Broadening our Lens in Mystical Morocco 

A luxury photography and yoga retreat 

Join us on an epic and transformational journey to the mystical land of Morocco. This unique trip offers you the opportunity to experience Morocco both through the lens of your camera as well as through the lens of yoga.  We will stay at exquisite Peacock Pavilions, a high-end boutique hotel in Marrakesh recognized by Forbes, CNN, Elle Decor and others as one of the world’s most beautiful. 

While Jessica Riley-Norton will guide you through all-levels yoga classes at the start of each day, photographer Julia Cumes  will offer photographic guidance as we explore some of Morocco's most visually and culturally vibrant places.  No prior yoga or photography experience is necessary.  Participants may use phone cameras or DSLRs.  

Lastly, we will work alongside Project SOAR, a non-profit organization which educates and empowers teenage girls in the developing world. 

By the end of the week, we hope to broaden your lens, shed layers of cultural identities that divide us, inspire you, empower you and fill your hearts.

Trip Highlights

• Explore the mythical and culturally intriguing city of Marrakesh including its famed Jemaa el-Fnaa square, medina and markets.
• Photograph the beautiful coastal city of Essaouira with its famed fortress, stunning beach and exotic shops.
• Experience the Atlas Mountains which have long been home to some of North Africa's most remote villages and cultures. 
• Visit the beautifully designed Majorelle Garden, Islamic Art Institute and Berber Museum.
• Enjoy an outdoor viewing of "Casablanca" with hot chocolate and popcorn in Peacock Pavilion's beautiful gardens

Peacock Pavilions, famed for its luxurious Moroccan decor and beautiful grounds, is located in a private olive grove on the outskirts of Marrakesh. Featured in dozens of magazines and television shows (CNN International, House and Garden Television, the New York Times, Elle Decor and Forbes among others), the hotel is a favorite location for travelers in the know.  It's also frequently used for fashion shoots, yoga retreats, creative workshops and celebrations of all kinds.

The estate is comprised of three pavilions: the Main Pavilion, the Atlas Pavilion and the Medina Pavilion, as well as a host of outdoor areas.

FOOD 

The hotel delights in menus featuring farm-to-table, elevated Moroccan cuisine so good it was featured in Food and Travel Magazine!  Food is prepared the old-fashion way – made from scratch.  The chef will provide a fixed daily menu that relies on local, fresh ingredients, some from Peacock Pavilion's own gardens.

Breakfasts - Fresh bread made daily from the village’s communal bread oven (rebuilt as part of their charity, Project Soar), homemade jams, eggs or muffins, yogurt, fruit, just-squeezed juice, coffee and tea.

Lunches – Light and fresh (soups, salads, quiches, etc.) served with cookies or fruit for dessert.

Dinners – Three delicious courses, served by candle light, ending in an herbal infusion from the garden to help you sleep

To enhance your experience, meals are served in several locations, depending on weather conditions.

Julia Cumes is a South African-born photographer based on Cape Cod,  MA. She's passionate about storytelling and capturing real  moments of human connection as well as expressive portraits. Her favorite projects are focused on women and girls and the struggles they face around the world as well as wildlife conservation and she has worked on stories with these themes both locally and internationally. 

Over the course of her career, Julia has photographed for magazines, newspapers, humanitarian and wildlife rescue organizations, businesses  and private clients. Her work has appeared in publications such as the Boston Globe and New York Times and  as well as a variety of other national and local publications.  

Julia completed a B.A. at Brandeis University, an M.F.A. in writing at Cornell University and a Masters in Photojournalism at Syracuse University’s Newhouse School.  Her blog, Apertures and Anecdotes, features photographs from around the globe and the stories behind them.  Julia has spent time teaching photography to children in Rwanda as well as to tribal Samburu Women at the On'gan Women's Cooperative in Kenya.  She also teaches photography workshops and classes locally and internationally and is a resident photographer at the Cultural Center of Cape Cod  where she has a studio/gallery.  You can see more of her work at www.juliacumes.com. 

Jessica Riley-Norton

Jessica has trained under Natasha Rizopoulos, Nicole Clark, Jill Abraham, Nikki Meyers, and S.N. Goenka in Yoga and meditation. She is devoted to helping others thrive, and uncovering their true essence. Jessica is inspired by her own continual transformation through the practice of yoga, as well as witnessing the benefits of yoga received by her students. Jessica believes that movement is medicine, and in her own experience, finds that a good sweat each day gives her the ability to take on what life gives with a sense of grace, grit, and gratitude.

Jessica opened the doors of Evoke with the intention of creating a supportive, energetic community, with opportunities to grow and thrive through the ancient wisdom of yoga. She has been bringing groups of people on yoga retreats for five years, to different countries each time. This will be the seventh yoga retreat she leads. 

Airport Transfers

6:30 Welcome Dinner

8:30 Welcome Circle

9:00 Yoga

10:30 breakfast

11:30 slide show, into to travel photography

1:30 Lunch

2:30 leave for the Medina (old world walled-in pedestrian section of the city with may narrow maze-like streets)

3:00 Guided Tour of Medina (4 Hours)

7:00 Dinner in Town (Nomad, Salt, Le Jardin)

9:30 Transfer back to hotel

8:00 Morning Yoga

10:00 Visit Essouira, an enchanting, laid-back city whose name means “little picture” in Arabic. It’s a painter’s dream location with a vibrant blue-and-white “medina” (inner walled city), enclosed by fairy-tale, sand-coloured ramparts and imposing stone gates. Beyond the colorful port, rolling waves and a wide beach stretching for miles complete the canvas. 

Sunsets photo session at the beach 

Dinner in the Medina

 8:00 Yoga

10:00 Breakfast

11:00 Transfer to Majorelle Gardens/Berber Museum/YSL Museum (180 MAD per person)

1:00 Lunch in Gueliz (Kawa Cafe, Cafe 16, Grande Cafe de la Poste)

4:00 group slideshow and photo critique with Julia

7:30 Dinner 

9:00 Outdoor Cinema with hot chocolate and popcorn (Casablanca)

 7:00 Morning Yoga

8:30 Breakfast

10:00 Transfer to Kasbah du Toubkal (Atlas Mountains; Imlil)

1:00 Lunch at Kasbah du Toubkal

3:00 Guided Hike at Kasbah du Toubkal

5:00 Transfer from Kasbah du Toubkal to hotel

7:30 Light Dinner in Medina Pavilion

 7:30 Yoga

9:00 Breakfast

10:00 Transfer Marrakech for photographing and exploring

1:00/2:00 Late Lunch in the Medina (nearby Cafe Clock has amazing camel burgers)

3:00 Additional Shopping in Medina

4:00 Transfer from Medina to Hotel

5:30 Final slideshow of everyone’s photos

7:30 Farewell Dinner 

9:30 Closing Circle

 Breakfast

Departures