Brandi Comeaux
The Answer Is Travel, LLC
Kasbahs and Camels: Morocco
Jan 7, 2024 to Jan 16, 2024
- Nov 2022
- Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May 2023
- Aug, Sept 2023
- with FINAL PAYMENT DUE Oct 1, 2023.
- If you are having trouble making a monthly payment, REACH OUT TO ME BEFORE it becomes an issue. I will work with you if I can.
Registration after 11/1/2022: your adjusted invoice will reflect the "catch up payments" that will be DUE IMMEDIATELY.
Registration closes: 10/01/2023 or when we hit maximum capacity.- If due to unforeseen circumstances, TAIT has to RESCHEDULE a trip, all travelers who are not able to make the NEW DATE will be refunded 100% of amounts paid towards the trip, less a $50 per person fee.
- Deposit is NONREFUNDABLE and NONTRANSFERABLE regardless of when the traveler cancels.
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If canceled between the day of travel and 44 days before travel, the entire cost of the trip is nonrefundable.
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If canceled between 45 & 59 days before travel, there is a 50% penalty, IN ADDITION to the non refundable deposit paid towards the trip.
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If canceled 60 or more days before travel, the non refundable portion amounts to the deposit paid on the trip.
- Walking tour of Marrakech
- tour of the Bahia Palace
- Ait-Ben-Haddou Ksar
- Walking tour of Tamnougalt,
- Cultural interactions with locals and nomadic families
- Cooking class
- Berber art
- Gnawa Music Association
- Camel trek
- 4x4 throughout Sahara desert!!!!!
- Sand skiing
- Todgha Gorges
- Kasbah Armardil
- 9 breakfasts
- 8 lunches
- 9 dinners
- tips (with exception of hosts) & taxes
- ground transportation w/ ac & heat
- airport transfer for group*
- local group leader
- representative from TABB (myself or an experienced Trip Lead who is fellow homeschooling parent)
- bilingual staff
- local hosts
- flights to/from Marrakech-anticipate $1,000-$1,100 per person if you fly from an international airport (versus regional, smaller airport).
- Flights will start to become available approximately 11 months before travel dates.
- I will coordinate with travelers who are interested in booking the same flights if needed.
- luggage fees with airline
- *private transfers to/from airport in Marrakech- we will provide a window you must be at airport for the group transfer; if you are at airport outside of this window, you will have to pay for private transfers. We can assist with you with private transfers if needed.
- travel insurance- I will provide a quote to each family after the trip is booked.
- passports- must be VALID at least 6 MONTHS AFTER TRAVEL. I will REQUIRE a copy of your passport NO LATER THAN 90 days before travel.
- International phone plan
- tips for hosts ($20USD per day, per traveler is recommended)
- meals during travel to/from Marrakech
- extending your trip- I will offer my planning services at NO COST to families who are traveling on this itinerary with the group.
Arrival: Marrakech
Welcome to beautiful Morocco! Your local hosts will be at the airport to greet you. You will recognize them by the Open Doors Morocco signs they will be holding. There is only one way out of the baggage area at the airport, so there are no concerns that you and your host will have difficulty finding one another.
Today's activities will depend on arrival time(s).
Explore Marrakech
After breakfast, you will begin your day with a tour of the medina (the old city.) Your city tour guides will make sure you see all that has made Marrakech the city it is today.
In the afternoon, you will have a tour of the Bahia Palace.
Marrakech > Ait Ben Haddou (Activity)
Upon departure, you will head in the direction of the High Atlas Mountains and the Tichka Pass (2260m/7412ft). Photo stops are a must as you wind your way up the mountains. You will stop to visit the fabulous Ait-Ben-Haddou Ksar, registered in the UNESCO World Heritage Center, and used as scenery for many movies.
You'll have the opportunity to walk through the ksar (sometimes referred to as Kasbah.)
Lunch will be in the area.
Ait Ben Haddou > Tamnougalt (Activity)
Following the Ait Ben Haddou visit, you will pass through Ouarzazate, known as the Morocccan Hollywood, and drive approximately 70 km to the small village of Tamnougalt, just outside the former French fort of Agdz. Tamnougalt was the original capital city of the Mezguita region during the 16th century, and the home of various local governors.
Upon arriving in Tamnougalt, students will meet Hassan. The Tamnougalt Kasbah has been in Hassan's family for generations. He is working to restore the kasbah to its original glory as well as many other locations in the village. As he says, "My grandfathers left me a unique heritage with GREAT responsibilities."
Welcome Dinner and Berber Music.
Accommodations will be in the 15th Century Tamnougalt Kasbah. Upon arrival, rooms will be organized. Dinner will be served and Berber music will follow.
The accommodations in Tamnougalt will be at the 16th century Kasbah of Tamnougalt. Think of a mansion, but made from stone, straw, and mud.
Tour the Village, the Gardens, and the River
On the first day, there will be a tour of the area so that you can see beautiful area you find yourselves in. As you stroll though the village and gardens, you will encounter Moroccans who will be happy to see you. While most will not speak English, they all know the word "welcome." You hear this echoed throughout the country whenever Moroccans see foreigners.
Weaving Mats or Carpets
Weaving is also part of daily life in the rural areas of Morocco. Different materials are used such as canes, sheep's wool, and even camel hair.
Cultural Interactions
Moroccans love to welcome foreigners. They are some of the most hospitable people in the world.
Morning
After breakfast, you'll have some time to yourselves to explore the village and interact with the locals.
Cooking Class
Learn to make a Moroccan tagine, couscous, berber pizza, crepes, and more. If we've worked out the scavenger hunt / cooking class in Marrakech, that will have been the tagine. I recommend doing couscous in Tamnougalt. Hassan's family makes the best! You'll do nomad pizza in the desert.
Berber Art, Fine Art, or Calligraphy
A professional cultural artist will be on-hand to guide students in letting their creativity flow.
Tamnougalt > Acacia Forest
After breakfast, You’ll leave Tamnougalt behind and be on your way to the Great Sahara Desert. Not too far from Tamnougalt, you will drive through Nkob, a small village famous for the 45 kasbahs nearby. Down the road, you’ll travel through the town of Tazaraine, where the movie, Babel, was filmed. Later, you’ll pass through the village of Elnes, famous for fossils.
Along the way, lunch will be a picnic in the acacia trees. It's possible that we will see nomads and camels in this area.
Acacia Forest > Sahara Desert / Camel Trek
(184 miles / 295 km)
Finally, you will enter the small town of Rissani, known as the original home of the Alaouite Dynasty, the family of our current king. Rissani is also known for having a twice weekly market and its nearby donkey parking. Soon after passing through Rissani, you will enter the Sahara, near Erg Chebbi Dunes.
About an hour later, you will arrive at the meeting point where you will board your camels. You will travel by camel approximately an hour out to the desert camp. Along the way, you can climb the dunes to watch the sun sink below the horizon. After you get to the camp and have a rest, dinner will be served, followed by music. Your night will be spent in a tent under the stars.
Accommodations: Desert Camp
Explore the Sahara (Merzouga)
The next morning after breakfast, you’ll spend the day out in the desert in the 4x4s. There are plenty of adventures for your day on the sand.
In the morning, you'll tour the area. You’ll get to see various areas of the desert and how people in the area live. There will be the opportunity to visit some nomad families.
You will also visit the Gnawa Music Association in the village of Khamlia. The Gnawa Music Association is an NGO established to preserve the heritage of those brought from central and west Africa as slaves into the southeastern part of Morocco prior to Morocco’s independence. The music, preserved from their ancestors is still played in the traditional manner.
Lunch can be traditional nomad pizza at a local restaurant, Cafe Nora's. Kids will have the opportunity to prepare their own nomad pizzas.
After lunch there will be time to climb the dunes. There will be opportunities for sand skiing. The view from the top of the dunes is amazing. Kids can write their first names in the sand and take selfies from the top of the dunes that will show themselves, their name, and the land spread out below.
Accommodations: Desert Camp
Merzouga > Dades Gorges
(250 km / 156 miles)
If you happen to be a morning person, you’ll enjoy watching the sunrise in the dunes. After breakfast, you'll get into the 4x4 (or board camels, if you prefer, to trek and meet the car.)
Once on the road, it's onto the Dades Valley and Gorges. Just outside the city of Arfoud, you’ll pass by the aquifers. You will also pass through the village of Tinjdad, where there is a Berber museum. The road out of Tinjdad loops through flat land with beautiful landscapes. Upon reaching the Todgha Gorges, you can take a nice stroll through the gorges.
Back on the road, you’ll pass through the Berber village of Tinghir. On the eastern edge of the village, you’ll find a lush green oasis full of date palms. Crumbling kasbahs and the abandoned 19th-century Medersa Ikelane lies under the canopy of the oasis. Later in the day, you will arrive in the beautiful Dades Gorges. Your night will be spent at a beautiful inn.
Accommodations: Luxury Dades
Dades Gorges > Skoura Valley
After breakfast, there may be some time to visit nomads in the caves. This will depend on their location at the time and the day's timing.
As you begin your journey to Marrakech. Shortly after leaving the Dades Gorges, you’ll enter the Valley of the Roses, situated at the foot of the High Atlas Mountains. The main village is Kelaat M’Gouna. Shortly thereafter you will travel through the Skoura Valley, a fertile oasis lined with palm groves, olive trees, and the ruins of kasbahs dating back to the 12th century.
Kasbah Amardil Visit
Shortly after passing through the Rose Valley, you will have the opportunity to visit Kasbah Armardil. The bus will take you very near to the kasbah, and you'll be able to walk the rest of the way off road.
Kasbah Armardil > Marrakech
After leaving Kasbah Amardil, you will travel in the direction of Ouarzazate and into the High Atlas Mountains. You'll make your way slowly back to Marrakech.
Available Packages
Kasbahs and Camels: Morocco
Unavailable as of
October 1, 2023
$3,420.00
Deposit: $100.00 per person
- Walking tour of Marrakech
- tour of the Bahia Palace
- Ait-Ben-Haddou Ksar
- Walking tour of Tamnougalt,
- Cultural interactions with locals and nomadic families
- Cooking class
- Berber art
- Gnawa Music Association
- Camel trek
- 4x4 throughout Sahara desert!!!!!
- Sand skiing
- Todgha Gorges
- Kasbah Armardil
- 9 breakfasts
- 8 lunches
- 9 dinners
- tips (with exception of hosts) & taxes
- ground transportation w/ ac & heat
- airport transfer for group*
- local group leader
- representative from TABB (myself or an experienced Trip Lead who is fellow homeschooling parent)
- bilingual staff
- local hosts