Posts Tagged ‘Ourika Valley Tour’

The Berber Ecomuseum in the Ourika Valley, Your Morocco Tour Guide

Sunday, October 7th, 2012

Patrick Man'ach's Maison de la Photographie Marrakech & Berber Ecomuseum, Ourika Valley

A treasure house of Berber culture created by Patrick Man’ach and Hamid Megrani is the Berber Ecomuseum also referred to as Le Musée Berbère.  The Berber Ecomuseum, Douar Tafza is located 37 km. from Marrakech  just before the Ourika valley. The Berber Ecomuseum is in an old village casbah. The house was restored by traditional techniques similar to those made in the Ourika valley and in Morocco. The collection displays Berber artifacts pottery and ceramics carpets and an extensive exhibition of  photographs and glass plates  of Berber life and customs  from the High Atlas in 1926 and Khalid, the charming young man in charge provides a conducted tou and an interpretation of symbolisms… and other aspects of life in the Atlas.

Berber Ecomuseum, Ourika Valley

The Berber Ecomuseum is a living part of the village preserving and enhancing its Berber heritage. Patrick Man’ach and Hamid Mergani  were inspired by the first ecomuseum in France on the Breton Island of Ouessant, which recorded local culture and it gave them the idea for Douar Tafza.

As you enter the downstairs yard, you see the food storage system dug deep into the floor where olives, oil and foodstuffs were stored. The walls of the house were rebuilt with the original adobe found in the Ourika valley region and painted in bright pink colors, which change as the sunlight changes through the day. The first floor has beautiful original carpets hanging on the walls. Berber carpets describe the life cycle of marriage, birth and the womb.

Traditional Berber Urn, Berber Ecomuseum Ourika Valley

The house owner’s room for receiving guests is arranged in accurate detail with Berber jewellery and artefacts and by a fantastic process of documentation, the original owner’s photograph is hanging on the wall in what would have been his living quarters.

There is also Panoramic terrace looking out on the stunning mountain scenary and the Ourika valley. If you stop at the village and ask for Douar Tafza you will be guided to the door. This is a remarkable example of sustainable ecotourism which is bringing life to this village and encouraging communal participation in this visionary project, as they also use Dar Tafza for marriages and celebrations.

Enquires about Douar Tafza’s location can be made at the Maison de la Photographie.

Written by Colin Kilkelly

For more information about Douar Tafza’s Berber Ecomuseum or an Ourika Valley Tour

For More Information About Travel and Tours to Morocco plus highlights on Moroccan culture visit Morocco’s Imperial CitiesSeaside Resorts,Sahara Desert,Berber villagesA Taste of MoroccoMagical Kasbahs, Ruins & WaterfallsAbsolute Morocco, The Best of MarrakechFes, and Ouarzazate
Discover The Best of Morocco - Travel Exploration
Travel Exploration specializes in Morocco Travel.We provide Tours and travel opportunities to Morocco for the independent traveler and tailor-made tours for families and groups with a distinctly unique flavor. From Morocco’s Seven Imperial Cities, to the Magical Sahara Travel Exploration offers a captivating experience that will inspire you. At Travel Exploration we guarantee that you will discover the best of Morocco! Call Travel Exploration at 1 (800) 787-8806 or + 1 (212) 618882681 and let’s book a tour to Morocco for you today.
Berber Ecomuseum, Patrick Man’ach, Morocco Museums, Douar Tafaza, Ourika Valley Private Tours, Ourika Valley Tour, Morocco Travel, Travel Exploration Morocco

Marrakech Travel Excursion: One Day Ourika Valley Tour, Your Morocco Travel Guide

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

Marrakech Travel Excursion: One Day Ourika Valley Tour – Your Morocco Travel Guide

A Marrakech Travel Excursion to the Ourika Valley for a one day Ourika Tour is a seemingly relaxing way to spend time outside the hustle and bustle of Marrakech. Marrakech is Morocco’s capital of tourism and one of the most exciting Imperial cities to explore within Morocco. Even so, everyone who visits Marrakech for more then a few days may want to consider a Marrakech Travel Excursion to a slower placed seaside port or Moroccan nature tour where you can hire a driver whisk you a way for the day and return you that evening to the red hamra city of Marrakech.

Ourika-Valley- Landscape

Take a day off from the city heat to travel southeast of Marrakech, Morocco and visit the Ourika Valley. The Ourika Valley has a small souk located near a picturesque spiritual Zaouia every Monday. Ourika also boasts local crafts and Berber carpet shopping options with prices that are much less then expensive Marrakech. Let your Travel Exploration Morocco driver lead the way to local shopping options or stay true to the trip and focus on Ourika’s natural surroundings.

Ourika-Valley-Berber-Carpet

The road to Ourika is filled with gardens, palm tree plantations and fruit trees and you will find tiny hamlets, summer homes plus cafes and restaurants. During your one day Ourika Valley Tour you can have a quiet picnic lunch near the Ourika River or in a local Moroccan traditional restaurant with a local Ourika cooking. Options are a Moroccan tajine, couscous, salads and much more.

Ourika-Ouirgane-Valley

After having lunch during a visit to the Ourika Valley one of the best places to continue your journey is to visit Setti Fatma, just a few kilometers from the heart of Ourika which has beautiful streams and waterfalls. Your hiking guide will take you to explore Setti Fatma’s valley’s green terraces, surrounded by Atlas peaks, rocky village foothills and seven waterfalls.

Travel Exploration Morocco offers several Marrakech travel excursions and one-day tours for Moroccan travelers. Here are the Best Marrakech Travel Excursions and one-day tours that we offer:

Safi-By-The-Sea-Ramparts

1. Ourika Valley Tour – A Morocco Travel Excursion to Ourika Berber Villages, have lunch and see the Setti Fatima Waterfalls and return to Marrakech.

2. Ouzoud Waterfalls Tour – A Morocco Travel Excursion to the Cascades D’Ouzoud Falls, lunch above the falls or within a Berber tent aside the falls, fresh squeezed orange juice made by locals, a hike around the falls, a swim in the freezing cold and refresh Ouzoud Waterfalls and visit the Berber Village that resides just above the majestic Ouzoud. Then return to Marrakech.

3. Essaouira Tour – A Morocco Travel Excursion to this sea side medieval town that boasts lovely white-washed and blue-shuttered houses, colonnades, thuya wood workshops, art galleries and mouthwatering seafood. Enjoy the day walking by the port and visiting Orson Wells Square. Relax by the Atlantic. Then return to Marrakech.

4. Agadir Tour – A Morocco Travel Excursion to the Agadir Port, a short visit to the Valley of Birds if time allows and a nice long lunch of freshly caught Moroccan seafood. Make sure to keep a lookout for the Argan goats that climb the trees during the spring, summer and fall season to suckle off the Argan nuts which are then turned into Argan Oil, Argan Butter and used to make Argan cosmetics by Berber women. Then, return to Marrakech.

5. Safi Tour – A Morocco Travel Excursion to Safi, the pottery capital or Morocco, where guests can enjoy a variety of pottery traditions, shop, have lunch by the sea and visit some of the unique Moroccan artist galleries who showcase their pottery and paintings. This is a laid back one-day excursion with roadside views to the quiet and less traveled town of Safi, pronounced “Asfi” by Moroccans. Then, return to Marrakech.

Safi-Pottery-Man

6. High Atlas Tichka Tour – A Morocco Travel Excursion to the Sahara city of Ouarzazate, also referred to as the “Door to the Sahara Desert.” Travel Ouarzazate’s Ancient Kasbahs, Ait Benhaddou, a UNESCO World Heritage site and tour Ouarzazate’s Kasbah Taourirt. Your next stop on this Ouarzazate Travel Excursion is to the Atlas film studios where Cleopatra, Bertolucci’s Sheltering Sky, Scorsese’s Kundun, Gillies MacKannon’s Hideous Kinky, Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, Black Hawke Down, Oliver Stone’s Alexander The Great, Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven, and Penelope Cruz’s Sahara were all filmed. Then return to Marrakech.

Ait-Benhaddou-Kasbah-Ouarzazate

7. High Atlas Toukbal Tour – A Morocco Travel Excursion to the Berber Village of Imlil, stopping at the Argan Cooperative where you get a personal tasting and be able to watch Argan oil and Argan nut butter made by Berber woman while you are served fresh bread for dipping and Moroccan Mint tea. Have lunch in Imllil and then take a 2-hour hike up Mount Toukbal with a guide. Then return to Marrakech.

High-Atlas-Imlil-Village-Mount-Toukbal

For more information about Ourika Valley Travel Tours

For more information about Travel and Tours to Morocco plus highlights on Moroccan culture visit Morocco’s Imperial CitiesSeaside Resorts,Sahara DesertBerber villagesA Taste of MoroccoMagical Kasbahs, Ruins & Waterfalls, Absolute Morocco, The Best of MarrakechFes, and Ouarzazate.

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Discover The Best of Morocco - Travel Exploration

Travel Exploration specializes in Morocco Travel. We provide Tours and travel opportunities to Morocco for the independent traveler and tailor-made tours for families and groups with a distinctly unique flavor. From Morocco’s Seven Imperial Cities, to the Magical Sahara Travel Exploration offers a captivating experience that will inspire you. At Travel Exploration we guarantee that you will discover the best of Morocco! Call Travel Exploration at 1 (800) 787-8806  or 1 (917)703-2078  and let’s book a tour to Morocco for you today