When my dad and I visited Marrakech, we left the city for a day trip into the Atlas Mountains and Agafay Desert. We saw many unique sites and met a whole bunch of wonderful people along the way! It was a packed day. Here’s a recap of all we experienced!
We started at a women’s co-op where we learned how argan oil is made and its many uses. From cooking to medicinal purposes, I had no idea how versatile this little nut was! We were given some tea and bread as we listened to the women speak all about how argan products are prepared.
Next we were headed to the mountains. Even though cars and vans were flying down the roads there were still plenty of people herding their goats or leading their mules alongside the road as well. You don’t see that everyday!
After our group met our guide, we began the trek around the valley. You could tell that as far as tourism goes, there was still a lot to be developed here. The trails were not really trails, more like paths the locals use to get around, which include the occasional wobbly wood bridge over a gushing streams. After walking along these unmarked paths for a while, our first pit stop landed us at a beautiful waterfall!
Our hike continued as our very friendly guide told explained to us a lot of history about the Berber people, the indigenous people of North Africa. It was quite a unique landscape, both physically and culturally, and the history was fascinating to engage in. We also got a great view of Mount Toubkal, the highest peak in North Africa!
After our lunch at a restaurant that was bustling with life from all the tourists visiting, our guide kindly invited us into his home for some “Berber whiskey,” aka mint tea. We had learned this term earlier in the day from our driver, who had mentioned that because alcohol is forbidden for most Muslims, mint tea is their preferred drink of choice 🙂
I don’t think any of us were expecting to walk as much as we did and gain so much elevation! The drive out of the Atlas Mountains and into the Agafay Desert was therefore a quiet one… I may have been the only one who didn’t fall asleep at some point, as my eyes were pretty hooked on the dry and dusty landscape we were driving through. But by the time we arrived at our next destination, we all regained our energy.
Because it was the hottest time of the day, our camel ride was only about a half hour. That was fine with all of us, anyone who has ever ridden a camel knows that the saddle is not the most comfortable thing in the world!
What a memorable way to end the day!