Morocco: French Language Immersion

Meet your group at your home airport. Fly together as a group to Morocco. Total travel time will depend on your departure location and flight schedule. Be sure to get some rest so you arrive ready for adventure!

Flight Details: Rustic Pathways will be happy to book your flight as an add-on service.

Arrive into Marrakech Menara Airport and meet your Program Leaders who will be with you for the duration of the program. Join the group for an orientation discussion about the week ahead, expectations for your adventure, and an introduction to the local culture. Eat a wonderful welcome dinner of tagine in the city’s famous main square Jamaâ El-Fna, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Wander the thousand-year-old market where you can watch snake charmers entrance their cobras and vendors hawk their wares. See everything from whale vertebrae and acrobats to ostrich eggs and orange juice stands! Then settle in to your hotel or homestay for a good night’s rest. 

Sabah al-khair! Rise and shine for your first day of French lessons. Take engaging, conversation-focused classes in small groups with other students at a similar proficiency level. Partner with a local French speaking partner and focus on the practical application of daily interactions. The contents of your lessons will align with activities in the city, allowing you to practice your newly acquired language skills each day. 

For each of the next several days, you will spend your morning in French classes. In the afternoons, head to the medina to explore some of Marrakech’s vibrant souqs, or marketplaces, and experience the rich culture and history on which modern-day Marrakech is built. Your afternoons will include:

• Participate in a souq scavenger hunt, putting your new French skills to the test as you search for sites, find objects, and engage locals in conversation. 
• Learn to cook traditional Moroccan food
• Partake in a traditional Arabic calligraphy workshop
• Hang out with Moroccan peers, and learn how your life experiences have been similar, and different

Each day will wrap up with a review of your activities, and discussion of what you learned about the language, culture, and people of Marrakech. 

Say goodbye to your host families and head into the foothills of the Atlas mountains for a morning of stunning views and exercise, then head to your desert camp for an overnight in the sparse, rocky landscape under the stunning tapestry of stars. Today will include a sunset camel ride –  always a highlight of the trip! – and an evening enjoying the rhythmic beats of desert musicians around a campfire. 

Overnight: Agafay Desert Camp

Return to Marrakech for your final day in Morocco. Pick up last minute souvenirs at the souks, and visit the Majorelle Gardens, YSL Museum, or the Bahia Palace and Secret Garden. 

In the evening, enjoy a traditional celebratory meal, including a live concert of Gnawa music beats, and Henna tattoos. A traditional Moroccan farewell! 

At the end of each program, students reflect on their experiences, and talk about how to apply this new understanding to their own worlds. During or after their closing discussion, groups participate in Rustic Ties, a unique and powerful activity that allows students to capture the memories of their program and share with their communities back home. 

Overnight: Hotel or Homestay, Marrakech

Return to the Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK), where you program leaders will help you get checked in for your flight home. We hope your time in Morocco has helped to develop your French skills, and provided many meaningful experiences and beautiful memories!

Flight Details: Rustic Pathways will be happy to book your flight as an add-on service.