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Essaouira Tours
Argan Forest, tea time at a Berbers family & Visit of an Argan cooperative.
5

Argan Forest, tea time at a Berbers family & Visit of an Argan cooperative.

By Ecotourisme et Randonnées
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A large section of this walk takes you through an Argan forest. Argan trees are an endemic species only found in the south west of Morocco and a mythical emblem of the Essaouira region. This is a relatively easy walk suitable for people looking for a leisurely ramble. Throughout the hike, the guide will give you useful insights into the ecology of these trees. You will thus be able to observe the different stages of a tree‛s life cycle until it reaches maturity; you will also learn about the many different products derived from the trees and their fruit as well as the beneficial impact on the local culture. You will walk through a little village where there is a ‘Marabout‛ -or saint‛s temple- featuring elements dating back to the 16th century, and later you will be served tea at a Berber villager‛s and experience first-hand traditional Moroccan hospitality. At the end of the walking tour, you will visit a women's cooperative where you will discover the secret of making the famous argan oil.
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation

Ages 0-100, max of 12 per group
Duration: 4h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: Arabic, French
More


  • Private transportation
  • An experienced guide and tea on a farm with a Berber family.
  • Moroccan tea.
  • Entry/Admission - Cooperative Marjana (ARGAN OIL)
What's not included
  • Bottled water


Start:
  • Laboratoire Abdelkrim Khattabi d'Analyses Médicales, 287 Rue Oued El Makhazine, Essaouira 44000, Morocco
    Near the main door (of the arch)
End:This activity ends back at the meeting point.

    • Not wheelchair accessible
    • Service animals allowed
    If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 132907P1

    • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
    • No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
    • Most travellers can participate
    • This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
    • This experience requires a minimum number of travellers. If it’s cancelled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
    • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travellers

    • For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

    If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 132907P1

    From
    AU$74.81
    per adult
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    Itinerary
    • 287 Rue Oued El Makhazine, Essaouira 44000, Morocco
      Near the main door (of the arch)
    • 1
      Walk takes you through an Argan forest. Argan trees are an endemic species only found in the south west of Morocco and a mythical emblem of the Essaouira region. This is a relatively easy walk suitable for people looking for a leisurely ramble. Visit a women's cooperative where you will discover the secret of making the famous argan oil.
    About the operator
    Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
    • Ecotourisme et Randonnées
      505
      Essaouira, Morocco
      Joined in March 2009
    • FariaK7
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      It was a great experience. Really glad to have done it.
      Great experience. The knowledge of the guide Naima was great. She was able to answer all our questions and knew about the history and flora and fauna of the location. The lunch was amazing too!!
      Written 19 February 2023
    • Montydoodle
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      A perfect day
      An interesting walk across a variety of fascinating landscapes. Lunch was a beautifully tender goat tagine and Naima, our guide, was well informed and friendly. A very well organised day out - great value and lots of amazing photos!
      Written 28 January 2023
    • Lyndon R
      0 contributions
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      Great hike and lunch!
      Awesome hike! Quite long (my watch tracked it at 14km), so make sure to bring water. Beautiful scenery and the lunch is excellent.
      Written 12 November 2021
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      Dromapied
      Very nice camel ride close to the ocean in a superb natural setting. A long ride that really felt authentic. Walking back on foot across the sandy naturel park was very nice and easy for kids. Friendly guide.
      Written 7 March 2019
    • Catherine S
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      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Excellent trip to the wild beach
      Our guide was a delight, switching easily from French to English to Berber. He had a real passion for the area and knew lots about the flora and fauna. The visit to the Berber village was v interesting, though I am slightly uncomfortable with this kind of tourism. The beaches were staggeringly lovely and the flower meadow an unexpected delight. Very professional service.
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    • Catherine S
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      Friendly and efficient
      Booking my trip was easy and the excursion itself was great. I did the beach walk / waterfall / Berber homestead. Beautiful deserted beach, small group, excellent guide. The wild flower meadows were a lovely surprise and the herd of goats thundering down the hill and onto the beach made us all laugh.
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    • Frances E
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      Two tours with Ecotourisme
      We went on two tours, a half-day walk to a waterfall along the beach and past the argon trees, and then a few days later, the bird-watching tour. Both were led by Ottmane, who speaks English and French. He is an excellent guide, very informative, friendly and good with different members of the groups including a couple of young boys who came with us to the waterfall. For me, these two walks were the highlight of our time in Essaouira and I count taking my shoes off and walking in the sand dunes by the ocean as the top moment, even in amongst all the carpet and pottery buying. Highly recommended.
      Written 10 March 2018
    • James B
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      Bird watching trip
      Went on the half day bird watching trip guided by Ottman . Excellent walk on the banks of a river ,Ottman very helpful ,later sending us a selection of photos .Thoroughly enjoyable and slightly different activity from the usual in Essaouira.
      Written 21 February 2018
    • Paddy W
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      Hike to Cap Sim, Sidi Kaoki, really enjoyable, excellent guide
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      Written 17 February 2018
    • Hallfridur G
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Great tour
      We did this tour in April 2017. Great hike tour and excellent guide. It was great to see the nature and landscape of Morocco with a local guide. The top of the trip was to get tea and bread at the end of the trip on a farm and also very interested to see the women make argan oil. Thousand thanks for us.
      Written 14 August 2017
    • Bob H
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      Sheep in Argan Trees, Essaouira
      These goats are there just for looks, they do work. Traditionally, the goats contribute to the production of argan oil. Argan fruits were eaten by the goats and then pooped out to be cracked open and the oil squeezed out of the seeds. The oil is used in cosmetics or food. Now, in most places, the goats have been replaced by the local women, who (thankfully!) instead of eating and pooping them out, just crack the shell and take the seed out by hand.
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      Two wonderful tours, waterfalls and bird watching.
      Ottman Filone led us on our first tour through Argan trees, along the sandy beach up to the waterfall. We were then treated to tea, bread and honey/Argan oil etc in a very comfortable way. Ottman was very knowledgeable and loved to share his knowledge. We enjoyed it so much that we booked the bird watching tour. Ottman collected us from our hotel and took just the two of us along the river bed where we saw Falcons, Bee Eaters, Spoonbills, Egrets and Heron to name but a few. He provided binoculars and took photos which they then sent to us. Altogether a two very good experiences!
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    See all 505 reviews
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    5.0
    5.0 of 5 bubbles15 reviews
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    14
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    1
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    These reviews have been automatically translated from their original language.
    This service may contain translations provided by Google. Google disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to translations, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and freedom from forgery.

    Denise S S
    Melbourne, Australia5 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Sept 2011 • Friends
    My friend and I went on the half day Arganier tour. We were the only 2 people with our guide Ottmane. Ottomane had a geology background and was a native of Essaouira and was very informative. We enjoyed the walk, viewing goats, a small mosque and a Berber house where we enjoyed a cup of mint tea and were able to try their bread, olive and Argan oil and honey.
    Afterwards we visited a women's cooperative and saw them process the Argan nuts into oil.

    The walk took 5 hours. Need good walking shoes as the terrain is full of stones. A hat and sunscreen are essential.
    Written 14 October 2011
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Charlotte T
    Etiolles, France2 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Mar 2023
    This visit was the highlight of our trip - gracious, thoughtful, and enjoyable. So glad we chose this tour.
    Written 6 March 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    cjp1002
    Cambridge, UK28 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Oct 2019 • Family
    Under the guidance of Naiima who really knew her subject matter well, we spent a highly enjoyable few hours walking round an Argan tree forest (where we actually saw goats climbing up Argan trees which was not staged). The tour also included visiting the tomb of an ancient holy man, the ruins of a seventeenth century sugar refinery, a visit to an Argan oil co-operative and, best of all, a visit to a Berber lady's house where we drank mint tea and ate home-baked bread. We loved every minute of it, not least because Naiima made it interesting. Highly recommended!
    Written 21 October 2019
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Thank you so much for trusting us by booking through tripadvisor. Naima is an exceptional woman guide who takes the time to share her passion. Edouard
    Written 22 October 2019
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    sarah T
    London, UK40 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Apr 2015 • Couples
    These small group randonnees have been a major highlight of our three visits to Essaouira. They are so well guided and give an extended picture of Moroccan life that we could never discover by ourselves. We had so much enjoyed our day excursion two years ago, to a village weekly market followed by an idyllic 2 hour ramble through the olive groves, a tagine lunch with a Berber family and a visit to an argan oil womens cooperative that we signed up again and enjoyed it just as much the second time. Otman is an excellent easy-going and informative guide; it was good to see him again. (See also my review Donkeys and tortoises in April 2013)
    This time we also did the half day to the green and sunny Oasis and the delightful elderly potter. Another fascinating glimpse of Moroccan country life which I wouldn't have missed for anything. Again Otman taught us a lot - about the land, the farming and irrigation, about marabous and cutting mill stones and we had interesting discussions. The only disappointment was that we'd been looking forward to a 5km walk, whereas it was a gentle meander of at most two kilometres.
    Written 14 April 2015
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Excursion585372
    3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Aug 2024 • Family
    Very rewarding and exotic visit, our Guide Naïma was captivating in his explanations.
    The hospitality of the people during the visit is exceptional.
    I recommend this experience that will change you from Essaouria .
    Automatically translated
    Written 24 August 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Michael N
    Neuss, Germany3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Mar 2024 • Couples
    The visit was great. First a hike, then tea with a Berber family, and finally a visit to the argan cooperative exactly as described.
    It was fun.
    Google
    Written 26 March 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Coralie B
    4 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Dec 2023 • Family
    It was super interesting! We were alone with the guide (my dad and me)
    Tea in the Berber family very warm welcome, I recommend this visit
    Google
    Written 15 December 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    *Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.

    Argan Forest, tea time at a Berbers family & Visit of an Argan cooperative. provided by Ecotourisme et Randonnées

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