Argan Oil Cooperative and an Ecolodge in Morocco

Argan Oil Cooperative and an Ecolodge in Morocco

For most people I guess beeing on holiday is all about relaxing, but I easily get bored, so when I’m travelling I’m even more active than I’m usually back home. When I went through the different excursion trips that were offered by an excursion partner of Hyatt Place Taghazout Bay (where we were staying) I immediately fell for the half-day trip to the Atlas Mountains where you would visit an Ecolodge, an Argan Oil Cooperative and finishing with an organic lunch, read tajine! 750 dirham per person (approx 75€) for this private guided tour, well invisted money, we both thought, Anna and me. By 10 o’clock on our second day in Taghazout Bay our guide, Ali, came and picked us up at our hotel, Hyatt Place Taghazout Bay.
After a car ride of around 40 minutes we arrived to Atlas Kasbah, an Award winning Ecolodge situated in the Atlas Mountains. We were welcomed with not only a cup of fresh Moroccan Mint Tea but also different types of Morrocan bread and pancakes, was served on our table, together with honey, amlou, argan oil with its characteristic nutty taste, fresh homemade yoghurt, freshly pressed orange juice…all organic! I totally regret that I had eaten so much at the breakfast buffet earlier on our hotel. But I did try the different breadtypes and also the Moroccan pancakes which I love, topped with loads of amlou, ofcourse ;-) After this sweet degustation treat we began our walk to a small village Tighanimine El Baz. Our guide told us that all Argan trees are protected by UNESCO. No pesticides are used, which means that authentic Argan oil is always organic. The Argan nuts are harvested one time per year, when they fall down to the ground the harvesting period begings and they are collected and get dried. The next step is to crack the nuts in order to have the Argan kernel that is later pressed to have the pure oil. I found it very interesting to visit this Argan Cooperative where 70 Moroccan women where working.[pullquote width=”300″ float=”left”]Argan Oil, the liquid healing gold from Morocco[/pullquote] The Tighanimine Cooperative was founded in 2007, by women who attended literacy classes. They wanted to increase their family income and thats the beginning of the story of this small Cooperative that is the first one in the world getting a Fairtrade certification. I stocked up with lots of their Argan oil, Savon Noir and their scrubbing gloves..it’s not everyday you get the possibility to buy pure authentic Argan oil that is not only organic but also ethical! Argan Oil, the liquid gold from Morocco has numerous benefits. As it contains beneficial nutrients such as fatty acids and Vitamin E, its often used on skin to make it smooth but also as an anti-age treatment, and for the hair to get a silk, smooth and healthy hair.

When we returned back to Atlas Kasbah Ecolodge we enjoyed a delicious and typical Moroccan speciality, a tajine! Slow cooked in a ceramic pot, seasonal vegetables topped with parsley. What a treat :-)

All photos below taken with my Fuji Finepix x100s

Cute donkeys off the road…

The Argan nut – All Argan trees are UNESCO protected

The terrace of Atlas Kasbah Ecolodge with a splendid view over the Atlas Mountains covered with Argan trees

We were invited for a degustation of Moroccan specialities, all organic, at the Atlas Kasbah Ecolodge, above you can see a plate with two types of pancakes and three different types of bread

Fresh Moroccan Mint Tea, yes please!!!

Fresh pressed orange juice, homemade yoghurt filled with probiotics and a cup of Moroccan Min Tea, wish I always had this for breakfast…

The village Tighanimine El Baz where I got to see this fluffy friend with adorable curls ;-)

This is how they look like, dried argan nuts

One of the women, cracking the nuts to collect the kernel…this process is whats most time consuming, can take almost 6 days to get 1 kilo of Argan kernels, and for one liter of Argan oil you would need around 2,5 kilos.

The Argan kernels are then pressed in this stainless-steel machine and the oil is separated and filling a container below.

The garden of Atlas Kasbah Ecolodge, here you could find all kinds of organic herbs growing..and all beeing used in the kitchen of their restaurant.

The highlight of our excursion, I finally got to enjoy typical Moroccan food! Here we got a delicious tajine made with different vegetables of the season topped with persil! Slow food at its best!

Finished our Moroccan lunch with a delightful sweet dessert, very thin layers of warga pastry filled with light cream with rose water and topped with chopped roasted nuts.

What would a meal in Morocco be without a cup of tea? Here we were served Lemon Grass infusion (fr their own garden) which is perfect to drink after a meal as one of the benefits of Lemon Grass is to help the digestion.

The inner courtyard of Atlas Kasbah Ecolodge in Morocco

The cozy living room with traditional Moroccan furnitures and carpets

Beautiful and colorful flowers growing in the garden

A carpet is beeing made…

A beautiful old door now serving as a decoration
The amazing view from Atlas Kasbah Ecolodge

Please note: The trip (flight, accomodation, transfer) and all meals taken at the hotel courtesy of Hyatt Place Taghazout Bay. All content, photos and opinions expressed here are my own.