Since our breakfast and transport took much longer than expected we arrived 30 mins too late at the meeting point. I had called about this and since we were not alone 'another cook' was arranged. Sanae was the best we could get! Very friendly, with humor and speaking English very well. We went shopping first after arriving at the roof terrace +/- 1hr later. There we started with Moroccan tea (with lots of sugar!) including an explanation of all the habits and ceremony that comes with it. After tea we started preparing our meals. 3 persons per Tajine, 9 in total. The meat (chicken) was already cut but everything else was 'sliced and diced' by us. Sanae kept talking and joking with us. Explaining about the herbs, local cuisine, etc. We made the main dish, a salad and a desert (orange cinnamon) which was all very tasty. I can recommend this workshop to anyone, it was a very nice activity.

“Mustapha arranged our pick up from our Riad before we headed out the city for a 30-minute camel ride. Here he explained the value of the camels with impeccable English, as we enjoyed mint tea & biscuits post-ride. We then went south to learn about Argan oil & got to try the different products, both edible & cosmetic. Next, we were taken into the mountains to commence a walk through the Berber village, where Mustapha excelled with his local knowledge of the communities and religions. Following our walk, we enjoyed a delicious three-course lunch at the guest house, before returning to Marrakech. Mustapha was incredibly inclusive of the whole group and personalized the trip to accommodate our needs. “

A comfortable and modern minibus took us to Essaouira, a two hour drive. On the way we stopped at a Women's Co-operative where local ladies are employed turning the valuable argan nuts into edible or cosmetic oil. After an explanation of the very labour intensive processes we had an opportunity to buy products made from argan oil. In Essaouira we had an entertaining guided tour of the ancient city and its historical monuments. This was followed by a free time to wander round the city, shop and have lunch before the return journey. Our guide was amusing and informative. It was a really enjoyable day out, not too strenuous.

Wonderful tour, thanks to our great Guide Mustafa, we did not only got to know the flora and fauna of the area with lots of Information on top, but also got an insight into the lives of the People and an idea of the issues that move them. The lunch was a very special experience, in the best sense of the word! I've rarely been so warmly welcomed and had the pleasure to taste such a delicious meal.

We booked the sunrise hot air balloon without the optional camel ride. From the prompt pick up (very very early but there was coffee on arrival to wake us up :-p), professional location facilities, fantastic experienced pilot (Pierre, temporally over from France), to delicious breakfast. The experience itself was breathtaking, I would highly recommend! Not cheap, but worth every penny!