Morocco tribal adventure holiday
Morocco is the closest African country to Europe, yet its diverse and enchanting culture and history are a more than a world away. More and more people are starting to discover its many charms, but for the most part visitors stick to a well defined circuit and fail to realise that Morocco can offer so much more.
On this trip we delve into regions of Morocco that are very different from the well trodden track, allowing us to see a side of this enigmatic country that few even realise exists, let alone have visited. The Middle Atlas Mountains are home to the semi-nomadic Beni M’Guild tribe, and we spend time exploring this remote region on foot and by vehicle in order to experience the raw beauty of the area and to unlock some of the secrets of its people.
Venturing further into the High Atlas, we stay away from the villages on most itineraries and travel through a little known region with spectacular scenery and people who have very little contact with the world beyond the mountains. Finally we head into Morocco’s deep south and the vast expanses of the Sahara, a glorious region of windswept dunes, isolated oases and some of the country’s most remote peoples. This is Morocco as few have seen it before – wild, untamed and raw, beckoning every serious traveller to explore it.
Day-by-day itinerary
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Day 1: | Fes. Arrive and settle in to your hotel. This afternoon you will meet your group leader for a briefing on your tour. Overnight Riad Tafilalet or similar. |
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Day 2: | Fes. A guided tour of this fascinating medieval Islamic city, dating back to the 9th century. The medina of Fes is a rabbit warren of streets and quarters where tradesmen ply their trades in much the same way as they have for the last thousand years, and is home to intriguing architecture including some of Morocco’s most important religious sites. We stay in a converted riad in the heart of the medina. Overnight Riad Tafilalet or similar. (B) |
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Day 3-4: | Middle Atlas Mountains. We travel into the little visited Middle Atlas Mountains, home to vast cedar forests, Barbary apes, nomadic tribes and reputedly Morocco’s last population of leopard. The scenery here is spectacular, with isolated lakes and impressive waterfalls, and occasional shepherd’s tents providing evidence of human habitation. We hope to meet some of the semi-nomadic local tribes that live here and take hikes through this area, where few others visit. We will camp or stay in village houses for two nights. (BLD) |
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Day 5: | Midelt. Emerging from the Middle Atlas we head to Midelt on the edge of the barren desert. Near Midelt we visit a local kasbah. Overnight at an auberge on a farm near Midelt. Overnight Auberge Jafaar. (BL) |
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Day 6-7: | High Atlas Traverse. We take two days to cross the formidable High Atlas mountains to Tinehrir. The journey, made by 4wd vehicles, is tough going at times but we are rewarded by stunning scenery and the knowledge that few tourists have travelled this pioneering route. We stop where we can to meet the local tribes people and stay in a village gite one night in the village of Imilchil, high in the mountains, where the local tribal families have a special marriage festival each year. We end our journey at the famous Todra Gorge before checking in to our hotel, built as a kasbah by a local tribal chief early last century. Day 7 – overnight Hotel Tomboctou or similar. (BLD) |
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Day 8: | Djebel Sarhro – Nkob. We cross the Djebel Sarhro Mountains, home to the formidable Ait Atta tribe, en route to the small town of Nkob, where we stay in a hotel built in the style of a local kasbah. Overnight Kasbah Imdoukal or similar. (BLD) |
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Day 9: | Zagora / Amazrou. We head off road on rough pistes to Zagora, exploring remote villages on the way and stopping to look at some of the rock art and engravings which litter this part of Morocco. We finish in the small village of Amazrou on the edge of Zagora, located amongst palm trees and small farmsteads. Overnight Hotel Zagour or similar. (BLD) |
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Day 10-11: | Desert Exploration. We journey into the Sahara accompanied by our nomadic guides and their camels, taking our food and equipment with us. The landscape here is a fascinating combination of barren mountains, small oases, austere desert and tumbling dunes, and is home to some of Morocco’s most remote nomadic tribes, who we hope to encounter. We spend our nights in wild camps amidst stunning scenery and watch the desert stars above our heads – an amazing experience. (BLD) |
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Day 12: | Ait Ben Haddou. We leave the desert behind and head to Ait Ben Haddou, an amazingly well preserved village fortress that was once an important stop on the Saharan trade routes. Overnight Hotel La Kasbah or similar. (BLD) |
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Day 13: | Marrakech. Journey across the mountains to the fabled city of Marrakech, once the meeting place for Morocco’s tribes and today the most exotic and captivating city in the country. Overnight Hotel Islane or similar. (B) |
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Day 14: | Marrakech. Day to explore the city. Tonight we take our final dinner in Djemaa el Fnaa, the huge square that becomes an open air restaurant by night and is also home to acrobats, storytellers and snake charmers. Overnight Hotel Islane or similar. (BD) |
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Day 15: | Marrakech. Tour ends. (B) |
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places.
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
This tour travels through some of Morocco’s more remote regions, away from the well beaten tourist trail. Our guides will brief travellers on appropriate behaviour, both cultural and environmental, and when camping we make a point of ensuring that we leave no permanent traces of our stay behind, taking all rubbish with us. We work with our local suppliers to highlight best practice in terms of environmental issues, an important effort in a country where the environment is often taken for granted and green thinking is only just emerging. This also includes working with hotels to advise them on how to reduce water usage – particularly significant in some of the arid areas that this tour visits, where water for local communities is often scarce.
Community
While in the Middle Atlas Mountains and the Sahara we employ guides, muleteers and camel handlers from the particular areas that we visit, providing employment and income for rural communities which often do not have many opportunities to earn money. Where possible we also stay in village houses in the Middle Atlas, giving travellers a unique insight into local life and again providing income for the community.
At Midelt travellers have the chance to visit Kasbah Miriam, a project set up by Franciscan nuns which incorporates both a school and a workshop. At the workshop, local women make traditional handicrafts, and pass on their skills to younger generations, ensuring that old traditions remain alive and are not forgotten. The workshop also sells these handicrafts, which are excellent and unique examples of Moroccan arts and crafts .The revenue gained from this stays with the women who produced the items, meaning that these women are able to earn income for themselves thus empowering them within their families and local community. You can support this worthwhile project by buying souvenirs of your trip here.
Our philosophy is to only use small and locally owned suppliers, meaning that the income remains within the country and creates a real economic contribution. We also feel that the passion inherent within such suppliers means that your experience will be enhanced. We also try to engage with our suppliers on an equal basis – getting the lowest possible price usually isn’t the best outcome for local communities and is ultimately unsustainable. We aim to always treat our suppliers fairly and with respect; they are after all part of the key to our success and to us working together is much more than just a business arrangement, but an ongoing relationship that we aim to ensure truly benefits everyone involved.
We believe that tourism is a double edged sword that needs to be wielded very carefully. Our philosophy is to have a limited amount of departures – usually between one and three a year - for each of our itineraries. By limiting our presence in areas where local culture can be quite fragile, we hope to avoid as much as possible the phenomenon whereby an area changes in character due to repeated and prolonged exposure to tourism. We want to visit an area as friends, not intruders and to ensure that what we see will also be there for others to enjoy for many years to come.
We only employ local staff and unlike many operators we believe that to send a foreign Tour Leader along to accompany your trip is an unnecessary burden on your wallet and our carbon footprint. We believe that locals know best. Our local operators only use locally owned accommodation. This means your money stays in the area to benefit the local community. When possible we use local transport, (i.e. rail or bus) and we always use local restaurants, markets and shops and encourage our clients to interact both financially and socially with the communities that they are passing through. In doing this your travels are supporting and encouraging the development of local services.
We only work with operators who are as committed as we are to putting something back into the communities we visit. This may include giving a percentage of the profits from each tour to a foundation to help street children or local conservation projects. Furthermore, in order to allow our clients to make an informed decision on where a greater proportion of their money should be spent, we avoid including pre-paid full board meals where possible. Local restaurants and cafes then benefit.
Our groups average only six clients, and many tours operate on a private basis with just two travellers. This has much less impact when travelling through rural areas, reducing our environmental and social affects. Finally to emphasise our commitment to Responsible Tourism all clients will receive a copy of our Travellers Code of Conduct with their travel documents.
