Guided trek in the Atlas mountains, Morocco
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
In order to minimise the impact on the environment, these treks are limited to eight guests.
We only use local source water instead of bottled water. We discourage the purchase of bottled water. This reduces our carbon footprint as well as waste. We also provide antiseptic hand wash gel to allow our guests to wash their hands with minimal use of water, or in places where there is no access to water. We emphasise that water is a precious resource and not to be wasted with long showers or unnecessary use.
We do our best in terms of waste management and most of our waste is carried out on mules and the rest is burned or buried locally. Guests are instructed to bury human waste under ground, far from running water, to minimise the risk of giardiasis proliferation, for example.
Through the AAZ, we support local sustainability projects including reforestation, energy generation/preservation and water management schemes. During our treks, we take the opportunity to see the results of some of these projects. We will see water fountains and solar water heating panels installed and funded by the AAZ.
One of the three gîtes we use for accommodation on these holidays is not connected to the grid and produces its own electricity using solar power. We reduce carbon emissions by limiting transport where we can, and we use mules for transporting supplies within the valley.
Our holidays have a very strong focus on nature and the environment. Guests are made aware of the unique flora and fauna of the High Atlas Mountains. We make a specific point of talking about threatened species such as Lammergeyer and the reintroduction efforts concerning those species.
In addition to this, our booking process is paperless and our brochures are printed on 100% recycled and FSC approved paper.
Community
These holidays are run in cooperation with a local charity, the AAZ. The AAZ, l'Association des Amis du Zat (or the Friends of the Zat valley), was founded in 1996 by Ahmed Bellaoui, then mayor of the valley. He is also a university professor of Geography, Tourism and Development at the University of Marrakech.
The founding of the AAZ sprung from numerous projects carried out by Caritas, an international Catholic charity, and the AAZ has several NGOs as partners which have contributed funding for an important number of projects. In addition to specific projects aimed at easing life for the local population, the AAZ launched an "ecotourism" project in 2001, with the construction of three gîtes in 2001-2004. The AAZ promotes small-scale and sustainable tourism in the Zat valley through non-profit and professional partners.
We strongly discourage our guests to give money, pens, sweets, medicine, or other gifts directly to the local people (especially young children) as this could generate a culture of begging and dependency. We advise our guests to bring school materials (like pens and notebooks) and give them directly to the AAZ who then distribute them. Guests also have the option to make a financial contribution direct to the AAZ.
Through the AAZ, we support local social projects such as the construction of schools, projects aimed at improving literacy and projects focused on improving the lives of a number of widows in the valley.
During the week, we walk through villages supported by the AAZ and guests are made aware of exactly how the AAZ have contributed to living conditions and what could be done further to help the local population.
The local Berber guide, cooks, mules and their drivers are employed locally, via the AAZ, from the villages we pass through. Our food comes from local farmers in the valley (through the market in Tighdouine) and all profit generated by the AAZ goes back into local projects.
We support the AAZ by our custom and by promoting them through our marketing. In addition, part of our guests' holiday payment is channelled directly to specific projects on the AAZ agenda. With time, we will be able to follow-up on previous projects on location with future guests. Furthermore, we encourage our guests to get involved with the AAZ and tell them how to make direct donations.
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