Stories that travel with you
Join us on a unique book club journey through Morocco, guided by three thought-provoking books. As we travel from the old medina of Fez to the vast Sahara and the Atlantic coast of Essaouira, we’ll connect literature with place, exploring the stories, histories, and voices that shape this country. Along the way, we’ll reflect on the landscapes and cultures that inspired these works — and experience them firsthan
Highlights
Welcome to Morocco’s coastal capital — Rabat, a city where tradition and modern life blend at a calm pace. Settle in and gather for a festive dinner to open our literary adventure. We will start with Fatema Mernissi’s Scheherazade Goes West, delving into how storytelling influences identity and imagination across different cultures. Our riad will inspire conversation that we will bring to the breakfast table. Together, we will share our thoughts on what intrigued us the most about this book.
As we draw connections between the book and our own experiences in Morocco, Mohamed will share his perspectives, and I’ll offer reflections from my time living here.
Fez invites you into a world of depth and detail — from its medieval medina to quiet courtyards. As we navigate its labyrinthine alleys and meet local artisans, we’ll reflect on Dreams of Trespass, Mernissi’s memoir of childhood, space, and social boundaries in mid-century Morocco.
The city of Fes has two Medinas and is a UNESCO world heritage site. It is also one of the world’s largest car-free urban areas. This city will transport you in time and is impossible to experience in only one day! We will spend our second day on a guided tour that we curate together. We will visit our favorite spots and your points of interest.
Our morning drive will take us through the beautiful cedar forest of Azrou. If you are an ape lover, you will be excited to stop and see the Barbary apes, native to the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. As we journey south toward the desert, pause in a serene palm oasis.
Enjoy sunset surrounded by palms and date trees. A short discussion or journaling session offers space to reflect on Dreams of Trespass and our own personal connections to freedom and belonging.
The afternoon of the fifth day discover the fortified desert town of Rissani. Continue to the desert dunes of the Sahara by four-wheel-drive vehicle, where a reception with mint tea and pastries awaits at our luxury nomadic tented camp. The stunning reddish-hued sand dunes can reach up to 500 feet high, creating an otherworldly landscape. You have the option for a sunset ride by camel back. We will hire Gnawa musicians to perform for us under the stars.
Around the fire under stars, we’ll reflect on Dreams of Trespass and The Voices of Marrakesh by Elias Canetti, observing how travel reveals freedom, solitude, and self.
Named the door to the desert, it is home to ancient kasbahs and is Morocco’s cinematic capital. It is calm and welcoming. This is where Mohamed grew up and his family resides.
In this landscape where East and West meet, we return to Scheherazade Goes West to reflect on how stories travel and transform across cultures.
End the day with a creative workshop or writing circle — your own short story or travel reflection.
Morocco takes its name from this city — Marrakech — where centuries of story, trade, and color converge. Nestled at the foot of the snow-capped Atlas Mountains, it remains one of the country’s most visited destinations, known for its history, architecture, and energyWe’ll explore the famed UNESCO-recognized square at the heart of the medina, where day blends into night as food vendors, musicians, and snake charmers transform the scene into something otherworldly.
We’ll visit the Majorelle Gardens, once home to Yves Saint Laurent, and the Berber Museum nestled inside — a quiet contrast to the rhythm of the souk.
With The Voices of Marrakesh as our guide, we walk the city as both observers and participants. Elias Canetti’s reflections on sound, silence, and encounter offer us a new way to notice — to listen between the lines of a place.
Wander through gardens and markets with new insight, knowing that the stories you’ve read — and lived — continue to unfold here.
Essaouira greets us with sea breezes, sun-faded blues, and a creative pulse that’s drawn artists, musicians, and free spirits for decades. This is a place to wander — from oceanfront ramparts to buzzing cafés and tucked-away galleries.We’ll dive into our final discussions of The Voices of Marrakesh and Dreams of Trespass, this time through the lens of the unexpected — the voices that surprised us, the stories that stuck, and what it means to observe without bias.We will dine at Cafe Caravan. This is a special night with great food, entertainment and delicious cocktails. We will celebrate our moments and the Morocco memories we have created together.
Depart Marrakech. Option to extend your stay in Marrakech.
