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Participant, CLF 2022-2023 Director, CLF 2023-2025 Harvard College Class of 2029
June 19, 2025
June 7, 2025
Visit the Sahara Desert, participate in meaningful service projects, and be immersed in Moroccan culture on this program for college students.
Spend two weeks in a life-changing experience traversing this unique and incredible country. Volunteer at a village in the high Atlas Mountains. Take in the beauty of the sand dunes. Visit the largest mosque in Africa in Casablanca, surf or relax on the beach in the coastal town of Essaouira, and admire the colorful goods and exotic spices in the souqs of Marrakesh. Through all these experiences and more, Morocco will offer you a journey you will never forget.
Costa Rica: Surf and Service
Catch waves and make an impact
Age 14-22
$3495 plus Airfare
Thailand: Thai Elephant Conservation Project
Elephant care and conservation
Age 12-21
$2995 plus Airfare
Board your flight to Morocco and get some rest while you get ready for this unique adventure!
Arrive at Menara International Airport (RAK) and meet your program leaders who will be with you for the duration of the program. Hop on a short drive and settle into your hotel, relaxing after your long flight. Learn about Moroccan culture during a presentation. Then savor your first Moroccan tagine for dinner as you get to know your program leaders and your fellow travelers.
Get your morning started with a lesson in basic Darija, the local Arabic dialect. Spend the rest of your day in Marrakech! Walk through the best sites of Marrakech including the Bahia Palace, Jewish quarters and Koutoubia Mosque. You’ll join a local artist and learn about one of the most iconic Islamic arts through a calligraphy workshop. Afterwards, you’ll kick back with some coffee while viewing the local architecture.
Drive to to local farm for a cooking class and then dig into your prepared dishes at lunch. Afterwards, you’ll head to your Amazigh village situated in the Ourika Valley at the foot of the Atlas Mountains. Settle in and join the group for a discussion about the days ahead and an introduction to the village culture. Savor a traditional Moroccan meal for dinner as you get to know some of the local villagers.
While in the village for the next 3 nights, you will be staying in a guesthouse. Students will be sleeping in big rooms of 5 to 6 students with shared bathrooms. There will be access to electricity but no wifi or service.
Rise for breakfast and a second lesson in the Darija dialect before starting service. Help empower the village by improving the main village road that local students use to get to school. Spend afternoons visiting local families for tea as part of your cultural immersion in Morocco. Learn about bread making and join in soccer games. As you assist your host community, you’ll develop an appreciation for Amazigh culture, music, and rural life in Morocco. Experience the community’s kindness and hospitality as you learn about local life.
Start your day with an early morning breakfast and say goodbye to your new friends from the village. Hit the road for Ait-Ben-Haddou, a 17th-century ksar. This fortified village built of mud bricks is the largest and most spectacular example of South Moroccan architecture.
You will spend the night at a riad by the ksar. Students will be in shared rooms separated by gender and will have access to private bathrooms and electricity.
Divide into teams for a scavenger hunt. Using clues, search for and collect the listed items with your team as you work on your language and bartering skills during this exposure to local culture.
After lunch, hit the road to Dades Gorges and enjoy the view. The gorges are formed with the most dramatic red rock formations, so take in the breathtaking landscape while you can! Stop along the way in Skoura where the 17th century Kasbah Amridil is located and learn about the history and ancient life in southern Morocco. Move out on foot for a walk as you explore this new region and its beautiful large oasis. Meet your driver and find the perfect panoramic view from Tissdrin canyon. The breathtaking views in this area are endless, and so are the adventures to come on this program.
You will spend the night at a hotel by this oasis. Students will be in shared rooms separated by gender and will have access to private bathrooms and electricity.
Set off on the Road of One Thousand Kasbahs to Ouarzazate, where the magnificent Kasbahs dazzle visitors with their beauty. Get ready to take a tour and learn about this area, which has been the setting for many famous movies.
You will sleep in a riad where you will be in shared rooms separated by gender and have access to private bathrooms and electricity.
Attend a presentation to learn about Islam, and then join your group for a mid-trip discussion to reflect on what you’ve experienced and learned so far. Take the Road of One Thousand Kasbahs toward Marrakech. Wander the UNESCO-acclaimed 1000-year-old market where you can watch snake charmers, dancers, and storytellers surrounded by people. See everything from whale vertebrae and acrobats to ostrich eggs and traditional henna. The mosque will sound a call to prayer as smoke from kebab stands billows peacefully over the frenzy below. Explore and learn about the famous Islamic architecture of some of the oldest monuments in the world.
Wake up early and drive to a ziplining course in the High Atlas Mountains. Experience the excitement of the zip lines and enjoy the views from some nearby bridges. Participate in team-building games to test your group’s communication skills.
Refuel during lunch and then head towards the Atlantic coast to the funky beach town of Essaouira.
Your next two nights in Essaouira will be spent in a hotel. Students will be in shared rooms and will have access to private bathrooms and electricity.
Hang out in the white-walled medina and watch the seagulls overhead in the town known for its annual Gnaoua World Music Festival. Stroll through the friendly European-style streets on a cultural tour.
Soak in the breeze as you catch some waves during surfing lessons in the afternoon. Enjoy a slower pace of life and cooler climate during your last afternoon in the town of Essaouira. Barter for sunglasses, handicrafts, and textiles while munching on a delicious crepe from a street vendor.
Start the day shopping as you wrap up your time in Essaouira. You won’t want to miss getting a souvenir in this unique city. The souqs in Essaouira are stacked with ceramics, leather goods, baskets, carpets, and jewelry.
Pack up for a drive back to Marrakech. Enjoy gnawa music and your last dinner during the program. Get some traditional hennas.
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 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.
B’slama! Wake up early and drive to Marrakech Menara airport to catch your flight home. Reflect on your adventure as you bid farewell to Morocco.
Packing the right gear (and the right amounts) is the first step to an incredible travel experience. Follow these tips to pack like a pro:
Travel light. Pack only the essentials. You’ll need less than you think! Consider no checked bag. We strongly recommend that you consider packing only a carry-on size bag. This prevents your luggage getting lost or separated from you, keeps your bag manageable, and helps you be more mobile on your travel day. Bring the right clothes. Pack clothes that are culturally appropriate for your destination and acceptable for service projects. This means bringing long shorts (think Bermuda and basketball shorts), t-shirts with sleeves to cover shoulders, and appropriate footwear. Leave your valuables behind. While traveling, it’s easier for things to get lost, stolen, or damaged. Keep any prized possessions safe at home. Check with TSA. Make sure your luggage complies with TSA regulations, especially your carry-on. Useful tip: Pack an empty water bottle and fill it up after security. Extra paperwork? If you need additional forms filled out to get credit for your service hours, no problem! Bring these forms with you so they can be completed in-country.
A school backpack is ideal as it will be used for daily activities and outings.
A 40-50 liter duffel bag or backpack is ideal.
Clothes
Toiletries
(Travel size bottles in Ziploc bags)
Optional
Village Guesthouse: While in the village, students will be in big rooms of a guesthouse (5 to 6 students per room) with shared bathrooms. There will be access to electricity but no wifi.
Sahara Camp: While camping, students will be sharing tents that have beds and pillows.
Hotels and Riads: For the rest of the program students will stay in hotels and riads (traditional Moroccan houses) with private showers and bathrooms and access to electricity.
Rustic Pathways works with local community leaders and organizations to identify and prioritize the needs of each community. Please note that while we try our best to ensure we provide our advertised projects, some changes may occur due to the communities and project partners we work with.
Infrastructure Service: Students on this program will participate in an ongoing project of building a community center for youth in the village. Prepare to get your hands dirty during this incredibly powerful project!
This program involves service that requires students to be physically active (e.g. construction).
Delicious traditional Moroccan food of course! Food is mostly family style except for Marrakech and Casablanca where we order individually off a menu. Morocco is home to many delectable dishes, many of them heavily influenced by French colonialism. Having been a major stop along the African spice route, Moroccan cuisine is rich and flavorful. The tagine, a Moroccan favorite, is a stew cooked within a conical clay pot where couscous, vegetables, spices and chicken or beef are usually piled high to be shared around the table. Dig in and fork what strikes your fancy onto your plate, or eat like a real Moroccan and scoop up each bite with some crisp and crunchy bread. Variations of the tagine are common as well as fish fillet and assorted kinds of kebabs. Hearty lentil soups are also a good starter to any meal. Be sure to sample some pastilla while you are traveling, this traditional dish is a crispy crepe stuffed with chicken and spices while the top is sprinkled with powdered sugar and cinnamon. It’s the perfect combination of savory and sweet! Almost all Moroccan meals are served with bread, as it is a big staple in Moroccan daily life. After you are good and stuffed be sure to wash down your Moroccan feast with a steaming cup of sweet Moroccan mint tea. Moroccan breakfast usually include a lot of carbs and is rarely accompanied with eggs or protein. If that is an important component for you at breakfast, packing bars and other snacks like nuts is necessary.
Dietary Requirements/Food Allergies – We can easily accommodate vegetarian, vegan, gluten free and other common dietary requirements on this program. Please make sure to include this in your medical form so that our staff can prepare and we always recommend bringing along some of your own favorite snacks!
We will be providing bottled water at all times, but don’t forget to bring along your own reusable water bottle so we can minimize our plastic usage.
Expect hot and dry on most of your program’s locations, however Morocco’s Atlantic coastal cities such as Casablanca and Rabat are generally cooler and milder than in the interior. The interior of Morocco such as in Marrakech is hot and sunny during the summer. Up in the Atlas Mountains where you will be doing your community service expect it to be hot and sunny during the day and cooler at night.
Flights: Rustic Pathways offers escorted group flights from the United States to Marrakesh, Morocco. Students will fly from New York (JFK) to Marrakesh (RAK) with an approximate flight time of 7 hours. The advertised dates for this program include travel time from the USA.
Visa: There are no visa requirements in Morocco for students traveling on United States passports. Students traveling with Rustic Pathways on passports not issued by the United States are responsible for determining their own visa requirements. Please check with the appropriate consulate or embassy.
Internal Travel: This program does not have any internal flights, but students will be traveling frequently throughout this program. Students will travel via private bus or private vans throughout the program as they travel around Morocco.
Students are allowed to bring phones on their Rustic Pathways program, but must abide by our cell phone policy. Students will not be allowed to use their phones during group activities, nor at any other time where it is disruptive to the group dynamic. If students are unable to abide by this policy, disciplinary action may be taken and phones may be confiscated until the end of the program. We want to encourage students to disconnect in order to fully immerse themselves in the experience and get the most out of their program. That being said, students will have access to wifi twice during this itinerary while in the larger cities. Parents will have access to our 24/7 emergency number and will also receive updates from our staff once your student is in country.
All activities in this itinerary are included. Checked luggage fees, personal gifts, laundry, and snacks are not. We generally recommend bringing $300-$400USD for spending money.
Students will have the opportunity to do laundry once during this program. The cost is $1 per 3 items.
It is very important that we respect the cultural norms and local customs while traveling throughout Morocco. With a majority of the population practicing Islam, Morocco is a conservative Muslim country and the influence of religion is felt in the ways people act, dress, and present themselves. Women should be very mindful of their clothing while visiting Morocco. It is important to wear modest clothing that does not show or reveal too much skin. This means avoiding shorts, tank tops, transparent shirts, crop tops, and tight clothing such as yoga pants or leggings. Wearing loose fitting clothes will keep you cooler during hot days anyway, and the added coverage will protect your skin from that powerful Moroccan sun! When visiting religious sites such as the Hassan II mosque, it is required that women cover their heads before entering the mosque so remember to pack a scarf or sarong. While swimming or visiting the beach, we ask that you please pack a one-piece bathing suit. Remember, Morocco isn’t all desert and heat, evenings on the Atlantic coast or up in the Atlas Mountains can get pretty chilly and breezy even during the summer months. Be sure to pack a sweatshirt or light jacket that you can throw on just in case!
Ensuring the safety of your teen as they travel with Rustic Pathways is a top priority. Please review our Health and Safety measures.
Our Travel Protection Plan helps protect our participants, their belongings, and their travel investment in those unforeseen circumstances that may arise during travel. Learn more about the plan offered through our partner.