Firm Foundations The Knowledge Residential

The weekends · southern Morocco

Shared experiences, not an itinerary of attractions.

The weekends are part of the course, not an add-on to it. They exist so that fourteen days of study are lived rather than only sat through — shared food, shared work and shared travel with the same group you study with. What follows is the pool of things a weekend can include; the organiser sets which of these happen, and in what order, for your specific block.

Placeholder: Rocks and Atlantic surf at Sidi Ourzeg. Photograph to follow.
Walking above the coast at Sidi Ourzeg.

An evening out

An evening in Guelmim

A short evening out after a week of study.

A trip into Guelmim in the evening, typically including the Marjane Mall.

  1. Trip to Marjane Mall in Guelmim
Placeholder: Guelmim, the provincial capital, fifteen to twenty minutes from Tighmert. Photograph to follow.
Guelmim — fifteen to twenty minutes away.

The overnight excursion

The coast at Sidi Ourzeg

The principal shared experience of the fortnight: a private-hire bus from Tighmert to the coast, and a night camped by the sea.

The bus leaves Tighmert early. Breakfast is taken at the Guelmim livestock market — an early-morning working market rather than a sight laid on for visitors — before the city market and the road west to Sidi Ourzeg, where the group camps in tents or chalets, cooks on the beach and stays the night. The stay typically continues into the next morning, with the group returning through Guelmim, time to explore the market, and the option of eating at a local restaurant.

  1. Private-hire bus from Tighmert
  2. Breakfast at Guelmim livestock market
  3. Visit to Guelmim city market
  4. Travel to Sidi Ourzeg
  5. Beach camp in tents or chalets
  6. Meals and beach BBQ
  7. Fishing
  8. Swimming in designated areas
  9. Football, volleyball and cricket
  10. Hiking
  11. Return through Guelmim the following day, with time to explore the market
  12. Opportunity to eat at local restaurants at the student’s expense
The Atlantic coast at Sidi Ourzeg.
Sidi Ourzeg — the overnight excursion is spent here.
Tents set up at the beach camp at Sidi Ourzeg.
The camp, on the overnight excursion.
Food cooking over the fire at the beach barbecue.
Beach BBQ after the day’s fishing.

A day trip

A day trip to Sidi Ifni

A day on the Atlantic coast at Sidi Ifni, returning through Guelmim.

A day trip north-west to Sidi Ifni, with lunch and refreshments taken at local establishments, then the road back through Guelmim with time in the town before returning to Tighmert.

  1. Day trip to Sidi Ifni
  2. Lunch and refreshments at local establishments
  3. Return through Guelmim
  4. Visit to Marjane Mall
  5. Time in Guelmim
  6. Return to Tighmert
The Atlantic town of Sidi Ifni.
Sidi Ifni, on the day-trip weekend.

The closing day

Fask, Taghjijt and the closing braai

Breakfast under the fan palms, prehistoric rock art, and — whatever else the weekend has included — the same farewell every block ends with.

Breakfast is taken as a picnic at Fask village among the fan palms and olive trees, followed by the prehistoric rock-art site at Taghjijt, Jebel Bouadio. Like the rest of this list, whether this particular pair happens, and when, is for the organiser to set. What is fixed is how every block closes: back at Tighmert, with a South African braai after Isha.

  1. Picnic breakfast at Fask village
  2. Fan-palm and olive-tree park
  3. Visit to the prehistoric rock-art site at Taghjijt, Jebel Bouadio
  4. Refreshments and lunch
  5. Return to Tighmert
  6. Farewell South African braai after Isha — fixed for every block, whatever else the weekend included
Fan palms and olive trees at Fask village.
Picnic breakfast at Fask.
Prehistoric rock engravings on stone at Taghjijt, Jebel Bouadio.
Rock art at Taghjijt, Jebel Bouadio.
The farewell braai after Isha on the final evening.
Farewell braai, final Sunday.

The two towns

Where the weekends take you.

Neither is a resort. Both are working towns that the course passes through for the markets, the food and the road to the coast.

Guelmim

The provincial capital, commonly known as the gateway to the Sahara, and the nearest city to the oasis.

Guelmim is where the course goes for the markets and where the road to the coast begins. Agadir is about three hours north; Laayoune about five hours south.

It is best known for the Saturday livestock market — camels, goats and sheep, with cattle, donkeys and sometimes horses. The market beside it sells fruit and vegetables by the stall-load, along with spices, walnuts, almonds and dried pulses, and there is a butchers’ section and a section for clothes, shoes and household goods.

Shops generally open around nine and close from Dhuhr until after Asr. From Maghrib the city fills up again — the souks get busy, street food appears near the post office, and most places stay open late.

This is the conservative south, and it is noticeably different from the larger cities further north. That is part of why the course is here.

Sidi Ifni

An Atlantic coastal town about an hour from Guelmim, and the destination for one of the weekend day trips.

The town sits directly on the ocean, with a large and busy souk that comes alive after Maghrib, much like Guelmim. North of it the coast is more built up and geared to tourism; south of it there are wild beaches, some with a little in the way of shops and campsites.

The course keeps to the quieter southern side where it can. At Sidi Ifni the organiser notes that swimming is permitted only in designated areas, under lifeguard supervision.

Filmed by the organisers

The province, on video.

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Practical

A few things worth knowing.

  • Fishing gear

    Fishing gear should normally be brought by attendees. Limited equipment may be available if arranged in advance.

  • Money for meals out

    Meals purchased independently from restaurants during time in Guelmim or Sidi Ifni are not included in the course fee. As a rough guide: a large pizza is about 50–60 dirhams, a burger and chips is about 15–25 dirhams. Prices are what the organiser reports locally and will drift over time. We do not publish an exchange rate here — check the current one yourself before you travel.

  • Swimming

    At Sidi Ifni, swimming is in designated areas only and under lifeguard supervision. Elsewhere, follow whatever the organiser sets on the day.

  • Prayer on the road

    There is no suitable mosque near the beach at Sidi Ourzeg, so Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib and Isha are prayed at the camp. On the Taghjijt day the travelling prayers may be joined.

  • Where this is

    Oasis Tighmert is approximately 15–20 minutes from Guelmim city. Guelmim is commonly known as the Gateway to the Sahara. The weekend trips run west and north-west from there to the Atlantic coast.

The mountains beyond the oasis, seen from a different angle.

The Knowledge Residential · 14-day Islamic residential course

Come for the study.

The weekends are part of the course. The study is the reason for it.

Next block
Block One, 30 Nov – 13 Dec 2026
Fee
£580 (approx. $780 / €680)
Deposit
50% (£290) to book, balance on arrival
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