The short answer. A leadership retreat with spouses and partners works when work and shared time are separated clearly: working sessions in the morning, a programme for partners at the same time, and afternoons, meals and evenings together. In a small desert camp the format is easy to hold, because nothing scatters the group: everyone sleeps in the same place, eats at the same table and sees the same sky.
At a glance
| Who it suits | Boards, CEO forums, founders, partners of a law firm or a medical practice, leadership teams |
| Good length | Four nights in the desert, plus travel days |
| Rhythm | Sessions in the morning, partner programme in parallel, afternoons and evenings together |
| Capacity | Eight tent suites, from 2 to 18 guests, up to 20 with extra beds |
| Shared or private | Shared by default; privatisation of the whole camp possible for any request, subject to availability |
| Confidentiality | Separate session space, NDA on request, no photographs of guests |
| Network | No wifi, no mobile signal; a signal a short walk away, about twenty minutes there and back |
| Access | About 8 hours 45 by road from Marrakech; Casablanca to Zagora by air, then about 3 hours by 4x4; helicopter from Marrakech, about 1 hour 40 |
Why groups invite partners
Many boards, CEO forums and partnerships hold at least one gathering a year with spouses. The reasons are practical. Senior people travel a great deal and are reluctant to add another trip without their partner. Partners who know each other make the group stronger over time. And a retreat that includes them is easier to justify to a family than another week away.
The risk is a retreat that is neither one thing nor the other: sessions that drift because the afternoon is booked, and partners who feel like spectators. Choosing the format before anyone books avoids both.
Three formats that work
1. Work first, partners in parallel
The executives work three or four mornings in a row. Partners have their own programme at the same time. Everyone meets for lunch, and the afternoons and evenings are shared. This is the most common format for boards and forums.
2. Mostly together, one closed session
The group spends most of the time together, with a single closed session, often on the second morning, for the members alone. It suits founders’ groups and friends who also happen to run companies.
3. Partners as full participants
Some forums and couples’ groups design the whole retreat for both partners, with a facilitator who works with couples as well as individuals. Tell us early if this is your format, so the space and the timings fit.
What partners do while the group is in session
Everything below is arranged in advance and is optional:
- A walk in the dunes with a nomad guide, at the pace of the slowest walker.
- A camel ride, usually at the end of the day.
- Sandboarding on the dunes near the camp.
- A Berber cooking workshop with the camp’s kitchen.
- Yoga or meditation in the morning.
- A 4x4 excursion, for example towards Lake Iriki.
- Nothing at all: a book on the terrace of a tent suite, in a camp with no network.
Keeping sessions confidential
Sessions take place in a separate space, away from the partners’ activities. The camp has no wifi and no mobile signal, which removes one of the usual leaks. A non-disclosure agreement is available on request, and guests are never photographed. When the agenda includes material that must not leave the room, plan for printed documents to be collected at the end of each session.
A four night outline
- Day 1. Travel south, by road with a stop in Ouarzazate, by air via Zagora, or by helicopter. Welcome dinner.
- Day 2. Morning session; partners walk with a nomad guide. Lunch together. Camel ride at sunset.
- Day 3. Morning session; partners’ cooking workshop. Free afternoon. Dinner under a Bortle 1 sky.
- Day 4. Closing session; partners’ sandboarding or yoga. Afternoon together. Final dinner.
- Day 5. Departure.
Practical points
- Rooms. Each couple has its own tent suite with a private bathroom and hot shower.
- Food. Allergies and diets handled with notice; halal meat; an alcohol-free stay on request.
- Prayer. The qibla direction and a space for prayer.
- Season. Open September to June; October to April is the most pleasant.
- Travel. Every route is set out on how to get to Erg Chegaga. Groups flying from the US will find the flights in planning a group trip to the Sahara from the United States.
For the board format itself, see board offsite in Morocco. For forums, read our YPO retreat planning guide.
Next step
Send us your dates, the number of members and partners, and the format you have in mind, at reservations@umnyadesertcamp.com or through the contact page. A written proposal comes back within 24 hours.
