Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

On our third day walking we started in rain and walked up above the snow line, had a snowball fight in the most beautiful setting beside a lake and then had lunch brought to us halfway down by mule. That was a great day.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Helpful, approachable, good fun.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take a couple of warm layers. The gite can be chilly at night. Good waterproofs were very useful too.

Suggestions

A great holiday, especially the stay in the mountains. I would love to see more of Morocco.

Most Inspirational Moment

Getting to the end of a six hour hike and realising I had achieved it at my age (76).

Thoughts on Group Leader

First class, knowledgeable, with a good sense of humour and looked after any individual problems

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for difficult underfoot conditions. Found this a bigger problem than the altitude.

Most Inspirational Moment

Looking down on the rock coloured villages with their green fields and trees between barren looking hills. Seeing the goatherds sitting out alone in those hills watching their flocks.  In the city the Medersa is a must see if you have any liking for Islamic architecture. The souk is calm as souks go, the light streaming in strips through the roof onto the colours of the stalls was beautiful.  

Thoughts on Group Leader

Clearly an experienced group leader, organised but relaxed. He understands the English well and has a very English turn of phrase.He judged the weather well and adjusted the order of the walks so that we went on the longer walk to the lake on a sunny day and then had a short morning walk and did the visit to the local kasbah owners for tea when it was wet and blustery.He kept a very steady walking pace on all days. He provided information on the local plants and rocks if people were interested.     

Advice for Potential Travellers

This trip is the easiest walking trip in Morrocco. For a healthy active person it will be relaxing outdoor holiday. However parts would be challenging if you are not sure of your balance on uneven terrain as the ground can be slippy due to the makeup of the rocks and soil, there are stepping stones to cross streams and there is one fairly short but narrow ledge to walk along.Weather wise we were lucky. The advice to bring clothes for all types of weather at the end of October is valid.  The torch is for the longest walk - just in case your group does not get back before dark. Their days get shorter too.

Suggestions

I loved all the tea, especially the absinthe tea in the afternoons! There was always an extra pot if requested - even at lunchtime. The lunches on walking days were very tasty. The food at the gite is fresh and healthy. The lunch stop in Telouet was good.  Juice and coffee at the stop (each way) in Taddart are lovely.   If you are veggie go for the berber omelette (tomato and onion filling) rather than couscous legume (4/4 people did not like it) at the lunch stop on the way back to Marrakesh. The people who ate meat said their lunch was good.   On one day another exodus group was staying in the gite and doing the same walk. This meant there were 27 tourists and 2 guides on the same track. This was too many for such a quiet place.       

Most Inspirational Moment

Taking tea at a house in Tighza. Hearing about the project in the village.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Hassan is one of the best. Very experienced and capable. Dry sense of humour. He Judged the group well.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take waterproofs. It can rain and be very cold at 8500 feet. Know what price you are willing to pay before you start haggling. Beer about £9 a pint in hotels.Take ear plugs. Hotel Hadnna in Marrakech is noisy. Unlike Premier Inn there is no guarantee of sleep. The nightclub in the basement  runs from midnight till 5am.  Moved up to 4th floor at 3am on first night. Second night of broken sleep, so spent it in the basement. It's not quite Rick's place in Casablanca. Beer £12 a pint, Hubble Bubble pipes and sort of cabaret.Don't bother trying to use the fire escape. Corridors blocked solid with beds and assorted tables etc. [Check out the 'fire' for the pipes on the stairs just below reception!] There are better places to stay in the area.

Most Inspirational Moment

Hmmm.....Loved watching the traffic in Marrakech and eating dinner in the square at night.The village in the mountains, where life is slow, but people are self sufficient; they don't appear to have much, but on my return to life in Marrakech I know which life I would chose. The call to prayer in the mountains.Meeting Mohammed and the donkey on the first day for a picnic lunch.The 20 mile walk on the last day. The group of people we were with.  

Thoughts on Group Leader

Hasan was perfect. He spoke very good English, had a great sense of humour and was very informative about local and Morrocan culture. He explained the itinery well. He joined in with our group and is a whiz at Uno! 

Advice for Potential Travellers

Ensure you have waterproofs. When it rains its cold rain! and you can lose body heat very quickly.Purchase Dirhams at the airport, or at a cash machine. I took Euros as per the information on the website, but Dirhams are more widely used.Take a pack of cards/games and a book for the evenings. 

Suggestions

There were ten people in our group, with an age range from 17 - 59, I was worried before booking about who would be on the trip. But now I wouldn't hesitate booking again. Irrelevant of people travelling as individuals or couples, of their age or occupation - they book a trip like this as they enjoy the same experiences as you so.... If you are sitting with your hand over the "Book Now" button - go for it!

Most Inspirational Moment

Not looking for inspiration (it was good all round), but I guess walking 20 miles including some climbing up (the down is nearly as bad) to nearly 10000ft was great. I Loved the starkness of the mountains, making any bits of growth (e.g. sheep and goat pastures) all the more interesting. THe village was very well irrigated.Night sky was pretty interesting (u can download an app for Android phones that gives u a night sky location facility as u move ur phone).

Thoughts on Group Leader

First rate. Grew up in a similar area so knows the flora and fauna, customs, just about everything. Had a very good manner as well with everyone

Advice for Potential Travellers

Pack lighter than u think. One almost always overpacksTake some snacks for walking. My recommendation is to buy some dried fruit and nuts in Marrakesh. You will only find sweet snacks at the village gite. You can find an alcohol selling outlet in the Guilez part where our hotel was (Hotel Hasna), but u may not be there. You just need to ask where there is one.

Suggestions

Some people did not like the relatively small amount of extras that were not mentioned - e.g. being taken to shops or bars on walks or the drive to the village), but u could always opt out. The cost of living in Morocco is substantially less than Europe. It's not much your giving - be generous (this comes from someone who is careful with the money)U don't have to restrict yourself to the Exodus flights from London - add on a few days and go yourself elsewhere e.g. Essaouira. I did (was the only one), and it was a nice way of extending the trip

Most Inspirational Moment

I don't do "inspirational". I enjoyed the last day of trekking most because it was the longest and hardest and I had a great sense of achievement when we came back. I also liked the visit to the oldest house in Tighza and the hospitality from the couple there. I also appreciated the fact that the area is one of the few places left on this over-populated planet where we could be totally away from other people. I enjoyed the (vegetarian) food in the gite... Need I go on?

Thoughts on Group Leader

Hassan was tall, dark and handsome, so he already had more than half of the group enjoying his company. His English was good and he could hold a conversation easily. The downside was that he was young and I think unaware that he should do more to start conversations and show interest in the different members of the group. He could also have been a little more formal about the trek, ensuring that we took it in turns to be the last couple, in case there were problems that he, as leader, would not be aware of.

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is a moderate trek - which means that you do have to be fit. A couple of people in our group were considerably slower than the rest of us which meant that we were not always together. We suggested that a mule be hired on the last, long trek, to assist those who were having problems. It was cheap (100 MAD = £8 for the day) and I would definitely recommend a mule as a back-up as a matter of course.

Suggestions

I am definitely planning to take another Exodus trip, either in 2012 or 2013. It provided the perfect combination of exploring somewhere off the beaten track while providing a group of like-minded companions with whom to talk and compare notes.

Most Inspirational Moment

It was great to accomplish the fairly long (18-19 mile) final walk from the village up to the lake! Although it's a long walk, it's relatively flat and we had quite a few breaks on the way. Nobody in our group failed to complete the walk and for only 100 dhirams (£8) you can hire a mule for the day, which we did (as a group) just in case anybody got tired.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Hassan is a great leader - very friendly and knowledgable with a good sense of humour. At the time of writing the poor chap has never left Morocco and I hope Exodus can sort him out with a free flight to visit the UK at some point as he says he'd love to come over.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I'm not sure the Exodus supplied kit bag is the ideal bag for this trip. A medium sized wheeled suitcase would be far easier to pack and move around than the Exodus kit bag (which doesn't even have a shoulder strap). Many in our group who'd travelled before brought suitcases or rucksacks instead as these are far easier to move around the airports with. Bring a decent torch. 

Suggestions

The local school had cancelled/boycotted our scheduled visit as apparently they had become aware that some donations to the school appeared to have "gone missing" after being passed to local Exodus staff. We therefore never got to see the school or pass on our own donations to the school or children. This is clearly a serious allegation by the school which I hope UK Exodus staff immediately investigate.

Most Inspirational Moment

The tour of Marrakech, an exotic and interseting city perfectly manageable and an assault on the senses.  I liked the peace in the lovely village in the High Atlas, the bird song and sunshine over the green fertile irrigated fields of wheat and barley.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader Hassan was a great young man with boundless energy and fluent in english, french and berber and had a feel for the mountains and an affinity with the berber people.  I really enjoyed his company and easy going style, nothing was too much trouble for him.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take light clothes for Marrakech but some warmer clothes for the mountains.  Although it was May, could be chilly at times especially with the wind and cloud and also at night.  The gite is basic but adequate and they provide blankets which was needed as I didnt take a sleeping bag!  Water tabs are fine and they worked Ok for me!  Better for the environment and your pocket!  try to get small notes and coins!  Constant problem with change.

Suggestions

Group size!  Our 'group' was 2!  To me that isnt a group and I was disappointed there were not more travellers on the tour.  Its one of those things but I was disappointed especially as Exodus hadnt informed me of this.  I could have quite easily changed the dates and gone another time.  I think as well as MAX numbers of the tour you should publish Minimum numbers.  Would you run this tour with 1 person??  This could be problematic especially for a woman alone for instance as an example.  It so happened I got on very well with the other person and didnt let this spoil the holiday but we both agreed this wasnt an ideal situation and would make me think twice before booking a 'group' holiday again.

Most Inspirational Moment

The raw beauty of the last long hike - with a swim in a freezing blue mountain lake- .... unforgettable!Tea with one of the villagers, after visiting the school and walking around the village.A Hamam visitn Marrakech; we ended up in a very normal one, not meant for tourists. Once we overcame our inhibitions, we had a great relaxing time.

Thoughts on Group Leader

excellent. A Berber himself, he has inside knowledge of these mountains and the culture.He set a good pace, and was always friendly and pleasant company.

Advice for Potential Travellers

the temperature drops quickly in the evening. You might appreciate having a pair of warm non-walking socks.

Suggestions

It is a shame the flight and transfer were so late. We were rather shattered the next day. Some of us had to change rooms in the Marrakech hotel, as the air conditioning was not working.