Moroccan Wanderer (College Program)

Arrive at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) where you’ll meet your Rustic Pathways Flight Leader, who will help get you checked in and through security before traveling with your group to Morocco. Get acquainted with fellow Rustic travelers before boarding your flight to Morocco.

Arrive at Mohammed V International Airport (CMN) and meet your Program Leaders who will be with you for the duration of the program. Head to your Drive to Douar Sbiti, a village situated in a large olive grove in Ourika Valey at the foot of the Atlas Mountains. Settle in, relaxing after your long flight. Join the group for an orientation discussion about the week ahead, expectations for your adventure, and an introduction to the local culture. Savor your first Moroccan Berber Tajine for dinner as you get to know some of the local villagers and start orienting to your home away from home.

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.

Rise for breakfast and a quick lesson in Moroccan colloquial Arabic (Darija) before staring service. Help empower students through preschool education, which village leaders identified as a need for the community. Spend afternoons visiting local families for tea as part of your cultural immersion in Morocco. As you assist the community in Douar Sbiti, 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 14th-century ksar. This fortified village built of mud bricks is the largest and most spectacular example of South Moroccan architecture. After lunch at the Hollywood of Morocco, 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.

You will spend tonight sleeping in your own mud brick kasbah.

Hit the road to Tinghir after breakfast. Stop by some world-famous cinema studios on the way to learn about Morocco’s film industry and see where great movies like “Gladiator,” “Cleopatra,” and others were filmed. Arrive in Tinghir and visit the mellah, the town’s oldest quarter where Jewish and the Muslim communities resided for centuries. Learn about Jewish heritage while experiencing the frenetic atmosphere of the “women’s street” shops in the heart of the medina with its procession of crafts and small shops. Visit the majestic Todgha Gorge in the afternoon. Enjoy a two-hour hike through the canyon, which is famous among climbers who scale its walls. Share a cup of tea with nomads and learn about their way of life.

You will spend the night at a guesthouse by this palm oasis. Students will be in shared rooms separated by gender and will have access to private bathrooms and electricity.

Sabah al-khair! (Good morning!) After breakfast, leave for Rissani. Learn more about the Alaouite dynasty that’s ruled Morocco since the 17th-century at its founder’s mausoleum. Witness what looks like a mirage as you approach the majestic sand dunes of the Sahara. Leave your bags at the riad and prepare to head into the desert overnight. Pack a light bag and hop on a camel for a sunset caravan along the dunes to our Bedouin camp. After arriving, enjoy tea and local cuisine while listening the rhythmic beats of desert musicians around a campfire.

You will spend tonight camping in the Shara desert. Students will be sharing tents that have beds and pillows.

Wake up early to get a view of an incredible sunrise from the nearby dunes. Take some photos before packing up and heading back to Merzouga for breakfast and a shower. Hit the road the to the majestic Dades gorge and enjoy the view. Join your group for a mid-trip discussion where you will begin to reflect on what you’ve experienced and learned so far.

Tonight you will sleep in a hotel where you will be in shared rooms and will have access to private bathrooms and electricity.

Take the Road of One Thousand Kasbahs toward Tahnaout. Stop along the way at the 17th-century Kasbah Amridil and learn about the ancient way of life in southern Morocco. Arrive at Terres d’Amanar, a high-ropes and zip lining eco-park in the High Atlas Mountains. Drop your bags off before experiencing the excitement of the zip lines and high ropes course. Participate in team-building games to test your group’s communication skills.

Tonight you will be sleeping in comfortable tent rooms. Students will be in shared rooms separated by gender and will have access to private bathrooms and electricity.

After a morning of activities, continue to the historic “red city” of Marrakech. Arrive and observe the intricate architecture in every corner. Unwind in a traditional Moroccan riad in the heart of the old medina before dining in Marrakesh’s world-renowned Jamaâ El-Fna square, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Enjoy the lively hustle and bustle of this melting pot of Moroccan culture and folklore.

While in Marrakech for the next 3 nights, you will stay in a comfortable hotel. Students will be in shared rooms separated by gender and will have access to private bathrooms and electricity.

Wander the UNESCO-acclaimed 1000-year-old market where you can watch snake charmers entrance cobras and vendors hawk wares. See everything from whale vertebrae and acrobats to ostrich eggs and traditional henna. The mosque will sound a call to prayer as smoke from kebob stands billows peacefully over the frenzy below. Explore and learn about the famous Islamic architecture through some of the oldest monuments in the world.

Spend your last day in Marrakech exploring the medina. Walk through the souqs to arrive at one of the most authentic spice shops in Marrakech. Attend a quick talk about spices and herbs, which are important to Moroccan commerce and local culture. Explore Bin Youssef Madrasa, a 12th-century Islamic school and a hallmark of Islamic and North African architecture. Practice your photography skills as you explore in smaller groups. Shop for unique local goods after we teach you how to bargain like a Moroccan and enjoy your last evening in the Red City.

Drive to the Atlantic coast to the funky beach town of Essaouira. 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, barter for sunglasses, handicrafts, and textiles while munching on a delicious crepe from a street vendor.

Your next 2 nights in Essaouira will be spent in a hotel. Students will be in shared rooms and will have access to private bathrooms and electricity.

Eat lunch by the shore and soak in the breeze as you enjoy a slower pace of life and cooler climate during your last free afternoon in Morocco. Try to surf or shop for souvenirs one last time. The souqs in Essaouira, much like the ones in Marrakesh, are stacked with ceramics, leather goods, baskets, carpets, and jewelry.

Drive back to Casablanca for your final evening in Morocco. 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 final night of the program will be spent in a hotel in Casablanca. Students will be in shared rooms separated by gender and will have access to private bathrooms and electricity.

Your Program Leaders will take you to the airport for your departure as you say goodbyes and reflect on your adventure.