Eco-Friendly Travel Tours to Morocco
Posted: Saturday, February 23, 2008
by Thomas Hollowell
Journey Beyond Travel
Minimum Impact Morocco: Eco- & Culture-Friendly Trekking in the High Atlas Mountains
Early explorers once counted Morocco's High Atlas Mountains as the best in Africa. Today, tourist numbers are up and on the climb (pun intended). Although as trekkers and hikers in one very unique location, we all must be of one preservationist's mind. This is to say, as more and more people travel to Morocco to trek and hike in the High Atlas Mountains-with the numero uno trekking destination being Mt. Toubkal-there must be a ubiquitous consciousness within visitors to minimize eco-, economic-, and cultural-impacts.
Morocco tour operators and Morocco tour agencies are the ones most responsible, then, for spreading the news so as to minimize negative impact accompanied by unintentional or belligerent defacement of Morocco's natural beauty. Here are some strides (punOK, really now) we as Morocco travelers can undertake to doubly minimize and thus protect Morocco from our first saunter on the trail to our last exhalation of exhilaration after summit.
Environmental Efforts to Minimize Impact in Morocco
*Minimize group sizes: The smaller the group, the less impact. It may not be wise to hike entirely alone, especially if you're a lone woman (sorry).
*Minimize supplies: Don't bring more than you need. So much is available on the way, especially up Mt. Toubkal in the High Atlas Mountains
*Bring water filter devices: With pumps, filters, chemicals and UV rays available, minimize bottled water waste by bringing filtration devices.
*Don't boil water for drinking. This is not an efficient means to purify water.
*Carry out burnable waste: Toilet paper, wood, food and paper can all be burnt if necessary.
*Carry out toxic and metal wastes.
*Remove packaging from products before hitting the trails.
*Relive those over-used bowels and bladders at least 70 feet (20 m) downhill from campsites and water sources. Dig as deep a hole as possible. If not, cover the waste with leaves, dirt and sticks.
*Clean up waste along the way: If you see packaging or plastics, pick them up and transport them out of the park. Someone may have unintentionally dropped it.
*Don't make your own fires: Local Berbers know which wood is best, and it's often dead. They are efficient and ration it carefully. It is often part of tradition to build a fire, so let them do it. Don't add to the deforestation problem.
*If you're in a group, order your food at the same time. Don't make special request. Wait for the bustling restaurants of Marrakech for this. Who knows what might be wasted to meet your demands.
*Use biodegradable soaps and shampoos for washing.
*Stay on the trail and avoid smashing plants or breaking branches.
*Be careful not to destroy hand- and man-made irrigation systems. You'll be walking by all kinds of fields. It's important to take notice of these and be very careful around them.
Economic Efforts to Minimize Impact in Morocco
*Employ local muleteers and guides in the area. If you use a locally based Morocco tour operator , then they know the best way to take advantage of the areas resources.
*It's nice to camp sometimes. However, staying in local gites, houses or hotels is a great way to give back to the community in which you are moving through.
*Buy locally. You can make up some nice Trail Mix from Marrakech. Buy dried fruits from the medina and mix with the varieties of nuts and you've got natural, local energy for days on end.
*Don't try to pay too little. If you use a Morocco tour operator to set up your hike or Morocco trek, then you'll have some good ideas of costs and tips.
*Don't pay too much. This creates an inflation cycle and dependency. An open display of giving too much could make others in the local community envious.
*Maintain good relations. Bargaining is part of the culture, everywhere in Morocco.
*Tips are expected and generally given. Ten percent is the usual courtesy nowadays. A bit more is not considered excessive, especially if you've used guides for days on end.
Cultural Efforts to Minimize Impact in Morocco
*Ask before you take photos.
*Send them the photo once you've gotten home. The mail delivery system works well in Morocco (mostly).
*Respect holy places. Your path will often cross with those locals visiting holy places. Be sensitive and respectful in the ways you know how.
*Don't give gifts or money to children. This creates a future dependency that will someday work against you.
*Don't give gifts or money to adult beggars.
*Try not to play doctor. If someone must be helped, then do your best but be forewarned. If you make them worse, you will be the one to blame.
*Give excess medical supplies to a local in a higher position to distribute things as s/he sees necessary.
*Don't flaunt wealth. No matter how poor you really are, you are very wealthy in the locals eyes. Don't flaunt wealth or electronics and such.
*Don't patronize.
*Don't expect favors cause you are richer than they are. Be humble.
*If they ask about the west, don't make it seem like the paradise it isn't. Be sure to paint a realistic, cross-cultural picture, describing the goods and positives of their and your home.
*Engage with locals. Don't extricate yourself with your group.
*If you promise to do something, do it (especially with photographs).
*You may have stomach discomforts or achy muscles. Keep a sense of humor at all times and join in to jokes and stories as much as possible. Always join in. You are almost always welcome as a foreigner. Be as open hearted as the locals.
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Terry Hollowell is content editor for http://www.journeybeyondtravel.com and the online travel guide. Visit us on the web today to book your Morocco travel or Morocco tour today.
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*Information from this article has been freely adapted, re-used and added from Richard Knight's Trekking in the Moroccan Atlas, the British Mountaineering Council's Mountain Tourism Codes and the Himalayan Tourist Code.
**For more information on responsible tourism, contact Tourism Concern in London: 020.7753.3330
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