Insight Vacations Review – Treasures of Spain, Portugal & Morocco – Marrakesh & Ourika Valley
Insight Vacations Review – Treasures of Spain, Portugal & Morocco – Marrakesh & Ourika Valley
WJ Tested: Insight Vacations – Day 12: Marrakesh & Ourika Valley, Morocco
Insight Vacations Review – Treasures of Spain, Portugal & Morocco – Marrakesh & Ourika Valley
16-Night Motorcoach Trip in 2011
Optional Excursion: Ourika Valley & Berber Tea Ceremony
An optional excursion to the Ourika Valley was available for our group, and as we all decided to participate in the morning tour we needed to be on the bus by 8 am for the 45-minute drive south towards the snow-capped High Atlas Mountains.
Insight Vacations Review – Treasures of Spain, Portugal & Morocco – Marrakesh & Ourika Valley
Arriving at a scenic location along the River Ourika we left the bus to take photos and were immediately swarmed by local vendors that had followed the coach on scooters. They were loaded with locally handcrafted silver and tin bracelets, bangles, swords, crafts and trinkets of all descriptions that they were determined to sell to us. The haggling began with fun bantering back and forth until most of our group were loaded with new treasures to take home.
Insight Vacations Review – Treasures of Spain, Portugal & Morocco – Marrakesh & Ourika Valley
Moving on we next visited the home of a local Berber family for a tour of their home, tea ceremony and an opportunity to meet the family members. The matriarch of the family, Fatima, prepared the Moroccan mint tea and it was presented along with homemade bread, olive oil, butter and honey. A completely fascinating experience!
Insight Vacations Review – Treasures of Spain, Portugal & Morocco – Marrakesh & Ourika Valley
On the return drive to Marrakesh, Abi guided us through a local market in the countryside. We were in awe of the donkey parking – a field next to the market stalls where hundreds of donkeys lined up while their owners shopped.
Marrakesh
A quick stop at our hotel allowed us just enough time to grab more camera memory cards before we joined our group again for the included 3-hour afternoon tour of old Marrakesh.
Exploring Marrakech in Morocco
Here we saw the Saadian Tombs and paid a 45-minute visit to the spice pharmacy, Aux 100,000 Epices, where most of our group purchased lotions and potions for good health and longevity.
Insight Vacations Review – Treasures of Spain, Portugal & Morocco – Marrakesh & Ourika Valley
After wandering through the Medina and picking up last-minute souvenirs we had the option to stay here longer on our own or take the coach back to the hotel. As it was already 3 pm, we opted to return to Le Meridien N’Fiswhere we could relax over a late-afternoon lunch by the pool.
Jill and Viv in Marrakesh
The remainder of the afternoon and evening was free for us to enjoy as we pleased.
If You Go:
Visit WAVEJourney’s Insight Vacations Treasures of Spain, Portugal & Morocco Review:
Overview | Itinerary | Hotels | Photos | Day 1: Madrid | Day 2: Segovia | Day 3: Toledo & Salamanca | Day 4: Fatima & Lisbon | Day 5: Lisbon & Cascais | Day 6: Sevilla | Day 7: Cordoba | Day 8: Gibraltar & Tangier | Day 9: Fes | Day 10: Fes & Meknes | Day 11: Marrakesh | Day 12: Ourika Valley & Marrakesh | Day 13: Casablanca & Rabat | Day 14: Torremolinos | Day 15: Granada | Day 16: Madrid |
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