OURIKA VALLEY DAY TRIP
The Ourika Valley, located in the center of the High Atlas hills, is one of the most stunning natural areas reachable from Marrakech. Experiencing this area offers the chance to experience real Morocco, free from invasive urbanisation. It would be a pity to stay in Marrakech and not explore the Ourika Valley.Because the ecology is so well-preserved, it is difficult to resist the allure of the Ourika Valley when you start out to conquer it. It is sometimes difficult to comprehend that we are just 40 kilometers from Marrakech, which is a bustling metropolis.
Activities:
- Opportunity to visit a typical Berber house.
- Possibility to visit the weekly Berber souk: Mondays
Optional activities for the private excursion:
- Quad ride in the Palmeraie of Marrakech (2 hours)
- Camel ride at the Palmeraie of Marrakech (1 hour)
Time and Distance details:
- Duration: 8 hours.
- Distance: 40km x 2.
- Availability: Daily.
- Departure time: 9:00 a.m.
Meeting point:
Our driver will pick you up from your hotel / Riad in Marrakech at the time agreed at the time of booking
In case of problem: please send us an email or call us on the numbers displayed on the contacts banner.
Easy reservations: Accepted until 6:00 p.m. the day before (Marrakesh time), If you have difficulty booking or need another service, contact us.
What's included
- Transport with driver guide
- Air-conditioned and very
- comfortable 4×4 vehicle
- Transport insurance
- Professional liability
- Quality service
- All taxes
What is not included:
Lunch (On request)
Local guide
mule trek
Tips
More information:
- The Atlas Mountains make up a vast and towering range that rises sharply close to Marrakech.
- The mountain range stretches through three countries and the highest peak stands over 4000-meters tall.
- The Atlas Mountains are an integral part of not only local geography but local Berber history and culture.
- Marrakech is an excellent location from which to launch yourself into the mountains; many of the valleys and villages can be reached on day trips from the city.
Morocco Berber History
Believe it or not, Berber history goes back to prehistoric times. In fact, Morocco is home to the oldest Homo Sapiens ever found — nearly 300,000 years old! This means that the indigenous people of Morocco have been here for a long, long time. Longer than any other known group of people in the world. Much of what we know about the very first people of Morocco come from archeological records. Of the Berbers themselves, well, much of that history is oral. In fact, it’s probably a mistake to call them “Berber” at all!
The Berbers proudly call themselves the Amazigh, the “free people.” The name “Berber” derives from “Barbary,” that is, from the Greek barbaria. Though “Berber” is commonly used throughout Morocco, both by those who identify as Amazigh, and other Moroccans, it’s probably not the nicest or most accurate name.
Thousands of years ago, the Amazigh ruled all of North Africa, largely through different tribes. They would crisscross over the Sahara and throughout the southern basin of the Mediterranean for trade and travel. Over the centuries, they have been called by many names: The ancient Greeks called them “Libyans”; .
Romans called them variously “Numbians,” and “Africans” while much of medieval Europe referred to this collection of tribes in North Africa as “Moors.” In fact, it was the Arabs who came up with the Berber name: Al-Barbar. This was likely a re-adaptation of the ancient Greek term of “barbar.” However, there is some thought, as written by the Arab scholar Ibn Khaldun, that there could have been an ancient person by the name of “Barbar,” in some texts, a mother named “Barbara,” who gave the name to the tribes, perhaps around Somalia
