Morocco
CRAFT + CULTURE Tour
Jouney to Marrakech, The Atlas Mountains, and the Sahara Desert
DATES: March 21-30, 2027
GUESTS: 10 women + 1 host
PRICING: $4800 per person, shared occupancy
$1000 deposit due with registration to secure a spot
Please inquire about single supplement/private room availability.
Registration NOW OPEN
From the Atlas Mountains to the Sahara Desert
This MOROCCO tour is a 9 night/10 day journey to Marrakech, the Atlas Mountains, and the Sahara Desert.
Our journeys help foster an amazing experience for women to share together. You might start the journey as strangers, but you are sure to leave with many new lifelong friendships. We highly recommend this tour for mothers/daughters, sisters, and best friends to share. We have also found this tour to be a great option for solo travelers.
We will start our journey with 3 nights in Morocco in a designer’s riad. Then we head out for a 4 night adventure through the High Atlas Mountains to the Sahara Desert, staying in historic kasbahs and a lux glamping retreat. We end our tour with a 2 night stay in a gorgeous designer kasbah in the Ourika Valley.
An Authentic Morocco
On our MOROCCO journey, you will discover the artisan crafts, architecture, food, and culture of amazing Morocco. The tour explores magical Marrakech, the stunning High Atlas Mountains, the incredible Sahara Desert. Our tour is in direct partnership with our local friends, guides, designers, hoteliers, and artisan cooperatives that we know and love. Morocco is one of our favorite global destinations, and we trust you will love it too!
Intentional, thoughtful, sustainable
This tour is focused on responsible, sustainable tourism, which we have found to be one of the most meaningful ways to engage with travel in another culture.
As a traveler to Morocco with ARTIST & NOMAD, you will be investing your time and resources in local businesses and nonprofits that support women and artisans.
You will be invited to open your heart to the beauty found in the culture and crafts of Morocco through a variety of first-hand experiences with our local guides and partners. Such experiences include taking workshops with local artisans, meeting talented female artists, learning about history and architecture from our local friends, cooking with a local chef, shopping to directly support the makers and social businesses, enjoying tea time and traditional music with nomadic desert communities, and exploring the vast terrain of landscapes including desert, mountains, and valleys.
We are so honored to partner with local artisans in Morocco. During our journey, you will visit some of the village cooperatives as well as artisan businesses in the souks. At various points on our journey, you will learn traditional techniques of dying, weaving, and spinning directly from the artisans. You’ll also gain insight into powerful models of direct/fair trade trade and social enterprise that are creating real opportunities for local women, youth, and artisan communities.
Our tour aims to equip you with tangible ways to live more intentionally and thoughtfully so that you can carry your journey with you beyond the travel experience alone. You will be inspired to consider how you can use creativity/design in your everyday life to express what you value.
What’s included
Accommodations: Enjoy 10 nights in beautiful and thoughtfully selected places, including designer riads, kasbah, and a luxury desert camp. — all favorites of ARTIST & NOMAD. We stay in locally owned, boutique accommodations that are thoughtfully designed and offer warm hospitality.
Transportation: Local transportation and airport transfers (within designated arrival and departure timeframes.)
Meals: All meals with non alcoholic drinks are included as noted on the itinerary. Moroccan food is both delicious and healthy, with a mix of traditional dishes, modern flavors, and international options.
Experiences:
Guided journeys through the Atlas Mountains and Sahara Desert, taking in the breathtaking landscapes of these iconic regions.
Visits to a variety cultural sites, museums, and historical sites as well as the homes, villages, and cooperatives of local Moroccans.
Time to explore the souks and shop directly from artisans, local designers, and social businesses that benefit the local people and communities.
Historic walking tours with trusted local guides/translators as well as culture guides for community and artisan visits.
Hands-on workshops with local craftspeople. Workshop offerings vary by tour but may include a cooking class, natural dyeing, carding wool, pottery, weaving, or embroidery.
Hiking day in the Ourika Valley with a local guide, including tea in a local home and a picnic with a view
Traditional music, tea time, and other cultural experiences with our local hosts
Open afternoons to relax, enjoy a local hammam, swim, or explore the local area.
Invitation to partake in daily guided reflections and conversations designed to help you travel with intention—exploring themes like wonder, beauty, design, faith, intentional living, and gratitude.
A detailed itinerary and specific accommodations are provided to registered travelers only.
What’s not included
Airfare, travel insurance, visa (if needed), tips, alcohol, personal purchases, extra snacks, and optional activities such as a hammam (traditional Moroccan spa).
Details
-
Age Requirement: All travelers must be women, 18 years or older.
Registration Opens: August 2026
Pricing Per Person:
$4800 USD- shared occupancy.
registration closes December 15, 2026 (or when spots are filled)
Please email us about single supplement/private room availability and extra fee.
A portion of your fee goes toward the ARTIST & NOMAD Artisan Fund.
Due with Registration: $1000 USD (non-refundable). If we have any questions about your registration, we will be in touch within 2 business days.
-
Deposit: $1000 USD due with registration
2nd payment due Nov 15, 2026: $1,900 USD (+ if applicable, single supplement room fee)
3rd payment due Jan 15, 2027: $1,900 USD
Payment Terms: Our tours are intentionally small, and cancellations have a significant impact on our team and our local partners. For this reason, all payments are required, non-refundable, and non-transferable, as stated in the Terms. Please review our full terms before registering.
-
Travel Packet: You will receive a detailed packet to help you prepare for your journey after your second payment (approx 1 year prior to the tour). This will include some of the specific details such as accommodations, restaurants, artisan partners, travel arrival/departure guidelines, packing list, cultural insights, and other travel tips.
Flights: The tour packet we provide will have detailed information you need to book your flights. You are responsible for booking flights that arrive and depart within the suggested window as to not miss an activity or disrupt the tour for others. Please don’t purchase flights until ARTIST & NOMAD sends you the detailed itinerary and arrival/departure guidelines.
Travel Insurance: Travel insurance is required for this tour to protect yourself in case of emergencies or unexpected changes. We recommend a plan that includes medical care, accidents, cancellations, etc and your ARTIST & NOMAD tour fees.
Select a plan level, from a company of your choosing, which brings you the most peace of mind. For the most complete protection—such as “Cancel For Any Reason” or coverage for pre-existing medical conditions—be sure to purchase within 7 days of your ARTIST & NOMAD deposit.
Passport & Visa: Please ensure your passport is current and secure any visa needed, depending on your nationality.
European and US citizens do not currently need a visa to travel to Morocco.
Connect Online: ARTIST & NOMAD will host a group video call via Google Meet, usually 2-3 months before the tour. This invites our travelers a chance to connect, ask questions, and learn more about the upcoming adventure in Morocco. You will receive an email with a detailed link when it is scheduled.
-
Activity Level: This tour requires a moderate level of activity. While not overly strenuous, it includes lots of walking, sometimes on rough terrain, steep steps, and hills. There will be one half day hike in the beautiful Ourika Valley and forests with a local guide (includes many stops for rest). Please ensure you are physically able to keep up with the group if you plan to join this tour.
Vaccinations: Please check the CDC website for updated health notices and vaccine recommendations, and visit your doctor or a travel nurse to discuss what is best for you.
You are responsible for ensuring you have the vaccinations or vaccination exemptions required for travel and entry into your destination.
Currently, there are no vaccines required to enter Morocco.
Health Policy: Please be sensitive to being guests in a foreign country (many locals do not drink) and avoid all excessive drinking. If alcohol is available on this tour, we kindly ask that you enjoy it mindfully and in moderation. Please note that smoking and drug use are not permitted.
-
Please read ARTIST & NOMAD’s Full Terms and Travel Philosophy before you register. Agreement to these terms is required to travel with ARTIST & NOMAD.
-
Questions? Please email us, and we’d be happy to connect and answer any questions.
Sample Itinerary
The complete itinerary and accommodations are shared with registered travelers only. Below is a sample of what to expect from this tour.
-
Day 1: Welcome to Morocco
Afternoon arrival to Marrakech. Airport transfers to the old medina. Check into our private boutique riad beteween 3-5pm.
A riad is a traditional Moroccan house or palace featuring an inward-facing design centered around a private courtyard or garden with a fountain or small pool. Derived from the Arabic word for "garden," they offer a calm, luxurious, and intimate retreat from busy medinas, typically featuring intricate mosaic tiles (zellige), rooftop terraces, and personalized service.
Welcome reception followed by dinner at the riad.
All breakfasts will be here as well as some dinners. A small spa/hammam is available for personal treatments if you want to book during your stay in addition to our dedicated spa day.
-
Exploring the Marrakech Medina with a walking tour led by our local partner guide.
• Walk through the Souks, visit local traditional artisans, learn about the impact and influence of women in Morocco, visit a few favorite shops that support women, and visit historic places such as the Ben Youssef Madrasa, Jemaa el-Fnaa Square, and Koutoubia Mosque. If time allows, we will also visit the photography museum.
• Lunch in the Medina at one of our favorite restaurants.
• In the late afternoon, free time to shop and explore the amazing medina and souks.
• Dinner at of our riad.
-
Full Day in Marrakech…
Breakfast at the riad.
Morning visit to Majorelle Gardens and YSL Museum.
Lunch in the medina at a favorite spot.
Open afternoon: Take the afternoon to explore the souks on your own, visit a museum, or book a traditional hammam spa experience.
Return to the riad for sunset mocktails and a relaxing dinner.
-
Breakfast at the riad.
Cross the high Atlas Mountains. And visit a traditional women’s Argan oil cooperative
Head to our weaving workshop and lunch with a local women’s artisan cooperative connected to The Anou (our artisan partner).
Learn about carding and spinning and then practice weaving with the artisans.
Shop one of their traditional rugs to support them directly.
Visit Ait Benhadou which is the most important Kasbah in the south, UNESCO world heritage set and a movie set too.
Stay the night in a traditional Kasbah
-
Breakfast at the kasbach
Visit the kasbah of Tamnougalt
Lunch in Zagoura
Visit the beautiful green pottery workshop in Tamgrout and learn about the unique process of making this pottery from the artisans.
Also visit local women basket weavers and learn the craft from the artisans.
Shop directly from the families and artisans in this community
Head to the edge of the desert to stay at a special boutique hotel with incredible food, a relaxing pool, and amazing sunsets.
Dinner at the hotel
-
Wake up to a beautiful desert sunrise and slow breakfast.
Relax at our beautiful kasbah hotel: morning yoga, enjoy the pool, take time to journal
Visit a local desert community women’s cooperative.
Return to the hotel for our afternoon cooking class followed by dinner.
-
After breakfast, we head into the Sahara for a night in the dunes
Off Road to Chegaga Dunes passing by so many different landscapes.
Stop by the holly oasis of Oum Laalag
Arrive to the Dunes for lunch . Stay in a lux tent with private bathroom attached.
Enjoy the beauty of the vast Sahara.
Camel ride at sunset.
Spend the night in the camp and be amazed by the stars and relax around the campfire.
-
Breakfast at the camp before our journey back towards Marrakech
Off Road passing the largest dry lake of Iriki
Stop by the fossils area to look for real old fossils in the desert +
Stop at the village of Taznakht (traditional rags rugs village )
Crossing the Atlas mountains into the Ourika Valley
Arrive at our final destination, a gorgeous lux kasbah nestled in the valley…a incredible place to end our journey!
Visit a Amazigh home for tea in a nearby village, hike through the forests and gardens, and visit a salt flat.
Enjoy a delicious picnic on our hike delivered by the kasbah’s resident donkey.
Return to the kasbah to freshen up and enjoy a final afternoon at the kasbah - swim, read, relax, or book a spa appointment.
Final group dinner, sharing about our time together in amazing Morocco.
-
Breakfast at the kasbah followed by a day of hiking in the gorgeous surrounding valley with a local guide.
Visit a Amazigh home for tea in a nearby village, hike through the forests and gardens, and visit a salt flat.
Enjoy a delicious picnic on our hike delivered by the kasbah’s resident donkey.
Return to the kasbah to freshen up and enjoy a final afternoon at the kasbah - swim, read, relax, or book a spa appointment.
Final group dinner, sharing about our time together in amazing Morocco.
-
Early breakfast at the kasbah and check out. Relax at the hotel until your departure.
Return home via a flight from Marrakesh or onward to your next destination.
Take with you the wonderful memories of our special journey together. May Moroccan continue to inspire you for years to come.
Meet Your Tour Host: Hope Lunblad
Hope Lundblad:Hope is a multidisciplinary artist and poet based in Semur-en-Auxois, France. Receiving her master's degree from La Sorbonne in fine arts and international vision and a bachelor's honors degree from UC Santa Barbara, Hope has focused on the theme of home throughout her career. Leading various artist residency and retreat programs in San Francisco and Paris through partnership with Transform Arts has given her a global creative community. She and her partner Peter now live in the French countryside, focusing on hospitality, craft, and community development through their project The Poetry Factory, sponsored through Fractured Atlas. She believes hospitality is the highest form of art. Hope leads several tours for A&N, including Morocco, The Cotswolds, and France.
