Nourish yourself in Southern Morocco
This eco-holiday in Southern Morocco is a chance to relax and renew, amid the warm land and people of Southern Morocco, learning from Nature, to grow your wellbeing from the roots up. This trip combines a truly magical holiday with some optional inner and group exploration, including meditation, Nature walks, and mini workshop sessions.
Our outer adventures will include sharing music, food and social time with the local Berber people, whose daily life is rooted in closeness to Nature, and the warmth of true community. We’ll have four days in the charming town of Taroudant, where we can visit the hammam (steam baths), the souk (traditional market), and craft and conservation projects which our hosts are supporting. We then have a three-day trip into the High Atlas Mountains, staying in Toubkal National Park at an eco-lodge with swimming pool and its own hammam, surrounded by amazing scenery.
Our inner adventures (all optional) can include…
- Using parallels with Nature and time in Nature to nourish your inner ecosystem: e.g. feed your roots; compost the stress; learn from wild margins.
- Space for solo time and future visioning with optional support from Alan
- Opening to the wisdom and support of the group, of magical landscapes and our host community
Alan Heeks has been helping people and work teams to grow their wellbeing and resilience by learning from Nature for many years. Alan has been leading groups for many years, which have been much appreciated for the nourishment, expansiveness and insights they bring. He has a deep love for the people and lands of North Africa and has led many groups here. Alan is also expert at linking inspiration to everyday life, through Nature, meditation and other methods.
Our Hosts are Holidays with Heart: we will spend 4 nights at their award-winning guest house in the delightful small town of Taroudant, well away from mass tourism, but only an hour from Agadir airport. Holidays with Heart have top ratings for responsible tourism including sustainability (Green Key certified) and active support for local community, craft and conservation projects, which you will have a chance to visit. They organise our entire visit, with their own highly experienced drivers and guides.
THE ROOTS OF JOY Nourish your body, heart and soul in Southern Morocco
PRACTICAL INFO & BOOKINGS
Holidays with Heart is run by Moroccan staff and owned by conservationist Jane Bayley, who has 25 years’ experience in Morocco. Feel safe thanks to the care of the English-speaking Moroccan staff, good medical facilities (no compulsory vaccinations), the exceptional menu of local healthy food, safe water, a small relaxed and friendly town with few tourists. Good WiFi and mobile network. Short, inexpensive flights; road transfers with their own safe drivers.
Taroudant is an ancient walled market town little visited by tourists and with shopper-friendly souks, and enjoys the best winter climate in Morocco due to its southerly setting in the fertile Souss Valley. The source of an abundance of fruit and vegetables, it lies between contrasting mountain landscapes: the majestic High Atlas and the extraordinary Anti-Atlas (bordering the Sahara).
Weather: Late October is a great time to visit Taroudant, average temperatures are 22°C max, 12°C min.
Morocco: An exceptionally friendly, safe country, and vaccinations are not a requirement of entry.
Travel: If you choose to fly: The recommended flights are EasyJet from Gatwick to Agadir, on Tuesday morning 22nd. Return on 29th from Marrakech to Gatwick. Those travelling from Germany will find a wider choice of flights to Marrakech; we will quote a fair price to pick you up there (varies with numbers – about £20 each). If you choose to travel overland: www.seat61.com/Morocco.htm explains how.
Want to Extend Your Holiday? If you’d like a slightly longer trip, you might wish to time in Marrakesh or on the Atlantic Coast (for example at Essaouira, easily reached by public transport). It will be most practical to do this after the 29th.
Approximate Cost: £620 sharing a twin/double (single supplement £145)
Includes: 4 nights at La Maison Anglaise, 3 nights at Ouirgane in the High Atlas Mountains; breakfast and evening meals*; all transport including airport transfers from Agadir airport & to Marrakech airport; 1 excursion from Taroudant, a 4 days/3 nights tour, 2 cultural experiences (the most popular being hammam visit and ride around town in a horse drawn taxi); Alan’s tuition.
* dinners at La Maison Anglaise are vegetarian, with meal and fish available for a small supplement; meat or fish included in cost at Ouirgane) ** Excludes: travel insurance, tips, lunches, drinks while on tour and flights. Flights from the UK with Easyjet cost from £80 return if booked early. We tell you as soon as the flights are released.