What an amazing experience from start to finish!!
We were picked up at 7.30am by our guide Ismail, who has to be the most energetic person I have ever met — especially at that time of the morning. He was full of chat, questions and information from the get go.
We picked up two other couples, and off we went to our first stop — an argan women’s co-op, where we had a lovely Moroccan breakfast of homemade breads, olive oil, honey, amlou and of course tea.
The women from the co-op then explained how they use argan and its benefits for both food and cosmetics.
Our next stop was Ourika Valley for some Moroccan coffee beside the river. This was a lovely chilled experience, and the group were able to unwind and get to know one another.
Ismail was a brilliant guide and he stopped many times along the journey to allow us to take pictures of the beautiful surroundings. He gave us so much information, not only local knowledge and about Morocco, but also knew so much random trivia. One thing that shines through about Ismail is his kindness. He made sure to have lollipops with him to give out along the drive to local children — they all knew him and gave him their requests of colouring books for the next time he was passing.
We stopped in Tizaoute in the Atlas Mountains for a hike with local guide Yassine. Yassine explained the area to us, and how the local Berber families live. He even brought us to visit a local Berber house to give us more of an insight. We hiked with Yassine for over an hour and a half, and worked up a hunger for our lunch.
When we reached Tamessoulte, we were greeted by Khadija and her family for a Berber style lunch. The food was absolutely incredible (soup, salad, chicken tagine and couscous, and fruit for dessert). The view from Khadija’s rooftop was even better. Such a lovely afternoon spent here.
We then travelled back through the valleys to Marrakech, stopping on the way back for a photo of Mt. Toukal — Northern Africa’s highest point.
This has got to be one of the best day trips I have ever done. Thank you so much to Ismail for everything. Such a beautiful day getting to learn more about the Moroccan way of life.