Tapestry
A Full Sensory Retreat to Morocco
May 5th-13th 2025
Weaving culture, community, and the sensory into an unforgettable adventure.
The vision of this tour is to give you an authentic experience that doesn't place you in a tourist bubble but instead invites you to engage with the people and culture of Morocco in meaningful ways that enrich the lives of both guest and host. We use the term "host" because these are not simply tour guides. They are your interpreters, cultural guides, and so much more. This is slow engaged tourism at its finest.
Come Away With MeAuthentic-Slow Tourism
Join Selena Garefino for a very special 9-day sensory tour of Morocco. Tapestry is your invitation to weave the ancestral with the every day. This sensory tour is curated to awaken and engage the whole of you. We'll explore art and culture, color and sound, scent, movement, and breath. From the bustling colorful markets of Marrakech to the depths of the Atlas Mountains and to the sea--we'll traverse a diverse external terrain while going deep into our personal terra incognita, our unmined depths to connect with self, with place, and with one another.
A unique travel experience taking you to people and places you would not see on your own.
9 Days for a Full Spectrum Experience
Morocco is such a rich place with such vastly different landscapes it felt like robbery to limit our tour to 7 days. Our 9-day curated small group tour will take you from the bustling vibrant streets of Morocco all the way to the sea. During our time you will hike the Atlas Mountains, travel across the desert, linger over cups of steaming mint tea, explore artisans and medinas, and all that Morocco offers. From stunning riads in Marrakech to mindfully chosen retreat hotels in the mountains you will experience the beauty of Morocco from several vantage points.
Movement & Contemplative Practices
"There is no world apart from the body and and hence of the senses" Andrieu
Tapestry is a full sensory exploration. We'll engage with scent, with art, with music, and with the body. During your journey you'll be guided through myth in motion practices weaving ancient story and simple yoga practices for those that wish to enrich their experience with movement.
Your adventure inward will be supported by breath practices and meditations in gorgeous locations. This is not a "yoga retreat" it is a sensory retreat exploring our emplacement. Beyond embodiment it is how we experience the body and self within our larger environment. The practices will be creative and deeply nourishing for the whole of you. Together we'll weave a narrative thread from the first practice to the last.
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Tapestry...
Weaving Ritual Life is a series of rituals in the ongoing ceremony we call "living." Together we'll explore making ritual out of the everyday
Weaving Community and the individual. We'll explore our individual and collective stories. The ancestral and the present. Exploring threads of self, threads of the universal and the tapestry we weave in community.
Weaving the Ancestral We all walk and kneel upon a "prayer mat" woven by our ancestors, by our prayers, by past pains we have alchemized. We'll investigate the ancestral and the Universal. Our dreams and the ever present here and now.
Weaving the Sensory Our journey is a full sensory experience. Weaving cultural explorations, color, sophisticated architecture, music, scent, movement practices, somatic explorations of the body, dance, food, artistry and more. Our quickest path to presence is via the senses. In a world where we are pulled to numbness by speed and overwhelm this retreat is an invitation to slow everything down and savor the sensual.
Let me begin by saying, if I could give Selena and this trip fifty stars, I would in a heartbeat. I understand how cliche it is to say, “This trip changed my life!” But it truly did. Selena provided a safe space to reconnect with my body, mind, and spirit as emotions I couldn’t fully understand at the time bubbled to the surface. She left us with a simple statement, “Love your life,” that had profound impacts I haven’t fully grasped. The internal movement this created within me is something I will be forever indebted to. I will be returning in the future. Selena changed my life. If you’re considering going, even a tiny bit, hold tight to it and don’t let go. It’ll make you love your life again. I promise.
Sarah M
I came on for a vacation with my notebook and yoga mat and left with so much more than I ever could have bargained for. I left empowered, excited, with a new perspective and new tools to guide me home to myself and towards my dreams. I left refreshed and with a new sense of deep rest and inner knowing. Since being on retreat with Selena I have had a steady home practice. The connections I made on this retreat have only strengthened in time. It’s truly an experience you will carry with you. -
Mckenzie
What is Included
- Carefully curated and vetted accommodations in all destinations. We handpick the best possible hotels for our group's needs prioritizing beauty.
- A very special luxury welcome gift to tantalize your senses
- Optional Post or Pre Retreat Travel Support to Extend Your Stay
- Local vetted English speaking hosts.
- All breakfasts
- 4 special dinners
- A Cooking Class and Authentic Lunch prepared by YOU
- Weaving workshop
- Folklore Performance at a very special location
- A trekking guide in Ourika for those wishing to adventure
- All excursions + tickets listed in the itinerary (YSL and gardens are the exception as some may choose to stay behind and rest).
- Airport Transfer *airfare not included
- Dinner reservations but total food freedom. Rather than including dinners we've left this open so you can choose what you'd like to eat and how much you'd like to spend
- Professional images of your trip the ultimate keepsake
Our Adventure...
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Day 1 Marrakech May 5th
You will arrive in Marrakech and be greeted at the airport by our staff and transported your stunning riad to acclimate and rest.
You'll be treated to a beautiful welcome dinner and have your evening to rest before the adventure begins.
YOUR ACCOMMODATIONS
Our riad is one of the most sought after in the medina. Discreet luxury and first class service only a few minutes walk from the historic souks and the action of the main square.
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Day 2 Marrakech May 6th
We'll begin our day weaving movement and breath body and spirit with an optional morning yoga and breath practice. Weaving stories and themes of our trip into a full mind-body experience.
After breakfast and our movement class we'll enter the medina for a half day city tour including sites like the Mellah (Jewish quarter), the Bahia Palace, Saadian Tombs, Souks (markets), and more.
For lunch there is an option to receive a henna tattoo from a safe and vetted artisan.
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Day 3 Marrakech May 7th
After savoring a morning engaging mindbody practice, you will learn to cook like a local. Our adventure begins with choosing our ingredients from the market with our guide. We will then prepare our lunch together, an authentic tagine. During our class we'll learn basic phrases and gestures that will help us to deepen our connection and experience with locals during our journey.
In the afternoon we'll optionally visit the Jardin Majorelle and the Yves Saint Laurent Museum. Please note this small ticket fee is not included as it is an optional add on. Expect to pay around $15.
For dinner we'll gather at a very special restaurant (meal not included so you can choose what you wish).
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Day 4 May 8th Marrakech to Essaouira with Winery Visit
After breakfast we will make the 2.5 hour journey to Essaouira on the Atlantic coast.
On our way we'll be stopping at a gorgeous exclusive winery dedicated to varieties of the Rhone Valley. The cost of lunch and wine tasting is not included so that those that don't drink or don't want a large meal can opt out. This exclusive winery is a stunning vineyard reflecting the richness of the Rhone valley beautifully represented in Morocco.
You'll enjoy strolling the beach and visiting the famous ramparts built by the Portuguese.
Your accommodations are a stunning riad offering Moroccan elegance.
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Day 5 May 9th Essaouira
After breakfast and an optional morning mindbody practice you have the day free to explore Essaouira's ramparts, markets, and medina. Or if you wish spend the day at the beach or indulging your senses at a local spa (must be booked two weeks in advance of our tour).
Before dinner a second mindfulness practice will be offered.
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Day 6 May 10th Travel to the Ourika Valley
After a nourishing breakfast we will travel through diverse landscapes showcasing Morocco's beauty. We'll pass through the argan forests, traditional Berber villages and visit the gorgeous Anima Garden before arriving at our beautiful accommodations with sweeping views of the high Atlas Mountains.
At our accommodations we will have an evening mindfulness practice with breathtaking views before enjoying a hosted dinner.
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Day 7 May 11th The High Atlas Mountains
After a leisurely breakfast we will drive 45 miles away to an organic farm. This unique farm is a women's collective and you will observe traditional weaving techniques and have an opportunity to practice the traditional techniques with the guidance of local expert artisans.
On our visit we'll experience a folklore music performance. Each village has their own traditions and it's very distinct to Berber culture. The performance will be conducted by women of the village which is quite rare and part of the rich cultural fabric of this place.
After our visit we'll return to our stunning retreat center for rest and lunch.
In the evening enjoy a movement and mindfulness practice before the included dinner.
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Day 8 May 12th Atlas Mountains & Marrakech
After breakfast we'll set out with our private trekking guide to visit a local village and the Berber market of Tnine which means "Monday." Included in this experience is a lunch prepared and hosted by a local family.
After our trekking experience and lunch we'll return to Marrakech.
You'll have free time to rest before dinner our Riad.
Savor our farewell dinner and celebration.
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Day 9 Departure from Marrakech
Transport to the Marrakech airport. If you wish to stay we are happy to arrange additional sights, hot air balloon tours, or other adventures for an additional fee.
“It’s strange how deserts turn us into believers. I believe in walking in a landscape of mirages, because you learn humility. I believe in living in a land of little water because life is drawn together. And I believe in the gathering of bones as a testament to spirits that have moved on. If the desert is holy, it is because it is a forgotten place that allows us to remember the sacred. Perhaps that is why every pilgrimage to the desert is a pilgrimage to the self. There is no place to hide and so we are found.” (Terry Tempest Williams)
Slow Travel & Sensory Explorations
RESERVE YOUR PLACEYour Accommodations
Hand Selected Riads & Retreats
We have carefully sourced our accommodations and handpicked the very best to suit our needs. We work with valued partners on the ground with long standing relationships with local people. We use the term host rather hotel or "tour guide" because our hosts are truly our interpreters, cultural guides, and so much more.
Travel That Promotes a Journey Inward
Our mission is to offer slow travel experiences that allow you to indulge in the sensory, to revel in your inner landscape while exploring the exterior terrain. To come closer to yourself by interweaving story, music, creativity, spirituality, the sensory, and cultural experiences.
Curated Tours and Cultural Experiences
Expert local guides are with us every step of the way to ensure a rich and smooth experience. You will meet local weavers and artisans, cook and dine with locals, and experience local music, spices, and artistry.
Movement Classes
Expertly crafted yoga and somatic movement classes to support our explorations. Selena's unique blend of oral storytelling and yoga will engage the fullness of you mind, body, spirit, and imagination.
Oral Story
Story is the oldest form of education. It is the "wildest way to tell the truth" (Shaw). During our week together Selena will weave ancient story into our explorations. These stories are bone memory. They are a net that holds us all. They are a reminder of our interconnectivity. A good story can teach you how to live.
Slow Travel
We believe in slow authentic travel experiences that nourish reciprocal relationships between guests and hosts as well as honoring communities and the environment. Mass tourism is a global problem with harmful effects on communities and we are a movement of travel professionals working to change how we travel.
We're not checking off boxes of sites seen we're pausing to feel and sense and experience individually and communaly.
Come Join Us
About Selena
Cultural Anthropologist, Oral Storyteller, Yoga & Movement Teacher, Retreat Leader, Photographer, and Travel expert
Selena has guided retreats and small group travel for 11 years. She is a sociocultural anthropologist, oral storyteller, yoga, breath, and somatic movement teacher, personal development coach, photographer and writer.
Her mission is to offer the kinds of experiences that beckon you home to your spirit, to yourself, and to your body while immersing you in rich sensory landscapes offering one of a kind experiences to delight the whole of your sensory experience.
She is dedicated to making the everyday artful and inviting her clients into experiences of divine play with curiosity and awe.
Selena is an Italian American travel advisor and retreat leader living in Tuscany Italy.
There's only one teaching...
Love your life.
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