Our World Challenge Trip to Morocco

 

 

Written by, Eva W in Yr10 

This summer, I went on an amazing World Challenge Trip to Morocco with 6 students from Aureus School, 7 students from Highdown School, 3 GLF staff and 1 World Challenge leader. It was a 14-day adventure full of hard work, amazing places, great food and lots of memories.

 

 

Days 1–2: Marrakech and Goulmima

We started by flying from Gatwick to Marrakech. After arriving, we went to the Medina Square, which was really busy and full of shops, people and interesting things to see. It was our first proper experience of Moroccan culture and made us excited for the rest of the trip.

The next day, we travelled for a long time in a minibus from Marrakech to Goulmima. When we arrived at our residence, we were all really happy to discover that the food was fantastic! After a long day of travelling and later after working, having a great meal was always something to look forward to.

One of the funniest things about staying in Goulmima was that many of us decided to sleep on the roof. We could lie under the stars and enjoy the warm evenings. It was definitely different from sleeping at home!

Days 3–5: Building a Road

For the next three days, we worked on a community project helping to build a road for a local primary school.

The work was hard and tiring, especially in the heat, but it felt really good knowing that we were doing something that would help the local community. We had to work together and encourage each other when we were getting tired.

One evening, we went to a clifftop to watch the sunset. After a busy day of work, it was amazing to stop and look at the scenery. We also explored a local kasbah, which gave us the chance to learn more about the history and buildings in the area.

By Day 5, we had finished our road-building work and started getting ready for the next part of our challenge: trekking in the Atlas Mountains.

Days 6–10: Trekking in the Mountains

On Day 6, we travelled by minibus to Oukaimeden, where our trek began.

The next day was one of the biggest challenges of the trip because we had to summit Oukaimeden. It was tough, but reaching the top felt like a massive achievement. The views were incredible and made all the effort worth it.

We then trekked to Tachdirt, followed by a challenging 17-kilometre trek to Imsker. The following day, we continued on to Oughlad.

The trekking definitely tested us. There were times when our legs were tired and we just wanted to reach the end of the day, but everyone kept going and encouraged each other. The scenery was amazing, and it was great to see how far we could push ourselves.

Our guides, Mohamed and Khaleed, were brilliant and helped us throughout the trek. We also had Sulyan and his mule, who became a favourite part of the group. We named the mule Bagel, which seemed to suit him!

Another important member of our trekking team was Chef Mohamed. His food was amazing, and after a long day of walking, everyone was very happy when it was time to eat!

Days 11–14: Essaouira and Home

After finishing the trek, we travelled to Essaouira, which was very different from the mountains. We spent Day 12 exploring the town, seeing the streets, shops and coastline.

On Day 13, we travelled back to Marrakech, and then on Day 14 it was time to fly home to Gatwick.

An Experience I'll Never Forget

The World Challenge Trip was about much more than just travelling to Morocco. We helped a local community, experienced a completely different culture and challenged ourselves both physically and mentally.

One of the best things was getting to know people from another school and becoming one team. There were definitely difficult moments, but there was also lots of laughter, friendship and support.

I'll always remember building the road, sleeping on the roof, the amazing food, watching the sunset, climbing Oukaimeden and trekking through the mountains.

Morocco was a challenge, but it was also an incredible adventure that I will never forget.