Noualla

Our Story

Restoration came first.

Noualla began in 2022 on a 9,300 m² hillside near Oued Laou in northern Morocco.

Before expanding accommodation, the founding team spent four years planting trees, improving water retention, establishing food gardens and learning how to work with the landscape.

Today, Noualla is moving from a privately funded land-restoration project and small guest pilot into a carefully scaled regenerative rural retreat.

Tourism is not the destination. It is the engine that allows restoration to continue.

Wildflower meadow with a young olive tree on the restored hillside

View across the valley toward the Mediterranean coast and the Rif mountains

A worker tending lavender on the hillside

A Living Landscape

Restoration, measured.

Land Under Care

9,300 m²

Privately owned, titled land under long-term restoration and protection.

Trees and Food Systems

672 trees planted

628 currently surviving, alongside food gardens, herbs and seasonal crops.

Water and Soil

Terraces, swales and greywater reuse

Rain is slowed across the hillside, while treated kitchen and shower water supports the garden.

See the verified impact record →

Guest Validation

A guest experience already tested

Since 2023, Noualla's existing 45 m² house has welcomed more than 100 overnight guest groups through private word of mouth.

Approximately one-third returned, while many additional guests arrived through personal referrals — without public advertising or an online booking platform.

Guests consistently value the peace, landscape, house design, fresh fruit and the experience of picking herbs directly from the garden. Their most frequent request is for food service and more structured activities on the property.

A quiet window nook with tea and a view over the hills

100+

Overnight guest groups

~1/3

Returned

Word of mouth only

No advertising or booking platform used

A Future Rooted in Simplicity

The next phase

The next phase will add four small bungalows, a farm-to-table restaurant and a flexible community workshop space. The accommodation will be carefully dispersed across the hillside rather than concentrated in one building. The intended material palette includes local stone, earth-based construction, wood and reeds.

Future experiences will include —

A bed of rosemary, sage and bay laurel grown on site

Local cooking experiences

Discover Moroccan cuisine through intimate meals prepared with local ingredients and traditional knowledge.

Two local women shaping pottery together inside a traditional nouala

Local pottery workshops

Learn from local artisans and experience the craft traditions that connect generations.

A wide view of the terraced vegetable gardens on the hillside

Farm walks

Explore the gardens, terraces and ecosystems that make the land come alive.

A hand-woven basket full of freshly picked garden fruit

Seasonal harvest experiences

Participate in planting, harvesting and the rhythms of agricultural life.

An outdoor seating area with banana plants and hillside views at dusk

Nature & night experiences

Stargazing, quiet walks and discovering the hidden life of the Mediterranean hills.

Community

Local people are partners, not attractions

Approximately two kilometres from Noualla, women in Frane Ali continue a pottery tradition passed from mothers and grandmothers to their daughters.

Two pottery families have verbally agreed to participate in future Noualla experiences. Additional local cooks, guides, horse owners, farmers and food providers have also been identified.

Community providers will determine their own availability, group sizes, pricing and what elements of their traditions they choose to share.

Handmade pottery bowls and plates drying in the yard in Frane Ali

Pottery — a tradition passed through generations

Food

A craftsman weaving a cane and reed lattice by hand, with a bungalow in the background

Craftsmanship

People gathered in the shade of a large fig tree overlooking the valley and sea

Gathering

Fair Experience Revenue

At least 50% of gross workshop fees will remain with the community provider.

Direct Craft Sales

Artisans will retain 100% of the revenue from pottery sold directly to guests.

Local Decision-Making

Providers will approve the schedule, visitor limits, experience content and presentation of their traditions.

Team

A full-time team already building Noualla

Yacine Belafqih

Founder and Project Lead

Moroccan-Canadian entrepreneur and founder of a human-resources company in Canada. Trained in permaculture through field experience in Belize and Zanzibar. Leads Noualla's strategy, investment, restoration, partnerships, digital development and impact reporting. Yacine now lives and works at Noualla most of the year.

Hanane Rahmoune

Hospitality, Guest Experience and Community Products Lead

Graduate of École Hôtelière de Casablanca with four years of hospitality experience. Co-directs Noualla's development and leads hospitality planning, food service, herbal products and relationships with local women.

Rachid Acheddad

On-Site Land Steward — Full-Time Since May 2022

Responsible for trees, irrigation, vegetable gardens, animals, terraces, swales and daily land care, supported by deep knowledge of the local environment and community.

Three people currently work full-time on Noualla. Seasonal women are also hired and paid for planting, weeding and harvest work when needed.

A Plan Taking Shape

A plan taking shape. Slowly.

Noualla is intentionally being built step by step. Every tree planted, every terrace restored and every detail created brings the vision closer to life.

A vision for phase one

Phase one will introduce four small bungalows, a farm-to-table restaurant and a flexible community workshop space, carefully integrated into the existing landscape.

These images communicate the intended atmosphere, materials and scale. They are concept visualizations — not final architectural designs. Final placement, engineering and construction details will be completed with qualified professionals and remain subject to approval.

Concept visualization: four bungalows dispersed across a terraced hillside overlooking the Mediterranean

Future Concept Visualization

A carefully dispersed retreat

Four phase-one bungalows integrated into the hillside, with long-term growth limited to eight accommodation units.

Concept visualization: a single stone and earth bungalow exterior with a shaded terrace overlooking the sea — Built with the landscape

A simple material palette of stone, earth, wood and reeds, designed to respect the scale and character of the site.

Concept visualization: a warm, natural-material bungalow interior with a bed and a view over the hills — Quiet, natural and rooted in place

Warm, uncluttered interiors inspired by local materials, Moroccan craft and the surrounding landscape.

Concept visualization: an outdoor farm-to-table dining setting beneath olive trees at sunset — Food connected to the land

A small farm-to-table dining experience based on seasonal produce, local sourcing and personal hospitality.

Completed

9,300 m² of privately owned, titled land secured
Legal existing house completed
Four years of landscape restoration
672 trees planted, with 628 surviving
More than 100 overnight guest groups hosted
Three-person full-time team established
Brand, website and Living Landscape prototype launched
More than US$140,000 founder-funded

Now

Architectural dossier deposited by the project architect
Commune and urban-agency review pending
Technical planning and professional cost validation
Community operating agreements being formalized
Living Landscape prototype being developed further

Complete required technical and tourism authorizations
Construct the first four bungalows
Open the farm-to-table restaurant
Launch pottery, cooking and guided experiences
Install the physical Living Landscape trail and QR markers

By Year Three

Four bungalows operating at approximately 50–55% occupancy
Grow toward ten permanent local roles
Nine permanent roles targeted toward women from nearby villages
Up to five part-time youth opportunities outside school hours
Reach at least 750 established trees
Maintain at least 90% survival for new plantings
Continue protecting approximately 3,000 m² of native vegetation
Publish verified impact updates quarterly
Test the Living Landscape framework with at least one other rural operator

Future targets measured from formal opening — not current achievements.