Winston Churchill described himself as being captivated by Morocco whilst Yves St Laurent declared it his second home for over 40 years. They both fell in love with the wonderful landscape, food, colourful cities and welcoming people, none more so than the Berbers. Nestled in Yves St Laurent’s wonderful garden, you’ll find the Berber Museum, a genuine indication of his admiration for the people and their culture.

If you’re looking for a place that takes you into the heart of Berber-land, then step into the Bougmez Valley or the undiscovered region of Jebel Sirwa. The Bougmez Valley is fondly known as the Happy Valley, and as well as being home to the beautiful mountain of Mgoun, the area is one of the best places to see example of traditional Berber architecture. The lesser known volcanic landscape of the Jebel Sirwa has remained unchanged for hundreds of years. Here, you’ll walk through a region where the Berbers see very few visitors.

Once nomadic, the Berbers have now settled in stable communities and, more recently, established flourishing cooperative, for example, the production of argan oil. For more than a decade, Berber woman have extracted oil from the argan nut, a long and arduous process, and turned it into either a cooking oil used locally, or, increasingly, as an oil for the international cosmetic industry. If you hike along the Atlantic Coast you’ll see herds of goats grazing on the thorny argan tree-tops, foraging for leaves and fruit. This extremely remote region of Morocco includes the UNESCO World Heritage town of Essaouira, a whitewashed fortified gem where Berber and Jewish communities share an atmospheric medina. Elsewhere along the coast, tourists are a rarity.

There is no greater region to conjure up the vision of a nomadic lifestyle than the magnificent Sahara Desert. Stay in a fixed Berber camp in this area, where the Berbers dress in beautiful headdresses and ride camels through sweeping dunes straight out of a Lawrence of Arabia epic.

Spanning over 4000 years the Berbers have shaped the Moroccan landscape all the way from the magnificent Sahara desert to the magical Atlantic Coast. Follow in their nomadic footsteps on a KE holiday in Morocco.

The Berbers – A Brief Portrait

The Berbers, meaning ‘free people’ settled in North Africa over 4000 years ago, and are thought to have been the original inhabitants of Morocco. Historically their lives were centred on nomadism and the keeping of sheep, goats and camels, however, today most Berbers are settled and live in isolated communities throughout Morocco.

The official Berber language, Tamazight, has gradually over the years developed into almost thirty languages – and for almost 2,500 years, the Berbers have had their own writing system too.

While the majority of the Berber community are Sunni Muslims and follow Islam, a large Jewish Berber population could be found in Morocco up until the 1960’s and Essaouira still has a large Jewish Berber community.

The Berber style of cooking differs from tribe to tribe but the staple ingredient of couscous is important throughout the cooking culture. The Berbers are famous for their hospitality and you can expect to be made welcome if any of their villages with a glass of traditional mint tea.

The Berber Trail with KE

Edge of the Sahara Trek, Peaks and Passes of Mgoun, Peaks and Valleys of Jebel Sirwa or Atlantic Camel Caravan