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An American
company formed to organize
ECOTOURISM travel tours in Morocco.
 The
company is made up of Elena Hall and Hmad Ourdaras
with the help of his brothers in Merzouga. Elena,
an American, has spent 10 years off and on in the
village of Merzouga in the Sahara Desert of Morocco
where she and Hmad, a local Berber from Merzouga,
set up a Desert Hotel - HAVEN LA CHANCE DESERT
HOTEL - with restaurant / camping / bivouac / camel
excursions / 4x4 drives amidst the sand dunes and
palm trees.
Merzouga is a
poor village with little outside help. Tourism is
the only income besides families having a son who
is in the military who helps out the
family.
There are no
pensions for the older ones - just help from sons.
Travelers spend a few days or longer and take camel
excursions from 2 hours to 6 days into the Sand
Dunes. Travelers slow down their schedules and
mingle with the family, play with the children,
watch the women make bread and
cous-cous.
They offer
advice to the Berber men on agriculture,
construction, well-digging. They are in a
completely different world here in southern
Morocco.
ow, Elena and
Hmad travel back and forth from Malaga, Spain and
some of his brothers manage the business when they
are not in the Moroccan desert .Other brothers
travel around Morocco on expanded tours which
include the IMPERIAL CITIES of Fez, Marrakech,
Rabat, Meknes and Casablanca, and other fortified
towns along the coast. Of course, the travel
includes the desert treks, small mountain villages,
and the KASHAH routes.
She has been
accepted by all the local people who were nomads
but have settled down in small villages. Other
nomads live in the desert with their camels or
goats and are seen on Camel excursions. Hmad is a
Berber who speaks several languages-like most
people who have contact with tourists who travel to
Morocco.
 Berbers
are not Arabic although they are Muslim. The Berber
women are not involved with the tourists. But
Hmad's family and friends invite you into their
homes to share meals and mint tea. Guests are also
welcome at special feasts and weddings and can
watch the rituals, and enjoy the meals like part of
the family.
Elena has a
great respect for these desert people- poor as they
are. She and Hmad try to help them out by bringing
tourists to the area. And also to acquaint guests
with these special Berber people, their humble
food, and generosity. This ECOTOURISM experience is
a unique bonus in addition to the spacious
desert.
ECOTOURISM
because any profits from Blue Men of Morocco Co.
return back into Haven La Chance Desert Hotel where
many improvements are still needed to allow work
for the family members and their
families.
The combination
of skills and education and background of Elena and
Hmad provide a reliable, professional tour with no
surprises. The close contact with local Berbers and
their way of life is a special extra in addition to
the rest of the tours where it is always so
important to make friends with the guests and
provide an unforgettable experience which entices
one to return to Morocco.
Ecotourism Tours
in Morocco Meet Berbers and Travel in Sahara
Desert, Vacations in Morocco 4x4 Tours
Merzouga
S ee
photos of our new location on this
site.
HAVEN
LA CHANCE DESERT INN
Merzouga.
See
the following page:
www.haven-la-chance-desert-hotel-merzouga.com
http://www.bluemenofmorocco.com
Excerpt
from Discovering Agadir
by
Jerry W. Bird
 While
the route that winds its way along Morocco's
Atlantic Coast, from Essaouira south to Agadir, is
relatively short in distance, the scenery we
encountered was simply unforgettable. Muguette and
I were in good company, traveling by Land Rover
with Elena Hall, partner in the "Blue Men of
Morocco" tour company. We met her many months
ago via the Internet, and in person at the 6th ATA
Ecotourism Symposium in Fès a week earlier.
The trip was leisurely, and along the way, on
Elena's insistence, we made a one hour detour
inland, passing through a rugged, hilly area that
reminded me of Northern Arizona or Southern Utah.
The side trip was to a special area where our host,
was searching for "ammonite gonatite" fossils.
According
to Ms. Hall, an American living in Spain, the
country north of Agadir is the only area in Morocco
where such fossils are available. The seacoast
route provided a completely different vista with
miles of pristine, undisturbed beaches, lighthouses
and a variety of unique pastoral scenes
(continued
on next page).
Come
Visit Morocco with Blue Men
ELENA
HALL of BLUE MEN OF MOROCCO CO.
!!
Visit:
://www.bluemenofmorocco.com
BLUE MEN OF
MOROCCO CO
C/Heroes Dos de Mayo 5,!
H
Fuengirola, Malaga, Spain
34 952 467562
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