Tara’s Amazing G Adventures Tour to Morocco

Ever since she was a kid, Tara Sparshu has had a love for travel. Growing up, her family took long road trips across the United States, sparking a passion for exploration. She fondly remembers telling her parents that someday, she would travel the world. True to her word, Tara has made travel not only a personal passion but a rewarding career.

With over 20 years of experience as a travel consultant, Tara’s enthusiasm for discovering new places, trying new foods, and meeting people from all walks of life is still going strong. Her role as a travel consultant allows her to blend her passion for travel with her client’s unique interests to create vacations that truly resonate with them. Whether it’s a beach escape, romantic getaway, family holiday, river or ocean cruise, destination wedding, or an adventurous journey to a dream destination, Tara is dedicated to making every trip a memorable one.

In this blog, Tara shares insights from her recent tour through Morocco with G Adventures, giving us an inside look at this incredible destination from her seasoned travel perspective.

About G Adventures

G Adventures is a well-known Canadian adventure travel company that focuses on small-group, sustainable travel experiences around the world. Founded in 1990 by Bruce Poon Tip, the company has built its reputation on creating authentic, immersive tours that prioritize cultural connections, local engagement, and responsible tourism. G Adventures appeals to travellers who are looking to explore the world with a purpose, meet like-minded adventurers, and leave a positive impact on the places they visit.

Q&A with Tara

Q: Why did you choose to take a tour with G Adventures to Morocco?

A: I’ve travelled with G Adventures in the past and they are one of my favourite tour operators. I love their passion and purpose for making a positive change impact in the countries they travel, how they build in opportunities for interactions with locals and how their tours are small group and immersive.

Each year, G Adventures picks a couple of itineraries and offers them to travel agents as familiarization trips. This gives the agents selected the opportunity to experience a G Adventures tour. I chose to apply for the trip to Morocco because it was their new Geluxe travel style, which I had never experienced before and because Morocco is rising in popularity. I felt that experiencing Geluxe would be a benefit to explaining the different travel styles to my clients. I felt that experiencing Morocco would be beneficial as I could explain that experience and come back with helpful tips to clients wanting to go to Morocco.

Q: Can you tell us about the itinerary? How long was it and where did you visit?

A: Our itinerary was 9 days long. We started in Casablanca, travelled to Chefcheoun (also known as “The Blue City”), then on to Fez, the Atlas Mountains, and then finally to Marrakech.

I also added an extra day in Casablanca. I did this for two reasons: In case there were any delays with my flights, and also so that I could explore Casablanca, as our tour only had the welcome dinner in Casablanca before departing the next morning.

I also added on a couple extra days in Marrakech. This gave me the opportunity to do the hot air balloon ride at sunrise, and the ability to reschedule if the weather was bad. It also gave us some time to relax poolside and explore the markets. Shopping is great in Morocco!

Q: Were there any memorable cultural experiences or interactions with locals?

A: I love that G Adventures builds opportunities to interact with and support locals. We had two opportunities on this trip.

The first opportunity was with a visit to their Planeterra project. Planeterra is G Adventures’ non-profit organization which is dedicated to ensuring communities involved with tourism benefit. They help empower local people to develop their communities, conserve their culture and create support systems. Planeterra has over 500 community partners in over 80 countries. As a G Adventures traveller, you have the opportunity to visit and support these projects.

The project we visited is AFER. Here we were served a delicious Moroccan lunch followed by a Moroccan tea demonstration. We had the CEO of the project show up how to make Moroccan tea and then explain about the project, and what they do and then we had a Q&A. Though she didn’t speak English and had to be translated, one thing that didn’t need to be translated was her passion for what they were doing on the project. Visiting these projects is definitely a moving experience. If you want to learn more about Planeterra you can find more information at planeterra.org

The second opportunity we had to interact with the locals was in the Atlas Mountains. We had a walk in the Atlas Mountains guided by a local. As we were walking we came across a man that invited us into his home to see a traditional mountain home. During our walk, he showed us their community garden and toured us around their yard. After our walk, Grandma showed us how they make the delicious traditional Moroccan bread and then the family served us a full meal.

Q: How was the accommodation and transportation throughout the tour?

A: As part of the Geluxe tour style, G Adventures hand-picks upgraded accommodations. One of the highlight accommodations of the tour was our Riad in Chefchaouen. A Riad is a local home that has been turned into a hotel. We were one of the first groups to stay at the Riad. This was a special place to stay as we were in the heart of the old city of Chefchaouen. You stepped out the door and you were right in the markets and blue streets. Our breakfast was served on the rooftop with a beautiful view. We saw many other tour groups having to leave the old city to head back to their hotels and felt very lucky to be right in the heart of the Blue City.

As part of the Geluxe tour, they also have one OMG Stay. This is an accommodation that is chosen for their history, charm, design or experience. Our OMG stay was at the Widiane Resort in the Atlas Mountains. It’s a former mountain villa turned into a resort. It has two pools, including one infinity pool that overlooks the lake. It definitely was worth the OMG status!

Q: How did you find the food in Morocco—did you have any standout meals or dishes?

A: Many of our meals in Morocco were 3-course meals with their salads to start, typically a Tagine and dessert.

A tagine is how a meal is cooked. It’s a ceramic dish that traps the steam in to cook. Tagines can be vegetables or savoury stews. They can be ordered with lamb, beef, chicken, fish and goat. They often have a variety of spices and sometimes even include dry fruit and nuts.

We also had pastilla, a sweet-savoury Moroccan meat pie. They are made by filling a thin, flaky pastry shell with a mixture of meat often with egg and almonds and then sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. We were told the best place to have these is in Fez. We ate them there during our hosted lunch but also had them in Marrakech. I think they are delicious and would highly recommend trying one if you head to Morocco.

I also had Kefta, a spiced and tender type of Moroccan kebab made using ground beef or lamb. How they are served varied throughout the country but were delicious.

Q: Did G Adventures provide any local guides, and how did their knowledge add to your understanding of the destination?

A: G Adventures tours include a CEO (Chief Experience Officer), who is with your group throughout the journey. Our CEO, Omar, was amazing. Keeping us up to date on the schedule, making sure that things ran smoothly, and answering questions about anything from scheduling, restaurants, places to shop, information on Morocco and their culture.

They also have local guides. These guides joined us in each city/location. These guides provide even more detailed information than the CEO as they are from the area and guiding in that city/location is their specialty.

Q: What was the most breathtaking landscape or site you visited during the tour?

A: I can’t say there was just one, so I will share my top 3:

Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca – It’s one of the largest mosques in the world. And though not Muslim, it is still amazing to visit. The size, the architecture and the details. It was stunning! It was also worth visiting at sunrise. Though you cannot get into the actual mosque at sunrise, watching the sunrise from the street, I highly recommend it. As the sun rises, you can watch the mosque’s colour from yellow to pink to white.

Chefcheoun – I was so looking forward to visiting the Old Town of Chefchaouen, otherwise known as the Blue City, and it did not disappoint! The amazing alleyways of different shades of blue. All the stairways and alleyways are decorated with splashes of colour. The market that lines the streets and alleyways.

OMG Day hiking through the mountains – The mountains, the waterfall and especially God’s Bridge. I’m so glad that I chose this as my activity for the day.

Q: Which Moroccan city or town surprised you the most, and why?

A: I think Fez was the city that surprised me most. I had done some research and had read that the Old Medina was going to be an experience, a guide is a must, but it was more than I expected

Before we arrived both our CEO and local guide warned us to stay together. If we got lost, stay where we were and they would come find us. And to all listen for the hollers of “Belak” and when we heard it move out of the way!

The Old Medina is home to over 9000 alleyways, the oldest university and markets of all kinds! The alleyways come in all shapes and sizes. Some are so narrow that only one person can fit through, others are home to market stalls and many intersections.

We didn’t have time to do much shopping but wandering the streets and seeing everything was an experience. We did have time to go to a fabric shop for a weaving demonstration and the opportunity to purchase handmade scarfs, blankets or rugs. We also went to the tannery. Here they teach you how they color the leathers and then we had the opportunity to wander through the 3 stories of leather products. Shoes, bags, pants and jackets. You can purchase the jackets off the rack or if they aren’t quite to your measurements, they will take your measurements and make you a custom jacket and deliver it to your hotel in 3 hours! Between shopping in Fez and Marrakech, leave some space in your suitcase!

Q: What’s one thing about Morocco that you think everyone should experience when they visit?

A: Though not included in the G Adventures itinerary, a sunrise hot air balloon ride over the Atlas Mountains and the Red Desert. It is an optional excursion offered by G Adventures. On our itinerary, it was the last morning of the tour. To be able to participate you must have an evening flight or extend your trip. The view was absolutely stunning and I would highly recommend the experience.

Many tours arrive in Casablanca and then depart to explore the countryside. I would highly recommend an extra day in Casablanca to explore more especially the Hassan II Mosque.

Q: What was your favourite part of the tour?

A: This trip was so amazing I cannot pick a favourite part. I love our time at the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca. I loved our time in Chefchaouen. Wandering the streets of Old Town, exploring the countryside during our OMG hike. Exploring the city of Fez and buying myself a leather coat. Our time in the Atlas Mountains. The OMG stay and our visit with the local family. And our time in Marrakech. I loved wandering the old streets and shopping in the markets (though I’m not normally a shopper) and the hot air balloon ride. And though the drives between places were long, I loved watching the scenery change and people as they went about their daily lives.

Q: Is there anything you wish you’d known before the trip that would have enhanced your experience?

A: I typically do a lot of research before going to a new country but the one thing I wasn’t prepared for was how far apart the major attractions in Morocco are. Some of our drives were 5-6 hours including the stop but made for early mornings and long days.

Q: Would you recommend travelling with G Adventures to your clients?

A: 1000% and yes I mean a thousand! I LOVE G Adventures and my travel experiences with them. I love that they are truly immersive experiences and how you get to experience a destination. I love that they are small groups with like-minded people and that I come home with new friends. The safety that it gives to a solo traveller. I love how they support the countries and communities they visit by using locally owned accommodations, CEOs and guides, transportation and restaurants and through their Planeterra foundations. And I love the opportunities G Adventures provides for interacting with the locals.

I cannot wait to help my clients plan their G Adventures adventure and for them to experience it for the first or 15th time. Each tour is so unique, immersive and memorable.

If Tara’s journey through Morocco has inspired you, reach out to her to start planning your own adventure. With her experience and passion, she’ll help you plan your perfect trip!

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