Marrakech is a fascinating city in the heart of the Magreb, located about half an hour from the foothills of the Atlas mountains. For a thousand years, the city has been the epicenter of Berber and Moroccan culture; magnificent architecture, spices, textiles, music, and amazing food.

After a few days in the bustling Medina of the city, we took a day trip to hike around the Atlas mountains and the cute little town of Imlil. Famous for its walnuts and for being the basecamp to hike Mount Toubkal. On our way back to Marrakech, we stopped at the Jarjeer Mule & Donkey Sanctuary, located about half an hour’s drive southwest of Marrakech.

What a fantastic project! We were greeted by Charles Hantom, a retired solicitor from the UK, who runs the sanctuary with Susan Machin. He showed us around the 15 acre property, which he and Susan turned into an oasis of beauty and refuge in the desert landscape of the Atlassian foothills.

Charles spent about an hour and a half with us, showing us the full operation, and introducing us to all of the donkeys and mules - he knew them all by name! It was clear that he loved what he was doing and he used the phrase “when compassion becomes passion”, which is just perfect to describe the project!

As we’ve traveled by car from Agadir, we’ve seen countless donkeys across the land, all of them carrying people, carts, and heavy loads. They are an adorable work animal with pointy ears, and unfortunately leading a life of hard labor in a poor land, they fall ill or break limbs.

Prior to the Jarjeer Sanctuary, most lame donkeys were turned away by their owners to the wild dogs, hardly a fitting end to a life of loyal servitude. But 7 years ago, Charles and Susan began accepting and rehabilitating some of these animals (they help donkeys, mules, horses, and even camels), providing them with top notch veterinary care, plenty of food, and stables to stay warm at night.

We brought along some apples that we picked up from some local farmers on the road from Imlil, and the donkeys gobbled them up! They were friendly and several of them had adorable personalities. A few were in bad shape as they recently entered Jarjeer, but Charles assured us that they would be well cared for and eventually join the rest of the group.

We had a fun experience at the Jarjeer Mule & Donkey Sanctuary and recommend anyone to visit on a day trip out of Marrakech!