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As Intrepid Travel prepares to launch its Premium range in January, Karl Cushing heads to Morocco to road-test one of the operator’s new and refreshingly responsible upscale tours
Having proved myself chopping onions, I reach the dizzy heights of chief oil drizzler. While this doesn’t place me at the vanguard of Moroccan cooking, it goes some way to finessing the tagines I have just helped prepare for lunch under the watchful eye of chef Youssef, who quizzed our group on the ingredients we chopped, drizzled and tossed in a cooking masterclass at Atelier de Cuisine Chef Tarik.
Ultimately it proves but one of many fun features the Intrepid Travel team cooks up on my taster of its new 15-day Morocco In Depth tour, part of a soon-to-be-launched upscale Premium range from the operator. While my limited time focuses me on Marrakech and the Atlas Mountains, the trip still pops with innovative and immersive local activities.
As with other Intrepid Premium tours, the itinerary strives to champion sustainability while enriching local communities, in part through visiting community projects it supports. In Marrakech, for example, I take in a non-profit providing culinary training to disadvantaged women, while a medina tour leads me to Alnoura, where 45 women with special needs make handicrafts for sale in the association’s shop.
While touring the much-filmed desert fortress of Ait Benaddhou, I visit projects backed by local NGO WeSpeakCitizen, alongside co-founder Loubna Mouna. At Tawesna, a community-run Amazigh (Berber)-style teahouse run by local women, Mouna explains how visits here help generate much-needed income for the women and the community, before introducing the trained-up kitchen team.
Education For All, a project supported by Intrepid since 2018 that provides educational opportunities to 200 girls from rural communities – where illiteracy rates reach 80% – proves more inspiring still. It centres on a school in Ouirgane where I meet Zahra, a school alumnus who now works for Intrepid. Zahra reveals there’s healthy competition between the students on the scheme, who seize any opportunities they’re offered. “Education For All is like a family – that’s why the students get high marks all the time,” she adds.
“Zahra’s really very good – she’ll be the next GM at Intrepid!” laughs my companion Zina Bencheikh, managing director EMEA at Intrepid.
Bencheikh also asserts that “the best food in Morocco is at home”, so meals and music in locals’ houses feature widely on its Premium trips. I enjoy a memorable first night in Marrakech, feasting and gaining a henna hand tattoo before lumbering onto the makeshift living room dance floor as three female drummers beat out a raucous rhythm.
More active pursuits include the joyous sunrise mountain hike I take from Ouirgaine’s Chez Momo hotel, the first rays picking out the rain-carved slopes as we scramble upward to better appreciate the incredible views.
Proving more of a stretch is the wobbly, glute-busting sunset yoga session I stumble through on the hotel roof, a trauma eased by a few pre-dinner wines from the property’s well-stocked bar.
Premium’s inception owes much to agent feedback, explains Bencheikh. “Agents love us and our eco-credentials but the tours were missing that layer of comfort.” This helped Intrepid identify the opportunity for a higher-end product range containing added creature comforts, a slower pace and smallish group sizes, suited to a socially responsible audience that want to get under the skin of a destination but are willing to pay extra so they don’t have to rough it.
“We’re clear about the market we are targeting – it’s the Boomers,” Bencheikh adds.
The 70+ different Premium tours, launching next month, feature exclusive, handpicked accommodation that’s typically four- or four-and-a-half star, preferably locally owned and “[has] a story,” explains Bencheikh. Standouts on my tour include Ksar Ignda in Ouarzazate, a small pool gracing its pleasant courtyard; Chez Momo in Ouirgane, my personal favourite; and inviting Marrakech properties Riad Elegancia and Riad Nesma Suites & Spa.
From Marrakech city stays and Atlas Mountain adventures to Saharan desert camps and coastal capers in Essaouira, Morocco’s authentic offering has more layers than that onion I chopped. Its rich culture is evidenced in its colourful designs and cuisine, and proud history writ large in medinas, kasbahs and riads.
Even long bus journeys prove a delight, with the expansive, ever-evolving scenery playing its part well. The four-hour drive I take from Marrakech to Ait Benhaddou is a case in point. As we snake through the majestic Atlas Mountains, a hazy bright blue cloudless sky squats over the tree-flecked landscape, the earthy hues of the scattered mud-brick architecture reflecting the prevailing colour palette – a vivid, red-rose rainbow veering to biscuit browns and burnt umber.
Our excellent guide, the indefatigable, unflappable Fouad, also deserves much credit. With him we discuss everything from the country’s track record in sustainability – not least the great strides it has made in solar energy – to the country’s enduring sweet tooth (“Us Moroccans consume, on average, 16kg of sugar a year!” he exclaims). He also regularly conjures up tasty local snacks on roadside tea breaks, photo opps and souvenir stops – even leading us in an impromptu karaoke session before Bencheikh hides his microphone to stop his caterwauling!
My Morocco experience proves decidedly entertaining and relentlessly tasty, from the fun-filled local home meals to the delicious Amazigh-style lunch I enjoy at Tawesna.
Yet it’s the conversations and stories of determination, from that of Chez Momo’s garrulous local owner to the truly inspirational Zahra that cut deepest, memories lingering long after the taste of those tantalising tagines ebbs from my tongue.
Smarter: Morocco’s cooler shoulder seasons are ideal for soft adventure, such as hiking. The highest peak, Mount Toubkal, is scalable even in winter, with the town of Ifrane offering great-value skiing.
Better: Monitor the Intrepid Loves Agents Facebook page for Premium fam and training opportunities, or email IntrepidLovesAgents@intrepidtravel.com. For details of the tourism board’s many planned 2022 fams, email Jamal Younes Kilito, MNTO Director for UK & Ireland (jkilito@onmt.org.ma).
Fairer: Intrepid embraces a responsible travel ethos and is the world’s largest travel B Corp. Tours are 100% carbon offset and the not-for-profit Intrepid Foundation has raised nearly £6 million for good causes since 2002 (theintrepidfoundation.org).
Currency: Moroccan dirham – recommend clients carry some for market purchases etc.
Flight time: London to Marrakech in under four hours. Direct UK flights are temporarily suspended, but indirect arrivals are welcome. My group flew via Portugal and France.
Time difference: Usually GMT+1.
Entry requirements: Travellers must prove they are fully vaccinated, present a negative PCR test taken within 48 hours of boarding and complete a Public Health form (onda.ma/form.php).
