When Barbara Best met a nomadic goatherd in the Sahara desert, it was a moment of chance – there was nothing stage-managed about it. The Berber woman was simply asking for water, without hesitation Barbara’s husband handed out a bottle. Two women from different worlds, “She has a life I…
Only as recently as the 2011 Constitution did the Moroccan Berbers see their ‘language’ (Tamazight, one of the Berber languages) recognised as official in Morocco alongside Arabic. There is also now a Royal Institute of Amazigh (Berber) Culture in Morocco, separate TV and radio channels dedicated to Berber-language productions, and,…
If you are fortunate enough to be staying overnight in the Ounila Valley at Kasbah Ellouze during a tour with us, we would encourage you to wake up that bit earlier in the morning so you can meet the neighbours and see how they prepare their daily bread. They aren’t…
We’d like to debunk a few notions that we encounter about the peoples of the desert. Several articles on Morocco speak of veiled Touareg tribes leading guests across the sands. Sounds romantic and exotic but you won’t meet a Touareg guide (let alone tribe) on your travels in Morocco. At…
From spending a lot of time with our extended Moroccan family I thought it about time I shared some insights in to social etiquette and general ‘to-dos’. You’ll probably find these are quite obvious but will set the scene for your first meeting with your local team or your first…
Chances are, your driver will be playing a beguiling range of music on the car stereo. It will set the tone to your adventure to the Sahara. Previous clients have commented that the scenery in the far south of Morocco is like one vast film set. No wonder then that…
Meet Lahcen Boulbreba, otherwise affectionately known as ‘Berbere’, and something of a local celebrity (everyone knows Boulbreba…). He is the closest example you may find of someone who’s lived out their years in the desert, and still lives in the desert today. His home is a ramshackle collection of tents…
