Moroccan Adventure By Ote Dale, O.A.R.S Guide

I left a city where sloppy money flies through hands like fallen leaves in a swirling wind, a fairy tale town of somewhere else where a wonton man crafted Lake quietly shrinks to half pool soon to be cracks in mud Eventually thirst will consume This fantasy I flew south to another thirsty town in Texas Then to Paris where I frustrated around changing not just planes but airports. Finally boarding a jumbo jet headed to Marrakech Africa. There after 1-hour of custom lines and the process of changing currency. I stepped into Africa, I was (thankfully) greeted by not one but two burly, handsome, jolly good river guides. Hamish and Steve. Here is my story….which I will edit as I remember! We traveled in Africa, 16 folks and our fabulous guides to show us the way! We left the bustling city of Marrakech, with it’s fields of olives and almonds and drove fast on steeply winding roads into the Atlas Mountains headed out to run the wild Ahansel river. Hamish shouts, “Get ready for a rubbish view!” We stop for lunch overlooking the lake where our river trip would end and had a picnic looking at a view of … Continue reading →

A Stunning Insight Into Moroccan Rafting

Rafting is perhaps not the first thing that people associate with the Kingdom of Morocco. Most people will associate it with the vast Sahara Desert, camels and the vibrant and fascinating cities like Marrakech. Around 5 hours north east of Marrakech lies the picturesque and fun Ahansel River. It has many of the qualities of a European Alps style river, but without the crowds. Starting beneath the imposing La Cathedrale and traveling via a series of stunning campsites littered with cedar trees and rhododendrons down to the lake of Bin El Ouidane offers those wanting to explore this wonderful region, time to walk to ancient Kasbahs, meet people and sample wonderful food prepared along the way by our guides. A recent group visiting from the USA, many of whom had done the Grand Canyon, felt this trip was even more impressive in it’s beauty. Advertising agency executive Duncan Shaw, celebrating his 25th wedding anniversary with wife Marybeth, was blown away by the food on the trip. Canapes, wine and cheese, cake made on the river and pizzas made from scratch individually for all guests was something that was unique for them all. On the Deserts & Rivers option of this … Continue reading →

Your Rafting Crew Have Arrived In Morocco

For those of you heading out to Morocco later in the season, your river crew have just arrived in Marrakech to what we hear are sunny temperatures and plenty of snow in the mountains. Steve Hammond, has been to the river and says there are excellent levels, so get ready for some fun in the sun. Many of our guests have enjoyed tracking the crew on their trip to Morocco and you can still follow the progress of the trips on the river. The crew had plenty of adventures on the way to Morocco, including picking up some charity hitchhikers from Kings Medical College in London who were trying to get as far away from London as possible in 36 hours. They were collected near Dover in the UK and 36 hours later were dropped in Malaga Airport to get home! They could not believe their luck! Through Spain the crew experienced driving snow, so the welcome warmth of Morocco was pretty well received. Hope you can join them for a trip later on in the season, either rafting or kayaking, which runs through until June.

Rafting In Morocco – Who Can Do It?

Our team is now well and truly in the midst of our Morocco rafting season. But who rafts in Morocco and what different trips are on offer there? When many people picture Morocco, they think Sahara Desert and lets face it, the rafting wont be very good there! However Morocco is home to the Atlas Mountains and the wonderful rivers that feed from it. The best time to go to Morocco is in fact now in the spring when the run off is at it’s best, however rafting and kayaking can be done until late May when the Ahansel River gets too low to run. The Ahansel River is a perfect Grade 3 river, suitable for both first timers, families wanting to go rafting and seasoned rafters just wanting to go and explore a river off the beaten track. The river trips in Morocco are all of different lengths. Go for a “quick fix” and stay in our Berber Camps for just £210 for 3 days including a stop at Cascade D’Ouzoud, or take your time to raft the entire river from Cathedral to the lake on our Hidden Morocco trip. Water By Nature also offers kayaking trips for Grade … Continue reading →

Moroccan Madness

If you believe in karma you sometimes wonder what some creatures did in a previous life to deserve their present state. Questions like this riddle the brain when you travel in Morocco. For example, what creature deserved to be reincarnated as the Moroccan donkey that suddenly collapsed dead in front of my van under a load of two tonnes of cement causing a horrific traffic jam in Marrakech. An even more severe example are those who revisit this earth as Berber women, the hardest working souls in Northern Africa, whose husbands lounge in the tea and coffee shops sipping strong brews and generally do nothing. Yet another example of severe karmic debt repaid in Morocco are those Water By Nature guides who experienced the most difficult rafting and kayaking season to date. Morocco is a beautiful country with a rich culture, varied geography, and interesting people. It is a land that is not quite Africa and not quite Europe. Some say its Islamic roots classify it with the Middle East but even still its geographical displacement keeps it separated from this region as well. As a result, this No Man’s Land of a country is a unique destination. In addition … Continue reading →