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
  Triple Room 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.

  Ksar Shama

  Our hotel overlooks the mountains and is decorated throughout with traditional Moroccan designs. The hotel is near the gateway to the National Toubkal Park which allows spectacular views of the snow capped mountains. All rooms are designed in traditional Berber design with an adobe wall, decorated with Moroccan fabrics and crafts and have a private terrace and air-conditioning. Facilities include a restaurant which serves food grown in the hotels garden, bar, tennis courts, terrace with panoramic views and outdoor pool.

  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 which presents the perfect spot to enjoy the magnificent scenery of this superb part of North Africa (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 walk back to our hotel on a different route with panoramic views of the artificial lake of Ouirgane. The rest of afternoon is at leisure by the pool. The walk will last around four hours in total and can be adapted based upon the groups fitness, their interest and local weather conditions.

  Ksar Shama

  Our hotel overlooks the mountains and is decorated throughout with traditional Moroccan designs. The hotel is near the gateway to the National Toubkal Park which allows spectacular views of the snow capped mountains. All rooms are designed in traditional Berber design with an adobe wall, decorated with Moroccan fabrics and crafts and have a private terrace and air-conditioning. Facilities include a restaurant which serves food grown in the hotels garden, bar, tennis courts, terrace with panoramic views and outdoor pool.

  Swimming Pool Available

  Included Meals:  Breakfast

• 4

  Drive to Taroudant via Tizi n' Test

  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 through the spectacular Tizi n' Test pass and down into the region of the High Atlas. At 2092 m, the scenes from the pass can be quite spectacular, with views back across to the Toubkal Massif and down into the Souss Valley presenting us with some magnificent photo opportunities. Our descent is something of an exhilarating ride, dropping 1600 meters 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.

  Palais Salam

  This former palace, now a large hotel, decorated in a modern Moroccan style, is situated in a large park of citrus trees and palms. The two restaurants provide international and Moroccan cuisine and there is also a bar.

  Included Meals:  Breakfast

• 5

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

  Today 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 which is a local dish of meat, poultry or fish mixed together with vegetables and is named after the earthenware pot in which it is cooked. A walk around the area allows us to visit an oasis and its traditional irrigation system with panoramic views of the 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. 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.

  Palais Salam

  This former palace, now a large hotel, decorated in a modern Moroccan style, is situated in a large park of citrus trees and palms. The two restaurants provide international and Moroccan cuisine and there is also a bar.

  Included Meals:  Breakfast

• 6

  Travel to Essaouira via a Argan oil cooperative

  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 meet a local guide and walk around the Medina (city quarter) including the Kasbah, the 15th century Portuguese fortifications and the town's souks. 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

  Morning camel ride with free afternoon to enjoy the beach

  A morning camel ride along the beach gives the opportunity to experience this seaside town from a different angle and we have some free time in the afternoon to indulge as you wish. We suggest a stroll around the old town or visit the Medina again to snap up some of the locally made rustic leather belts and gleaming gold jewellery. The town abounds with galleries and workshops, cafes and souks, making it a pleasurable way to pass the day. For the more active amongst you, you may prefer to take to the beaches for some opportunities to enjoy some walks along the beach. Swimming is possible but please take local advice before entering the water as the surf off these beaches can prove to be too much for less able swimmers.

  Hotel des Isles

  Swimming Pool Available

  Included Meals:  Breakfast

• 8

  Drive back to Marrakech with free time in the afternoon

  With some extra free time this morning to enjoy the last of Essaouira's laid back ambience, or perhaps grab a last minute bargain, we then head back with a stop on the way in one of the famous Argan cooperatives. The women from different villages work together and produce the precious oil by pressing the nuts by hand until their contents are extracted. We will learn about this traditional skill and its economic benefit on the community. On arrival at the 'Red City' of Marrakech, there should be 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. The city boasts a staggering array of spectacular architecture and wonderful facades, but do remember that many of the mosques will be forbidden to non-Muslims and be careful of photographing women, however photogenic they look, as the Moroccans are very sensitive about such things. If you are unsure, it is always best to ask.

  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