Active Pursuits

Morocco is a prime destination for the active and adventurous traveler. Throughout the country, you'll find ways to experience Morocco's diverse culture and natural landscapes and, at the same time, enjoy a wide range of sports and activities. Morocco's compact size affords travelers the luxury of catching a wave before breakfast, heading up to the mountains for a prelunch hike, and finishing the day astride a camel on the edge of the Sahara.

Within Morocco is a well-established adventure travel industry that is run by both international and local operators, and offers a range of both "soft" and "hard" options. Whether you want adventure travel to be the focus of your trip or you want to treat it as an extra to a more conventional holiday, there are a number of ways to approach it.

This content outlines everything from tour operators offering combination or special-interest packages to the best locations in Morocco to enjoy specific activities. Some activities -- such as bird-watching and mountain trekking -- are located within Morocco's underfunded national parks and nature reserves. Although the government has recently created four new national parks, the total protected area within Morocco is less than 1%. Of that miniscule amount, much of the land is still used by bordering communities for grazing and firewood, and information centers or other visitor facilities are practically nonexistent. By far the country's most-visited park is the Toubkal National Park in the Western High Atlas, and there's talk that the government may begin charging an admission levy (there are no entrance fees to any of the country's protected areas) on visitors, a move already agreed to in principle by many trekking operators, so long as the funds are used toward the park itself. At the end of this chapter, I've highlighted the small group of eco-tourism operators who are truly dedicated to responsible and sustainable tourism within Morocco, as well as educational and volunteer options for those who are interested in a more in-depth, extended stay in the country.

Ballooning

In the late 1990s, Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson chose Morocco as his departure point for an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to circumnavigate the globe by balloon. The country is tailor-made for ballooning, one would think, with its scenic mountains, largely unspoiled coastline, and sweeping seas of Saharan sand dunes. It's taken awhile, but there is now one sole outfitter operating balloon flights in Morocco. Ciel d'Afrique (tel. 024/432843; www.cieldafrique.info) is the passion of exuberant Frenchman Maurice Otin. His Marrakech-based operation offers scenic flights of the wide plains around (but not over) Marrakech and Ouarzazate, with the Western High Atlas as a backdrop. Hour-long flights start from 2,050dh ($256/£128) per person (half price for kids under 10), with additional extras offered such as a champagne breakfast and video footage. It's best to contact Maurice as early as possible so that weather conditions can be taken into consideration.

Kitesurfing & Windsurfing

Essaouira's wide bay offers a variety of conditions for both kite surfers and windsurfers, and annually hosts a leg of the Kiteboard Pro World Cup. The "Windy City" experiences almost daily winds ranging from 20 to 35 knots, and with no reef or strong current, the shallow 3km-wide (1 3/4-mile) bay is perfect for all skill levels. June through August, morning conditions can range from flat to a slight wind chop -- and is usually when beginner's classes are taken -- while wind speeds in the afternoon can reach up to 35 knots. For the rest of the year, particularly in spring and autumn, the North Atlantic swell, assisted by wind speeds of between 20 to 30 knots, makes for particularly good wave-sailing conditions, especially on the southern side of the bay. This end of the bay is generally considered the kitesurfing zone, though wave sailors also congregate here, while beginners of both sports may feel more comfortable in the relatively calmer waters closer to the port.

The small beach of Moulay Berzouktoune, 20km (12 miles) north of Essaouira, offers one of the best wave-sailing locations outside Europe. Known simply as Moulay, both the current and cross-shore wind here is stronger than that at Essaouira and is only for experienced wave sailors. Similar in wind strength and wave size is Sidi Kaouki, about 10km (6 miles) south of Essaouira. Conditions here, however, can vary, and stretched along the beach are a few different entry points for both intermediate and experienced wave sailors.

Kitesurfing and windsurfing schools in Essaouira include the beachside Club Mistral-Skyriders (tel. 024/783934; www.club-mistral.com) and nearby Magic Fun Afrika (tel. 061/103777 or 061/170410; www.magicfunafrika.com), both of which also rent equipment. Note that most schools will only rent kitesurfing equipment if you are experienced enough to ride upwind and can perform self-rescue, generally considered IKO level 3. Less experienced kitesurfers can sometimes still rent equipment, but there may be a 30% surcharge for supervised rental.

Essaouira surf shops Gipsy Surfer (tel. 061/947092) and U.K.-owned No Work Team (tel. 024/475272) both sell kitesurfing and windsurfing equipment.

Tour Operators -- Most international tour operators offering kitesurfing holidays to Morocco contract their ground operations to Skyriders, the Moroccan branch of Club Mistral , including Planet Kitesurf (tel. 0870/749-1959; www.planetkitesurf.com), a U.K.-based travel operator specializing in kitesurfing holiday packages.

Skiing

Anytime from November to April, the peaks of the Western and Central High Atlas offer the opportunity for African skiing. Although obviously incomparable to the slopes of Europe and North America, skiing in Morocco offers the more intrepid skier an intoxicating mix of sport, culture, and adventure. The country's two better-known ski fields are only a 1- to 2-hour drive from Marrakech and Fes, respectively, and returning to these ancient, bustling, and much warmer cities after a day out in the snowy wilderness is a typically Moroccan attack on the senses.

Morocco's only true ski resort is at Oukaïmeden, 70km (43 miles) south of Marrakech. When conditions are good, 3,263m-high (10,705-ft.) Jebel Oukaïmeden's north-facing slope has up to 20km (13 miles) of trails on eight marked pistes, with access provided by one chair lift and five surface lifts. The headline black run would fit right in at a European resort, but the lack of slope maintenance -- and the prevalence of submerged rocks -- can make the downhill challenging. The quality and length of Oukaïmeden's snow season has varied greatly over recent years, but your best bet is between mid-January and mid-February, when unfortunately it can also get horrendously busy on the weekends. Ski equipment can be hired in the village, which is only 200m (655 ft.) from the chair lift station, but can be of an amazingly varied quality, and you may also have to bargain for the cost. Gear can also be rented in Marrakech, but it's really worth bringing your own if you're a serious skier. When there's enough snow cover, the volcanic crater of Mischliffen, near the Middle Atlas village of Ifrane, also offers a fun day's skiing, with a few trails that are great for beginners, accessed by a couple of surface lifts or by simply hiking up the slopes. There's usually some equipment for hire in Ifrane.

Also possible on the Atlas's peaks and slopes is ski mountaineering, or ski randonné. Popular with the French and Swiss, the sport is becoming more common nowadays in the Western High Atlas and on the slopes above Aït Bou Guemez Valley in the Central High Atlas. This off-piste skiing requires regular carving skis with special mountaineering bindings that allow the heel to release when climbing, and can be fixed when skiing down. Removable skins for the bottom of the skis will also better enable you to go uphill. You'll have to bring all this equipment with you.

Irish-Moroccan trekking company Nomadic Morocco operates a very handy and informative blog (http://nomadicmorocco.blogspot.com) with regular snow and weather updates.

Tour Operators -- There are no specialist tour operators offering Morocco skiing itineraries. Hotels in Ifrane and Oukaïmeden will usually be able to assist prospective skiers with equipment and transport to their respective ski fields. Getting to any other snow-covered areas usually requires high levels of perseverance and adaptability, but this can prove to be part of the adventure. Ski mountaineering in Morocco requires the assistance of a guide, who will organize accommodation, mules, porters, and even cooks. If you wish to preorganize this, try contacting the Bureau des Guides d'Imlil (tel./fax 024/485626; bureau.guides@yahoo.fr), the official mountain guide center for the entire Western High Atlas region, or Kasbah du Toubkal, also in Imlil (tel. 024/485611; fax 024/485636; www.kasbahdutoubkal.com).