Going off the grid is just not one thing many people get to do too typically, however each every now and then a chance presents itself and the rewards for taking your self offline and into the second are definitely worthwhile! Probably the most fashionable day journeys from Marrakech is to go to the close by Atlas Mountains – a couple of one hour drive away – and expertise village life exterior of Morocco’s large cities. However with extra time in Morocco, I used to be capable of enterprise to the Excessive Atlas Mountains for an in a single day expertise and actually get to grasp and respect native village life with a visit to a non-public dwelling, requiring a two and a half hour trip on a mule to even get there! Right here’s the way it all performed out…
Into the Atlas Mountains
A visit to the Excessive Atlas Mountains will probably begin off in Marrakech, a metropolis that’s in contrast to every other and can depart you speechless, in awe, and in a world of ideas ! Marrakech is so vigorous, color, sights, sounds and smells, that a number of days there’ll simply depart you eager for silence and solitude. And thats precisely what you’ll discover within the Excessive Atlas Mountains!
The one hour drive to Ouirgane is as windy as a flattened rollercoaster, so you should definitely eat solely a lightweight breakfast on the morning earlier than you depart! The highway creeps its means excessive into the mountains, showcasing the vastness of this unimaginable nation. After passing by way of a few small cities, we arrived at Ouirgane, dropped our baggage, and headed straight off on an journey to an genuine Berber village.
Berber Villages
There’s nothing fairly akin to being welcomed into a house by an area to expertise their tradition, life-style, and naturally…. the meals! We have been guided into the mountains by Mohamed, an area who has a ardour for welcoming guests to his dwelling to expertise the Berber tradition. After a two hour trek on mules to achieve his village, we offloaded (with sore limbs – driving mules isn’t essentially the most comfy expertise!) and took a while to study Berber tradition earlier than our lunch meal was served.
Right here within the mountains, Mohamed defined, “we work to dwell…”, and I couldn’t assist however to complete his sentence with “…not dwell to work”. The stark distinction between his tradition and my very own definitely received me pondering… however that is what journey is about for me, taking slightly piece of data, knowledge, or distinction and adapting it into my very own life again dwelling or sharing it with others to allow them to do the identical.
Right here within the villages it’s a self sustainable system – locals develop their very own produce and commerce with different villagers for issues they don’t develop or do not need. Whereas we handed by way of the villages and surrounding areas we noticed walnut timber, fruit timber, greens patches, and will even scent the recent herbs.
Lunch with a Native
If there may be one factor I’ll battle to overlook about Morocco, its TAGINE! Being a vegetarian that is the most typical dish I used to be delighted to eat in Morocco – in actual fact I had it at the least as soon as a day and infrequently twice! Fortunately I cherished it so no complaints right here!
Mohamed sat down with us to clarify extra concerning the native meals grown within the space and educate us on typical Moroccan meals. We have been served uncooked nuts as an entree, tagine for our major course, and native fruit to complete on a candy word – all of that are typical for his each day household lunch, he defined.
This expertise was one among a form and I’ll always remember the winding mule path on the best way dwelling that was steep, slender and infrequently scary! It was an unimaginable alternative to expertise native life in a small Berber village and achieve extra perception into another way of life.
World of Wanderlust skilled Morocco as a visitor of By Prior Association – my opinions are at all times my very own!
