Venus Adventures is a NZ and Swiss based company which focuses on women travellers.  They can help you organise your own custom trip (mixed or women-only) to Morocco!

If you are thinking of going to Morocco on an exotic holiday, but are not sure what to see and do, just let us know what your interests are and we can put together an itinerary especially for you – whether it be hiking in the mountains, riding camels into the Sahara, cooking classes in Marrakech or indulging in a traditional Moroccan spa treatment – we can tailor make something to suit your budget and needs.

Or if you want to remain flexible, we can put you in touch with our trusted local contact in Marrakech and he can help you with anything you need while in Morocco, from airport transfers to shopping to tours. For more information, please just email us on info@venusadventures.travel.

Or if you would like to join us on a fun, women-only trip to Morocco, our itineraries can be found here:

Here is some feedback from the last trip:

Into the Desert

“I can’t seem to stop thinking of all you guys and Morocco, it was such a fabulous time and I think we had the kind of holiday not that many people get to have, with the adventures and meeting the people.” Angela, NZ

“Thank you for the great tour. My family could hardly believe it when I told them all the things we did, especially the rafting. It was fun unpacking everything and giving out presents. It seems really dull at home now after all the fun we had but I guess the normal round will take over again.” Helen, Australia

We were in Iquitos, where our trip had kicked off – an oddly large city set within the Amazon jungle, connected to the outside world only by boat or air – no road comes to Iquitos. A thin, long boat transported us 140km upstream to where we were to have our Amazon jungle experience. A twitchers paradise, we spotted many familiar birds on the banks along the way – terns, herons, king fishers and cormorants. It was exciting to be going into the wilds of the Amazonas and not know what lay before us.

Arriving at our eco-lodge, we had a delicious lunch, were given half hour to rest, before we were whisked into the nearby jungle with our jungle guide Moises, to see what creatures we might find. It is not easy to spot animals at the best of times with 5 noisey, gumbooted gringos behind you, but in the heat of the day the jungle is pretty quiet as most animals are resting.

And who can blame them, the heat was incredible, the humidity high, and we were all dripping with sweat. Siesta sounded like a good idea, but first we had to complete our 3 hour jungle march. We were rewarded with distant views of monkeys high in trees, as well as close views of the tiny pygmy marmoset monkey, darting around a mahogany tree and sucking on the sap. They are so cute! I so wanted to stick one on my finger, but we weren’t in the zoo. Oh well. We also saw a very large tarantula, fortunately high up in a tree. Moises said it was a rosey-haired one. As opposed to a pink-toed one. A tarantula with pink toes? That I had to see…

And we did – that night…when Moises dragged us out on our night hike to look for creepy crawlies in the dark…we found 2 pink-toed tarantulas sitting on palm trees, and at close range (ie, I could have stroked one if I was foolish enough). I would almost go as far as to say that a tarantula with pink toes is kinda cute.

However there was nothing cute about the piranha we went fishing for in a side-river the following day. Moises met us 5.45am for our next activity on the agenda of Jungle Boot Camp. Catching piranha. Me being a vego, I just took photos of the others folly, dipping their bait in the water off their bamboo rods, and trying to flick the piranha out of the water before he’d taken all the bait.

The fun part was watching everyone try and get those vicious little gnashers off the hook. With a dozen caught, we were allowed to go back to the lodge, where the piranha were cooked up by the chef for lunch. Jungle Boot Camp was turning into Fear Factor! I was assured by the others that the prinaha actually tasted ok, they just weren’t very meaty.

The heat was still a big issue for us, it just seems to sap all your gringo energy. That and the fact that we had activities before and after breakfast, lunch and dinner. No wonder we were pooped. All I wanted to do was strip off my long sleeves, long pants and gum boots and throw myself into the nearest river, piranhas or not.

Finally we got our chance when Moises took us by boat back into the main flow of the Rio Amazonas. No free lunch though, first we had to do an hours worth of fresh-water dolphin spotting. I could handle that. The wide, quiet, and very murky waters of the Amazon river revealed a couple of pink dolphins with unusually short dorsal fins, and also a couple of smaller grey dolphins. Awesome!

Then, finally our moment had come. Moises assured us that the brown colour of the Amazon was just silt and minerals from the snowy Andes mountains, and that swimming would be fine – like we needed convincing to get in? Splash! we were in being swept along by the current, loving the refreshing feeling. A boat came along with a Peruvian film crew on board – they had spotted a pod of five pink-faced tourists in the Amazon river and came over to get a shot.

It was time to go back to the lodge for our final yummy lunch, before our longish journey back to Iquitos. As we ate, the next lot of new “jungle campers” arrived with fresh smiles and clean gumboots. We smirked to each other as we knew what lay before them. Lunch over, hot and tired, we gladly boarded the boat home, enjoying the cooling breeze of the boat. Back in Iquitos, “Jungle Boot Camp”, was officially over…mmmh cool drinks and fans! But we had just spent three very full days in the Amazon jungle – how fantastic is that!

By Julie Paterson      Venus Adventures – Global Trips for Women

Their motto:  “Life is uncertain – eat cake!”
Venus Adventures specializes in women-only holidays and short breaks to fascinating destinations:   Morocco, Egypt, India, Ethiopia, Turkey, Mali, Jordan, Vietnam, New Zealand

“Emirates have released an early bird special for sales in NZ until the 17th of December 2009. For your Morocco trip, a fare ex Auckland would be $2310 including taxes.”

Probably similar deals for Ozzies too …

So what to do now? If you are interested in the Venus Adventures for women 18 day Morocco trip starting 2 April 2010, please let me know asap so we can get you booked and looking forward to an exotic holiday. The sooner I know numbers, the better, so I can get info out to everyone.

Morocco is fabulous – I have did it last year and it is fabulously memorable -  from the food, to the shopping, to the Sahara, the Atlas mountains, the people and the old cities of Marrakech and Fes!

Just do it….

Salam from Morocco!

Well, we have just completed another 14-day extravaganza of Morocco and thought you might enjoy a few photos!

Highlights of the trip were riding camels across the orange dunes of the Sahara whilst the sun set in the distance and then sleeping under an African sky, hiking up into the Atlas mountains to stay in the basic home of a Berber family and see how they live, experiencing the old medinas of Fez and Marrakech, meeting lots of friendly locals including Nezha who is a Moroccan 5W member (5W = Women Welcome Women Worldwide, an international hosting network) who lives in Fez and joined us for dinner one night. It was great to meet Nezha, who is an English teacher at the American school in Fez, and to learn more about Moroccan life from her.

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The Morocco trip is all about experiencing the variety of local cultures from the desert tuaregs to the mountain Berbers, having some great little adventures (hiking, riding camels) and of course lots of fun! In Morocco “fun” for my Venus girls usually involves spending every free minute in the souq (market) haggling for beautiful handmade exotic goodies – no one seems to have any trouble finding their “inner shopaholic” in Morocco, because the shopping is so irresistible! You can see them in the pictures wearing beautiful caftans, jewellery etc. below.

The over-stimulation caused by shopping/sightseeing was always balanced with pre-dinner drinks at “gin o’clock”, where we would get together and recount tales of the days events and haggling experiences, and show-off new purchases.

We also celebrated a 50th birthday on the trip, with dinner at our Moroccan guides house and live Berber music and dancing– great fun!

XMAS SHOPPING TRIPS TO MARRAKECH

In response to the demand to shop, if anyone is interested in a 5 day Christmas shopping spree trip to Marrakech and Essaouira, we are offering the following programme. You choose the dates, we arrange all the rest . Price is Euro 500 per person and includes everything (hotels, transport, meals, shopping guide etc) all you need to pay for in addition is your flight, travel insurance and shopping), and the trip will run with a minimum of 2 people.  Contact Julie for more info

do these things sound like something you would like to experience? Well, read on, because your prayers have finally been answered!

As busy women we often have a myriad of (often feeble) excuses why we don’t do things for ourselves. But let’s face it: there is never an excuse good enough for not doing something positive for yourself – like taking a well-deserved short break somewhere!

Venus Adventures – Trips for Women – is now offering a range of short breaks within New Zealand (and Europe) for women who, well, just need a break! The breaks include anything from culture to adventures, and are always a lot of fun, and the website is a one-stop shop for short breaks for women.

The idea behind women-only trips is to help women escape their everyday roles and routines as busy mums, wives or workers, and to get away with the girls and have some fun!

“More and more women are realizing the importance of getting away from it all and letting someone else do all the organizing for a change”; says Julie Paterson, founder and owner of Venus Adventures Trips for Women. “Women naturally bond and network easily. Doing a trip which gets you out of your comfort zone a little is easier in a supportive women’s group. It’s a great environment in which to try new things. But, depending on the trip, we also indulge in fun things like spas and a little retail-therapy! Age also doesn’t matter as long as the spirit is there!”

All you have to do is get yourself to the trip starting point and all the rest is taken care of. So what are you waiting for? Your next adventure is just a mouse click away…for more information visit www.shortbreaksforwomen.com.

By Julie Paterson

Venus Adventures – Trips for Women

www.venusadventures.travel

www.shortbreaksforwomen.com

Haggling for rugs

OK, so have found yourself in a fabulous Arab bazaar in some hot, sandy and exotic country. It is a maze of twisting alleyways crammed with people and intriguing shoplets selling bright and alluring handicrafts: colourfully decorated carpets, lamps, clothes, leather and metalware.

Trapped in shopping heaven, you almost pass out with excitement. Sweet, musky incense wafts through the air, and as you saunter along in the heat, handsome swarthy men try to entice you into their shops with cheesey one-liners “Madame, can I ask you something…?”

Shopping in an Arab souq is something you have to be in the mood for. Patience and a sense of humour are a necessity or you won’t last 5 minutes. And if you don’t have your wits about you, you may find yourself limping back to your hotel under the strain of five carpets and no money to finance the rest of your trip…and wondering how that all happened when all you wanted to buy was a scarf. You had only asked out of interest how much that lovely rug was….and before you knew it – you had five!

Golden Rule No. 1: don’t ask how much something is unless you want to buy it. If you do ask, you are entering into a “negotiation”- commonly known as “haggling”. Your lovely salesman will enquire how long you have been in his country to see how green (stupid) you are, suss out how many gold rings you have on, and then name an extortionate price. Your jaw will drop and you will gasp in horror.

Golden Rule No. 2: ask yourself how much you might pay for this item back home, look at the quality, and then remember you are buying it at the source. It has not been imported and you are cutting out several middlemen. Think what you would be prepared to pay, and then name a lower price. Now it is your salesman’s turn to gasp in horror and act insulted. Game on!

Haggling is theatrics, and can be a lot of fun if you are patient. Have a mint tea and get comfortable! You will now negotiate with your man, he will try to force your price up with all sorts of sob stories about how business has been bad, how many kids he has to feed etc. You have to invent some of your own sob stories about how little money you have and you saved all your life to get here….remember, keep it fun and encourage humour!

Golden Rule No. 3: Stick to your guns! The Arab salesman always wants to win this game, even if only by a small amount, but if possible, by a huge amount! If the price gets beyond what you are willing to pay…walk away. Better to walk away than to regret it later. If your price was not fair, he will let you go. If your price was reasonable after all, your charming salesman will most likely come after you (he hates to miss a sale), drag you back to the shop, wrap your exotic treasure into a neat package, and relieve you of your cash.

And this brings me to the most important rule, Golden Rule No. 4: both parties should be happy at the end of the transaction – you should be happy with what you paid and the treasure that you bought, and the salesman should be happy with his sale. And thus you will get the lovely scarf you wanted and not five rugs.

By Julie Paterson

Venus Adventures – Global Trips for Women who Love to Travel

But Rajasthan is not just about colour. This fantastical state is crammed with imposing fortresses, fabulous temples and an amazing array of wildlife hiding within rich green jungles. These are the reasons why it is India’s most-visited state. Not to mention the fact that Rajasthan has managed to maintain its ancient traditions, all making this the place to see and be.

Kicking off in the capital of Delhi – a huge, bustling city, where you will see modern Indian life as we know it anywhere else – cell phones, coffee bars, and Indians in Western dress, Delhi is a great place to slowly ease into Indian life. In stark contrast, just a days drive away camel carts and rickshaws compete on the street and the locals are clothed in traditional dress. From Delhi you can visit the infamous Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum for the wife of Shah Jahan, who died giving birth to their 14^th child. In her dying breath, she urged Shah Jahan to build a mausoleum for her, more beautiful than any the world had seen before. She got her wish.

Travelling out to the west are the old caravan trading posts of Jaiselmer and Jodhpur. Jaiselmer, lying in the heart of the Thar Desert, is known as the golden city. It stands on a ridge of yellowish sandstone and is crowned by a fort containing the palace and several ornate Jain temples. From Jaiselmer you can ride a camel into the desert and spend a magical night under the stars.  Jodhpur, the blue city, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan, and features many palaces, forts and temples, and is also set in the stark landscape of the Thar desert.

Continuing south we come across Udaipur. Full of seductive charm, Rajasthan’s “White City”, is mostly known for it fabulous floating Lake Palace, set like a white pearl in the shimmering waters of the lake. Sight-seeing here includes Rajasthan’s largest palace, the City Palace, and the fantastically carved Jagdish temple.

In the east, and in contrast to the deserts, temples and fortresses of the rest of Rajasthan, are several wildlife reserves. In the Ranthambhore National Park you can test your luck with the tiger, spot deer or leopards in the Darrah Wildlife Sanctuary or view migratory birds at the Unesco Keoladeo Ghana National Park. It’s a nature lovers paradise.

But that is not all. The shopping is to die for.  Rajasthan boasts an array of wonderful handicrafts: Agra is  famous for its inlaid marble work, Jaipur’s bazaars bulge with embroidered leather shoes, blue pottery, tie-died scarves and other exotic wares. Traditional small floral prints are the specialty of Sanganer block printers and in Udaipur you will see everything from silver jewellery to wonderful textiles. Retail therapy guaranteed!

Rajasthan can be hectic and busy – you might not get the place to yourself, but the combination of  bustling humanity, wonderful landscapes and royal relics make this an enriching and vibrant travel experience.

by Julie Paterson

Venus Adventures – Global Trips for Women who Love to Travel

I am just back from a quick trip to Germany where I went to meet up with Firew Ayele, our Ethiopian guide. Firew is an intelligent, interesting man, who is passionate about his country and people – it is a privilege to have him on a trip, and anyone who meets and spends time with him is usually deeply impressed.

Anyway, Firew has regular groups from the German YMCA who come over to work on various projects – being such a popular guy, they sponsored him to come visit Germany for 2 weeks. It is Firews first time outside of Ethiopia (besides being captured and imprisoned by Somalians as a child…but that’s another story), so I just couldn’t miss the opportunity to go to Germany and drink a large German beer with him (see photo)

When I met up with him, he had already been in Germany 2 weeks and the Germans had of course been plying him with lots of beer and Wurst (although there was still no sign of a beer pot developing). I asked him what his impressions were…he said when he was staying with a family in a village, there was virtually no one on the streets (all inside watching tv no doubt), it was like a ghost town, which made him quite uneasy (in Ethiopia there are people outside all the time). Also, he went to an outdoors shop to buy some equipment – the assistant spent at least an hour with him showing and comparing different tents etc – he said in Ethiopia they would have just told you to buy something or leave! :-

Ethiopia is a fascinating country with amazing scenery, great food (yes, you may even put on weight whilst there!), fascinating tribes, friendly people, astounding history, and …the best coffee in the world! We hike in the Simien mountains, visit bustling African markets, mingle with the locals, see tribal dances, feed hyenas, visit old castles and monasteries, visit local charities (Fistula Hospital) and lots more….We will be back going back there most likely in October 2010, so let me know if you are interested so I can keep you posted. Link to Venus Adventures.

Final words: To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.

Venus Adventures

India is such a treasure-trove of affordable and beautiful handicrafts, for all your shopaholics out there, it would be a great Xmas-shopping trip! But who needs an excuse to shop, that just comes naturally to us women. India is also historically and culturally very interesting – and we all know that Indian food is just the best!

If you are interested please Venus know asap so  – they need a minimum of 5 clients for it to run. See the 16 day India trip on the website for February 2010, we would use the same itinerary.

My journey started in the capital of Amman. Like any big cities, it is a bustling business centre, a mix of old and new, but not a reflection of the true Jordan. I had arrived very late at night, and slumped into my hotel bed. Suddenly I was rudely awoken at around 3.30am by the dawn chorus of muezzins calling all to prayer. I had failed to notice that my room was right next to the mosque, with loudspeaker aimed at my room! I had to laugh. Yep, my fault for forgetting to put my earplugs in. Welcome to Islam.

Leaving Amman and driving southwest, the next stop was the Dead Sea, a large, lazy-looking, overly-salty lake, surrounded by beige desert, Jordan on one side, Israel on the other. We paid our entrance fees to enter a public beach with shower facilities (very important unless you like feeling like a double-salted chip), dug out mineral-rich mud from the shore and caked ourselves in it and let it dry. Well-baked like two mud pies, we then went for a “float” in the Dead Sea to get the mud off. The water was very buoyant and had a strange, thickness about it – kind of felt like bathing in baby oil. We were careful not to get any of the salty water in our eyes – it stings like mad. But the result when we got out? Skin like babies bottoms…nice!

After our inexpensive and completely natural “spa treatment” we continued on to the town of Wadi Musa. The backdrop of hills innocently hides a most incredible secret – the fabled city of Petra, one of the seven wonders of the world! Walking down the 700m “siq” (gorge entrance) to the hidden rock city of Petra, the mystery builds until finally you catch your first breathtaking glimpse of the Treasury – a huge, elaborate façade carved right out of the rock face. The colours of the rock – swirls of pink, orange, red and brown – are stunning. We spent two days wandering amongst the rocks and hills of Petra, admiring it’s temples, tombs, Roman amphitheatre, sacrificial alter, and monastery. Petra is one of those fascinating places in the world that has to be seen to be believed. Bedouin people that still dwell within this ancient rock town, adding to its charm.

So far we were very impressed with this little country, and the Jordanians had also been welcoming and friendly. It was now time for a little adventure in the Wadi Rum desert. We hired a local Bedouin, Khether, (he spoke no English, and we no Arabic) to take us on camels into the desert overnight. We once again found ourselves wowed by the amazing rich colours of the sand – orange and red – and rising out of the sand, huge rock “jebels” (hills). Another stunning place, I could see why Lawrence of Arabia fell in love with it! Khether brewed mint tea over a small fire, and a delicious dinner was delivered by 4-wheel drive (Arab take-out?). The desert has an amazing calming effect on your soul, and we went to sleep in the wonderful silence. Ahhh – sweet dreams are always guaranteed under the cloak of a romantic Arabian night sky!

For anyone wanting a short, but highly interesting holiday, with lots of variety and plenty of “wow” factor, then Jordan is just the ticket.
It is an extremely satisfying place to visit, feeling like body, soul and mind have been enriched, nurtured and enlightened by everything we did and saw.