Hiking Morocco: The High Atlas Mountains
9 days, Marrakech to Marrakech
When arranging your transportation, such as flights, please take into consideration the below time restrictions for joining and departing from your group. With these times, we have taken into account travel time to/from the airport in the given destination and required time for check-in or baggage collection/immigration.
Itinerary
Day 1Marrakech
Arrive at any time. Attend a welcome meeting at the joining hotel in the evening before an optional group dinner to get to know your fellow travellers.
Your Welcome Moment: Welcome Moment - Meet Your CEO and Group
Your opportunity to meet your CEO and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Opt to join the group for a local meal afterwards. Don't forget to see the notice in the lobby (or ask reception) for the official time and place to meet up with the group.
Accommodation
Below is an example of the hotel we may use in this city. For the actual hotel your specific departure will be using, please check your voucher.
Hotel Meriem Marrakech (or similar)
Day 2Marrakech/Tiznit
Travel to Tiznit today, a town on the west coast of Morocco known for its silver jewelry, and mint daggers and sabres. Along the way stop for a visit to Souk EL Had and have lunch there on your own before continuing on. Visit the local silver market upon arrival and the historic medina in Tiznit. Spend the remainder of the day on your own to explore the narrow alleys and enjoy the town's gorgeous natural landscapes surrounded by mountains.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.There will be a lunch stop along the way at a souk where there will be many options to choose from.
Souk El Had Visit
Souk Lhad is the biggest souk (market) in Morocco’s city of Agadir. A popular place with locals and tourists alike. There are about 6,000 different stalls with vendors selling a wide assortment of Moroccan items from clothing and rugs to fresh fruits and vegetable. Wander the stalls, find some delicious treats to try, and soak in the beautiful atmosphere of a bustling market in Morocco.
Tiznit Silver Market Visit
Enjoy a visit to the local Silver Market in the town of Tiznit, on Morocco's western coast. This bustling market feature artisans crafting detailed jewelry pieces using traditional methods. Watch the process and ask questions to your CEO as the demonstration continues. Tiznit is also home to a historic medina enclosed by 19th-century ramparts and the town is full of narrow alleys and traditional Moroccan houses adorned with colourful tiles and ornate doors.
Free Time
Spend time on your own in Tiznit and explore the nature-lover's paradise. Gain a true sense of the western Moroccan countryside where it just about meets the ocean.
Accommodation
Idou Tiznit (or similar)
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 3Tiznit/Icht
Leave Tiznit behind and visit the Granaries of Tigida before travelling to the remote Berber oasis of Amtoudi. Here, the group will have lunch with a local family in the village. Stop by more granaries for a visit en route to Icht, a small town on the edge of the Sahara desert. Enjoy an optional group dinner tonight at the hotel.
Private Vehicle
Travel inland today via private vehicle between Tiznit and Icht. There will be stops along the way.
Guided Granaries visit
Visit the Granaries of Tigida before travelling to Amtoudi Village. Many granaries are abandoned throughout Morocco and they are an important part of the region's culture and heritage. They were used throughout history to store goods and defend communities. Their structures today are symbols of harmonious tribal organization. Later, after the lunch and before travelling to Icht, the group will spend time visiting more granaries in the area to gain a sense of their important components and differences.
Hike in the Area & Travel to Amtoudi Village for a Local Family Lunch
Take in the serene environment of the Anti-Atlas Mountains during a short hike in the area to stretch those legs. Then travel to the Amtoudi granaries and village itself to experience the Berber ways of storage. Sit down with a local family for lunch during your time here.
Accommodation
Borj Biramane (or similar)
Meals included:
Breakfast | LunchDay 4Icht/Zagora
Travel to Zagora today and visit Icht Village along the way for your underground tour. Your local guide will lead you on a walk around the area concluding with tea at their home in the village. Enjoy free time for lunch on your own in the town of Tata, and arrive in the desert landscape of Zagora in time to walk with your local guide to the comfortable desert camp. Enjoy welcome tea and pastries while you watch the sunset. Dinner will be served tonight at camp. Make sure you do some night sky gazing in a place with very little light pollution.
Private Vehicle
Sit back and relax as you enjoy the ride by private bus from Icht to the desert landscape pf Zagora. There will be stops along the way and plenty of time to find a place to eat lunch on your own in the charming town of Foum Zguid.
Icht Guided Tour
Hidden at the foot of Jbel Beni, the oasis of Icht is a beautiful green spot amid the severe terrain of the Anti-Atlas foothills. Home to the incredible architectural marvel of the underground village, Icht offers travellers the chance to explore its unique alleys and small doors on a guided tour of the area. Finish up with tea at your guide's home here and gain a deeper sense of life away from the city.
Desert Stay Experience - Zagora
After arriving to Zagora the group will walk through the desert landscape for about 2 hrs before having some welcome tea while enjoying a Moroccan sunset. Dinner will be had back at camp with the whole group and then you'll have a bonfire under the stars.
Accommodation
Hotel Zagour - Camp (or similar)
Meals included:
Breakfast | DinnerDay 5Zagora
Witness sunrise in the desert then have breakfast before departing camp via a camel ride through the dunes. Arrive to a local family's oasis and enjoy a traditional welcome before a cooking experience hand in hand with members of the family. Learn about their culture and lifestyle, as the group waits for lunch to be ready. Before heading back to Zagora, the group will visit an old library to learn about ancient books from The Middle East and Africa that are a thousand years old. Then, spend time at a pottery workshop in the village, and discover a unique and preserved way of shaping clay. Return to the dunes nearby for an epic sunset (if the weather allows).
Camel Ride
Hold on and enjoy a ride on this even-toed ungulate, also known as the desert horse. Bring your camera for some fantastic photos of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Your Foodie Moment: Cooking Demonstration and Lunch
Enjoy a welcome with dates, milk, and learn more about Moroccan sweets and dry fruits over tea. Afterwards, begin the cooking demonstration featuring regional specialties, and take part in the steps to create a delicious traditional meal for everyone to enjoy together.
Tamegroute Library Visit & Pottery Workshop
Drive to Tamegroute Village and visit the Old Nasiriya Library here to learn about the ancient books from The Middle East and Africa. Some are a thousand years old. Afterwards, attend a pottery workshop to discover the unique and preserved art of throwing clay in this village.
Accommodation
Hotel Zagour (or similar)
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 6Zagora/Aït Ben Haddou
In the morning begin your travels to Aït Ben Haddou. Stop along the way in Ouarzazate where the Atlas Film Studio is and take some free time for lunch on your own. Arrive at Aït Ben Haddou in the late afternoon and visit the Ksar, a group of earthen buildings surrounded by high walls. Enjoy the sunset at this spot before having dinner at the hotel with the group.
Private Vehicle
Sit back and scan the scenery from the comfort of your private vehicle between Zagora and Aït Ben Haddou. There will be a stop in Ouarzazate along the way where you will have time for lunch on your own.
Aït Ben Haddou Kasbah Tour
Explore the UNESCO World Heritage site and kasbah of Aït Ben Haddou, the most famous ksar in the Ounila Valley, located in the foothills of the southern slopes of the High Atlas Mountains. Of all the remaining kasbahs in Morocco, the walls and interior of this area are the most intact. It's a collective grouping of dwellings inside defensive walls and was once one of the many trading posts on the route linking Sudan to Marrakech. The kasbah still houses a few families, but many now live in the adjacent village. Like many of the earthen built fortresses in Ouarzazate, Aït Ben Haddou has been used in many film and television productions like Gladiator, Babel, and Game of Thrones.
Accommodation
La Rose du Sable Ait Benhaddou (or similar)
Meals included:
Breakfast | DinnerDay 7Aït Ben Haddou/Aït Bouguemez
Transfer to the town of Demnat this morning and embark on a hike from this cultural crossroads to the Imi nifri Waterfalls and impressive natural bridge. Arrive at Aït Bouguemez in the late afternoon and enjoy this beautiful part of Morocco in the High Atlas Mountains with its strong ties to Berber culture and traditions.
Private Vehicle
Sit back and enjoy the drive between Aït Ben Haddou and Aït Bouguemez with a stop along the way for a hike.
Iminifri Natural Bridge Hike
Hike to the “door to the cave” or Imi n’fri in the local Berber dialect. This natural rock bridge was formed by the collapse of an underground cave system. Hike for about an hour and half total and take in this impressive natural phenomenon from above and below, where the Wadi Méhasseur flows between the sheer, vertical rock walls. Walk down the steps to the cave and perhaps take a dip in the cold waters for a quick refreshing swim.
Accommodation
Hotel Touda Ecolodge (or similar)
Meals included:
Breakfast | DinnerDay 8Aït Bouguemez
Begin today’s hike around the valley and to the Granary of Tabat in the morning. Then have lunch with a local family before a free evening to enjoy the area on your own. Dinner is included at the hotel tonight.
Free Time
Enjoy free time in the beautiful valley setting of Aït Bouguemez on your own in the late afternoon and evening.
Aït Bouguemez Valley Hike & Granaries Visit
The Aït Bouguemez valley is enclosed by the towering High Atlas Mountains and a beautiful patchwork of fields stretched across the banks of a river. All throughout those fields are Berber villages continuing a traditional way of life. Walk through the valley on this hike and climb a nearby hill to visit the collective granary and learn a bit about the history of the structure and how the local villages utilized it to protect their harvests.
Accommodation
Hotel Touda Ecolodge (or similar)
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 9Aït Bouguemez/Marrakech
Head back to Marrakech today stopping by a G for Good project along the way for an introduction to the work being done in the local community. The tour ends upon arrival in Marrakech.
Please do not book onward travel prior to 6pm.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Your G for Good Moment: Zarbiat Achbarou Cooperative Visit
On the way back to Marrakech the group will stop at the Zarbiat Achbarou Cooperative for a visit and to learn more about the work this G Adventures-supported initiative is doing to support the local community and preserve cultural heritage. First see the organic tree nursery started alongside a historic Jewish cemetery, and learn more about the project while having lunch and talking with the women who are gaining financial independence here as part of the community.