Wendy’s Wanderers have just returned from an epic adventure.
After a night in Marrakech we were met by our G adventures CEO (chief experience officer) and our bus for the week
Our journey took us through the High Atlas mountains where we were all stunned to see snow, and incredible rock formations. Passing by villages,farms,kasbahs, trees in blossom and roadside life we eventually arrived in Ouarzazate. We enjoyed a traditional dinner (tagine,salad and fruit) with a musician
Next morning our first stop was at the world famous Atlas Film Studios where we enjoyed an informative tour and made some fun film snippets. After a delicious lunch stop we finally arrived at the edge of the desert to start our 2 hour trek to the first camp. All was fine until the thunder,lightening and rain descended!! The final half an hour was tough as we made our way over sand dunes with sand sticking to our shoes and we got wet! The first camp was tents with beds and lighting, we had a communal tent for eating/talking and the toilets were flushable with buckets of water (not very private though so we all got used to hearing what was going on lol) The catering team produced a wonderful dinner then entertained us with drums whilst we danced. It was too windy to sit out, a sandstorm meant night time visits to the toilet were interesting!
Next morning after a lovely breakfast the camels arrived. Thankfully the weather had settled and we all mounted our camels (not gracefully !) We gave them names and set off in the desert to our lunch stop 2 hours trek away. The camels were very high and kept stopping to pick at plant snacks along the way. It was very relaxing once we got used to it, however we all felt sore in places we didn’t know we had the next day lol. Lunch was beneath a tree in the middle of the desert, once again the catering team did an amazing job- salads,b reads, tagines, fruit all presented beautifully. Toilets were behind a bush and we spent a couple of hours lying in the shade under the tree relaxing and chatting. The 4x4s arrived and we went in convoy towards our next camp. On the way we saw a family of Ostrich with 10 babies, one of the ladies got out to take pictures and daddy ostrich came running after her- very funny! We arrived at our camp- small tents with a mattress and blankets- no beds, no electricity, no running water, no phone signal. We climbed the sand dune and watched the most incredible sunset, feeling very lucky to be there. After another delicious dinner (we dont know how they managed to produce such good food in the circumstances!) we dragged our mattresses outside and lay looking at the stars. The night sky was stunning- no lights, no noise, no aircraft just stars, planets, satellites and the moon. This experience will stay with me for a very long time. We all slept well, surprised us all, and I woke in time to see the sunrise from the top of a dune- another special moment. After breakfast we said goodbye to our team and drove in the jeeps back to the main road where we re-joined our bus. We drove a couple of hours to our lodge for the night- all glad to have a shower and proper loo but with full hearts.
Next morning it was sad to say goodbye to the desert, even though i always say i don’t do camping I truly loved the experience. First stop was a Berber pottery in a kasbah. We were shown how they still make pottery using traditional methods and natural dyes, of course we all bought wonderful souvenirs too. Next stop was at an Argan oil co operative, we were shown how they process the nuts into oils, foodstuffs and other products, again we all bought some lovely items knowing we were supporting women’s enterprise. The drive back through the mountains was interesting as it was snowing! Vehicles had gone off the road, windy wet roads were a little scary but our driver was very experienced and got us back to Marrakech safely.
We checked into our stunning Riad in the old town area and went shopping for ingredients for our cookery class. We made a tangia (very easy- throw it all in a pot) then we took them to a communal oven which we picked up the next day and ate at lunch
Our guide then took us on a food tour tasting ‘sandwiches’ olives, and soup, ending with drinks at sunset on a terrace over the main square. The souks are crazy- very narrow, full of people, mopeds zipping along, donkey and carts, sounds, smells, shops with everything from clothes and spices to goats heads and cows feet! The main square was full of restaurant stands, fruit stalls, hawkers, snake charmers and men with little monkeys on leads trying to persuade tourists to pay for photos. I found this appalling and urge anyone not to partake and encourage this cruel ‘business’
A few if us decided to experience a Hamman, apparently this is a feature of every day life for Moroccans. We went with bathing suits but found out we didn’t need them as we were handed a small piece of ‘fabric’ to cover our modesty! Boobs and bellies on show to the world we embraced the experience, after steam rooms, body scrubs, clay masks and massage oil along with copious buckets of water we came away with wonderfully soft skin and new body confidence. Obviously no photo evidence but fun memories and a recommendation to anyone visiting to have a go. Approx £30 for nearly 2 hours great value too.
We had a guided walking tour of Marrakech, which included a visit to the palace (the only one open to the public in Morocco) a visit to the secret garden, a pharmacy which described/sold the benefits of various herbs/spices and a tour of the souks.
Our last excursion was to the waterfalls at Ouzoud. Its a 2 hour bus ride from the city, after admiring views of the cascades that plunge 360 feet (110 meters) into the pool below we walked the path to the bottom where you can take a small boat trip up to the falls. There’s a lot of steps back up to the town where the bus waits.
My top tips
- Money- ATMs are available, some places only take cash. Currency is Moroccan Dirham, some places will also accept Euros, US$ or £GBP notes. It can be quite confusing so make sure you know which currency they are quoting and if you use £/$/Euro they may give you change in Dirham.
- Bartering in the souks is expected- aim for around half the starting price, enjoy the fun but remember a few pence to us may mean a lot to them.
- Food and drink-Lots of street food, look for the busy ones, they’re generally the best options. A guided food tour is a great way of experiencing this safely. We visited during Ramadan, there was no alcohol available at our camps or riad, we couldn’t buy any at a supermarket either. Bigger tourist hotels will serve alcohol to tourists. Be respectful of eating/drinking around guides observing Ramadan, they don’t mind but its nice to respect their rituals.
- Dress conservatively- be respectful, shoulder and knees covered, not tight fitting and not showing cleavage
- Take a head torch and good power bank for the desert adventure
- Take a supply of US$1 notes- great for tips and small purchases
- Closed toe shoes in the desert and check shoes before putting them back on (scorpions)
- Drink bottled water
- If you can speak a little French it helps, the main tourist areas speak good English, in the remote areas they speak Berber/French/Arabic
We can arrange city breaks to Marrakech, a guided tour of Morocco, seaside holidays in Agadir and much more
Contact us now to start planning your Moroccan adventure
