Morocco yoga holiday
| country: | Morocco |
| location: | Essaouira |
| departures: | 2010: 25 Feb, 10 Mar, 26 May, 19 Jun, 20 Oct, 3 Nov, 19 Nov |
| price: | From £595 (8 days) excluding flights. All bookings include free carbon offsetting |
| 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 at our riad accommodation. We then depart for the heart of the souq and an evening meal on the famous Jma el Fna plaza. |
| Day 2: | Marrakech and to Essaouira 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. This morning we have a guided visit through this enormous souq; a unique experience of plush slippers, copper sinks, rare stones, spices and everything in between. After lunch we travel to Essaouira where we check into an 18th century town house, followed by evening yoga class by the sea. |
| Day 3 & 4: | In Essaouira A morning’s yoga class before an orientation walk around this bohemian seaside town. Essaouira was Jimi Hendrix’s favourite haunt in the 1970s - the guitarist Hendrix loved the town’s café society. Today the French influence is still strong: battered Renaults potter past small eateries serving pain au chocolate, café au lait and tasty baguettes. We have two full days here for personal exploration of Essaouira's hidden alleys, galleries, and world-famous seafood cuisine. |
| Day 5 & 6: | Sidi Kaouki A morning yoga class before a short drive to the tiny beach side settlement of Sidi Kaouki. Set on a vast, empty shoreline, Sidi Kaouki is a tiny village set in gloriously isolated countryside. The pristine beach is a favourite for windsurfers and surfers alike - it's also perfect for yoga practice. Our hotel looks over a landscape of wild olive groves in which camels graze and shepherds herd their goat flocks. As well as a swimming pool there's the windsurfing, surfing, horse-riding and delicious Moroccan food and teas - the perfect spot for two days' of yoga, relaxation and enjoying the sun. |
| 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 our Riad and the rest of the day is free for exploring this fascinating city. In the afternoon there’s a chance to visit a beautiful hammam before our final meal together in the heart of the souq. |
| 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. |