High Atlas Mountain Service

Arrive into Mohammed V Casablanca International Airport (CMN) and meet your Program Leaders who will be with you for the duration of the program. Depart directly to Bin El Ouidan, literally meaning “between the rivers.“ Join the group for an orientation discussion about the week ahead, expectations for your adventure, and an introduction to the local culture.

Depart for a Berber village nestled in the Zawiya Ahansal Valley of the High Atlas Mountains, the largest mountain range in North Africa. Get settled and have a hearty dinner and brief orientation to the surrounding area. In the evening, prepare for tomorrow’s service work with your group.

Wake to the jaw-dropping mountains surrounding you and participate in language lessons with locals over breakfast. After breakfast, head to the service site. Community service projects are always designed with a grassroots approach, meaning they’re generated and implemented collaboratively with community members and Rustic groups. These projects provide important space for exchange between our students and locals, while investing positive energy and resources into the ongoing development initiatives in rural Morocco.

Considering service initiatives in the village are ongoing, we’ll be able to identify our specific service goals at the beginning of the week. On one afternoon, you’ll have the opportunity to meet the sheikh (authority figure) of the village. Come prepared with questions about politics, religion, and Berber culture. Join your group for a post-service debrief in the evening, discussing what you experienced and learned through hands-on work in the community.

Bid the community farewell and weave your way through the final towering peaks of the High Atlas Mountains toward the red city of Marrakech. Before arriving in the afternoon, stop at the Ouzoud Waterfalls for a delicious lunch, and embark on a short hi

Explore Marrakech and its bustling souqs full of fascinating wares—everything from magic boxes to ostrich eggs and whale vertebrae. Visit Bahia Palace, and an authentic spice shop. Conclude your day with dinner in Jemaa El-Fna square. The mosque will sound a call to prayer as smoke from kabob stands billows overhead in this frenetic market.

At the end of each program, students reflect on their experiences and the issues they engaged with, 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 and learning moments of their program to process and share with their communities back home.

Your Program Leaders will take you to Mohammed V Casablanca International Airport (CMN) for your departure as you say goodbyes and reflect on your adventure.