Some of our Year 11 and Year 13 Geographers visited Morocco last month. Below is a diary of their experiences:
After the extremely early morning to get to the airport, we stepped out of the plane into Morocco and a wall of heat. We were able to enjoy this warmth whilst exploring the maze of bustling souks in Marrakesh. In the souks, we visited an apothecary and tried many of the products being described to us by the owner, including the renowned Moroccan Oil (Argan Oil) and some of their range of spices. Our now fragrant group walked back through the souks and returned to our hotel. For our lunch we had wonderful tagines with bottomless baskets of bread, allowing us to taste the local cuisine whilst in the magical city of Marrakesh.
Day two was spent driving through the mountains, which turned out to be a lot more interesting than expected. The roads were winding and the views were spectacular the whole way, with huge cliffs and small villages scattered around the hills. We stopped at a canal to look at irrigation strategies and also at Ait Benhaddou, a UNESCO World Heritage site, also known as the Slave City from Game of Thrones, which was cool to see in real life. Wandering through it felt a bit strange because it still looks like a film set, but people actually live and work there. It was quite fun haggling prices with sellers and I was approached by someone wanting me to look into their homes to barter a deal! Although this was daunting, it made for a very memorable experience. We arrived at night in Ouarzazate, a city in the middle of the desert. It was quite glitzy with a film studio and its own airport. Clearly money had been generated here through tourism.
On day three we visited the Atlas Film Studios in Ouarzazate, where we got to explore the film sets of movies and TV shows such as: Gladiator, The Mummy, Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra and Game of Thrones. At the end of our tour we also got to create our own short film, which made for an enjoyable and memorable experience.
Later that day, we had the incredible opportunity to ride camels through the Sahara Desert as the sun set behind us. This was an unforgettable moment despite the uncomfortable bumpy ride where some of us had to hold on for dear life. Many of us embraced Moroccan culture by wearing head scarfs which added to the excitement. After our journey across the desert, we finally arrived at camp, where we climbed the sand dunes and watched the sun set in the distance, which was beautiful. For dinner, we got to eat traditional Moroccan dishes such as a vegetable soup, a shared tagine with bread, and a fruit platter for dessert. To end the night we gathered around the campfire, the local musicians performed traditional Berber and Gnawa songs to which everyone clapped along, danced, did the conga and even the limbo. This was one of my favourite moments of the trip, an unforgettable and amazing way to end the day. At the end of the evening, some of us were even given the opportunity to try creating rhythms on the drums ourselves which was very fun.
On day four we explored the vast sand dunes and how they form, before visiting Tamegroute, a small pottery village, where we observed traditional craftsmanship and a historic library. The weather was amazing and seeing the village against the blue sky backdrop was impressive. We also witnessed how the people lived in subterranean houses, a humbling experience. We then travelled 400km back across the Atlas Mountains via Ouarzazate with spectacular views - a theme of the entire trip - to Marrakech.
On day five we visited the Majorelle Gardens, a beautifully designed botanical garden known for its vibrant blue buildings, exotic plants and peaceful atmosphere, before spending time in the souks of the medina. Everyone was in the shopping mood and really got into the culture of haggling. We then said our final goodbyes at Marrakech Menara Airport before the three-hour flight back to London.
- Ben Heriot, Maddie Cornut, Ferne Organ & Stanley Vowles
