Morocco Retreat: Ouirgane

Start your Moroccan retreat with a welcome meeting in Marrakech at 11 am this morning, followed by the journey from the city to your accommodation in Ouirgane. Leaving the bustling streets of Marrakech in our rear-view mirror, take a deep breath as you reach the serene foothills of the High Atlas Mountains. Ouirgane is a place of peace and calm and a welcome escape from the action and chaos of Marrakech city life. Settle into your own oasis for the next few nights. Your retreat is a locally owned, traditional Imazighen guest house, built in time-honoured style and full of character with small touches that make a big difference. This places truly feels like a home away from home. The bar, reading room, rose bush-surrounded swimming pool, and backdrop of olive trees and mountain views make it hard to even leave, even just to explore for the day. Tonight, you will enjoy a traditional dinner at the guesthouse, with the smells of lamb tagine, homemade bread and oranges with cinnamon filling the air.

Enjoy breakfast today, make sure you eat enough to fuel your body for this morning’s half-day hike deep in the beautiful landscape of the High Atlas Mountains. You’ll navigate boulders and crags, running streams, and pass through traditional Amazigh villages on the way, waving to the villagers as they go about their daily lives. Take in the surrounds that feel beyond the reach of the modern world. The red earth hills and valleys are dotted with green pines and terraced farmlands of almond, cherry and apple trees. Learn more about local life here as you finish your hike and tuck into lunch with a local Amazigh family. Rest your legs back at the guesthouse with an afternoon to relax and soak up the atmosphere. Put your feet up and marvel at the views of lake and mountains before another delectable dinner this evening.

After breakfast this morning you’ll get a chance to learn the secrets and spices behind the delicious dishes you’ve been feasting on over the last couple of days. Join in with a cooking class at the guesthouse and get a demonstration of how to make Morocco’s signature tea, using mint grown right here in the garden. Then, because bread baking is a key part of Amazigh life, learn how they work the dough to make a special type of bread called tafarnout. If that wasn’t enough, get the inside info behind Morocco’s iconic (and incredibly tasty) tagine. Learn all the secret spices and techniques as it’s cooked outside over a wood fire. Then, enjoy the best part – eating everything you’ve helped create for lunch. The rest of the afternoon is yours, maybe ask your leader about joining one of the optional activities detailed below, or snooze off your lunch by the pool under the shade of a leafy tree.

This morning, make sure you really take in that view and make the most of the guesthouse and surrounds. After a final breakfast together, depart for Marrakech. On your way back, perhaps ask your Tour Leader about the Intrepid Foundation-backed project – which your trip is helping support – called Education For All, which helps girls from remote villages in this region access an education. Once we arrive in Marrakech, it’s time to part ways.