Morocco Mountains Family Tour

• 1

  Join tour Marrakech

  Join your tour in the vibrant city of Marrakech. Depending on the schedule of your flights, you may wish to start exploring the Red City independently or you may prefer to relax by the pool, before meeting the group and the Tour Leader at the hotel.
  
  The hotel is located in the heart of the new town surrounded by many restaurants with easy access to the main avenue to the old town. The building is modern with the swimming pool on the top terrace and rooms are equipped with satellite TV.

  Hotel Almas

  Our hotel is a haven of comfort just minutes from the Jamaa El Fna and the Boulevard Mohammed V which is well known for its cafes, restaurants and shops. The hotel also offers views of the city from its panoramic terrace. Facilities include a swimming pool and decking area, restaurant and lobby area. Rooms are well designed and furnished with antique pieces with air-conditioning, TV, mini-bar and wireless internet connection.

  Swimming Pool Available

  Included Meals:  None

• 2

  In Marrakech; walking tour. Drive to Ouirgane

  Like many North African towns, Marrakech is divided into two distinct parts, the Gueliz (the modern French-built city) and the Medina (the Old City). For generations it has been a meeting place for the mountain Berbers and the desert peoples of the south, who come to trade and barter amongst the colourful souks, turning the centre of the old city into a rich cacophony of noise and colour. We journey out into this vibrant city this morning, to enjoy a tour of some of its most enthralling sites with a local guide. You can wander past vendors selling doughnuts and fried grasshoppers, meander through native markets where Muslim women, their hands and feet dyed with henna, call out to sell their wares, and enjoy the sounds and the smells of the exotic. After our tour there will be the option to stay in town and make your own way back to the hotel, taking time to enjoy more of the remarkable Medina, perhaps haggling for a bargain or two, or simply sitting at one of the local cafés and watching the street tableaux unfold before you. The city's beating heart is the spectacular Djemma-el-Fna, a site not to be missed and a scene straight out of the pages of the Arabian Nights. You will find the square alive with storytellers and musicians, jugglers and acrobats, snake charmers and clowns. Marrakech is a city like no other and a walk through its bustling streets will fill the senses and fire the imagination. The city boasts a staggering array of spectacular architecture and wonderful facades. Leaving the city behind this afternoon, we drive south towards the craggy peaks and plunging valleys of the Toubkal Massif.Crossing the Haouz Plain we pass through the tiny town of Asni, from where our road begins to climb towards the foothills of the Massif.
  
  Below us the valley of the Oued Rhirhaia stretches out into the distance and small villages cling to the sides of the steep hills as we meander our way towards the village of Ouirgane. The towering peaks of the High Atlas are North Africa's greatest range of mountains, a wild region, culturally removed from the rest of Morocco, and a barrier between the northern plains and the pre-Sahara. This is the land of the fiercely independent Berbers, the Lords of the Atlas, whose traditions and ways still hold sway up here in their mountain strongholds far away from the cities below. The Berbers present us with a unique view of a way of life lost to the rest of North Africa, where music and dance, even language and religion, are far removed from their Arab neighbours.
  
  Built in the middle of olive groves, the hotel presents a great place for relaxation with its big swimming pool surrounded by nice gardens. It's isolated location gives the opportunities for many walking options.

  La Bergerie

  La Bergerie is built from local stone and your individual bungalows are dotted around the peaceful gardens which attract a variety of birds. There is also a large swimming pool. Staff here are particularly welcoming and on hand to help organise some great activities during your free time.

  Swimming Pool Available

  Included Meals:  Breakfast

• 3

  Walks in the area and visit a local Berber family for lunch

  We walk in the Ouirgane area with its magnificent scenery and dramatic landscapes (mules are provided for the younger children). We visit a Berber village and meet a local family for lunch (the cost of this is paid for locally) and learn something more of the unique lifestyles of these most remarkable and hospitable of people. We then walk back to our hotel on a different route with panoramic views of the artificial lake of Ouirgane. The walk will last around four hours in total and can be adapted based upon the group's fitness, their interest and local weather conditions. The rest of the afternoon is at leisure by the pool.

  La Bergerie

  La Bergerie is built from local stone and your individual bungalows are dotted around the peaceful gardens which attract a variety of birds. There is also a large swimming pool. Staff here are particularly welcoming and on hand to help organise some great activities during your free time.

  Swimming Pool Available

  Included Meals:  Breakfast

• 4

  Visit the Tin Mal Mosque and drive across the Tizi n' Test pass

  Heading south today, we first visit the Tin Mal Mosque. Built in 1156, it is one of the only mosques open to non-Muslims and was once considered the centre of the reign of the powerful Almohades dynasty. After our visit, we take a dramatic drive across the spectacular Tizi n' Test pass and down into the region of the High Atlas. At 2092m, the scenes from the pass are quite spectacular, with views back across to the Toubkal Massif and down into the Souss Valley. Our descent is something of an exhilarating ride, dropping 1600 metres in just 30 km. The views as you can imagine are incredible, with mountain peaks and tiny villages nestling amongst the valley slopes laid out before us. We drive along the orange groves to Taroudant, the old capital of the Souss region and arrive with plenty of time to enjoy the surroundings and relax at the hotel pool.

  Riad Hida

  Swimming Pool Available

  Included Meals:  Breakfast

• 5

  Drive to Tiout for walks and visit a local family to learn how to cook a tagine

  This morning we drive to the oasis town of Tiout, which is on the edge of the Anti Atlas. We meet a local family and learn how to cook a tagine (named after the earthenware pot in which it is cooked) of meat, poultry or fish mixed together with vegetables. A walk around the area allows us to visit an oasis and its traditional irrigation system with panoramic views of a local village from an old Kasbah (mules can be hired for the younger children). We walk back to a local Berbers house for lunch (the cost of this is paid for locally) giving the opportunity to experience further the Berber culture (around 3 hours of walking in total) . Driving back to Taroudant, the afternoon allows for more time to discover this small and beautiful market town which is surrounded by red-mud walls. The souks are well worth a closer look and you may be able to find a souvenir or two.

  Riad Hida

  Swimming Pool Available

  Included Meals:  Breakfast

• 6

  Drive to the Atlantic Coast, sunset camel ride on Essaouira beach

  Today we spend the morning driving across the High Atlas towards Chichaoua and then join the new road to Essaouira. We stop off at an Argan oil women's cooperative and learn about how the women from different villages work together to produce the precious oil by pressing the nuts by hand and its economic benefit to the community. After arriving in Essaouira, we check into our hotel opposite the beach and after some free time stroll over to take a camel ride along the beach to enjoy the sunset over the Atlantic ocean.
  
  The resort town of Essaouira is a mecca for water sports enthusiasts from all over the world. Essaouira has a lively yet relaxed feel to it, with whitewashed houses and traditional fishing boats presenting a perfect backdrop for your stay. The town has a rich and somewhat colourful history and its importance as a trading port during the 18th and 19th centuries saw it prosper, attracting British, French, Arab and Jewish merchants and sailors to its shores. These influences are still reflected in the architecture and layout of the town.

  Hotel des Isles

  Swimming Pool Available

  Included Meals:  Breakfast

• 7

  Orientation walk and tour of old town, try surfing and wander the souks

  Explore the delightful old medina of Essaouira and its vibrant fishing port with a local guide. Walk through narrow alleyways lined with traditional craft stores and finish up on the historic ramparts for panoramic views of the old town and surrounding coastline.
  
  The afternoon is free to try out a range of water sports including a surfing lesson or visiting the Medina again to snap up some of the locally made rustic leather belts or gleaming gold jewellery. Alternatively wander the town's galleries, cafes and souk.. Try grilled fresh fish, cooked right in front of you at the local market, washed down with a refreshing glass of freshly squeezed orange juice or mint tea.
  
  Swimming is possible but please take local advice on currents before entering the water.

  Hotel des Isles

  Swimming Pool Available

  Included Meals:  Breakfast

• 8

  Drive back to Marrakech with free time in the afternoon

  We drive back to the 'Red City' of Marrakech, with some time this afternoon to explore something more of this wholly captivating city before our final evening. Marrakech is a city like no other and a walk through its bustling streets will fill the senses and fire the imagination. An option is to traditional Moroccan bath experience at the local neighbourhood hammams.

  Hotel Almas

  Our hotel is a haven of comfort just minutes from the Jamaa El Fna and the Boulevard Mohammed V which is well known for its cafes, restaurants and shops. The hotel also offers views of the city from its panoramic terrace. Facilities include a swimming pool and decking area, restaurant and lobby area. Rooms are well designed and furnished with antique pieces with air-conditioning, TV, mini-bar and wireless internet connection.

  Swimming Pool Available

  Included Meals:  Breakfast

• 9

  Tour ends Marrakech

  Your tour ends today in Marrakech. Depending on the schedule of your flights, you may be able to spend some additional time wandering through the souks of Marrakech and buying your last souvenirs.

  Included Meals:  Breakfast