Marrakech offers opportunities for all abilities of cyclist. With the flat land surrounding the city, we can arrange tours of the city or, perhaps, the Palmeraie. For those with a little more time – and fitness! – Longer day trips in the Atlas Mountains can be organised both on and off road. With fun, experienced guides and the latest bikes for all abilities it is a great way to explore. We can also help you plan longer trips around Morocco with one of our fantastic guides to show you the way and support cars just in case your legs get tired.
There seem to be thousands of cooking classes in Marrakech. From those that appear to be designed to ensure that your general skills regress irredeemably, to one or two that can teach a skilled chef the finer details of Berber cuisine. In between, there are enjoyable days to be had with enthusiastic cooks who will take you on a tour of the spice markets to buy all the ingredients that you will need for a couple of great dishes and then show you how to prepare what you have bought. We can organise either for you. Since the better ones can get very booked up in the busier months, the more notice you can give us, the better. Having said that, we have a great relationship with the better ones and if anyone can persuade them to take a last minute booking, we can.
We have some super guides who can take you for a 30min stroll or a full day trekking in the high Atlas Mountains, they will explain along the way everything to do with Berber life in Morocco as well as being able to answer all your questions about the history of the country. In the summer months, treks of longer duration can be planned, staying in Alpine refuges en route, or being met at the end of each day with a car and driver and taken on to more comfortable mountain lodgings before setting off the following day in different territory. In theory, we can offer the same treks in the winter but you really do need to be experienced in that sort of trekking, as the conditions can be pretty harsh.
We have some wonderful guides to help you uncover the history of Marrakech, get your bearings in the souks or even take you off to find the perfect kaftan or carpet. We can arrange guides who speak most languages so if either English or French is not your first language please ask! Whilst the tours of the medina are best done on foot we can arrange for guided tours of the whole of Marrakech with a car and driver at your disposal for the day, a horse and carriage to take you from A to B or even vespers for you to zip around on. It should be noted that the guides are very inexpensive but a tip is anticipated and would be considered to be part of their remuneration.
Marrakech has everything from the traders of the ancient covered markets (souks) to Louis Vuitton, both genuine and fake. The souks offer everything from antique silk carpets (NB. Anything that was made prior to the day before yesterday is considered reasonable to describe as old, and anything that has been hanging around for more than a year can gain antique status. Very few items in the souk that are described as antiques are genuinely over the normal 100 years of age) to the beautiful carved metal lanterns and intricately hand embroidered Kaftans. The best way to shop in Marrakech is to get yourself slightly lost in the souks and see what you stumble upon however we can certainly point you in the right direction for whatever it may be, or book you a guide to take you to all the hidden boutiques. The carpet shops are notoriously tricky to tie down on price but we do know the better ones, depending on the style and quality that you are looking for.
One of the best ways to take in the sights and sounds of Marrakech is to take a horse and carriage, you can do this on your own or with a guide to point out the important sights and give you the inside track on what is happening in each of the areas that you pass through. This is not as twee as it may sound and is still popular with locals as well as tourists.
Have a private guided tour of the Marjorelle gardens with one of their experts who will tell you all about the gardens, their history and how and why they came about. You will also be invited into the private gardens of Yves St Laurent, normally closed to the public. From here you will be taken by car to the private gardens of M. Benchaabane at the Museum of Contemporary Art and Nature of the Palmeraie and this is where you will learn how to create your own perfumes. Using some of the scents from the gardens you will be guided through the process of blending a scent to your own precise specification.
You will be guided around the old city by an expert photographer who will be able to help you brush up on your photographic skills. Your photographic guide will cover everything from Light, Setting and Framing to people and landscapes. The whole aim of the day will be to improve your photographic skills whilst seeing the Medina from a different angle. You will look at different aspects of photography throughout the day, experiment with a colour and creativity shoot in the fabric and dyers souk, a hand crafts shoot in the wrought iron and brass souk, architectural shots in the Madersa Ben Youssef and people at the Sidi Bel Abbes mosque. After lunch you will go to the Marjorelle gardens for a nature shoot and your day will end with trying to capture the best sunset photos of the Jemma El Fna Square.
One of the true joys of Marrakech is still being able to find real artisans who have learned skills that have been passed down through generations. Tuition, ranging from a half day introduction to a complete course, is available in Calligraphy, carpet weaving, embroidery, leather working, Jewellery making, Brass working, wood carving, wood turning , wood painting, zelige mosaic, architectural tadelact and pottery tadelact.
