned. As well as using local restaurants and facilities we also visit local Berber Argan co-operatives that provide employment for local women and help to preserve the Argan forest of southern Morocco.
Our Riad in Sidi Embarque collects rain water for use in their toilets and electricity is sourced via solar panels. In our UK office all paper is recycled, and we also use energy efficient bulbs. Our website is our primary source of marketing and booking (clients can fill in booking forms online and email them), thus reducing reliance on printed matter. For each client booking with us, we pay to offset the carbon emitted by the flight to Morocco. Our clients are also advised to try to minimise their water consumption, to try to minimise the use of plastic bags when shopping and to turn off electrical appliances when not in the room. Furthermore, by operating with small groups our holidays have less of an impact on our host countries and their resources. It also allows us to get more of a feel for the local people and their way of life. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |