General

This excursion is an opportunity to be away from the hassle and the bustle of Marrakesh and to meet the Berbers who are the indigenous inhabitants of North Africa. The weekly Berber market is a rare event which is not manufactured for tourists and it provides a unique opportunity to learn about ancient culture of the Berbers including a visit to Berber house and having tea with a family. The drive also is a chance to discover the breathtaking of the once forbidden Majestic High Atlas Mountains and hike in some of Morocco’s amazing landscapes.

The trip’s Highlights

• Enjoy a day away from the hustle and bustle of the city
• Explore a weekly market which is an important gathering of the locals
• learn about the culture of the Berbers
• Visit a Berber house and learn about the local way of life and architecture
• Hike in the mountains with a Berber mountain guide

Today you will have an excursion south of Marrakech into the breathtaking High Atlas Mountains to have a day with the Berbers. They are the native inhabitants of Morocco and known for their hospitality.

Enjoy this beautiful rural landscape of the Majestic High Atlas Mountains. Here, earthen Berber villages lay terraced into the mountains. Their flat, baked-mud roofs nestle against the fertile slopes.

Begin your day at the Berber village of Ourika.  Here you will find a weekly souk. Such markets, which travel from village to village, are still the mainstay of rural Morocco, where most of the country’s population still lives. Once at the Market, explore its different sections like the vegetables’ market, the butchers ‘market, and the barbers as well as the crafts’ sections where blacksmiths, potters, carpenters are working and don’t miss the donkeys’ parking!

Then meet your mountain guide and set out on a trek, either on foot or on a mule, up to the Berber villages. Enjoy these series of dramatic landscapes and Berber houses while hiking in this area. Visit a Berber house and enjoy the mint tea ceremony and learn about the local culture. The local Berber inhabitants live a way of life that has hardly changed in centuries.

Picnic lunch will be at a Secret Spot in Morocco’s Ourika Valley with breathtaking views of the Valley and the Majestic High Atlas mountains.