Morocco Tour Report - Family Adventure Holidays Worldwide
Mark Wright - Western Atlas Adventure Trip
Mark Wright travelled into the Western Atlas for the first time in May 2007.
"This was the most exhilarated I had felt in a long time. Not because of anything particularly energetic I'd done. But because of the excitement of knowing I had stumbled across something very special - a place and some people that would always be special in my memory.
My main reason for being in Morocco was to lead a family adventure holiday on the northern side of the Atlas. I'd had a few days in Marrakech (a city that seems to pulsate with energy) and decided I had just enough time to 'pop down' to Taroudant and head up into the tiny village of Afensou in the Western Atlas (you'll be lucky to find it on a map I am very pleased to say).
After an interesting shared taxi journey to the red-walled city of Taroudant, an enjoyable meeting and tajine lunch with our guide Ali, I then hitch-hiked a lift with a hilarious but mad French-man and found myself arriving in the lush green valleys and high mountains of the Western Atlas. Stopping the car half way up, we got out and listened. Silence. Pure and sweet. We stopped for half an hour or so to listen and chat in pigeon French and English. No other cars on this dirt road, no invasive noises. Just nature. The occasional verse of birdsong, a muezzin calling the faithful to prayer. Then more silence.
The Itinerary
- Day 1 - Fly to Agadir; drive to Taroudant.
- Day 2 - Taroudant; city tour and explore bazaar.
- Day 3 - Drive to mountain riad in Western Atlas village. Explore on foot.
- Day 4 - Walk to nearby village of Imoulas.
- Day 5/6 - Two day walk with overnight stays in Berber villages.
- Day 7 - Drive to Taroudant; free for shopping & souvenir hunting.
- Day 8 - Drive to Agadir; fly to London.
We continued and soon arrived at the 'auberge' where our groups stay. A wonderful, slightly ramshackle old Moroccan riad, built around a garden and pool with simple rooms but the warmest, smilingest, humblest hospitality I can remember since my early back-packing days in Asia when I was in my twenties.
A relaxed but wonderful evening followed. Course after course of simple, fine food; Berber instruments then appeared and we joined in with clapping, tambourines, drums and pipes. Stone cold sobre, we found ourselves dancing, laughing and singing the night away. Then, unbelievably, at midnight, another meal was served up. Well, it would have been rude not to tuck in again to a fine vegetable and lamb cous-cous...
The next morning I had to rise very early to make sure I caught a 'camionnette' - a small lorry, which would pass by on the track at six am. The proprietor of this remote hotel, the son of the friendly 'Haj' pictured here with our brochure, took me under his wing, gave me more mint tea and bread and walked me up to the track where the vehicle was 'coming soon, insh'allah'. We waited an hour. Two hours. You get to know a person quite well when you are both willing to communicate, even though we only shared about five common words of language. Good. Tres bon. Hello. Yes. Tranquil.
But how I enjoyed those hours of silence, birdsong, frogs croaking and no lorries or cars. Five hours it took for a vehicle to appear. Oh how good it was to be away from phone signals, meetings and deadlines. Just let nature take over and everything will be fine - this was the attitude to life here in the Western Atlas. The camionnette did eventually arrive, going in the opposite direction back up the mountain, but he said in Berber I could not understand to my host that he would be heading down to Taroudant in one hour. Insh'allah.
The next hour was even better. I had become a friend of my Berber landlord, so we walked back to the auberge, and I was invited into his simple, tiny kitchen where his wife, children and grandparents huddled around a kiln-type oven on a bare earth floor, cooking bread patties for guests and giggling nervously while we continued our mute conversations. I was humbled, privileged and awed. They had nothing, but were so content with their natural surroundings and simple lives
Filled with these memories, I found myself on the back of the camionette later with five goats an old woman and several children as we made our way back down the mountain to the 'civilized' world."
If you can, go to Afensou with us on our 'Walk in the Western Atlas trip'. But don't expect anything. It is simple, but pure. Facilities are far below normal European standards. Yet, there is something magical in this 'garden', it's a kind of paradise, but unlike anything I've ever known.
Trekking, Food and Drink
Walking starts off easy and then gradually increases in difficulty. The walk is taken slowly and there's plenty of shade. The food produced (on picnics and in hotels) was amazing and everybody ate extremely well and stayed healthy.
Note: Generally no alcohol ia available as it is Moslem country. There is plenty of mint tea, coke, fanta and bottled water.
Suggestions: As well as the above, we have other trips to choose from in Morocco. Anyone with very young children should go on our new Atlas Mule Train trip, which involves less walking each day. Children of seven and up will love the High Atlas Adventure. Prices start at £699 per adult including flights.