About Us - Trek Run Climb | Atlas Mountains Morocco

Who are Wild Goose Adventure?

We are outdoor professionals based near Marrakech in Morocco. We live in a small Berber town in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. We come from Great Britain. We love the outdoors, we love the people and cultures who live in the remote regions of the world. We have traveled extensively through Europe, Africa and beyond, and have lived in some pretty remote regions of the world.

Since 2003 we have been enchanted by the beautiful landscapes of Morocco and it’s hospitable people, and love it so much that we have now made our home here. Our desire is to share with you the unforgettable beauty of this exotic land through the treks and experiences we run.

We believe that it is essential to learn the local language and customs of a people in order to become insiders to their culture. This unique insight allows us to understand them better and to share what we know with you. unlike other operators, we seek to have a holistic lifestyle here which invests our business profits back into the local communities.

Marc

International Mountain Leader

Helen

Mountain Leader, Outdoor Pursuits Instructor

The Kids

Adventure seekers

Marc is an International Mountain Leader, a UK Summer and Winter Mountain Leader, and a Certified Personal Fitness Trainer. He also holds a Diploma in Conservation and Wildlife Management. A keen traveler, he has lived with nomads in the Sahara, visited reindeer herders in Siberia and traveled with Mongolian yurt-dwellers. He has an extensive environmental knowledge and is particularly interested in birds of prey and geology. He speaks English, French, and can get by in Berber. As well as Morocco, he also works in the Alps on treks such as the Tour du Mont Blanc.

Helen is a UK Summer Mountain Leader and an aspirant International Mountain Leader. She holds the SPA climbing qualification, is a Kayak and Canoe instructor, and has extensive experience of working with groups and young people in all disciplines of the outdoors. She has worked in Morocco on and off for many years. She speaks English, French, Berber, and some Arabic. She has many friends among the women of the Atlas Mountain Villages and has even been known to collect firewood with the village women from the high mountain plateaux!

Avid climbers and adventure seekers, our kids are an integral part of who we are. They love walking in the hills, climbing trees, riding the local donkeys and mules, and having lots of fun! Their friends are local kids, and they are learning French, Berber and Arabic.

Why hire an International Mountain Leader?

Why you should hire an IML

What is an IML?

Check out Marcs credentials:

The International Mountain Leader award exists to provide qualified professionals to lead walking parties on high altitude treks and mountain expeditions. Whilst the qualification is specifically focused on mountaineering, it is equally appropriate for people who lead expeditions to any remote area. IMLs can be found leading groups on the major walking paths and expedition routes throughout the world.

IMLs are people who have been trained and assessed over several years according to the rigorous standards set out by The Union of International Mountain Leader Associations.

Before booking a trek in the mountains you should always ask to see the badge and credentials of your leader or guide. Make sure that they are up to the task of taking you into the challenging conditions of the high mountains, and being able to look after you in the case of an emergency. The techniques required to deal with altitude sickness, heat exhaustion, severe weather changes, and avalanche risk require serious training and this is why an international standard exists.

IMLs also have to keep up an exacting standard of Continued Professional Development to ensure that their skills remain sharp and current. This ensures that your safety as a client is always paramount.

Why Wild Goose?

” …the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,

are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,

the world offers itself to your imagination,

calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting –

over and over announcing your place

in the family of things.”

Mary Oliver. Wild Geese

To us, the sight of a skein of wild geese flying in formation over a remote highland loch, with the snow-covered hills as a backdrop, sums up the essence of wildness.

In our lives both professional and casual, we desire to share the spirit and beauty of the wilderness with others that they may be inspired to love and to protect it as we do, and learn to preserve it for those yet to come.

The quintessential sight of the wild goose and its free spirit inspires us to do this, and so we chose it as our logo and the symbol behind our company’s vision and values. In the words of Gerard Manley Hopkins:

“What would the world be, once bereft
Of wet and of wildness? Let them be left,
O let them be left, wildness and wet;
Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet.”