A sweet cup of mint tea welcomes you into Moroccan culture in the traditional kitchens where you learn how to brew your own while preparing a bread staple – khobz. The next day, a mule trek into the mountains sheds light on the Berber community and what daily life looks like here. Hungry stomachs are then rewarded with lunch on the roof terrace of a local family with Toubkal – North Africa’s highest peak – as a backdrop.
With a maximum luggage allowance, there’s plenty of room to pack with a purpose. School supplies, toiletries and clothes all make it into the suitcase when it comes to donations to the various charities looking for support in Ansi. What makes it most meaningful is spending time at the creche, preschool and girls’ boarding house where the donations are heading.
Bleary eyes from an early start are soon cleared hiking Asloun peak, with the whole family motivating each other to get their blood pumping and make it to the top. That encouragement then remains along the dusty track flanked by juniper trees and panoramic views of the valley’s contours all the way to Tamgounssi Pass. Later, an optional trekker spa treatment – an invigorating twist on the traditional hammam involving alternating hot basalt and cool marble stones – does wonders for tired legs.
Nothing brings the family together quite like food, especially when the whole tribe are making it from scratch. Kasbah’s chef heads a hands-on three-course cooking class on the rooftop terrace, exploring Moroccan cuisine and the traditional ways to cook using Kanouns – tiny wood burning stoves akin to a classic barbecue. Personal stations motivate budding chefs to take recipes at their own pace, in the ultimate contest for the tastiest morsels. Verdicts are agreed at lunchtime when tucking into your new creations; salads, soups, tagines – and a little room for dessert.
Venturing to the Tamgounssi Weaving Centre, the women of the Eve Branson Foundation introduce the ancient craft of weaving. Taught by local artisans employed by the foundation, women attend the centre daily to learn the art of hand embroidery in a range of textiles. New skills start to shape into stories, which are largely hand-sewn into motifs, using the symbols of the Amazigh language. The creative sorts thrive here, hand-crafting their own keepsake to take home while getting to know the women and what the Foundation does for the local community. An embroidered cushion would be our choice, to cuddle up with the memories of Morocco when you’re back home.
Eve Branson’s Foundation was set up by Richard Branson’s mother, as a way of giving back to the community when he opened Kasbah Tamadot as a hotel. As such, 40% of the purchase price of all crafts bought at the Eve Branson Foundation goes directly to the artisans, and the remaining amount goes back into funding further projects.
Perched on the hillside and overlooking undulating landscapes, decadent berber tent suites offer a truly authentic experience of Berber community. Being directly linked to the Eve Branson Foundation, local-projects and incentives are found in neighbouring schools, arts and crafts centres.
Kasbah Tamadot
Make the most of those fleeting summer months just before teens strike out into the world by themselves. These trips have been thoughtfully designed to enrich your time together in the weeks leading up to that big but exciting change...
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