Family walking holiday in the Atlas Mountains
| country: | Morocco |
| location: | Atlas Mountains |
| departures: | 2010: 29 May, 24 Jul, 7 Aug, 21 Aug 2011: 28 May, 23 Jul, 6 Aug, 20 Aug |
| price: | From £599 - £669 (8 days) including flights from the UK. From £299 - £339 excluding flights. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
A short trekking trip into the stunning Atlas Mountains staying in Moroccan villages
Souks of Marrakech
A guided walk through the old city in Marrakech takes you through the narrow alleyways of the souks. Jam-packed with colourful wares this is a great spot for souvenir hunting and trying out your haggling skills.
Atlas Mountain Trek
You spend four days in the Atlas Mountains, crossing mountain passes and traversing valleys. Hiking is a great way to discover this region as the easy pace allows you to take in your surroundings and marvel at the fantastic views.
Berber Villages
On your hike you stay overnight in Berber villages, giving you an insight into rural life in contemporary Morocco.
Teenage Challenge
This is a trekking trip put together for teenagers. We know you can hold your own and take on the mountains, so this trip gives you the opportunity to get out there and be as active as you like, without having to cater to a wide age group on the hikes.
Souks of Marrakech
A guided walk through the old city in Marrakech takes you through the narrow alleyways of the souks. Jam-packed with colourful wares this is a great spot for souvenir hunting and trying out your haggling skills.
Atlas Mountain Trek
You spend four days in the Atlas Mountains, crossing mountain passes and traversing valleys. Hiking is a great way to discover this region as the easy pace allows you to take in your surroundings and marvel at the fantastic views.
Berber Villages
On your hike you stay overnight in Berber villages, giving you an insight into rural life in contemporary Morocco.
Teenage Challenge
This is a trekking trip put together for teenagers. We know you can hold your own and take on the mountains, so this trip gives you the opportunity to get out there and be as active as you like, without having to cater to a wide age group on the hikes.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly to Marrakech On arrival in the late evening you transfer directly to your hotel. Even today, the name Marrakech conjures up images of scenes from The Arabian Nights with its busy souks (markets) and twisting alleyways. This remarkable city, dating from the 11th century, never fails to satisfy the curiosity of adventurous travellers. It has everything from the graceful architecture of the Koutoubia Minaret, which dominates the skyline, to the throbbing atmosphere of a medieval fair in the great open square, the Djemaa el-Fna, in the heart of the medina. Hotel - 2 nights (Swimming pool) |
| Day 2: | Marrakech; guided city tour This morning you wake early to an unfamiliar sound - the muezzins calling the faithful to prayer in the various city mosques - your first contact with Islam. To help orientate you, after breakfast you start with a walking tour of the centre with a local guide. This takes in the main sights but the most exciting part is when you enter the sprawling souk. Here individual trades and crafts are concentrated together in a single street or area, so all the shoemakers are next to each other, as are the jewellers, the potters, the weavers, etc. This is the best place in Morocco to sharpen your bargaining skills and you’re almost certain to be tempted by some of the extraordinary variety of merchandise on display - even if it's only a trinket or a packet of exotic spices. In the afternoon you have time to wander and make your own discoveries. You could visit the Palais de la Bahia, built at the end of the 19th century for Si’ Ahmed ben Musa, the Grand Vizier of Soultan Moulay al Hassan. Only part of the palace is open, as the royal family still makes use of a fair proportion of the building. The beautiful courtyards and splendid living quarters provide a picture of a grand bygone lifestyle. Another possibility is Dar Si Said, housing the Museum of Moroccan Arts. This former royal townhouse now contains beautiful art and craftwork from all corners of the country. If you’d like to experience the relaxation of a traditional bath, your Group Leader can advise where to find the nearest hammam; for just a few dirhams, you’ll be steamed and scrubbed until you shine! (B) |
| Day 3: | Atlas Mountains; trek to Aremd This morning you leave Marrakech and drive across the plains to the High Atlas via the Ourika Valley. The landscape changes as the plains gradually give way to mountains, with the impressive snow-covered peaks of the High Atlas looming in front of you. Meet your companions for the trek, the muleteers and mules, and set off to walking to the typical mountain village of Gliz. Located at 2150m, Gliz will be your resting place for your first night in the High Atlas. Approx. 3 hours walking. Gite d’étape – 1 night (BLD) A gite d’étape is a typical village house with simple dormitory rooms each with space for approximately 8 people. Each room is generally furnished in traditional Berber style with low couches (which can be used as beds), tables, carpets and cushions. On warm nights it’s generally possible to sleep out on a terrace under the stars. Communal facilities usually consist of a couple of showers and toilets. Gites are generally found in villages on walking routes. Showers (sometimes hot ones!) may be available in gites but these will be offered at an additional cost of around 70p to £1. |
| Day 4: | Trekking in the Atlas Mountains The High Atlas region is a mix of fertile valleys and soaring, barren snow-capped peaks. Flat-roofed Berber houses constructed with local materials huddle together to create fortress-like villages which blend almost seamlessly into the mountainside. The many trails and tracks which criss-cross the area provide numerous opportunities for walkers and the ideal way to make the most of this stunning area is on foot. Today enjoy trekking over mountain passes (2100m) to the village of Aguersioual (1700m). Approx. 5 hours walking. Gite d’étape – 1 night (BLD) |
| Day 5-6: | Atlas Mountains; trekking Continue trekking along the Imlil Valley to reach the village of Aremd (1880m). En route, enjoy the scenery and local life. You may meet goatherds seeking good grazing or villagers collecting firewood. The typical square towers of the mosques dot the landscape. Staying overnight at Aremd, you can explore settlement and learn about the berber way of life. A visit to the school may be possible in term time. The following day walk up to reach Sidi Chamarouch, a place of pilgrimage for Moroccans who come to the tomb of the local marabout (Muslim holy man). You can only see the shrine from across the gorge, as it’s forbidden for non-Muslims to cross the bridge to the other side. Approx. 4 hours walk on Day 5, shorter walks on Day 6. Gite d’étape – 2 nights (Bx2 Lx2 Dx2) |
| Day 7: | Marrakech Today you leave your mountain home and head back down to the imperial city of Marrakech. The Djemaa el-Fna square draws you back and in the evening becomes alive with activity as story tellers, jugglers and musicians gather to entertain you. It is full of life and continues late into the evening. Try some of the delicious freshly-prepared food at the stalls that line the square or do some last minute shopping. Hotel – 1 night (Swimming pool) (B) |
| Day 8: | Fly to London The trip ends in Marrakech for Land Only clients. Those on group flights to the UK transfer to the airport and fly to London. (B) |
small group family holiday
This is a 'small group family adventure' - typically you will join several other families and travel in a group of approx. 16 people. The trips are great value and a great way for you and your children to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of time to yourselves. Most adventure kids tend to be aged between 7 and 15, but some are younger (minimum age is usually 5) and some older (perhaps travelling as part of a larger family group). Please check with the operator to confirm the minimum age for this trip how this holiday makes a difference
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We stay in locally owned hotels and gites and eat in local restaurants. We travel in small groups and we use a local Moroccan agent, local drivers and a Local Group Leader. This fulfils part of our commitment to make a positive contribution to the local economy and is the best way of ensuring that our money reaches as many people as possible. Local overseas leaders offer a great way to find out more about the local culture, speak the language, understand the day-to-day life around them and help to ‘open doors’ to a fuller experience. Our agent in Morocco operates in a responsible manner and is committed to preserving the area in which they work. We support schools in the Atlas villages and by working closely with our local agent we do our best to support and encourage the local schools and projects in all the areas of Morocco that you visit. We strongly advise against giving to the children directly as this encourages begging, however we prefer to support local, well run organisations and projects which are of a greater long term benefit.
Clients who travel with us will automatically receive a copy of our Responsible Travel leaflet. This contains details and advice on how you can make a positive difference when you travel. If you would like a copy in advance of travel please contact us. The Born Free Foundation is an international wildlife charity that helps animals in need around the world through animal rescues, anti-poaching, support for animal sanctuaries, endangered species conservation, education and public awareness. We ask clients to use their Travellers’ Alert function to which you can report cruelty to animals worldwide and also we visit Ngamba Island, a Born Free supported Chimpanzee Sanctuary, on our Uganda trips. We also support Friends of Conservation – an international charity committed to working with local people to develop a balance between their needs and the wildlife with which they share the natural habitat and ecosystems. We offset all of our staff travel, both for commuting to work and overseas trips. We also pay £2 per person to partially offset the carbon used in the destination that they are travelling to. We think that offsetting carbon should be a choice made by the individual traveller therefore we ask clients if they would like to augment this £2 with a further contribution. Similarly we ask if you would like to offset your flights – we have set bandings given to us by our Carbon balancing partners - Blue Ventures Carbon Offset and Climate Care. We ask our clients if they would like to donate to our foundation. Small donations of £1 per person build up quickly and we are able to give one off donations to various small-scale projects worldwide. Recently these have included installing heating in a school in the High Atlas, Morocco, providing school equipment for a new school building in the heart of the Ecuadorian Amazon and providing playground equipment for children at a community centre in northern Tanzania. |
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. |