Morocco: Marrakech, Foothills of the High Atlas & Essaouira

High Atlas; 3-5 miles, easy to moderate

Breakfast is included at your hotel. Your guide(s) meet you at 8:30 a.m. in the lobby of your Marrakech hotel. Your guide(s) will be wearing a Country Walkers shirt. Please be dressed for walking.

Transfer this morning via 4×4 vehicle to the town of Amizmiz, nestled in the foothills of the stunning High Atlas Mountains. This magnificent range is a surprise to many travelers who typically associate Morocco with endless desert sands. But they evoke their own inspiring beauty and drama—the tallest peak, Jbel Toubkal, soars to 13,671 feet! For its part, Amizmiz is a social hub for the mountainous Berber villages of the region, hosting a weekly souk, or market. Life is lived here much as it has been for centuries; while here, you will witness a Moroccan mountain life that few travelers see.

Upon arrival, you set out into the countryside of lush pine forests as snow-capped mountains rise in the distance. Throughout the day’s trek, you walk past clay Berber houses, perhaps encountering villagers as they bake (and package) traditional anise cookies to bring to market or put finishing touches on pottery and clay tagine pots to be heated in the sun. As is tradition, you are sure to be invited for mint tea or even lunch in one of the modest homes.

After a rewarding walk among the spectacular foothills, you arrive at your hilltop retreat late afternoon, modeled after the many kasbahs that grace the area. Enjoy a welcome drink in the lovely gardens, then settle in to your room, adorned with locally made carpets and textiles and pottery from nearby villages. Dinner tonight is at the cozy restaurant.

Accommodation: Kasbah Angour, Tahnaout

6 miles, easy to moderate, 1,000-1,200 ft. elevation gain and loss

Rise to the songs of chaffinch or skylark as the sun emerges from behind the Atlas Mountains. Get fueled for a morning of walking with fresh juice, café au lait, Moroccan pancakes or cooked eggs. Thus energized, lace up your shoes for a hike that leads you into pristine wilderness and delivers you to nearby villages. A local guide joins you and provides insight into village life and the small and large natural wonders you’ll witness along the way.

Begin with a descent along a rocky trail before a short climb into the village of Agadir, who name translates into “granary.” Indeed, you will see much farmland here, likely passing by locals plowing the land with mules and Berber women shepherding goats, collecting wood and picking fresh fruit—cherries in the spring and apples in the fall. Alfalfa, lentils and other crops are cultivated here, too, all against a stunning backdrop of the Haouz Plain and rugged mountains—including Jbel Toubkal. (Guests seeking a short walk option this morning can retrace their steps from the village of Agadir back up the hill to the hotel for a relaxing morning at the kasbah.)

Continue along a lovely small valley that points you into a lightly forested area of Toubkal National Park. Overhead, you might spot kestrel and hawks taking wing while below your footfalls, you might spot the shimmering quartz stones of orange, white and sky-blue for which the region is known. Pass clusters of dwarf palm, pine and juniper trees and cork oak trees to Outghal, a remarkably picturesque village of baked-earth houses that seamlessly blend into the surrounding clay and rocks. Locals here are likely to be busy with daily chores or preparing lunch by the time you arrive. You might ask about the time Tom Cruise and his film crew came by to film one of his Mission: Impossible movies.

Your driver (and minibus) meets you here for your return to the hotel, where a lunch of omelets, lentil stew and vegetables waits. Your afternoon is free to enjoy the amenities and spectacular setting and culture of the property. Tonight, savor a bountiful dinner of grilled lamb or chicken kebabs or a tagine with savory vegetables. Before retiring, be sure to spend time gazing into the sky, a glittering blanket of stars in the Moroccan night.

Accommodation: Kasbah Angour, Tahnaout

5 miles, easy to moderate

Leave your kasbah accommodation behind this morning as you transfer to your next breathtaking destination. You traverse deep-cut valleys past tiny villages clinging to hillsides. Emerald-green terraces spilling down steep slopes are cultivated by local Berbers here. The starting point for today’s walk was once an important stop along the caravan route to and from Marrakech. Your footpath leads you through diverse terrain. Past an old salt mine, you mingle with patches of cactus and olive, juniper and eucalyptus trees. Carob, fig and walnut trees appear as you approach a small hamlet that has only recently been equipped with electricity and running water. From here, a dirt path follows dry river beds into a landscape that might remind you of the American Southwest: red sandstone rock formations rising from the red earth. Marvel at their sheer drama as you make your way past villages that took their names from the valley’s salt mines. Later, arrive at your next hotel, a charming, rose-festooned treasure renowned for its cuisine. You can find out why in fast order as you sit down for a lunch that incorporates fresh produce grown on the property.

After a relaxing afternoon here, gather for a generous dinner of traditional couscous and an array of salads. Perhaps begin with zaâlouk, a smoky fried eggplant and tomato salad (zaâlouk literally means “crushed” in Arabic) and cooked baby carrots with coriander.

Accommodation: Domaine de La Roseraie, Ouirgane

7 miles, easy to moderate, 1,000-ft. elevation gain

Take your delicious breakfast on the outdoor terrace if you wish, savoring a piping hot café au laid (coffee with steamed milk). Then set off on foot directly from the hotel on a rewarding loop that connects several neighboring villages. Today’s trail leads you into the pine forests of the Ouirgane Valley, with ample opportunity to pause and admire spectacular views. After a sustained (30-minute) climb, you traverse a few villages (including one whose minaret rises not far from its synagogue, reflecting the history of the Jewish and Islamic populations living side by side.) You arrive to a charming hamlet, where a Berber family invites you for a lunch of home-prepared favorites. After, you return to your hotel by foot, enjoying a walk through a landscape thick with olive, walnut and plum trees. (Those preferring a shorter (1-mile) walk today can walk to the lunch stop and back to the hotel with the group.)

Spend the remainder of the day relaxing by the pool, enjoying the gardens or heading out on a horseback ride. You may also treat yourself to a massage or indulge in treatments at the hotel’s onsite hammam. The Domaine de la Roseraie is the only hotel in the Atlas Mountains to have a full spa. This evening, sample more of its renowned cuisine, paired with Moroccan wines.

Accommodation: Domaine de La Roseraie, Ouirgane

.5 mile, easy vineyard walk

Linger over a leisurely breakfast and café au lait before departing the Atlas Mountains. This morning’s transfer (about 4 hours total) delivers you to the Atlantic coast to the former Portuguese stronghold of Mogador, today’s Essaouira. En route, though, you stop outside the town of Ounagha to tour and have lunch at Morocco’s first organic vineyard, the Domaine du Val d’Argan. This 128-acre winery was founded by Charles Melia, a seasoned winemaker from France’s Rhône Valley—Châteauneuf-du-Pape, to be precise. He brings his expertise in the famed Rhône varieties to his vineyard and is also discovering the joys of Marselan, a Grenache-Cabernet hybrid. In all, he produces a range of red, white and rosé labels, plus the typical vin gris, or gray wine, of Morocco. Many of his wines are offered on menus in Essaouira and Marrakech. Settle in to the onsite restaurant for a tasting with your lunch, enjoying sweeping views of the vineyard and olive groves. Perhaps the resident camels will be out ploughing the land to add to the ambiance.

You soon arrive in Essaouira, an important trading port since ancient times. Its vibrant medina and walls were designed in the 18th century by a French prisoner of the sultan. His city plan won him his freedom. Today, this fortress city, whose names derives from the Arabic for “rampart,” is a treasure trove of art galleries, atmospheric passageways and kite-surfers taking to the water.

Many of the city’s old riads—grand mansions built around a central courtyard—were converted into fashionable inns. You end your day at one of them—Heure Bleue Palais—your home-away-from-home in the heart of Essaouira. Step out for an early evening stroll to one of the many cafés or restaurants in town, or enjoy dinner on your own at one of the restaurants within your luxury hotel

Accommodation: Heure Bleue Palais, Essaouira

2-3 miles, easy

Spend your final full day exploring Essaouira on foot. Step into its medina directly from your hotel to take in its sensory delights: Watch for marquetry crafts carved from indigenous thuya wood and vibrant canvases painted by Gnaoua artists while they were under mystical trances.
Fragrant spices, traditionally woven carpets, brass lamps, colorful Moroccan babouche slippers and artwork from local artists are all here. Oil made from the local argan nut, said to be an all-purpose beauty treatment, is also sold here. In the mellah, or Jewish quarter of the medina, you may step inside the synagogue, so long as the keeper of the key is in the neighborhood! Your walking tour ends on the waterfront, where you savor the catch of the day for lunch. Later, head to the beach for an unforgettable camel ride on the sands as the sun sets over the Atlantic.

This evening, rejoin your group for a sumptuous farewell dinner in the hotel’s romantic candle-lit restaurant, adorned with red velvet chairs and colorful carpets. Depending on the season, your feast includes traditional flaky pastry pastilla, traditional lamb with Berber couscous or a freshly caught fish tagine, all prepared with organically-farmed vegetables and paired with fine Moroccan wines—perhaps from the vineyard you visited yesterday.

Accommodation: Heure Bleue Palais, Essaouira

After enjoying a leisurely breakfast, and perhaps a final stroll through the medina or to the port, transfer to the Hotel Sofitel Marrakech Lounge & Spa for your post-tour overnight. Lunch and dinner are on your own today.

Country Walkers provides you with City Information that includes recommendations on what to see and do in Marrakech during your stay.

Accommodation: Sofitel Marrakech Lounge & Spa

High Atlas; 3-5 miles, easy to moderate

Your guide(s) meet you at 8:30 a.m. in the lobby of the designated meeting point hotel in Marrakech. Your guide(s) will be wearing a Country Walkers shirt. Please be dressed for walking.

Transfer this morning via 4×4 vehicle to the town of Amizmiz, nestled in the foothills of the stunning High Atlas Mountains. This magnificent range is a surprise to many travelers who typically associate Morocco with endless desert sands. But they evoke their own inspiring beauty and drama—the tallest peak, Jbel Toubkal, soars to 13,671 feet! For its part, Amizmiz is a social hub for the mountainous Berber villages of the region, hosting a weekly souk, or market. Life is lived here much as it has been for centuries; while here, you will witness a Moroccan mountain life that few travelers see.

Upon arrival, you set out into the countryside of lush pine forests as snow-capped mountains rise in the distance. Throughout the day’s trek, you walk past clay Berber houses, perhaps encountering villagers as they bake (and package) traditional anise cookies to bring to market or put finishing touches on pottery and clay tagine pots to be heated in the sun. As is tradition, you are sure to be invited for mint tea or even lunch in one of the modest homes.

After a rewarding walk among the spectacular foothills, you arrive at your hilltop retreat late afternoon, modeled after the many kasbahs that grace the area. Enjoy a welcome drink in the lovely gardens, then settle in to your room, adorned with locally made carpets and textiles and pottery from nearby villages. Dinner tonight is at the cozy restaurant.

Accommodation: Kasbah Angour, Tahnaout

6 miles, easy to moderate, 1,000-1,200 ft. elevation gain and loss

Rise to the songs of chaffinch or skylark as the sun emerges from behind the Atlas Mountains. Get fueled for a morning of walking with fresh juice, café au lait, Moroccan pancakes or cooked eggs. Thus energized, lace up your shoes for a hike that leads you into pristine wilderness and delivers you to nearby villages. A local guide joins you and provides insight into village life and the small and large natural wonders you’ll witness along the way.

Begin with a descent along a rocky trail before a short climb into the village of Agadir, who name translates into “granary.” Indeed, you will see much farmland here, likely passing by locals plowing the land with mules and Berber women shepherding goats, collecting wood and picking fresh fruit—cherries in the spring and apples in the fall. Alfalfa, lentils and other crops are cultivated here, too, all against a stunning backdrop of the Haouz Plain and rugged mountains—including Jbel Toubkal. (Guests seeking a short walk option this morning can retrace their steps from the village of Agadir back up the hill to the hotel for a relaxing morning at the kasbah.)

Continue along a lovely small valley that points you into a lightly forested area of Toubkal National Park. Overhead, you might spot kestrel and hawks taking wing while below your footfalls, you might spot the shimmering quartz stones of orange, white and sky-blue for which the region is known. Pass clusters of dwarf palm, pine and juniper trees and cork oak trees to Outghal, a remarkably picturesque village of baked-earth houses that seamlessly blend into the surrounding clay and rocks. Locals here are likely to be busy with daily chores or preparing lunch by the time you arrive. You might ask about the time Tom Cruise and his film crew came by to film one of his Mission: Impossible movies.

Your driver (and minibus) meets you here for your return to the hotel, where a lunch of omelets, lentil stew and vegetables waits. Your afternoon is free to enjoy the amenities and spectacular setting and culture of the property. Tonight, savor a bountiful dinner of grilled lamb or chicken kebabs or a tagine with savory vegetables. Before retiring, be sure to spend time gazing into the sky, a glittering blanket of stars in the Moroccan night.

Accommodation: Kasbah Angour, Tahnaout

5 miles, easy to moderate

Leave your kasbah accommodation behind this morning as you transfer to your next breathtaking destination. You traverse deep-cut valleys past tiny villages clinging to hillsides. Emerald-green terraces spilling down steep slopes are cultivated by local Berbers here. The starting point for today’s walk was once an important stop along the caravan route to and from Marrakech. Your footpath leads you through diverse terrain. Past an old salt mine, you mingle with patches of cactus and olive, juniper and eucalyptus trees. Carob, fig and walnut trees appear as you approach a small hamlet that has only recently been equipped with electricity and running water. From here, a dirt path follows dry river beds into a landscape that might remind you of the American Southwest: red sandstone rock formations rising from the red earth. Marvel at their sheer drama as you make your way past villages that took their names from the valley’s salt mines. Later, arrive at your next hotel, a charming, rose-festooned treasure renowned for its cuisine. You can find out why in fast order as you sit down for a lunch that incorporates fresh produce grown on the property.

After a relaxing afternoon here, gather for a generous dinner of traditional couscous and an array of salads. Perhaps begin with zaâlouk, a smoky fried eggplant and tomato salad (zaâlouk literally means “crushed” in Arabic) and cooked baby carrots with coriander.

Accommodation: Domaine de La Roseraie, Ouirgane

7 miles, easy to moderate, 1,000-ft. elevation gain

Take your delicious breakfast on the outdoor terrace if you wish, savoring a piping hot café au laid (coffee with steamed milk). Then set off on foot directly from the hotel on a rewarding loop that connects several neighboring villages. Today’s trail leads you into the pine forests of the Ouirgane Valley, with ample opportunity to pause and admire spectacular views. After a sustained (30-minute) climb, you traverse a few villages (including one whose minaret rises not far from its synagogue, reflecting the history of the Jewish and Islamic populations living side by side.) You arrive to a charming hamlet, where a Berber family invites you for a lunch of home-prepared favorites. After, you return to your hotel by foot, enjoying a walk through a landscape thick with olive, walnut and plum trees. (Those preferring a shorter (1-mile) walk today can walk to the lunch stop and back to the hotel with the group.)

Spend the remainder of the day relaxing by the pool, enjoying the gardens or heading out on a horseback ride. You may also treat yourself to a massage or indulge in treatments at the hotel’s onsite hammam. The Domaine de la Roseraie is the only hotel in the Atlas Mountains to have a full spa. This evening, sample more of its renowned cuisine, paired with Moroccan wines.

Accommodation: Domaine de La Roseraie, Ouirgane

.5 mile, easy vineyard walk

Linger over a leisurely breakfast and café au lait before departing the Atlas Mountains. This morning’s transfer (about 4 hours total) delivers you to the Atlantic coast to the former Portuguese stronghold of Mogador, today’s Essaouira. En route, though, you stop outside the town of Ounagha to tour and have lunch at Morocco’s first organic vineyard, the Domaine du Val d’Argan. This 128-acre winery was founded by Charles Melia, a seasoned winemaker from France’s Rhône Valley—Châteauneuf-du-Pape, to be precise. He brings his expertise in the famed Rhône varieties to his vineyard and is also discovering the joys of Marselan, a Grenache-Cabernet hybrid. In all, he produces a range of red, white and rosé labels, plus the typical vin gris, or gray wine, of Morocco. Many of his wines are offered on menus in Essaouira and Marrakech. Settle in to the onsite restaurant for a tasting with your lunch, enjoying sweeping views of the vineyard and olive groves. Perhaps the resident camels will be out ploughing the land to add to the ambiance.

You soon arrive in Essaouira, an important trading port since ancient times. Its vibrant medina and walls were designed in the 18th century by a French prisoner of the sultan. His city plan won him his freedom. Today, this fortress city, whose names derives from the Arabic for “rampart,” is a treasure trove of art galleries, atmospheric passageways and kite-surfers taking to the water.

Many of the city’s old riads—grand mansions built around a central courtyard—were converted into fashionable inns. You end your day at one of them—Heure Bleue Palais—your home-away-from-home in the heart of Essaouira. Step out for an early evening stroll to one of the many cafés or restaurants in town, or enjoy dinner on your own at one of the restaurants within your luxury hotel

Accommodation: Heure Bleue Palais, Essaouira

2-3 miles, easy

Spend your final full day exploring Essaouira on foot. Step into its medina directly from your hotel to take in its sensory delights: Watch for marquetry crafts carved from indigenous thuya wood and vibrant canvases painted by Gnaoua artists while they were under mystical trances.
Fragrant spices, traditionally woven carpets, brass lamps, colorful Moroccan babouche slippers and artwork from local artists are all here. Oil made from the local argan nut, said to be an all-purpose beauty treatment, is also sold here. In the mellah, or Jewish quarter of the medina, you may step inside the synagogue, so long as the keeper of the key is in the neighborhood! Your walking tour ends on the waterfront, where you savor the catch of the day for lunch. Later, head to the beach for an unforgettable camel ride on the sands as the sun sets over the Atlantic.

This evening, rejoin your group for a sumptuous farewell dinner in the hotel’s romantic candle-lit restaurant, adorned with red velvet chairs and colorful carpets. Depending on the season, your feast includes traditional flaky pastry pastilla, traditional lamb with Berber couscous or a freshly caught fish tagine, all prepared with organically-farmed vegetables and paired with fine Moroccan wines—perhaps from the vineyard you visited yesterday.

Accommodation: Heure Bleue Palais, Essaouira

After breakfast, you transfer to the Sofitel Marrakech Lounge & Spa. After arriving at around 1:00 p.m., your tour concludes and you may make connections by air or rail or continue your explorations independently. Or, keep your explorations going with Country Walkers with an extension in Fès, the cultural and spiritual heart of Morocco.