Goats On A Tree In Morocco

The goat herder who oversees the tourist attraction goats on a tree, holding one of his baby goats.

Intro: After dosing off during our drive from Marrakech to Essaouira, Charlene and I woke to find ourselves staring out at a tree full of goats, only to find out we were at a tourist attraction aptly named “goats on a tree”!

After a morning stop at Jardin Majorelle on the outskirts of Marrakech, we were well on our way to Essaouira, although both Charlene and I had dozed off in the back of the car. I woke as the car came to a stop and, presuming we had arrived at our destination – Essaouira – I was a little perplexed to look out the window and see a tree decorated in countless goats! Were my eyes seeing correctly or was this all part of a weird Moroccan dream?

The goats on a tree just doing their thing – being goats on a tree!

Our tour guide Youssef explained that this tourist attraction was simply called “goats on a tree” – and that is exactly what you got! Apparently the goats like to feast on the leaves of argan trees and are amazingly able to climb them quite easily. One goat herder had seen the business side of this and turned into an attraction for tourists commuting between Marrakech and Essaouira.

Despite having our reservation about the ethics of goats on a tree, it was hard to resist a cuddle with this little guy!

I have to say, goats on a tree is all a bit of a tourist trap and we were a little unsure as to the ethics of it all. While goats do climb trees naturally, we weren’t sure if these ones were being held against their will. Like most visitors, when Charlene was handed a baby goat to hold, we got swept up in the experience, but looking back I wasn’t too sure how I felt about it.

Us with our baby goat in front of goats on a tree, situated just off the road to Essaouira.

If you are planning on visiting this part of Morocco, you can decide for yourself as to how you feel about literally seeing goats on a tree, but after 15 minutes of holding baby goats and a few quick photos, we were back in the car and en route to Essaouira.

TOP THREE TIPS

• Plan a day trip to Essaouira if you want to see goats on a tree since it is on the way from Marrakech.
• You will find these goats standing on argan trees just off the side of the highway with their respective owner standing nearby.
• Do your research before you decide to visit as some argue that this is a form of animal cruelty (they may be tied to the trees, but we did not observe that).