Family adventure vacation in Morocco

Planet

Traveling on a small group family adventure vacation presents many opportunities to educate and inform children about the world around them in a fun and interactive way. On this trip we have lunch with a family in a rural Berber village near Ouirgane in the Atlas Mountains, during this day we get to the village on foot, hiring mules for the younger children. This is a low impact way of exploring the villages of the Atlas mountains, and provides much needed income for our hosts.

In the wider Atlas region we run a litter cleaning programme on our trekking trips, covering the cost of an additional donkey to accompany our groups to carry both our litter and also litter picked along the mountain trails so it can be properly disposed of.

As a travel company we are continually looking for ways to improve and are proud to be ‘Responsible in everything we do’. Education is key, and so all staff, Tour Leaders and partnering suppliers are trained in responsible and sustainable tourism. At our Head Office, we continually strive towards a sustainable and planet-friendly working environment, including having solar panels installed and a company commitment to reducing our plastic usage.

People

The communities living in and around the Atlas Mountains are of Berber origin, welcoming and hospitable they rely on tourism and are responsible for helping to develop the area as a tourist destination in a sustainable way, ensuring that the culture and traditions live on. During the day walks we have the opportunity to buy snacks, water and crafts from small local shops along the paths, in addition for younger children we can hire mules. This provides direct income for the more isolated communities in the Atlas Mountains as well as a chance for the group to interact with the local Berber’s.
Staying in small scale hotels, guesthouses and riads also enables us to get closer to the local culture and gain an insight into their lives. Using locally owned accommodation not only provides direct employment but also has the effect of distributing money to small businesses within the villages and towns we visit along the way.

We have worked together with our local agent in Morocco for many years now and we’re proud of their responsible practices and strong ethics when it comes to tourism within Morocco. The team are regularly involved with our responsible business projects. In 2017, we funded the purchase of three looms for a women’s only cooperative based on the suggestion and brilliant business proposal from our Moroccan partner. The office staff and the on the road teams work hard to find meaningful and sustainable projects in Morocco that we can get involved with both financially and by raising awareness through our customers.

This tour travels through Asni where we are supporting 3 girls through high school. Girls from the High Atlas villages often don’t have access to secondary education as the schools are too far away but thanks to Education for All and our support, 16 girls now have the opportunity to continue their studies.
As a company we have valuable and longstanding partnerships with UK charities Toilet Twinning and Send a Cow, plus many smaller initiatives and projects around the world. We’re members of the UK travel industry body AITO because we believe it’s important to share our knowledge and experience, as well as learn from other operators.