OVERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS ITINERARY THE EXPERIENCE INCLUDED GALLERY HOSTS FAQ TICKETS REVIEWS ADD ONS

Marrakesh, Morocco·3 - 12 October 2025

Morocco - The Beauty of Generous Hospitality

Explore women's stories and traditions within an embracing culture community amidst the desert, mountains and exotic cities of Morocco.

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Overview

Morocco provides a stunning, culturally-rich backdrop for exploring the lives of local women ~ mothers, farmers, musicians, weavers and artisans. From the bustling city markets of Marrakech to the snow capped Atlas Mountains and desert-oasis home of Berber weavers, let us take you on a journey of fresh perspectives and stunning beauty. Life in the city and rural countryside greatly varies for Moroccan women. You'll notice striking differences between generations. But, are they asking the same questions as our own communities at home? Our world yearns for greater compassion. The Honest Heart Journeys sisterhood nurtures meaningful connection through cross-cultural, intergenerational exchanges that expand and enrich how we see and understand others. Through sharing stories and traditions and working alongside other women, we recognize that though our cultures are distinct, many of our inner desires, challenges and triumphs are universal. *This trip is limited to 14 participants.

Highlights

Experience the magic and mystery of the desert

Experience the magic and mystery of the desert

We experience unforgettable, magical moments when we travel. Gaze at the endless sandscape of the Sahara desert sunset from atop a camel. Dance beneath date palms in a palm oasis. The unfamiliar desert captivates!

Savor rich culture and cuisine in stunning settings

Savor rich culture and cuisine in stunning settings

Our Bedouin-style trip will host meals reminiscent of authentic Middle Eastern cafes, complete with moody Moroccan lighting, floor cushions and lively entertainment and music.

Honor the stories of local women artisans

Honor the stories of local women artisans

We'll hear stories of shifting generational and cultural perspectives and experience age-old women's traditions in urban and rural settings. Open your eyes to new ways of seeing your own world while weaving threads of universal womanhood.

Itinerary

This curated experience immerses you in the vibrant culture of Morocco ~ with a specific focus on finding universal cross-cultural threads of womanhood. Please note that while these are the locations and activities planned, the actual itinerary is subject to vary.

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The day before your trip

Pre-trip

Meet your fellow Honest Heart Journey sisters with whom you will experience this transformative adventure! We will gather our group for a Zoom call two months before departure for introductions, sharing Moroccan cultural traditions, and establishing trip logistics and goals.

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DAY 1

Oct 3 - Arrival in Marrakech

Marhaba!  Welcome to Morocco! Your private transfer will meet you at the airport to bring you to our quiet retreat in an olive grove outside of Marrakech. 

Rest from your travel and journal your first impressions before our evening gathering. We will drink tea together and review our itinerary before venturing to the Marrakech medina to experience the famous night market and enjoy a delicious Moroccan dinner.

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DAY 2

Oct 4 - Marrakech

Our first full day includes visiting two local nonprofits that educate and support young women as independent leaders. Some of these women are training for employment within the culinary arts and will prepare a delicious lunch for us!

In the afternoon, we’ll tour the beautiful Majorelle Gardens and museum dedicated to Berber culture. We will return to our lodging for dinner and later have an introduction to storytelling, a continuous theme on our journey.

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DAY 3

Oct 5 - Across the Atlas Mountains

The High Atlas Mountains have the country's highest pass - through brilliant mountain landscapes and into the high desert. 

We will visit a UNESCO World Heritage kasbah and stay the night at a simple rural guesthouse. We will then have time to reflect, journal and share before enjoying a traditional dinner with the locals.

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DAY 4

Oct 6 - Sahara Desert

This is the Morocco of our imagination! The film sets for Lawrence of Arabia, Babel, Kingdom of Heaven, Desert Queen and Game of Thrones! This red desert landscape is peppered with women in black scarves and crumbling kasbahs reminiscent of ancient kingdoms.

On our way to our next destination, we will stop every couple hours to rest, eat lunch, and appreciate the landscape along the way. As we head deeper into the changing landscape, we will pass through the arid, rocky desert known as the hammada.

Our guides will set us up at our desert hotel for the evening before a sunset camel-back ride. Afterwards, we will return to dine on a traditional Saharan tagine meal and play Berber drums under the stars!

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DAY 5

Oct 7 - Rural Guesthouse

Continuing north, we'll travel through palm oases and desert sands. Our destination is a guest house run by a family of weaver women, nestled in one of the largest palm oases in North Africa. Their hospitality, dedicated craftsmanship and rugs are second to none! Enjoy a homemade dinner followed by a conversation on the lifestyles and issues of these women in their community.

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DAY 6

Oct 8 -Rural Guesthouse

Take a walk through the palm garden and learn about the guest house's family farm and its heritage. Work beside our hosts to cook a local favorite dish for lunch then relax on the terrace overlooking the infinite rows of palms below. We'll spend our last evening with our new friends donning traditional party clothes for a Berber ahwach dance party. It’s an experience you’ll never forget!

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DAY 7

Oct 9 - Middle Atlas Mountains

Journeying through stunning landscapes into the Middle Atlas Mountains, we’ll see beautiful forest and mountain scenery, staying in a simple rural lodge to rest from our adventure across the desert.

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DAY 8

Oct 10 - Fez

Continuing north, we’ll stop in some of the area’s charming small towns, meeting a group of women artisans to learn their traditional button-making craft. Working side by side, we’ll feel the camaraderie and gain a real appreciation for their craft!

After lunch it’s on to Fez, a UNESCO World Heritage medieval city. (There may be some surprises here that connect us with our trip book!)

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DAY 9

Oct 11 - Fez

Take in the sights, scents, and sounds of Fez’s medina with a guided tour. Discover the lifestyle of the women as well as what ancient and modern traditions collide in this historic labyrinth. 

In the afternoon, relax at a historic hammam (Muslim bathhouse) and soak up the past week of our journey before gathering for our final dinner together. Afterwards, we will reflect in honest conversation and say farewell to our new Honest Heart Journeys sisters!

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DAY 10

Oct 12 - Departure Day

Goodbye Morocco! Ma salama!

Feel free to extend your stay to enjoy more of this fascinating city - or explore more to the North of Morocco or to the western seaside!

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DAY 11

Post-trip

Your Honest Heart journey can continue after you arrive home. We'll host a call following the trip for trip sisters to reconnect and share lasting impressions and inspiring take-aways.

We hope this won't be your last HHJ experience, either! You are now part of a growing community of new sisters!

The Experience

How we guide your journey

How we guide your journey

This thoughtfully curated experience immerses you in women's culture amidst the natural beauty of Morocco. We encourage curiosity and self reflection as you listen to stories and work or cook alongside these women in both rural and city settings. You will have time to reflect on your unfolding experience in your journal and exchange questions with trip sisters around themes in your trip book and the culture around you!

Our Trip Book

Our Trip Book

Her name is Dinah. In the Bible, her life is only hinted at in a brief and violent detour within the more familiar chapters of the Book of Genesis that are about her father, Jacob, and his dozen sons. Told in Dinah's voice, this novel reveals the traditions and turmoils of ancient womanhood—the world of the red tent. It begins with the story of her mothers—Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah—the four wives of Jacob. They love Dinah and give her gifts that sustain her through a hard-working youth, a calling to midwifery, and a new home in a foreign land. Dinah's story reaches out from a remarkable period of early history and creates an intimate connection with the past. Deeply affecting, The Red Tent combines rich storytelling with a valuable achievement in modern fiction: a new view of biblical women's society.

What activities will we do?

What activities will we do?

Activities include guided hiking, extended city walks, camel riding, dancing, and 2 long drives through the countryside. We will have private transportation, but interaction with locals is encouraged, whether it be the taxi driver, receptionist or local carpet weaver! There will be free time during the trip to choose independent activities.

What are accommodations like?

What are accommodations like?

Accommodations are in locally-owned hotels, riads (traditional Moroccan houses), and for one night, after our camel ride, we will set up camp at a desert hotel in the Sahara.

What's Moroccan food like?

What's Moroccan food like?

Moroccan food is a brilliant fusion of Mediterranean, Oriental and French cuisine based on the traditional Berber diet. Featuring lamb, vegetables and dairy, Moroccan cuisine is complemented by a delicate mix of spices. You'll enjoy both rural Bedouin and cosmopolitan meals all in a traditional Moroccan atmosphere!

What cultural customs should I be aware of?

What cultural customs should I be aware of?

You will experience bustling marketplaces, quiet kasbah settings in a desert oasis, and new languages , mainly Arabic and French. In general, Moroccans are conservative in dress, and covering yourself from shoulders to knees is a good guideline for both men and women. You'll notice women from different generations dress in diverse coverings, showing their interest in both tradition and fashion.

What's the weather like?

What's the weather like?

September is one of the best months to visit Morocco. Both the heat and the summer crowds have left, and the sun is plentiful, but milder. Temperatures average mid 70's - low 90's F. (Temperatures will vary as we cross the high Atlas Mountains and into the Sahara Deserts.)

What do I pack?

What do I pack?

We will be in both mountainous and desert environments, so good footwear, headwear and layers are recommended. We will provide you with a detailed packing list in your Planning Guide prior to the trip.

What is responsible travel?

What is responsible travel?

Travel responsibly by purchasing from local businesses, lodging in locally owned hotels, partaking in local transport, and leaving as little negative impact on the environment as possible. Please bring your own refillable water bottle! Also consider bringing a shopping bag for purchases, which will greatly reduce the use of plastic bags.

What's Included

What's Included

4 nights boutique lodging, 4 nights rural guesthouse, 1 night Sahara camp

Activities: guided tours and museum entrances, desert camel ride, cooking and traditional dance experience with local women, button making with women's co-op, Moroccan bath experience (hammam)

Meals as noted in the itinerary

Airport transfer on arrival

Private transportation and first-class train

Travel insurance

Flights to and from Morocco.

Travel day meals

Airport transfer on departure

Gratuities

Optional activities & excursions

Several meals chosen to give you autonomy (4 lunches & 3 dinners). Budget $10-25 per meal, and you may decide to eat light or skip altogether

Hosts

Summer Davis

Summer Davis

Summer has traveled to over 35 countries. Throughout her career, she has organized and led tours through Ecuador, Morocco, Turkey, Peru, Nicaragua, Cuba, Spain and Portugal. Fluent in English, Spanish, French and Moroccan Arabic, she considers learning languages as the key to understanding, connecting with, and positively impacting the world. 

Summer strives to create experiences with authenticity, conviviality, hospitality and true friendships.

In 2010, she began leading walking tours in Hollywood and Los Angeles, starting her own business in 2012 and becoming a member of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and LA Tourism & Convention Bureau. Today, she owns and operates tour companies both in Los Angeles and Morocco.

She says, "I hope to inspire my guests with beauty - naturally dramatic landscapes, peaceful moments, and kind people. I hope they open their minds, to allow more love, acceptance and wonder to enter in. I want each guest to let go of any personal strain or stress and fully absorb the love reflected in each moment - a carefully prepared pot of tea, a smiling welcome from the guest house owner, a glorious sunset. 

I wish for all my guests to consider how they might positively change their own lives. Once our eyes are opened, we can open our minds to accept new ideas, imagine what could have never occurred to us before and develop new concepts of health, wealth, beauty, family, community and ourselves. Learning how other people live, build, communicate, work, eat, love, means we no longer accept just one singular 'right' way. Through meeting and interacting with others, we often encounter solutions or situations that make us rethink how we act at home. Least of all, we should have more consideration for and understanding of a different culture, which then inspires us to explore further."

Summer spends time in both Morocco and Los Angeles, where she lives with her husband and two children.

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Jennifer Dale

Jennifer Dale

Jen loves celebrating and encouraging the beauty she sees in others. She's a gatherer and builder who naturally nurtures community and hosts safe environments for meaningful connection. She believes in our inherent wholeness and need for ongoing discovery, growth and relevance.

After pursuing careers in dance and design, Jennifer recognized that she thrives most nurturing people. She spent almost two decades developing and facilitating programmed trips and events for youth and families, including helping develop a national servant leadership program for teens as director during several of its formative years. As dean of girls at a midwestern boarding school, Jen heard a calling to nurture the kind of sisterhood that defies current cultural stereotypes and expectations. 

Honest Heart Journeys was conceived during long conversations about strong, gracious womanhood with a sister friend during COVID lockdowns. Jen loves exploring timeless women’s topics in her blogs and on her Honest Heart Podcast hosted on Spotify. Travel has always been a passion of hers, and she’s seen firsthand the powerful impact of intentional experiences facilitated within correlative environments and universal themes found in literature. Thus, the birth of Honest Heart Journeys!

Wherever Jen's gone, her 'sisters' -- wonderful women with whom she’s built teams, programs, and deep friendships – have been steady, supportive companions. This kind of quality sisterhood is woven through the HHJ experience. It encourages others to give time to nurture their spiritual hearts and gently holds them accountable to seeing and living their fullness, which of course blesses others. 

Jen lives in Colorado and Florida with her husband, Bill, and is mother to three beautiful adult children who have blessed her with the new role of "Nani." 

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Tickets

1 Adult - Double Occupancy

1 Adult - Double Occupancy

FROM$3,850.00/pp

FAQs

You may reserve your spot through our website. We require a 50% deposit with full payment due 120 days prior to the departure date. We welcome payments via credit card, check, or Zelle (jen@honestheartjourneys.com). We're happy to work with you to establish a payment plan as well.

If you have ANY questions, we'd love to talk with you! Reach out any time at info@honestheartjourneys.com.

A deposit of 50% of the HHJ trip cost is required to reserve your spot on the trip.

If a cancellation is made prior to 180 days before the trip date, the entire deposit will be refunded less a $500 per person service charge. If a cancellation is made from 180 to 90 days prior to the trip departure date, 50% of the deposit will be refunded. If a cancellation is made within 90 days of the trip departure date, the entire trip fee is forfeited. All cancellations must be received in writing to info@honestheartjourneys.com.

It is highly unlikely that we will cancel a trip, but we do reserve the right to cancel due to weather, natural disasters, emergencies or a lack of sufficient reservations. If we cancel a trip, a full refund of the trip deposit and any final payment will be given.

HHJ requires that you obtain travel insurance in case of cancellation, unexpected circumstances, or the need for evacuation. We want you to make a decision that meets your needs. Though we do not recommend specific companies, travel industry colleagues have recommended the following companies: AIG Travel, Alliance, Seven Corners, Travelguard, and WorldNomads. Booking protection is offered through the registration process on our website. You might also see what your credit card offers, and many airlines now offer travel insurance.

The planning guide that we provide all registered guests who are paid in full includes a full trip itinerary, packing list, supportive travel information, release forms for you to review/sign/ return to us, information on our trip book and other supporting materials, and a link to a guest survey that collects your important information. 

Your hosts can guide whatever transportation you require. Budget flights out of Fez go to most cities in Europe while direct flights to the US depart from Casablanca.

International flights (direct to Casablanca from NYC, Miami or DC on Royal Air Maroc or to Marrakech/out of Fez via most European cities on AA/Iberia, Delta/KLM, Air France, etc.). Casablanca airport is connected to Marrakech by train (approximately 4 hours) or local flight (approx. 30 minutes). 

Departure transfer to airport ($25-120 depending on the airport, mode of transport and how many are sharing). Please allow 3 hours to get to Casablanca and 30 minutes to get to the Fez airport. 

The Moroccan Dirham is Morocco’s national currency and ATMs are readily available in the cities. Most have limits of 2000-4000 Dirham per day (roughly USD$200-400, occasionally you'll find one up to $800). You will need to be able to access enough cash for meals not included, personal expenses, tips, optional activities, etc.

Meals average $10-20 at most places and up to $50 at fancier spots. Some places will be cash only, like local lunches and shopping, while hotels and higher-end restaurants usually accept credit cards. 

A tipping chart will be provided. (About $60 for the duration of the tour should be sufficient.) 

Please check your passport well in advance of your departure date and make sure that is is valid. Morocco does NOT require your passport to be valid for 6 months, but it must be valid for the entirety of your trip.

Reviews

Summer’s relationships, local knowledge and language skills meant every day was fun and exciting with all details expertly handled.

Sara, Victoria, BC, Canada

I loved the genuine interaction among all ages. This inspires me to cast off limits.

Jean, Vista, CA, USA

I was blown away by the opportunity to connect with an amazing group of women in a way I did not know was possible and in a format which opened up a beautiful way to connect and talk.

Robin, St Louis, MO, USA

Add Ons

Single Supplement

PRICE$800.00/pp

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