OlioTrip Morocco: Music, Spirit & Living Tradition

May 22–29, 2026

Overview

This OlioTrip, curated in collaboration with LILA and led by Moroccan Gnawa musician Samir Langus, offers an immersive experience of Morocco through the interconnected lenses of music, culture, and spirituality. As always, our trips are designed as a relational, place-based immersion - the kind of trip that only happens when you are moving around with locals. Traversing from the Atlantic coast to historic port cities and into the rural countryside, Samir and the people of LILA and Olio will curate the experience every step of the way so that you can let go and fully enjoy every step of cobblestone and each wave of the Atlantic.

Our group will engage with Morocco through sound, story, and lived tradition: exploring Gnawa music and its spiritual roots, learning about Morocco’s interwoven Muslim and Jewish histories, and connecting with local ecological practices. Throughout the week our activities will emphasizes depth, presence, and cultural exchange, creating space for both learning and integration.

Rough Itinerary

May 22–24: Agadir

The journey begins in Agadir, a coastal gateway where contemporary Morocco meets long-standing tradition. We ease into the experience through the relaxed surf culture and beach village life of Taghazoute, offering time to acclimate and connect with the sea.

Our group will then travel to the hometown of our guide, Samir Langus, for an intimate, family-style welcome!
This gathering centers Moroccan hospitality, shared meals, and a live musical experience, offering a rare introduction to local life through personal relationships. This opening chapter sets the tone for the week, but it will be hard to leave this relaxing beach town.

May 24–27: Essaouira

Essaouira has long been a crossroads of cultures, shaped by African, Arab, Amazigh, and Jewish influences. Known for its windswept ramparts, artistic spirit, and historic medina, the city holds a unique place in Morocco’s cultural and spiritual landscape.

Here, participants will engage deeply with Gnawa music, learning directly from local musicians about its ancestral roots, ceremonial role, and spiritual dimensions. Programming will also explore the Jewish history of Morocco, with a focus on Essaouira’s once-thriving Jewish community and its enduring legacy.

Time will be balanced between guided learning and open exploration—wandering the medina, connecting with artisans, and absorbing the creative, contemplative energy that defines the city. We'll eat well at every meal and enjoy the nightlife of dancing and music in this lovely city.

May 27–29: Retreat at an Eco-Permaculture Center in Boulouane

The final phase of the Oliotrip brings the group inland to a riverside eco-permaculture retreat center in Boulouane, offering space for integration and grounding. Surrounded by nature, these days are designed to slow the pace and synthesize the experiences of the previous week.

We will learn about local agricultural practices and food systems, engage in a hands-on cooking workshop using ingredients grown on site, and share communal meals rooted in regional tradition. The journey concludes with a closing concert featuring a music group local to the area—bringing together land, sound, and collective experience as a meaningful closing ritual.

*Our group trip ends here but if you can swing it, we encourage you to travel to one of the old cities in Morocco (or return to your favorite place from the Oliotrip) - we will be happy to offer some recommendations!

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Your Guide:
Samir LanGus is a Grammy-nominated musician, born and raised in the city of Agadir, Morocco. Music has always been a part of the constant variety of street sounds of his city, from merchants to entertainers and calls to prayer. LanGus began learning Gnawa, a traditional, spiritual trance music, at an early age from the Gnawa masters of Morocco, especially Maalem Hamid El Kasri.

For the uninitiated, Gnawa music is the ritual trance music of Morocco’s Black communities, originally descended from the enslaved people and soldiers once brought to Morocco from northern Mali and Mauritania. Often called “The Moroccan Blues,” Gnawa music has a raw, hypnotic power that fascinated outsiders as diverse as writer/composer Paul Bowles, jazz giant Randy Weston, and rock god Jimi Hendrix.
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Reflections on our trip to Guatemala last year:

"Shoutout to Think Olio and Guatemala and a very special group of people who provided me the space to experience and be witness to love, care, connection, joy, vulnerability, humility, healing, wonder, and so much goddamn fun." - Nicole R.

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Full price for the 8 day trip:
Shared room $3000. Private Room $3500.

$500 deposit to reserve your spot!
Balance to be paid in full by March 30.
Reach out for payment plan options.

Included:
Accommodations (7 nights)
All breakfasts, 3 lunches and 3 dinners
All workshops, tours, and activities
Transportation to/from activities
Tips for drivers & guides |

Not Included:
Flights to/from Morocco
Meals not listed
Travel insurance
Personal expenses