2018 Primetime Emmy
& James Beard Award Winner

Roam

  • Essaouira — Marrakech — Ouirgane

    Morocco, from Medina to Mountain

    April 6-13, 2025

    ?

    This week is a full celebration of the best of central and western Morocco. The coast, the mountain, the city. All with charismatic local hosts and deep food experiences alike, highlighted by the iconic cook and author Anissa Helou.

    3 Rooms Left
    Alejo Sabugo

    R&K Guide

    Producer, Fixer, Explorer
    Alejo Sabugo

    Anissa Helou

    Local Host

    Cook, Renowned Author
    Anissa Helou

Overview

Morocco, from Medina to Mountain

This week is a full celebration of the best of central and western Morocco, from luxurious riads and back-alley cooking in Marrakesh to Amazigh feasts in the highlands to the coastal ease of Essaouira. All with charismatic local hosts and deep food experiences alike, highlighted by the iconic cook and author Anissa Helou.

  • Morocco
  • April 6-13, 2025
  • 12 people
Map
  • Morocco
  • April 6-13, 2025
  • 12 people
Morocco, from Medina to Mountain 3 Rooms Left

DISCOVER MOROCCO:
DAY-TO-DAY ITINERARY

Day
1

Welcome to Morocco

  • Private transfer from Essaouira Airport to the coastal hotel Madada Mogador, our favorite place in Essaouira, which we’ve bought out for our group
  • Welcome cocktails on the terrace with our hosts Anissa, Abderrahim (our local fixer-hero), plus Alejo from the League of Travelers
  • Easy, lovely first-night dinner at Il Mare, a little slice of relaxation overlooking the seawall and the Atlantic
Day
2

Imad of the Sea

  • Easy, smooth morning walking the village or just sleeping in
  • Shopping with chef Imad at the fish market and perusing Zakaria’s spices
  • Free time walking, shopping, tasting in Essaouira
  • Couscous lunch in a private home, with the famed Essaouira fish tagine from Chef Imad.
  • Afternoon siesta
  • Tapas, wine, light dinner of grilled fish on the terrace
Day
3

On to Marrakech

  • Free time in the morning before packing up and leaving lovely Essaouira
  • Wine tasting on the way in the courtyard of Le Domaine du Val D’Argan winery
  • Private transfer to our Marrakesh riad Clos des Arts—one of those stately Moroccan homes centered around secluded courtyards—which we have bought out exclusively for our group
  • Welcome cocktails at the Riad with our gregarious riad hosts Georgina and Massimo
  • Easy, lovely dinner at La Taverne, a classic French-Moroccan bistro in the former colonial district
Day
4

Chef Bana and the Medina

  • This is Chef Bana’s day, let’s go deeper into the medina
  • Join the Marrakesh icon for a day of preparing lamb Tanjiya, a deeply meaningful dish for Marrakshi people.
  • Shopping, prepping, then delivering the tanjiyas to the pitmasters be slowcooked for hours
  • Quick bite of whole cooked mechoui with Anissa’s friends just off of Jemaa el-Fnaa Square
  • Late lunch of Chef Bana’s tanjiya, accompanied by the classic feast music sang by Chef Bana himself
  • Quick siesta y’all
  • Private dinner back at the Riad with a cooking masterclass from Anissa Helou and friends
Day
5

Spices and the markets

  • Wake up to the sound of songbirds and the muzzein (not the earliest call to prayer, please) for a morning of spice and cooking techniques with the charismatic Najlae el Rhazi
  • Shop the markets with Najlae, helping prepare a traditional Marrakshi lunch in her family’s home
  • Eat what we’ve cooked of course
  • Back to the riad for a siesta or hammam
  • Dinner of street food and street life in the whirling wonderland that is the Medina and Derb Dabachi
Day
6

Into the Mountains

  • Up we go into the mountains. Check out of the Riad, private transfer into the Atlas Mountains
  • Check into the deeply elegant mountain retreat Olinto, which will be our Atlas base for the remainder of the trip
  • Lunch at Olinto
  • Cocktails poolside or a walk through the hills. Dealer’s choice.
  • Private piano recital with light bites on property
Day
7

Lamb lamb lamb

  • Wake to fresh, cool mountain air, as one does
  • Visit to an Amazigh market in Asni
  • Travel by 4×4 into the high Atlas village of Aroumd, in the shadow of Mt Toubkal, the highest peak in the Arabic-speaking world
  • Meet up with our man in Aroumd, Mustafa: local grandee, lamb whisperer
  • Traditional lamb slaughter and cookout overlooking the valleys
  • Walk off our sins and fullnesses in the mountain villages while Ahwach music plays in the half-distance
Day
8

So long, Morocco

  • One last gorgeous mountain breakfast
  • Private transfer to Marrakech airport for flights home
  • Goodbye Morocco, until the next

What’s Included

  • All breakfasts, lunches, dinners except when itinerary explicitly says “Independent Meals”
  • Expertise and services of our experienced trip leaders: at least one guide and one host per trip
  • Snacks and beverages between meals
  • Additional guides and experts from the region
  • Transfers to and from the airport or wherever you are on the day the trip starts and ends
  • Daily Roads & Kingdoms gifts related to the themes, activities and narratives of each trip
  • All gratuities for accommodations, meals, guiding or transport

What’s Not Included

  • International airfare to and from the journey (note: some trips begin and end at different airports)
  • Personal bar tabs (when not with the group)
  • Personal laundry or spa services
  • Personal travel insurance

Meet Our Hosts

Anissa Helou

Local Guide

Anissa Helou

Cook, Legend, Renowned Author

The author of Café Morocco and many other books is considered one of the great culinary minds of the Mediterranean and the Arab world. Born in Beirut to a Syrian father and Lebanese mother, she has been Sotheby’s representative for the Middle East, run an antique shop in Paris, served as art advisor to members of the Kuwaiti ruling family, and amassed a legendary private art collection that she then sold to launch a new life as an author. Her books on Middle Eastern food have won her countless accolades (the New Yorker called her 2018 book, “Feast: The Food of the Islamic World,” one of the 10 best cookbooks of the century so far). Our host for this trip, she will also lead a cooking masterclass together with friends.

Alejo Sabugo

R&K Host

Alejo Sabugo

Producer, Fixer, Explorer

We met Asturias native Alejo Sabugo when he worked on the “Parts Unknown” Asturias episode. A producer and fixer for Bourdain, he quickly became an integral part of the Roads & Kingdoms family and is now a frequent League of Travelers host. Together with Anissa’s culinary connections and vision, Alejo’s years-long friendship with our Amazigh friend and fixer Abderrahim Issouquine forms the beating heart of this trip.

Where You’ll Stay

Madada Mogador

Madada Mogador

Essaouira Enclave

You could easily mistake this Moroccan city on the Atlantic for a fishing village in the Mediterranean. Same white walls with blue trim. Same pleasing sound of seagulls on the breeze. And no hotel in Essaouira captures this easy coastal charm as well as Madada Mogador. Located at the entrance to the Medina, and a short walk from the harbor, the gaze of its upscale rooms and wide terrace is firmly focused on the sea.

Riad le Clos des Arts

Riad le Clos des Arts

Walled Oasis

Sometimes it’s the place, sometimes it’s the people. At the Riad le Clos des Arts, it is both. The property—actually adjoining two riads brought together—is exactly what you would want from this style of luxurious walled oasis that finds its best expression in the Marrakech Medina. And the hosts, well, they are fascinating and generous and kind. Giorgina and Massimo imbue the place with the warmth of feeling of the family home that all riads used to be.

Olinto Atlas Mountain Retreat

Olinto Atlas Mountain Retreat

To The Top

When we go into the mountains, we go for real. Amazigh markets, tea breaks alongside rushing rivers, whole-animal butchery in Abderrahim’s ancestral village. But at night and in our downtime… there are few places we go on earth that are as sumptuous and refined as Olinto. From the Italian nobleman owner who lives in a chalet on the property, to the stunning landscaping from which we forage citrus and botanicals for our cocktails, it’s one of our favorite properties anywhere.

  • This was a trip of a lifetime… the savvy hosts, delicious food, curated experiences and cooking together in a small group setting made it magical.

    Nalini S.
    Morocco, from Medina to Mountain 2024

  • I had no idea what a deeply moving experience this trip would be—­­far beyond just a culinary tour. R&K truly blew me away.

    Elizabeth H.
    Morocco, from Medina to Mountain 2024

  • By the time the trip was over I felt like I’d made several new friends.

    Marc H.
    Morocco, from Medina to Mountain 2024

DISCOVER MOROCCO:
PAST TRIPS GALLERY

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Morocco, from Medina to Mountain 3 Rooms Left
R&K League of Travelers

Ready for a new adventure?

Inquire Now.

    Fill out the form to join the waitlist. We’ll reach out if space opens up.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    How large are your groups?

    We have a maximum of 12 travelers for each trip. Our guiding light: how many people could cram into a perfectly-sized bar in Ginza? That’s how many we want to travel with, that’s how we came up with that number. Each trip has at least two members from the R&K team.

    Do I really have to do an interview?

    Yes! We don’t offer a way to book online, because we want the chance to talk to each of you about how you like to travel, and about what we do on our trips. That includes spouses and partners! Don’t sweat it, we have an appropriately high acceptance rate, but it is a requirement, whether by Zoom or by WhatsApp.

    Is there a solo traveler supplement?

    Yes, we have a $1500 solo traveler supplement ($1000 for four-night trips).

    Should I get travel insurance?

    Roads & Kingdoms is a fully insured travel provider but we recommend you purchase travel insurance for yourself to cover costs you might incur through change of plans, flights, etc. We do not have a recommended provider, but there are many reputable providers available online and the signup process is not onerous.

    What is included in the price?

    Our journeys are meant to free you from any financial decision-making whatsoever during the week, if you choose. You’re responsible for your own international airfare to our starting city. But then we take care of everything else, from tipping to transportation to hotels and meals and drinks along the way. You’re only responsible for personal bar tabs (when not with the group), personal laundry, or personal spa services.

    What happens if R&K cancels a journey?

    This has not happened in the post-acute-COVID period—nor do we anticipate it happening—but we do reserve the right to cancel or postpone a trip up to 100 days before departure. In that case, you would receive a full refund, including the $1500 deposit.

    CAN YOU ACCOMMODATE VEGETARIANS?

    The short answer is yes! Any trip can be adapted, but some work better than others. Salamanca and the World of Jamón, for instance, would probably not make sense for a vegetarian, whereas Tbilisi and the Western Winelands works well. Animal products do feature heavily throughout our journeys, and many include whole-animal barbecues, ceremonial slaughter, or other traditional culinary methods that might be off-putting to those who abstain.

    Traveler Rights And Responsibilities

    The League of Travelers is meant to be that: an intimate group of travelers who accompany us to some of our favorite places to spend time with some of our favorite people. That is why we interview all potential travelers. These trips are not for everyone, and we just want to be sure the vibe matches. Mostly, for you, that means treating the people who make these trips possible, from drivers to somms to waiters to hotel staff, with decency. We will do our best to accommodate special requests, but we don’t have fulltime concierge or waitstaff on these trips, we have chefs and writers and storytellers. Our groups are a diverse bunch, so please also come with an open mind and heart for your fellow travelers. And in exchange, we pledge to open all doors we can to you. We promise we will have poured our whole selves into these journeys, and we will do everything in our power to make it a wondrous experience.

    Refund And Deposit Policy

    We require 50% downpayment to secure a spot. Second payment due 60 days after first payment. If you cancel up to 60 days before the start of the trip, the trips are fully refundable except for a nonrefundable $1500 deposit. Within 60 days we will refund everything except the $1500 deposit if we are able to replace your seat, otherwise you must contact us to see if a transfer to a later journey is possible. If we cancel a trip for any reason, the entire trip, including the $1500 deposit, is fully refundable.

    Dates

    2024

    2025

    Destinations

    Europe

    Asia-Pacific

    Latin America

    Africa