Berber Adventures - Excursions

A wide variety of Berber cultural excursions are available to suit your schedule, from day trips to week-long programs. In every case, the goal is the same: to give you the opportunity to encounter Berber life and culture in a firsthand experience. You'll have the chance to trek the local mountains surrounding Amizmiz, meeting the people who inhabit the various Berber villages and getting involved in their daily activities: cooking with fire wood, making bread from scratch, and preparing food according to traditional recipes.

Below are some examples of popular Berber excursions, but many other possibilities are also available. Feel free to contact us and we can set up something according to your time commitment and fitness level. Some longer excursions involve many hours of hiking a day, while shorter excursions may include light scenic walks. We'll help put together a program that's right for you.

Excursion #1: A Day at the Berber Souk and Nearby Village (Tuesdays Only)

Amizmiz has the best Berber souk (weekly market) in the region. Every Tuesday, hundreds of Berbers from the region come to sell their goods and buy what they need for the week. This is the perfect excursion for someone looking for a day trip with a small amount of walking.

9:00 AM zzzzzzzzz z z z	Arrive at Amizmiz and go to the souk. Visit every section and have some tea at a café. Things that are available to buy from the souk include: henna, spices, rugs, Berber shoes, pottery, Berber clothing for men and women, handmade wooden kitchen utensils and much more.
11:00 AM z z	Walk to the nearby Berber village of Tafgart (about a 40 minute walk). Have lunch and tea at a local Berber family’s home and learn a bit about how Berbers live in the area.
2:00 PM	Head back to Amizmiz.
3:00 PM	Catch transportation from Amizmiz back to Marrakech.

See a photo gallery of the Berber souk >

Excursion #2: One Day Hike to Local Berber Villages

This day-long excursion gives the opportunity to see a few different Berber villages as you make your way to the home of a Berber family. It includes about 5 hours of scenic walking—giving you a better understanding of the geography in which the Berbers of the High Atlas mountains live.

9:00 AM zzzzzzzzz z z	Arrive in Amizmiz from Marrakech and start walking towards the village of Sllamt. We pass through the Berber villages of Tamazirt and Sidi Hassain alongside the river bed. About a 3 hour walk.
12:30 PM z z z	Arrive in Sllamt and make our way to the home of a local Berber family. After meeting them and having lunch and mint tea, we learn a bit about the traditional ways in which the Berbers live in this area.
3:00 PM z z z	We take a different route back towards Amizmiz passing the village of Ait Hamd. We climb a 100 meter hill and then follow a donkey trail, going through the village of Tafgart and down to Amizmiz. About a 2 hour walk down.
5:00 PM	Catch transportation from Amizmiz back to Marrakech.

Excursion #3: A Two Day Excursion with Overnight Stay in Berber Village

Those with time to spend a night are given the opportunity to see firsthand the daily life of a Berber home—especially the importance of meals and food in Berber culture. You'll have the time to make some personal connections with those you'll meet.

Day 1
10:00 AM	Arrive at Amizmiz and prepare bags/packs for excursion.
10:30 AM	Begin trek, passing by village of Tafgart.
12:30 PM	Break for lunch under palm trees.
2:00 PM	Depart again and pass by a maison forestière (forest house).
3:30 PM	Arrive at the village of Aitirghit and the Berber home where we will be staying.
4:00 PM	Have tea and a snack with the family.
5:00 PM	Walk around the village and get to know it.
6:00 PM	Return to the house to assist the family in the kitchen and to see how they prepare meals. It is also possible to help the family in the preparation of dinner.
8:00 PM	Have dinner, and then tea afterwards.
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Day 2
8:30 AM	Breakfast with coffee, soup.
9:30 AM	Prepare packs/bags for return.
10:30 AM	Second breakfast: tea and bread with olive oil, butter etc. (choice of the inhabitants).
11:15 AM	Depart for Amizmiz towards the village of Tidli.
1:00 PM	Have lunch near the village of Tidli.
2:00 PM	Depart.
4:00 PM	Catch transportation from Amizmiz back to Marrakech.

Custom Excursions: Three to Five Day Treks to Remote Berber Villages

We also offer customs excursions for those who want to be immersed in Berber life and culture for an extended time. Every day includes many hours of walking—sometimes flat walking and sometimes on inclined trails. You're rewarded with an unforgettable view of Berber life in the High Atlas mountains. Here is a sample five day excursion:

Day 1: zzzzzzzz z z z z z z	Amizmiz → Imzayn Arrive at Amizmiz from Marrakech in the morning and set out towards the Anogal valley. We pass by the village of Ait Hamd and have lunch by the river facing the village of Igordan that’s on the top of the hill. After lunch, we carry on and get to Imzayn where we stay at a local Berber home, relaxing with a beautiful view from the rooftop. We spend the night in Imzayn. About 5 hours of inclined, but not steep, walking during the day.
Day 2: z z z z z z z z	Imzayn → Lmdinat We set out walking in the morning, going by the spring at Imintala, a beautiful valley system with a panoramic view of the river bed and its green fields to both sides. We pass by the canyon and through the pine forest where we have lunch beneath the trees. After lunch, we pass by several villages until we finally get to the village of Lmdinat and arrive at a Berber home for more cultural experiences and accommodation for the night. About 5 hours of walking during the day.
Day 3: z z z z z	Lmdinat → Azgour We go first up the valley to visit the village of Ait Dawd and have tea with a family there. We visit the mine area and come back to Lmdinat, eat lunch at the house then head down to the village of Azgour. We arrive at Azgour and stay again with a Berber family for the night. About 3 hours of easy walking during the day.
Day 4: z z z z z	Azgour → Tizgui After setting out in the morning we have lunch at the trees in between villages. We head back to the valley that takes us to Tizgui. We arrive at the village of Tizgui for the night and stay with a local family there. About 5 hours of walking during the day, half of which is inclined and half is flat road.
Day 5: z z z	Tizgui → Amizmiz We head out for about 3 hours of mostly flat walking alongside the riverbed. Get to Amizmiz for lunch and then get transportation back to Marrakech.