Meet the Tour Leaders - Mohamed Bennacar

Mohamed Bennacer

Meet Mohamed Bennacar, a tour leader for us in Morocco. His bosses here is the office say "Mohamed is a genuinely nice guy. Small in stature but big in heart. He is very capable, caring, knowledgeable, and empathetic and he exudes enthusiasm in his role. Nothing is ever too much trouble for him and he takes great pride in his work. He always gets really positive feedback from clients and is a pleasure to travel with. He is a great asset to our company."

We chatted to him about his life as a Tour Leader: "Leading tours was my dream since I was a student at the high school. I come from the Central High Atlas Mountains where tourism is a second job for most people in summer. So before I become a tour guide I used to travel with groups in the Atlas Mountains, and as soon as I had the chance to join the guiding school I didn't hesitate. I started leading tours in September 2001, worked with different companies from different countries, I've travelled almost all over Morocco. I knew Explore since 2001 and did the Explore training in 2006. I was very happy when they accepted me to lead their tours, because I always wanted to work for a such big and professional company like Explore who offers many tours with different activities, walking ,cycling. Until now I had very good moments on leading Explore tours, and I hope I'll stay with as long as I can."

We asked Mohamed 10 quick questions and here are his answers:

where in the world would you most like to travel next? I would like to climb Kilimanjaro and do a safari in Tanzania.

The funniest moment I have whilst leading groups: Few years ago in a desert camp, a men left his tent late at night for the toilet and when he came back, he couldn't remember in which tent he was, then he decided to sleep outside without a sleeping bag, he told us his story at breakfast, it was very funny. Then some body asked him to tie himself to the tent any time he wanted to leave it!

The best thing about life on road: Travel with people from another country and introduce them to my own country.

What I never leave home without: The map of Morocco.

What has made me stop in tracks and go "wow": The landscape of some valley in the Atlas mountains .

My top tip for travelling responsibly: Respect of local traditions and keep the mountains clean.

If I have to eat just one food for the rest of my life: Lamb tagine with vegetables.

If I have the chance to start a new country: My first rule will the complete respect and protection of the environment