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Morocco Adventure Holidays, Things to Do
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From the Atlas Mountains to the Atlantic Coast and from the Great Sahara Desert to Imperial Marrakech, Morocco Adventure Holidays offer a wide range of things to do. On a Morocco Adventure Holiday, travelers can experience another dimension of travel. Travel Exploration has created partnerships with cooperatives and local experts for Morocco travelers to participate in that will enrich their bespoke Morocco Holiday. Our hand curated holiday itineraires cover a variety of historical sites, activities and unique travel expeirences that cannot be found elsewhere.
On a Morocco Adventure Holiday travelers can Trek in the High Atlas Mountains of Toubkal, glide across the Atlas on a zipline, canyon in the Ourika Valley or balloon over Marrakech. For families interested in the ultimate adventure Sahara Desert holidays by 4x4 land cruiser, quad and camel in the Erg Chebbi Dunes are available year round. For couples and small groups that are interested in a bespoke
Morocco Holiday experience options are to take a cooking class with a Daada Chef, a Fes Souk Tasting Tour, Couscous Making in the Middle Atlas Mountains or Sip Tea with Nomads in Mount Mgoun. New on the scene in Morocco are farm-to-table dining experiences and wineries. The wineries in Meknes offer wine tasting tours and a private lunch that is tailor made to your pallete. If all of this is not enough to tempt you to take a Morocco Adenture Holiday then consider going local and learning how to bread bake with the Berbers, hand cut zellij tile and design pottery at one of UNESCO Fes cooperatives or learn cheese making in Coastal Essaouira at a local frommagerie.
Things to Do on a Morocco Adventure Holiday:
Quad Biking in the Sahara Desert
Hot Air Balloon Over Marrakech
Ziplining Morocco
Sandboarding in the Sahara Desert
Why Choose Travel Exploration for your Morocco Adventure Holiday?:
Over a decade of Morocco Travel Experience: Tailor Made Morocco Adventure Holiday itineraries for couples, honeymooners, families and small groups.
In Country Morocco Travel Experts: The Best Moroccan Guides work for us! We are Specialists in Andalusian and Moorish architecture. Jewish Heritage, Moroccan cuisine, Alumni travel groups, Wine Tours, Eco-Tours, Adventure
Creative, Tailor Made Itineraries: With over 200 itineraries covering all of Morocco we must have one that is perfect for you.
Licensed Historical Guides: We exmploy Moroccan Guides that are Multilingual, Experts in their home city on Architecture, Culture, Muslim and Jewish History, Religion, Customs, Design, Cuisine and Local Communities
Licensed Tourism Drivers: Our drivers work for our agency full time. They are in-country experts, who are Multilingual and will provide an intimiate and connective travel expeirence during your Moroccan tour. Go
Local - Up close Experiences with Moroccans: We offer direct access to local communities. Whether is is the Berbers in the Atlas regions, Nomads in the Sahara, Tradesman in the medinas, Arabs in the Desert or the Jewish community, we have relationships with them all. This will allow you as a Morocco Adventure Holiday traveler to experience an insiders view.
Socially Responsible Travel: Travel Exploration donates 5% of our proceeds to Project Feed, our charity in Berber villages and participates in a socially responsbile travel network ensuring that we employ equallyt both male and female guides along with using partners in Morocco that are socially conscious.
Gay Friendly: We are a gay friendly travel company, a member of IGLTA and support gay causes along with equal treatment for Moroccan gay rights and busiensses.
Hiking the Ourika Valley, Your Morocco Tour Guide
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The Ourika valley is 30 km from Marrakech and is one of the best places to visit in Morocco for hiking in the Atlas Mountains and seeing its unique countryside. Getting there by grand taxi of bus or one of the many tourist travel companies is easy. The valley starts at Souk Tnine de l'Ourika leading on to the village of Arhbalou then on to Tazzidfount leading up to the trekking area of Adrar Yagour which has prehistoric rock carvings. trekking further afield ahould be undertaken with a guide,equipment and proper planning. Trekking is easily arranged in the Ourika Valley, and can be anything from a day’s walk into the foothills to a trek lasting several days. It is unsurpasssed for natural beauty and its terraced hillsides lead off into a world of adventure amongst the local villages of mud bricked walls. There are numerous walking trails weaving their way through the valley.Trekking in the valley can involve a variety of activities including rock climbing, birdwatching and mountain biking which is especially popular on the roads through the forests of the Toubkal Natural Park. The ruins of the kasbah Dar Caid Ouiriki the origninal house of the Caid of Ourika across the valley from the souk of Tninede l'Ourika at the entrance of the valley beckon as a first trek among the poplar trees and weeping willows and the lush green fields and farms.
There are again numerous expeditions that you can enjoy walking from the Kasbah Bab Ourika, which is amongst the best accommodation in the area from short strolls through villages and aromatic gardens to longer hikes taking in forests and rivers.There are numerous expeditions that you can enjoy walking from the Kasbah Bab Ourika, which is the amongst the best accommodation in the area from short strolls through villages and gardens to longer hikes taking in forests, rivers and waterfalls. During the hot summers in Marrakech the valley is an escape to the cooler environs of the Ourika river andthe surrounding hillsides and mountains. The fields and livestock provide a living for their families and the trekker can experience their daily lives walking alongside donkeys and carts, with little children playing in the fields. To trek and absorb the imposing majesty of the surrounding mountains Setti Fatma 20 kms upthe valley is the gateway to the mountain ranges. There is an important four day moussem festival in August in Setti Fatma which is a very colourful and lively event with its souks selling traditional fare. Passing by the shrine and the waterfalls you can walk out on the stone tracks amongst the mountains of the High Atlas.The summit of Jebel Toubkal(4,167 metres) the highest peak in North Africa towers above the valley.It is possible to trek to Mount Toubkal via Setti Fatma to Timichi and Oumkaimeden, it takes about 5 hours.The more usual appraoch to Jebel Toubkal is via Asni. Othertreks from Setti Fatma include Adrar Meltzen via Tourcht and the Oued Zat region by the Tizi n'Tilst. There are numerous trekking routes but these are quite arduous and trekkers should be fit and accompnied by a guide.These include the Taska n'Zat-Arjout peaks and the Tizi Tzarzit. The chance to meet the mountain people in their enchanting rural communities adds to the experience which can be experienced during a day trip from Marrakech. The ski resort of Oukaimeden is the other main tourism location in the Ourika valley. On a good day the views over the plains surrounding Marrakech can be stunning.The resort has a number of ski slopes and hotels.The period for sking is February to April. There are walking trails from Oumkaimeden but these should only be attempted during the summer season because of snowfalls in winter. The three hour trek to Tachddirt is relatively easy. The world of the mountainpeople and their villages is a complete contrast to the life of the cites and villages of the plains.
For More Information on Hiking in the Ourika Valley
Trekking in the Atlas Mountains and Kasbah Toubkal, Your Morocco Tour Guide
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Trekking and climbing in the Atlas Mountains and Toubkal National Park is increasingly popular,catering for all levels of fitness and available for short trips or extended treks over a period of several days.It is an opportunity to see the Atlas mountains and its people, it is by far the most beautiful of Morocco's diverse countryside, still largely unchanged from the time when it was remote and cut off from the ouside world. Walking holidays in the Atlas mountains often feature climbingf Jebel Toubkal, at 4,165m, the highest mountain in North Africa. This does not require expert mountaineering skills but does require a higher level of fitness and care should be taken when weather conditions turn difficult.The ascent during the end of the winter and spring (February/March) is more difficult. Crampons are necessary to ascend through the snow and ice. Mount Toubkal can be climbedin two days, first day up to the refuge (around seven hours without mules), second day to the summit (around five hours) and back to Imlil (up to five hours). you can of course take longer.
Just up from Imilil is the Kasbah Toubkal which can be reached on foot or by mule. It is in an iydillic setting surrounded by moutains and with a view of Mount Toubkal. Hollywood movie director, Martin Scorsese, found it an ideal location for Kundun his film about the Dalai Lama, when it was temporarily converted into a Tibetan monastery. The view from the terrace of Kasbah Toubkal is stunning surrounded by the mountain scenery and the silence. The Kasbah Toubkal in its current form was recreated by Chris and Mike McHugo from the original rundown Kasbah owned by the local caid. Local workers from Imlil and surrounding villages built the Kasbah into an hotel with fourteen rooms with ensuite bathrooms, including a three-bedroom family house and separate Berber Salons, which although can be used on a dormitory basisfor groups. there is a conference centre for study groups. The rooms simple yet comfortable, with berber hand-woven carpets, blankets, intricate carved woodwork and traitional wooden ceilings. The Kasbah is an ideal base for climbing Mount Toubkal and trekking in the area. There is also a hamam to relax in after a hard day's trek.The Kasbah and its local staff who run it provide an excellent introduction into Berber culture and local life. Guides for climbing and trekking are available and they provide you with a metal stick with a spike at the end which helps as you climb the steep slopes and rocky ground of the valleys. The Kasbah also has the Azzaden trekking lodge, a remote location on the outskirts of Ait Aissa in the heart of the High Atlas Mountains. It is close to a traditional village and has solar-powered underfloor heating and spectacular views a day’s walk away.
Kasbah Toubkal has become increasingly popular so they havedeveloped alternative accommodation at Dar Imlil which is five minutes from the centre of Imlil. It has 4 standard double ensuite rooms and 6 double/twin de luxe rooms. Kasbah Toubkal is very much at the centre of local life contributing to schools and education forlocal women. ithas won numerous awards for sustainable and environmental tourism , involving the local community in all its activities and provding eemployment for the local community. italso plays an important role for raising funds for local education and child welfare. Many groups climb Mount Toubkal to raise sponsorship for charities . The Kasbah Toubkal is also involved in promoting sporting activities such as cycling and mountain biking which are increasingly popularinthe Toubkal National Park. There are guides and mules available in Imlil the village which is the gateway to Mount Toubkal and the Toubkal National Park . Sturdy boots and warm clothing are essential. There are two stone-built refuges (old Neltner Refuge and new Refuge du Toubkal) that are often used as base camp at 3,207 m (10,522 ft).
There a wide range of trekking holidays available in Morocco such as the desert range of the Jebel Sahro in the south, the best area for trekking in winter along with the Anti Atlas. The Central Atlas is home to Morocco's second highest peak, Jebel Mgoun.Walking through the Atlas mountains from Mgoun to Toubkal, passing through rarely trekked areas, many tiny villages and across high plateau and ancient and discovering ancient rock carvings in the Toubkal National Park is an unforgetable experience.
Written by, Colin Kilkelly
For more information about a Toubkal National Park or a Tour to High Atlas Toubkal
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