- Flights from London with TAP Air Portugal
- Airport taxes
- Transfers
- Transport around Morocco in Air-conditioned mini-bus with local driver
- 2 Nights Accommodation in Berber houses while trekking
- 7 Nights Accommodation in 3 star hotels or Riyad (based on twin/triple share) in Casablanca, Marrakech & Essaouira.
- Services of mountain guide, cook and mules to carry luggage while trekking
- 9 Breakfasts, 3 Lunches and 2 Dinners
- Services of fully trained, English speaking local Tour leader.
High Atlas Mountains & Atlantic Coast
This fantastic 11 days tour starts and finishes in the Casablanca city, and includes a 3 days walking from Imlil to reach the Setti Fatma in the beautiful Ourika Valley. Then drive to the south Atlantic coast and have 2 full days free so you can relax on the magnificent beach and explore the walled town, or you can hire windsurfing, kite surfing or surfboarding equipment and hit the ocean. We then explore the Atlantic coast, visiting the rock arches near Sidi Ifni, Souss-Massa National Park and the fishing village of Mirleft. We then arrive back in Marrakech to sample the best the city has to offer. We stay in a Riyad in the medina and travel in A/C minibus with a local tour leader & driver.
Meet in the airport of Casablanca and transfer to your hotel. Overnight on BB.
After breakfast, we visit the Hassan II Mosque and head to Marrakech. Once you are checked into your Riad. You will make a walk to the famous main Djemaa el-Fna square where you can enjoy the hustle and bustle of Moroccan life and go to visit the Market in the “Souq” and you can eat with the locals at the open air food stalls.
After breakfast we will depart for the one hour drive to the secluded mountain village of Imlil (elevation 1740 meters). Imlil is the trekking headquarters for the high Atlas, and is a great place to buy any last minute supplies. From Imlil we will trek to the Berber village of Tachdirth. The trek should take around 5 hours and we walk through fields of barley and orchards of walnuts , apple and cherry trees, though pine and juniper woods. We also walk through many Berber villages, including Wanskra and Amagdoul. We stay overnight in a gite d’etape
After an early breakfast we start our hike to the terraced village of Timichi (1850m), and walk uphill to Tizin’Tachdirth (3200m), which affords us a stunning panoramic views of the surrounding mountains. We stop for our picnic lunch at the Berber village of Iaabbassen (2030m), and then continue the trek down the valley to the old village of timichi, a charming terraced pisé conglomeration of homes set amongst ancient nut trees, where we will have our dinner and overnight in a Berber family’s home.
After breakfast we set out for a 4 to 5 hours hike eastwards down along the valley full of cornfields and walnuts groves, with many streams flowing down from the upper slopes, passing through the villages of Anfli and Tadrart to arrive at the end of beautiful Ourika valley proper and the renowned Berber village of Setti Fadma ,with its ancient nut trees and waterfalls. We shall stop for our picnic just outside of the village, before hiking for anothehalf hour to get to the vehicle. Once back at the minibus, we will drive to the stunning Atlantic coast town of Essaouira where we will stay overnight.
Free day in Essaouira, for you to explore the narrow lanes, whitewashed houses with blue painted doors, tranquil squares, pleasant cafes and many art galleries at your leisure. The town is pretty compact, so you can walk from the Madina to the beautiful 10km beach in minutes. If you want to be more active, you can hire windsurfing, kite surfing or surfboarding equipment and hit the ocean.
Another free day in Essaouira for you to relax around town or take advantage of some of the best water sport conditions in Africa. You can also jump in a taxi (not included) and see the small Berber village of Diabat, which became a legend among hippies in the 1960s after a visit by Jimi Hendrix.
Today we head south along the dramatically beautiful coastal road, visiting the Souss-Massa National Park which contains a series of spectacular landscapes from cliffs, dunes and inland forests. We visit the stunning rock arches of Legzira beach, and spend time in the laidback and slightly funky fishing village of Mirleft. We then head back to the hustle and bustle of Marakech where we stay overnight.
This morning we take a traditional afternoon horse and carriage half day tour of Marrakesh, including the Menara garden, the Saadian tombs, the Bahia Palace, the Koutoubia Mosque and the Dar Si Said Museum. The half day tour finishes back at Djemaa el-Fna square where we have a lunch and you have the afternoon free to buy any last minute souvenirs. This evening we have a last night out together before saying goodbye tomorrow.
