The ultimate family activity holiday, combining mountains and surf and all just 4 hours away from the UK. Trek in the High Atlas Mountains, soak up some culture in Marrakech and then hit the surf on this unique week long adventure.
Tailor-made Adventure 8 days
'From Price' is the average price per person for ground arrangements for a family of four (two adults + two children under 12).
Flights are typically an additional $253 per person economy class from London
Our holidays are rated 5.0 out of 5 stars
…We were really happy with the service we got from Tourdust which can be best described as friendly, efficient and expert.....
Matthew McSweeney. See all Reviews
This Morocco family holiday has been designed with active parents and children in mind. The first two days are spent trekking in the High Atlas Mountains in the stunning Imlil and Imnane Valleys. With an extra mule in case the children get tired, the hiking is hard work, but affords some amazing views. After over-nighting in a rural village and a further days trekking, you will return to Marrakech the following evening. The main square in the Medina, the Djemma El Fna, is the perfect first evening for the whole family, with snake charmers, acrobats and musicians to amuse you all and get you in the holiday spirit. After a day of leisure in Marrakech, spent visiting the souks and local sights, you will transfer to the coast and the pretty coastal resort of Sidi Kaouki for 3 days of surfing. During your stay, you will have daily lessons and also plenty of time to practice your technique and to enjoy the laid-back surfing culture.
Please note: Sleeping bags are required for this trek.
DAY 1: ARRIVAL & TRANSFER TO ATLAS MOUNTAINS
You will be picked up from Marrakech airport and transferred to the small town of Imlil in the Atlas Mountains. Your first night is spent in a friendly family run guest house where you will enjoy a traditional Moroccan dinner on the roof terrace (weather permitting)
Meals Included: Dinner
Accommodation: Dar Adrar
Transport (where relevant): Private Transfer
DAY 2: TREK DAY 1
Imlil – Tizi h’Mzik (2,489m)- Tizi Oussem After breakfast, you will meet your guide and muleteer. Once you have loaded up your bags, the mule and cook set off together, taking a head-start to pick a perfect picnic spot and start cooking your lunch. You will also start on your trek, heading in a westerly direction towards the Tizi h’Mzik mountain pass (2,489m). After a steady climb you will be rewarded with beautiful views of the Imlil valley (behind you) and the Azzadene Valley (to the front). From the pass you will traverse towards the head of the Azzadene Valley and the lovely D’Irhoulidene waterfalls which flow year round. You’ll then head down to the Berber village of Tizi Oussem, where you will spend the night in a rustic Gite. On your descent keep an eye out for the mountain goats who daringly climb up the Juniper trees to reach the berries! Approx. 5-6 hours walking (649m ascent & 749m descent)
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Village gite / camping
Transport (where relevant): n/a
DAY 3: TREK DAY 2 & TRANSFER TO MARRAKECH
Tizi Oussem – Tizi Oudite (2,219m) – Imlil - Marrakech After an early breakfast you’ll trek up to the Tizi Oudite mountain pass at (2,219m). On the ascent you can take in views of the valley and the red clay Berber villages clinging to the mountain sides. As you reach the top of the pass you will find yourself in Mediterranean-esque scenery; surrounded by Juniper trees, low shrubs and wild rosemary and thyme. You’ll start on your descent back into the Imlil valley, passing through the villages of Matate and Agersioual where you will stop for a picnic lunch by the riverside. Afterwards you’ll start on the last leg of your journey back up to Imlil. When you arrive in Imlil, you will be met by a driver and transferred to Marrakech. Approx. 4-5 hours walking (379m ascent & 479m descent)
Meals Included: Breakfast & Lunch
Accommodation: Bel Haj / Dar Thania / Dar Vedra / Riad Boussa / Riad W
Transport (where relevant): Private Transfer
DAY 4: DAY AT LEISURE IN MARRAKECH
Today is a day of leisure and we suggest you set off and explore Marrakech's medina. You can spend all afternoon exploring the souks and taking in the atmosphere or you could relax on the roof terrace on one of the sun loungers. In the evening, be sure to head down to the main square where food stalls, acrobats, snake charmers and story tellers congregate creating an unforgettable atmosphere which is compelling for adults and children alike.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Bel Haj / Dar Thania / Dar Vedra / Riad Boussa / Riad W
Transport (where relevant): n/a
DAY 5: TRANSFER TO SURF CAMP
You will be picked up after breakfast and transferred to Sidi Kaouki, a small village south of Essaouira. The afternoon is yours at leisure, to go rock-pooling on the beach, or relax around the pool. The drive takes around 3 hours, with a comfort break along the way.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Windy Kaouki
Transport (where relevant): Private Transfer
DAY 6: SURFING
This morning you will have your first surf lesson. After a safety briefing and warm up, your teacher will assess your skills and will plan your week's sessions accordingly. After a break for lunch, you will have a further surfing session in the afternoon.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Windy Kaouki
Transport (where relevant): n/a
DAY 7: SURFING
Full day of surfing
Meals Included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Windy Kaouki
Transport (where relevant): n/a
DAY 8: DEPARTURE
You will be transferred to the airport to catch your flight home.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Accommodation: n/a
Transport (where relevant): Private Transfer
Guide price is based on recommended accommodations. Alternative accommodations and upgrades are available. Please get in touch for alternatives and upgrade options.
Flying from the UK... Marrakech has an international airport (RAK) which is serviced by several airlines flying direct from the UK. The flight time is around 3.5hours. On average it takes around an hour to clear airport security and then around 15 – 20 minutes to drive to the Medina or 1 – 1.5 hours to reach the Atlas Mountains.
From the South East:
Gatwick: Easy Jet, British Airways, Royal Air Maroc &Thomson
Luton: Ryanair
Stansted: Ryanair & Easy Jet
From the South West:
Bristol: Easy Jet
From the Midlands:
Birmingham: Thomson
From the North:
Manchester: Easy Jet and Thomson
From Ireland:
Dublin: Ryanair
All transfers are included.
Whilst trekking: tour guide, cook, all meals, mules to carry your bags, spare mule for the children and accommodation in a Berber village or camping.
Whilst surfing: 4 Surfing lessons, surfing equipment provided, accommodation, accommodation in rooms with shared bathrooms, breakfast, lunch and dinner
In Marrakech: Accommodation with breakfast
This family activity holiday is a balance between trekking, surfing and a smattering of culture. It is not a children's holiday, rather it has been designed for parents and children who want to have an active holiday to suit a mixture of tastes and interests.
For the trekking, you all need to be relatively fit. You will walk for about 4-5 hours a day, but as well as being accompanied by a guide and a mule to carry your bags, an additional mule will be provided in case one of the children needs to rest their weary legs. There are two options available for the trek - please choose the one that is most appropriate for your family's fitness and stamina.
Tourdust trek grading: Moderate
As far as the surfing is concerned, this is available for surfers of all levels, from beginner to the advanced. The lessons will be in groups, according to ability. It is a relaxed atmosphere, so whether you or your child is a beginner or a pro, there should be plenty of opportunity to enjoy yourselves together. There is no minimum age for the surfing, as long as your child can swim they are welcome to give it a go.
In Marrakech, we recommend splashing out a little on a nice well located riad, as a calm space where you and your children can relax is an invaluable retreat from the buzz and heat of Marrakech. We can of course also recommend cheaper options if you are on a tight budget.
The time in Marrakech is self-guided and the trekking will be just you. However, for the surfing lessons, you may well be with other people.
For the latest travel advice from the Foreign and Commonwealth office check www.gov.uk/travelaware
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General Feedback:
This was the first time in years I could a) afford a holiday, b) take a break from other commitments and c) spend a full week (instead of the odd Saturday afternoon) with my kids. For that reason this holiday HAD to be right. So I was careful to shop around. I spoke to several companies that all had euphoric smiling families on their websites but when I spoke to Tourdust it was immediately apparent that they had both on-the-ground experience and a genuine enthusiasm for the destination.
Tourdust did what a travel company are supposed to do – added value; I simply gave them the challenge (two hard to please teenagers, one adventurous and active, the other not so) and they put together a perfect package (e.g. a challenging but short 2 day trek, a mule for back up for the girl who has only ever exercised her finger tips). The week seemed like a month. Holidays usually require so much effort on working out what to do next, how to get from A to B, how NOT to be ripped off etc, but on this holiday all of this stress was lifted. Each time we were transferred from one location to the next it involved no more effort than throwing our things into bags and handing them to an obliging driver. All my attention and energy was therefore spent on enjoying the holiday and most of all watching the kids not just enjoy themselves but surprise me by walking (actually running!) up a mountain and not complaining, sleeping in “basic” accommodation (3 walls and not much more) and telling me it was the most enjoyable night of all, making an effort to understand a culture and see their prejudices disappear, build their confidence in a new language and taste new foods – still can’t believe they both ordered and ate a camel burger!
Thank you Tourdust for delivering the best holiday I’ve ever had and a shared experience with my kids that will be the talking point for many years to come. I only have one outstanding request from Tourdust – where are you taking us next year!
Special Mentions:
Rebecca can you please make sure that our gratitude to Yousseff is communicated; I appreciate that his job is far from easy – balancing being informative whilst allowing us privacy, encouraging us to take on the challenge but ensuring our safety and comfort. He did a thoroughly professional job – constantly attentive to our needs and providing us with a wealth of knowledge about the locality that made the trek a much richer experience than it would have been. To my delight my kids were very interested in Morocco’s culture and religion and they quizzed Yousseff extensively. He was very generous in sharing his own perspective despite some of the questions being a little undiplomatic. His pride of Morocco and especially of the local area challenged our western materialistic perception of what is of value and this was the best souvenir we took home with us.
Also could you make sure to thank the manager (Tino?) of Windy Kaouki for going out of his way to provide an alternative WiFi network connection after the usual one failed. I cannot over state how important this was to me; if I could not have responded to the support call on that Thursday evening I may have lost a major contract I’ve held for 12 years. So please pass on my thanks to him.
Constructive Criticisms:
My kids and I came up with a few suggestions that we think would have made the trip more enjoyable:
1. If the drivers could speak English it would have added to the experience – we were lucky enough to have Yousseff with us on the trip from the Atlas Mountains to Marakech and it would have been nice to have someone speaking English on all journeys to answer all our questions about the surroundings.2. I would advise anyone staying in small places like Sidi Kauoki not to eat in any of the small local establishments but to stick with the hotel; my son got very sick from a burger in a sea front Café.
3. Quad biking would have been great if it had been included
4. €20 for a 10 minute trip from Beldi Country Club to the airport is extortionate
Finally Rebecca, thank you for taking on the responsibility of organising my holiday. Your commitment and attention to detail was no less than what I imagine you’d dedicate to your own holiday plans.
john t
reviewing Morocco Family Adventure: Marrakech, Trek & Surf
on 22 August 2014
Overall it was an Excellent holiday great time had by all, organisation like transfers always very smooth and professional.
Trekking with personal guide excellent, muleteers and chef great, trek just right level for us.
Riad Bel Haj excellent high class accommodation, luxurious, staff very friendly, ideal situation for exploring, peaceful in heart of the old city. Strongly recommend it.
Riad Ribali excellent spacious luxurious, staff very helpful. Meal in was excellent. Also strongly recommend.
Surfing lessons fantastic. Instructors great strongly recommend.
Selwyn R
reviewing Morocco Family Adventure: Marrakech, Trek & Surf
on 19 March 2014
We had a great time. The boys enjoyed trekking - although I think it was more of a mule ride than a real trek! The guide was fantastic and realised quickly that Tristan walked faster and whined less if he held his hand rather than Adeline! Food was amazing throughout this part of the trip. Dylan was not overly impressed with squat toilets - but learnt to get on with it fairly quickly!
Surfing was a big hit - Dylan's favorite part of the trip. The surf instructor (Mohamed) was brilliant with them all. Adeline's only comment on this was that the driver did not know where he was taking her on the way there (I think she called the office at this point).
Accommodation and food for the first week was great according to Adeline and the boys.
Nicola W
reviewing Morocco Family Adventure: Marrakech, Trek & Surf
on 18 November 2013
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