Yassine Echcherki

We travel all the time and much prefer local curated experiences. We would not have been able to have this once in a lifetime experience without Kimkim, Nabil, and Yassine. Nabil was our designated driver from Marrakech, Ourzzazate, the desert camping adventure and Fes but he was so much more. He looked after us with special care and attention the whole week in Morocco. When we had a special shopping request, he made it happen. When we had questions about local culture, he provided context.... read more

We travel all the time and much prefer local curated experiences. We would not have been able to have this once in a lifetime experience without Kimkim, Nabil, and Yassine. Nabil was our designated driver from Marrakech, Ourzzazate, the desert camping adventure and Fes but he was so much more. He looked after us with special care and attention the whole week in Morocco. When we had a special shopping request, he made it happen. When we had questions about local culture, he provided context. Really impressed with his professionalism and attention to detail - you’re in good hands with Nabil. The highlight of our trip were the off beaten paths - camp Chebi is a showstopper - it’s the ultimate glamming experience where you sit around a Bedouin camp fire and stargaze, after an epic camel ride, We met locals, wandered, shopped, hiked, and ate our way through Morocco. Look no further than this brilliant trip Yassine designed and Nabil implemented. Thank you!!! Alexandra and Peter

Where do I begin? Every aspect of this experience was just fantastic! This was a Dad/Daughter adventure and we couldn't have been more pleased with this adventure. Yassine was super responsive and helpful in our planning stages. The communications and advance prep were wonderful for these first time to Morocco/Africa travelers. Our personal driver, Samad, was punctual, attentive, professional ...and fun! We experienced so much more that the large tour group (follow the person with the flag)... read more

Where do I begin? Every aspect of this experience was just fantastic! This was a Dad/Daughter adventure and we couldn't have been more pleased with this adventure. Yassine was super responsive and helpful in our planning stages. The communications and advance prep were wonderful for these first time to Morocco/Africa travelers. Our personal driver, Samad, was punctual, attentive, professional ...and fun! We experienced so much more that the large tour group (follow the person with the flag) kind of trip. I recommend taking the riad accommodation route versus hotels. They were all just exquisite and provided such a wonderful element to this trip. If you are on the fence about taking a trip to Morocco or working through KimKim, I urge you to not hesitate and take that leap to work with them. Our experience wildly exceeded expectations. This trip created memories that will remain with me all of my days.

Our drive for the entire trip was Samad. Though not a full guide he did have a lot of local information and in essence helped make the trip as great as it was. He has a great command of English, He was willing to stop to allow my wife to take roadside photos. His road skills were excellent and we never fear for our life while he was driving. We did have local guide in Fes - Hakim. He took us into the many winding streets and alleys that was a wonder that he didn't get lost. He was very... read more

Our drive for the entire trip was Samad. Though not a full guide he did have a lot of local information and in essence helped make the trip as great as it was. He has a great command of English, He was willing to stop to allow my wife to take roadside photos. His road skills were excellent and we never fear for our life while he was driving. We did have local guide in Fes - Hakim. He took us into the many winding streets and alleys that was a wonder that he didn't get lost. He was very good. In Marrakesh Youssef walked us around the City and again I was surprised that he did not get lost, but a life time resident he knew his way around and it showed. I would also like to say that each of our Ryads and Dars had hosts who really looked after us and made us feel very welcome. They were always eager to help with any thing we needed. The Bellamane Ryad & Spa the host heard my wife had a sore throat so he went to the local market for fresh lemons and ginger for a hot tea potion - it did the trick!

I used kimkim as part of a group of friends and family, I wasn’t the primary planner, but prior to the trip I loved the kimkim website with ability to have an online group conversation about the trip. We could ask questions about accommodations, weather, tipping customs, payments, etc. I thought it was a great communication tool. Once in Morocco, it was great to have a wide variety of amazing and varied accommodations and experiences-the more modern city of Rabat, the ancient Roman ruins... read more

I used kimkim as part of a group of friends and family, I wasn’t the primary planner, but prior to the trip I loved the kimkim website with ability to have an online group conversation about the trip. We could ask questions about accommodations, weather, tipping customs, payments, etc. I thought it was a great communication tool. Once in Morocco, it was great to have a wide variety of amazing and varied accommodations and experiences-the more modern city of Rabat, the ancient Roman ruins of Volubilis, the medina in Fes and the glamping in the Sahara among others. It was nice to have one driver for the whole trip and I enjoyed learning about the local history and culture through our prearranged tour guides in the different cities we visited. Hi

Overall the trip was fantastic and covered a lot of ground. With that said, there was way to much driving each day. There seemed to be a lot of activities that we were not able to do because we were consistently behind schedule. It didn't appear that the travel times took into effect that we were in a tour bus and were restricted by the laws in Morocco.

The Riad's were great. Perfect locations with all the necessary conveniences.

Mohammed was a great driver, but I kept wanting him... read more

Overall the trip was fantastic and covered a lot of ground. With that said, there was way to much driving each day. There seemed to be a lot of activities that we were not able to do because we were consistently behind schedule. It didn't appear that the travel times took into effect that we were in a tour bus and were restricted by the laws in Morocco.

The Riad's were great. Perfect locations with all the necessary conveniences.

Mohammed was a great driver, but I kept wanting him to be more. With all the time in the tour bus, I felt like it was a great opportunity for the driver to provide some additional information about the landscape, attractions or Morocco in general. Mohammed was fantastic as a driver! I feel the expansion of the driver to be more informative helps the company as a whole, not a reflection on the actual driver.

We had a fantastic trip! We loved every place we stayed - they were all different so we got to experience a variety of designs. Our driver, Mohammed, was fantastic. Very patient and accommodating. The trip generally went very smoothly given the amount of territory we covered. The staff even went out of their way to assist when one person in our group had an unexpected medical issue.

Morocco is a beautiful country - I would definitely go back!

The trip was amazing! We had the most wonderful driver- Mohamed who was very helpful and patient with 8 women for about a week and a half. All the guides at the different cities were great and had many interesting facts to share. The accommodations exceeded all expectations. Everything about the trip fantastic. Yassine did a great job of keeping us informed during the planning process and was very responsive during the trip when we had questions on tipping.

Yassine was amazing, whatever he recommended about the time/places to be spent in different cities was totally on the dot. The driver (Mohammed) who was was with was for the full 12 days from our arrival in Casablanca till our departure out of Casablanca, was such a nice human being, I am just flabbergasted. I cannot find a single itsy bitsy tiny fault of Mohammed for the duration of our trip. The restaurants/hotels booked by Yassine were out of this world. No issues with any... read more

Yassine was amazing, whatever he recommended about the time/places to be spent in different cities was totally on the dot. The driver (Mohammed) who was was with was for the full 12 days from our arrival in Casablanca till our departure out of Casablanca, was such a nice human being, I am just flabbergasted. I cannot find a single itsy bitsy tiny fault of Mohammed for the duration of our trip. The restaurants/hotels booked by Yassine were out of this world. No issues with any logistics/payments with kimkim / Yassine with any our bookings. I will blind foldedly recommend, Yassine / Morroco Off the Beaten Track / Kimkim anyday

Samad was absolutely amazing. He was a very good driver and became a good friend to me. He gave good tips, and was very flexible. He made great suggestions on where to eat, and told me things I never expected. He took pictures, and helped me with my things, and assisted me in other ways besides. Samad definitely helped make my experience even more amazing and I definitely want to go back to Morocco some time. He even taught me a little bit of Arabic at my request! Though I am not all that... read more

Samad was absolutely amazing. He was a very good driver and became a good friend to me. He gave good tips, and was very flexible. He made great suggestions on where to eat, and told me things I never expected. He took pictures, and helped me with my things, and assisted me in other ways besides. Samad definitely helped make my experience even more amazing and I definitely want to go back to Morocco some time. He even taught me a little bit of Arabic at my request! Though I am not all that good.

The guides provided were very knowledgeable and were able to answer any question that I came up with, and that is saying something as a man who is both very curious and had a bit of knowledge already in the subjects covered. They were definitely experts and, just like Samad, were quite flexible to the whims I had as a solo traveller. My usual style is to "wing it" for the most part and I still felt plenty of freedom. I felt no pressure really to rush my little explorations.

The one person I interacted with in the tannery tour did pressure me a little bit. Not the Fes guide, but the person from the tannery specifically. And he is not associated with the company. So everybody provided to me by the company was outstanding and made this trip unforgettable. The accommodation at Riad Dar Malika was also great. I didn't expect that the company would rent out a whole Riad for me! It made my stay in Fes all the more relaxing to have free reign over my lodging.

I do not regret my decision to actually sleep in the Ksar of Ait Bennadou. The desert tour on camelback was awesome. The tours were super informative. The views in the Atlas mountains were stunning. This was my most amazing vacation in a while. It's thanks to Samad, and the other great people the company provided that made this an adventure I will never forget.

First of all, the assistance Yassine provided from the day I made contact with him was fantastic. He worked with me to build a trip that would meet all of our needs and the response time was immediate and the details provided were perfect to enable me to make decisions about our trip.

Secondly, our driver in Morocco, Hassan, was so incredibly sweet and basically worked for us 24/7 to make sure we saw everything we wanted to see, made sure we were always well taken care of and was always... read more

First of all, the assistance Yassine provided from the day I made contact with him was fantastic. He worked with me to build a trip that would meet all of our needs and the response time was immediate and the details provided were perfect to enable me to make decisions about our trip.

Secondly, our driver in Morocco, Hassan, was so incredibly sweet and basically worked for us 24/7 to make sure we saw everything we wanted to see, made sure we were always well taken care of and was always honest, cheerful, and gracious.

Thirdly, the accommodations were spectacular, from the cozy spot in Chefchaouen to the lavish Dar Roumana in Fes and Riad Bellamane in Marrakech. The rooms and service at each location were above and beyond our expectations.

Our favorite spot was Chechchaouen, were we hiked to the Spanish mosque at sunrise, returned to our hotel for a lovely breakfast, and then toured the city. Hassan provided us with a guide at the last minute, Youssef, and Youssef was a local who spent 2 hours with us touring the medina and explaining everything about the gorgeous blue city.

Our stop at Volubilis was an unexpected delight as well--we spent an hour walking through the well preserved ruins of an ancient Roman city with no other tourists around. A lunch of delicious couscous on an outside terrace at a hillside restaurant in Moulay Idriss completed this stop en route to Fes.

In Fes, we had a delicious meal at Dar Roumana and a full day tour where we saw all of the key sights. Finishing the day at a Hammam, followed by a delicious dinner at Maison Blanche/MB and a drink at the gorgeous rooftop of Hotel Sahrai completed our visit to Fes.

The long ride to Marrakech was a bit more than we expected, but the scenery was interesting and we made it a beautiful Riad and went off exploring the medina--much more commercial and crowded but still interesting. The restaurants and cafe scene is much more active in Marrakech, but it remained our least favorite spot due to the crowds and overall tourist feel and carnival aspect of the famous Djema el Fna square. The YSL museum was a highlight, and we went first thing in the morning and beat the crowds and enjoyed seeing his designs and info on his incredibly creative life.

I highly recommend booking with Yassine if you want a completely no-hassle trip with all details taken care of, as well as the flexibility of a private service at the highest level.

I have to say that this trip was well planned and organized and Yassine was available to our group for any questions we had. The gem of our trip was our driver, guide, security, translator and now friend Mohammed he made our trip amazing, we had over 22 hours of driving and he made us feel safe and assisted us along the way.

Yassine curated an amazing trip for my group of 6. From the very start of the planning he was extremely responsive and helpful in organizing the entire trip. I can safely say that each one of us had a fantastic time on this trip! The trip was better than we all expected and Mohammed, our driver was just amazing. We are all more than happy with the service we received, especially the fast response to any issues that may have occurred. The entire trip went smoothly and the only thing we would... read more

Yassine curated an amazing trip for my group of 6. From the very start of the planning he was extremely responsive and helpful in organizing the entire trip. I can safely say that each one of us had a fantastic time on this trip! The trip was better than we all expected and Mohammed, our driver was just amazing. We are all more than happy with the service we received, especially the fast response to any issues that may have occurred. The entire trip went smoothly and the only thing we would change would be to spend and extra night in the sahara! The boys especially loved the sahara, and we were very grateful to Mohammed for being flexible with us and allowing us extra time there to ride the quads/dune buggies on both days. Every single accommodation was just breathtakingly beautiful and we enjoyed the coziness and personalization of all the riads. The guides in both Fes and Marrakesh were very helpful in navigating those two big cities. Hakim (our guide in Fes) was especially helpful in taking us to places to buy specific items we wanted to take home, we would never have found those places on our own. Needless to say we came away from this trip with a experience of a lifetime and we are all truly grateful to Yassine and his team for accommodating this.

Our driver, Hassan, was excellent. He was a great driver, knowledgeable and an amiable companion for us. All of the hotels and riads were good. The overall organization plan was well conceived and we enjoyed the activities experienced. We especially enjoyed our camel ride and evening in the desert tent camp.

We had a fantastic trip with Yassine's help. Hassan was an incredible driver and became a close friend. He is funny, smart, honest and has the biggest heart.

Our accommodations were spectacular and activities well planned.

If you want to see real Morocco with amazing people reach out to Yassine!

This was a well planned memorable trip. There were many highlights. Some of them were the trip to the desert , Fez and Marrakesh. If I had to pick the most remarkable part It would be the desert. Beautiful site, fun riding camels and such wonderful hosts. We were very lucky to have Hassan as our driver. The trip would not have been the same without him.

First, Yassine, It is a marvel to us how responsive, helpful and really personally concerned you seemed to be for the complete success of our trip. We are hard pressed to think of any better experience we’ve ever had with any service provider in travel. We are deeply grateful for your help kindness and friendship

Our guides were really superb, and an absolutely essential key to what was for us one of the trips of a lifetime.

Yousef really did make Marrakech accessible, immediate and... read more

First, Yassine, It is a marvel to us how responsive, helpful and really personally concerned you seemed to be for the complete success of our trip. We are hard pressed to think of any better experience we’ve ever had with any service provider in travel. We are deeply grateful for your help kindness and friendship

Our guides were really superb, and an absolutely essential key to what was for us one of the trips of a lifetime.

Yousef really did make Marrakech accessible, immediate and “real” for us. His knowledge is vast, and he shared a great deal. His handling of our food tour made for one of the most memorable nights of the trip. He is skillful and friendly, (if sometimes a bit distracted or preoccupied).

Then Adile in Fes was truly a highlight of our entire trip. He is a quiet but profound master of information, history, context and at the same time an immediate and intimate part of the neighborhoods he showed to us. Thoughtful, deeply connected and funny. And he shared that intimacy with us with extreme and subtle generosity. We respect him very much.

The accommodations you found were absolutely first rate and the people around them extremely professional and helpful. Our drivers were friendly interesting and engaging.

It was an especially nice touch to have Yassine’s brother Hassan meet us in Fes with a welcome gift and careful advice about how to manage our extraordinary visit there.

If we have one piece of constructive feedback, it would be that you might have the guides spend a little time really trying to discern whether we want to be exposed to various merchant demonstrations. We understand that this is something probably most of your customers do want – and that it is probably also an important part of the economic viability of the business. However there were a couple of occasions on which we were presented with lengthy demonstrations in merchants that we had said we simply weren’t interested in only to sense that our decision not to make a purchase was significantly frustrating or disappointing to the merchant – and the guide. We understand that this is probably a difficult balancing act, and that your customers will sometimes surprise themselves by actually being interested in and making a purchase at one place or another. (As we did in buying a modest fountain in Fes). I think the key is to ensure that at the end of the transaction – whether the sale is made or not, we as the customers do not feel that we may have disappointed our guide or the merchants and perhaps changed the mood of the tour for a bit.

All in all, we could not be more happy with or grateful for your services. And we have already made what we believe will be a successful referral to you directly as soo all in all, we could not be more happy with our grateful for your services. And we have already made what we believe will be a successful referral to you directly Yassine.

Thank you again.
PS, would it be of any help to you to post the positive parts above to TripAdvisor?

Best Mark & Sheila Kenney

Yassine and his team planned an absolutely remarkable Morocco experience for us - exceeded all of my expectations! Our driver Mohammed was wonderful - very safe driver and very helpful with recommendations and places to go. We did a lot of car traveling across the country so we really enjoyed our time with him. All of our Riads were fabulous, so ornate and beautiful with the owners beyond attentive to our needs. We felt completely safe and had many dinner recommendations by our Riad hosts... read more

Yassine and his team planned an absolutely remarkable Morocco experience for us - exceeded all of my expectations! Our driver Mohammed was wonderful - very safe driver and very helpful with recommendations and places to go. We did a lot of car traveling across the country so we really enjoyed our time with him. All of our Riads were fabulous, so ornate and beautiful with the owners beyond attentive to our needs. We felt completely safe and had many dinner recommendations by our Riad hosts that were amazing. All tours planned by Yassine and his team were wonderful, tour guides were very informed and funny - we really felt we got a the full experience in a short amount of time. I highly recommend working with Yassine's team!!

Everything about this trip including planning it with kimkim and Yassine was great from start to finish.

I liked that kimkim allowed me to peruse multiple 5- to 10- to 15-day itineraries for Morocco prior to engaging with my local specialist, Yassine, so that I could get an idea of what was feasible in what amount of time and familiarize myself with all options which enabled me to better brief Yassine.

Yassine (from Morocco Off the Beaten Track) was wonderful to work with from Day 1 -... read more

Everything about this trip including planning it with kimkim and Yassine was great from start to finish.

I liked that kimkim allowed me to peruse multiple 5- to 10- to 15-day itineraries for Morocco prior to engaging with my local specialist, Yassine, so that I could get an idea of what was feasible in what amount of time and familiarize myself with all options which enabled me to better brief Yassine.

Yassine (from Morocco Off the Beaten Track) was wonderful to work with from Day 1 - prompt, accurate, friendly and patient. Our trip was complicated - we were three parties flying in from separate international locations, we were planning to stay in Morocco during Eid holidays (everything is closed), and we had very strong preferences in the group - the trip he planned exceeded our expectations and went off without a hitch.

Mohammed, our driver throughout the trip, was an indispensable member of our travel crew - he was everything you'd wish for in a driver (prompt, polite, safe, reliable, flexible) but also far and beyond: he was incredibly open to sharing stories and information about life in Morocco, we always laughed together on drives and he made great impromptu recommendations. Plain and simple, we would not have enjoyed our trip nearly as much without Mohammed.

Similarly, all of our guides (we had guides in Rabat, Marrakech, and Imlil) were very knowledgable, enjoyable, showed us hidden gems (where locals buy argan oil, neighborhood bakers, etc.) and gave us great context to the cities we were visiting. Our guide, Hicham, in Rabat kept us busy all day (bring sunscreen!) and kept us laughing with his great story telling skills - we left feeling we had really seen Rabat's history and learned the "fun facts". In Marrakech, we had a Moroccan cooking class, and the ladies of Cafe Clock were extremely friendly, warm and had wonderful knowledge to share on Moroccan food from selecting ingredients, to cooking, to the dishes orgins, etc. Our guide, Ibrahim, in Imlil welcomed us into his home for a meal with his family and guided on us on an unforgettable hike through Toubkal National Park (truly an amazing experience, we'd highly recommend).

All of our Riads were beautiful and different - difficult for me to say which was my favorite, except that I'd recommend staying in a few different ones so you can experience the variety. All were clean, comfortable and had excellent service, though varied in modernity and spaciousness. Same to be said for all our hotels - everything was lovely (all 5-star rated, so not surprising, but neither did they disappoint).

All there is left to say is THANK YOU to Yassine at Morocco off the Beaten Track and kimkim for planning an amazing trip for my family and I!

Just returned from a wonderful 4 day trip to Casablanca, specifically to attend a wedding, an amazing experience!
I arranged through Yassine a driver for the 4 days and guides for Rabat and Casablanca. Our driver and guides were truly fantastic throughout. We couldn’t have been happier with their service.
After a great half-day tour of Casablanca, our driver picked us up at 8.30 pm for the wedding and waited willingly and patiently until 3.00 am when we left. Above and beyond! It... read more

Just returned from a wonderful 4 day trip to Casablanca, specifically to attend a wedding, an amazing experience!
I arranged through Yassine a driver for the 4 days and guides for Rabat and Casablanca. Our driver and guides were truly fantastic throughout. We couldn’t have been happier with their service.
After a great half-day tour of Casablanca, our driver picked us up at 8.30 pm for the wedding and waited willingly and patiently until 3.00 am when we left. Above and beyond! It was our good luck that Yassine happened to be in Casablanca during our visit (he lives in Seattle) and he accompanied us on our tours. An added a pleasurable bonus.
Thank you all so much. We won’t hesitate to recommend Kimkim to friends.
Fiona Lohrisch, Sarasota, Florida.

This was the trip of a lifetime! It truly exceeded our expectations!
First time we worked with KimKim, and we definitely recommend them!

Yossef was fabulous to work with not only before our trip, but was in touch with us the entire trip making sure we were comfortable, cared for and enjoying our vacation.

We absolutely loved our driver, Ismail! Not only was he a very safe, cautious driver, but he was such a great companion to have with us. He pointed out various things along the way,... read more

This was the trip of a lifetime! It truly exceeded our expectations!
First time we worked with KimKim, and we definitely recommend them!

Yossef was fabulous to work with not only before our trip, but was in touch with us the entire trip making sure we were comfortable, cared for and enjoying our vacation.

We absolutely loved our driver, Ismail! Not only was he a very safe, cautious driver, but he was such a great companion to have with us. He pointed out various things along the way, made sure we were always comfortable, and on Friday afternoon, he kept his cool in all the crazy Casablanca traffic. He definitely made our driving time enjoyable. I feel like we were leaving a good friend when we said good-bye to him at the airport.

Our guide in Chefchaouen, Yosef, was equally as great. One of the high points of the entire week was sitting alongside the river at lunch with Yosef and Issmail. It was relaxing, super tasty and something we had no idea we would get to enjoy. We were able to engage, learn, and just enjoy the country, the culture and speak freely.

The Hammam! We didn't know what to expect and that made the adventure all the more fun! A definite must do!

The home visit was so much fun. Not only was it relaxing, very tasty, but it was great fun having Yousef and Issmail there with us. Super evening!

The two riads were beautiful, welcoming, relaxing and a comfortable, quiet respite after our days of touring. Hospitality at both was over the top! We felt like royalty.

The ENTIRE experience was more than we could have ever imagined.
Thank you for making our 25th wedding anniversary the trip of a lifetime!

This was my first time using KimKim and I will definitely use them for travel again. Every part of the experience was amazing - planning, accommodations/experiences, and our driver. The planning process was pleasant and efficient all thanks to Yassine. He was extremely responsive and patient. He worked with me to plan an amazing 5 year anniversary trip that my wife and I loved. I had a rough idea of all the things I wanted to do and he used his expertise of Morocco to help tailor a trip that... read more

This was my first time using KimKim and I will definitely use them for travel again. Every part of the experience was amazing - planning, accommodations/experiences, and our driver. The planning process was pleasant and efficient all thanks to Yassine. He was extremely responsive and patient. He worked with me to plan an amazing 5 year anniversary trip that my wife and I loved. I had a rough idea of all the things I wanted to do and he used his expertise of Morocco to help tailor a trip that would best accommodate it all. Thanks to Yassine, my wife and I traveled worry free as we went from one amazing experience to the next.
We arrived in Marrakesh and were picked up by our Riad (pre-arranged with the help of Yassine). We explored the markets in Marrakesh and the famous Jemaa el-Fnaa square. We had dinner in a restaurant that overlooked the square as we watched all the commotion below us. The next morning, we were picked up by our driver, Ishmael, to start our journey to the desert. It was a very long trip to the desert. I am so happy that Yassine recommended we break it up into two days. Day 1, our drive time was about 3-4 hours. Day 2, the drive time was about 5-6. The hotel we stayed in overnight in Ouarzazate was one of the highlights of our trip. It was called Caravane and it was amazing. It was a quaint, French inspired hotel with friendly staff and amazing food. In fact, the best food we had on our trip was at Caravane (their Chef lives in a local Kasbah close by). After Ouarzazate, Ishmael drove us to Merzouga where we started our desert stay with a 1 hr camel ride into the Sahara Desert to our tent in Luxury Camp Chebbi! The whole desert experience was the highlight of our trip. It was extremely romantic and the tents offered a "glamping" appeal as they had showers, toilets, running water, etc. The sunset & sunrise over the Sahara were spectacular and so was the stargazing at night. I can't say enough about our desert experience. After the desert, we returned to Marrakesh for a hot air balloon ride on our actual anniversary day. We then took a train to Casablanca and stayed in a hotel where, shortly after check-in, we were presented with a little surprise anniversary treat - courtesy of Yassine and the rest of the staff. Speaking of staff, I have to give our driver Ishmael a special shout out. He was an amazing travel companion to my wife and I. His driving was perfect. He would stop whenever and wherever we wanted along the way. He talked and conversed with us and let us sleep or played music when we just wanted to relax. He often stopped to get us bottled water and just always knew what we needed before we asked. He was always on time to pick us up in the morning and was extremely patient whenever we ventured off to different activities while he waited on us. Ishmael truly enhanced our experience and we're so glad he was our driver.
Overall, I was very pleased with the entire travel experience and highly recommend Yassine and the team to anyone interested in visiting Morocco. We have traveled a lot in the past 5 years and this trip was right at the top with the best of them. Thanks for a wonderful experience Yassine and team!

Loved the desert area ouzazate and the drives from place to place - remarkable scenery and land scape. Everywhere we went was lovely, medinas, especially in Fes so interesting. Guide great, cooking class, great.. Chefchouen, fascinating. Ifrane, hotel beautiful, otherwise a bit disappointing but certainly different to the rest of what we saw. Enjoyed Tangiers and Essouria, lovely seaside places. Great guide in Essouria and Ouzazate. Loved the Yves St Laurent Gardens in Marrakech. ... read more

Loved the desert area ouzazate and the drives from place to place - remarkable scenery and land scape. Everywhere we went was lovely, medinas, especially in Fes so interesting. Guide great, cooking class, great.. Chefchouen, fascinating. Ifrane, hotel beautiful, otherwise a bit disappointing but certainly different to the rest of what we saw. Enjoyed Tangiers and Essouria, lovely seaside places. Great guide in Essouria and Ouzazate. Loved the Yves St Laurent Gardens in Marrakech. Guide here Ok, didn't really do much, showed us the souks in the medina but took us to places where we expected to buy things. There was no pressure and I know they all have to do a bit of this but not to the extent that I thought he did.

Our dream of travelling to Morocco was made possible with the expert assistance of Yassine from Morocco Off the Beaten Track. From the very first email we sent to him, we felt confident that he would put together an itinerary that was exactly what we were wanting- a trip that included culture, arts, food & music.
Our 13 day tour included, Essaouira, Marrakesh, Fes, Chefchaouen & concluded in Tangier.
Our driver Ismail was excellent. We cannot speak highly enough of him. He was a prompt,... read more

Our dream of travelling to Morocco was made possible with the expert assistance of Yassine from Morocco Off the Beaten Track. From the very first email we sent to him, we felt confident that he would put together an itinerary that was exactly what we were wanting- a trip that included culture, arts, food & music.
Our 13 day tour included, Essaouira, Marrakesh, Fes, Chefchaouen & concluded in Tangier.
Our driver Ismail was excellent. We cannot speak highly enough of him. He was a prompt, highly skilled & calm driver. He met us with a smile every morning & was a wonderful resource for us to learn more about Moroccan culture and music, both tradional and current. He was good company for the many hours we spent on the road. His knowledge of local traditional events, enabled us to attend events that are now fond memories of a wonderful, rich & beautiful country.
Throughout our trip we stayed in amazing Riads and had guides that were very well educated thanks to the detailed planning of Yassine & Hassan.
Throughout our trip, Yassine & Hassan were contactable if we needed. We were also given the use of a mobile phone to contact our driver at any time.
A huge thankyou to all who helped plan and make possible  our trip of a life time.
Jay & Andy

Morocco for me will be one of my most memorable trips. Yassine was amazing and was so efficient, professional and friendly in organising our fantastic trip.
We had a wonderful driver Nabil who was so obliging and nothing was too much trouble also not forgetting that he is an excellent driver.
Hakim our guide in Fes was exceptional as was our guide Hassam in Ouarzazate and our guide in Essaouira. They were all so interesting and we loved learning about the history of Morocco.....
Josef in... read more

Morocco for me will be one of my most memorable trips. Yassine was amazing and was so efficient, professional and friendly in organising our fantastic trip.
We had a wonderful driver Nabil who was so obliging and nothing was too much trouble also not forgetting that he is an excellent driver.
Hakim our guide in Fes was exceptional as was our guide Hassam in Ouarzazate and our guide in Essaouira. They were all so interesting and we loved learning about the history of Morocco.....
Josef in Marrakesh was a little disappointing but very nice and friendly .
I personally loved the whole trip but the drive through the Atlas Mountains was spectacular and the night in Camp Chebbi in Merzouga and riad Caravane in Ouarzazate.
Overall all accommodation was excellent and the Moroccans are such lovely, helpful and very friendly people.
Also the cooking class in Fes was fun and the chef an absolute delight.
I would highly recommend Off the beaten track as an excellent well organised company.

My husband and I had a phenomenal trip in Morocco organised by Yassine and the Team from MOBT, and I would be delighted to recommend them to anyone looking to travel to Morocco for the first time.

Booking Experience:
One of the great benefits of working with a locally based travel specialist is that you receive reliable guidance and recommendations for a country you may not be familiar with. In planning the trip Yassine thoughtfully made me aware of several logistical considerations, for... read more

My husband and I had a phenomenal trip in Morocco organised by Yassine and the Team from MOBT, and I would be delighted to recommend them to anyone looking to travel to Morocco for the first time.

Booking Experience:
One of the great benefits of working with a locally based travel specialist is that you receive reliable guidance and recommendations for a country you may not be familiar with. In planning the trip Yassine thoughtfully made me aware of several logistical considerations, for example regarding realistic travel times, and also recommended some less well-known regions and destinations to visit. He helped us tailor an itinerary that catered for our interests and maximised our short 7 days in the country.

Yassine was highly professional, always responsive, and knowledgeable. The information provided before the trip was detailed and gave us some great preparation tips.

For anyone traveling from Australia, I can also confirm that coordinating information with Yassine was significantly easier and faster than with a local agent. In addition, he was happy provide us with all the required info for Smart Traveller.

In Country Experience:
We couldn’t be happier and more grateful for the warm welcome and support we received from the MOBT team.

The highlight of any trip is the people you meet along the way, and we truly cherished the opportunity to get to know our driver Ismail. Apart from being a very thoughtful, kind, and warm person – he’s also one heck of a competent driver. It was so sad to say goodbye and we wished we got to have more conversations with Ismail. He was so patient with our questions and taught us both a lot about Morocco.

All the guides we encountered were professional and knowledgeable. Of particular value was their savvy planning of our days in Marrakesh and Fes, since they were able to predict which places would be crowded, so we were always at the right place at the right time, avoiding all the cues.

We were also grateful that Hassan joined us on one of the days, it was a pleasure to meet him, and we really appreciated that MOBT team members checked in with us regularly during the trip.

Finally, the accommodation selected by MOBT could not have been better. Every hotel/riad was comfortable, beautiful, had incredible service, and was easy to find in the medina.

Travelling to Morocco:
If you’ve not been to Morocco before, do not hesitate to plan your visit. I would recommend researching and preparing well, understanding a little about the culture beforehand, and you will have a brilliant trip.

Whatever your interest, you will find something that you will enjoy and find beauty in. For me, as an avid reader and history buff, Morocco was a treasure trove of incredible sights and meaningful discoveries. It was really a transformative experience, and we now understand a little more about the world than we did before – something that you should take away from every new place. It’s hard to name a highlight - the whole experience was fantastic from start to finish - but I think getting up early in the morning to listen to the call to prayer and watch the sunrise for the first time in Marrakesh was one of the most moving memories I have.

Thank you to Yassine, Hassan, of course Ismail, and everyone at MOBT for helping us have an amazing adventure. We will be returning to Morocco, there is so much more to explore!

I must say we had a wonderful trip. Yassine made sure that we were scheduled to do and see everything that we wanted to. All our guides were great. Well-informed with good English. Particularly good was Hakim, our guide in Fez. Knowledgeable, with a great sense of humor. He was helpful in finding quality places to shop, but allowed us to be in charge of what we were interested in looking for. Our driver, Nabil, was always cheerful and helpful. Having a driver really helped us to visit the... read more

I must say we had a wonderful trip. Yassine made sure that we were scheduled to do and see everything that we wanted to. All our guides were great. Well-informed with good English. Particularly good was Hakim, our guide in Fez. Knowledgeable, with a great sense of humor. He was helpful in finding quality places to shop, but allowed us to be in charge of what we were interested in looking for. Our driver, Nabil, was always cheerful and helpful. Having a driver really helped us to visit the maximum number of places, with the minimum amount of stress. We also had a good balance of leisure time to educational time. If you are considering a trip to Morocco, don't miss out on camping with the Bedouins, and the camel ride into camp. The scenery is amazing. Your friends will all be jealous. I have only 1 suggestion: it seems that all of the riads that we stayed in put us on the 3rd floor. I'm not sure why. The problem is that I have knee issues. They are not TOO bad, but the steps in Morocco seem to be higher than the steps elsewhere. The first riad in Fez, I had to climb the steps on my hands and knees. (not too dignified) Luckily, they moved us for the second night. So I suggest asking your clients about knee issues, and booking rooms accordingly. BTW, every riad we stayed at was photograph worthy. Good job!!!! Eileen & Wayne & Eileen

Wayne

Thanks to kimkim and Yassine, who organized a wonderful trip for us to Morocco's imperial cities of Marrakesh, Rabat, Meknes, and Fez, along with visits to the coastal city of Essaouira and the commercial hub of Casablanca. Planning our trip was a breeze. Once I told Yassine we were particularly interested in food, history and culture, he recommended places to visit. I did some research and we settled on an itinerary. Although we spent a bit of time driving between destinations, that was an... read more

Thanks to kimkim and Yassine, who organized a wonderful trip for us to Morocco's imperial cities of Marrakesh, Rabat, Meknes, and Fez, along with visits to the coastal city of Essaouira and the commercial hub of Casablanca. Planning our trip was a breeze. Once I told Yassine we were particularly interested in food, history and culture, he recommended places to visit. I did some research and we settled on an itinerary. Although we spent a bit of time driving between destinations, that was an interesting experience in itself, seeing the rich farmlands and remote villages. Yassine selected several beautiful riads, bed & breakfasts which are elegantly refurbished homes located in the middle of the old city Medinas. The riads, with their central courtyards and lovely detailed tile work and wood carvings, were a quiet oasis and gave us a genuine feeling for Moroccan history and culture.

We began our journey with a few hiccups, arriving late to our connecting flight from Casablanca to Marrakesh. Our driver, Muhammed, coordinated to have us driven instead of waiting 4 and 1/2 hours for the next flight. When we weren't able to retrieve our luggage, we waited two days before it caught up to us. In the meantime, Muhammed was terrific. He was warm, friendly, flexible, and completely reliable. He patiently took us back to the Marrakesh Airport several times until the luggage finally arrived.

Although we enjoyed our entire trip, we particularly loved walking through the Kasbah of Rabat, the bustling Medina of Fez, and visiting the beautiful beaches of Essaouira. Our guides in Marrakesh, Rabat and Fez all gave us wonderful historical background on each of the cities and a sense of present day Morocco.

Our only regret is that we didn't have more time to explore this beautiful country. We will definitely use kimkim and Yassine to plan our next visit!

Our entire experience with KimKim was effortless. From the initial and follow-up planning with Yassine to the final follow-up was a great experience. We were met at the Marrakesh airport by a young man named Ismael. We could not have asked for a better person to be our driver and to spend the trip with. He was engaging, courteous, helpful and a very cautious and competent driver. Interacting with him was one of the highlights of our trip. We checked into the Riad Melhoun which was... read more

Our entire experience with KimKim was effortless. From the initial and follow-up planning with Yassine to the final follow-up was a great experience. We were met at the Marrakesh airport by a young man named Ismael. We could not have asked for a better person to be our driver and to spend the trip with. He was engaging, courteous, helpful and a very cautious and competent driver. Interacting with him was one of the highlights of our trip. We checked into the Riad Melhoun which was beautiful and the staff was very accommodating. The next morning we were met by our tour guide, Mohammed. He spent the entire day taking thru Marrakesh and showing us the highlights, along with some very local spots such as the community baker and community Tagine oven and caretaker. He also introduced us to local craftsman who made ironwork, leather products etc. He ended the day with us at the main square in Marrakesh awaiting sunset. The next day we headed to Ouarzazate, the drive was very scenic and kept our interest. We stopped for a pleasant lunch and then climbed to the ancient village, Ait Benhaddou. The views were spectacular from this ancient village. We stayed out Le Temple Des Arts which had “themed” suites. Once again, the staff was very kind and accommodating and we had a very nice dinner at the restaurant there. The next morning we were off to Merzouga for our camel trip into the Sahara. Along the way we stopped at Dades Gorge which was very scenic and a nice walking break. We had lunch in the local village just outside the Gorge. We arrived in Merouza around 5:15 to begin our camel ride for our overnight stay in the Sahara. The ride was about two hours and our guide into the desert was personable and he took great photos for all of us. We stopped before reaching camp so we could enjoy the sunset. We arrived at Luxury Camp Chebbi, and everything was set up for us. After a nice sit around a fire, we were ready for dinner. The dinner was amazing, and our favorite was a tomato, eggplant and goat cheese dish cooked in a tagine. We decided we wanted to take the chef, Omar, back to the USA so we could have his delicious food again. The next morning we went back to Merouza via 4 wheel drive since we had a long drive to Fes. We wanted to ride the camels back but the two hours would have made that difficult to arrive at a decent time. Along our journey, we stopped at a local weekly market that had all kinds of produce, fruit, etc. We never knew there were so many different type of dates. It was very interesting to see how the locals come to these weekly markets to get their goods. We later stopped in Ifrane which is a completely different, but was a nice stop for a coffee and a stroll around town. Later in the day we arrived in Fes and went to Dar Roumana to check in. This Dar is absolutely beautiful. Later that evening we were taken to a local restaurant, Dar Hatim. This restaurant served us perhaps the best Moroccan salad and a lamb tagine that was so tender and tasty. The next morning we met our guide, Hakim, to begin our tour of Fes. We first took a drive to see the Medina from above and then went back so we could start walking thru town. We went thru the blue gate and wandered thru the souks and stopped at the tannery (use the mint leaves), then later stopped at a weavers store. The craftsmanship was amazing to see. We later went to a tile shop/school where they make the most beautiful pottery, mosaics, vases, etc. This place was also a school that trained locals to become artisans. Our guide then took us back to Dar Roumana around 6 pm. The staff arranged for a guide to get us the Clock Cafe where they had some local music and a nice dinner on the top terrace. The alleys and streets with the Medina of Fes are overwhelming and easy to lose your way so we appreciated the assistance, otherwise we might still be wondering around Fes. The next morning we departed to head to Chefchaouen. Our first stop was at Meknes to take a look at the ancient stables where they had 12,000 horses. We then motored along to the the Roman ruins, Volubilis and walked around the area for a while looking at the layout. The area was very scenic and had great views. Our next stop was Moulay Idriss. We checked into a very charming place called Dar Mez which was very quaint and colorful and had absolute great views of the city. We then wondered around the beautiful Medina of Chefchaouen till around 10 pm. We the tried to make our way back to the Dar but were hopelessly lost. Our young local man kindly guided us back to the Dar. A tip to him was money well spent! The next day we wondered back thru the Medina and souks. The shop keepers in Chefchaouen are much more laid back then Fes and Marrakesh so that made browsing a bit easier. We had a nice lunch in town before heading back on the road again. We headed to Rabat and once we arrived we checked into Riad Ziena. We walked the area again and then headed out to eat at Dar Nani Medina. We then continued walking the markets and stopped at an outdoor pastry shop for a couple of sweet desserts to celebrate my birthday. This time we actually found our way back to the Riad without assistance. A major victory for us. The next day we headed to Casablanca to visit the Hassan II. The traffic in Casablanca was the worst we experience but as usual Ismael handled it effortlessly. The mosque is absolutely beautiful and spectacularly large. The mosaic work around the mosque was worth of many pictures. We then headed back to our final destination, Marrakesh for another night. We stopped for a nice lunch along the highway before reaching the final accommodation, Palais Khum. We immediately, left to visit the square on more time, get lost in the Souks and enjoy one more meal overlooking the square. We lingered long into the night and reluctantly headed back knowing we would be leaving the next morning. The next morning before Ismael picked us up we wondered the local alleys and shops. Ismael met us at 11:30 am for our ride to the airport. We sadly said our goodbye is Ismael.

Trip was wonderful. The contacts were responsive and super-helpful. Our arrival time changed and it was easy to contact both Yassine and Ali and adjust accordingly.

The trip was excellentl. The Riads were First rate, The guides were knowledgeable, professional and friendly. Our driver, Mohamed Samouk, was one of the best parts of the trip. He became our friend, part of the family!

We will recommend KimKim and Off the Beaten Path to anyone wishing to explore Morocco.

This trip was like a dream, everything went just perfect and as planned. Yassine was incredibly patient and accommodating, he listened to us, responded to every question we had and made sure we would be happy with our finalized itinerary. Our trip started in Casablanca, our flight was more than four hours delayed due to bad weather in Montreal, our driver Mohammed was patiently waiting for us and it was a relief to see him there and greeting us with a smile, we immediately felt welcomed and... read more

This trip was like a dream, everything went just perfect and as planned. Yassine was incredibly patient and accommodating, he listened to us, responded to every question we had and made sure we would be happy with our finalized itinerary. Our trip started in Casablanca, our flight was more than four hours delayed due to bad weather in Montreal, our driver Mohammed was patiently waiting for us and it was a relief to see him there and greeting us with a smile, we immediately felt welcomed and safe. He drove us all the way to Fes with a quick stop at Rabat. We spent two nights in Fes, our guide Hakim was super knowledgeable and funny, we had a great day of learning and exploring the medina. We then drove all the way to Marrakesh via Casablanca. One tip for next time, I would avoid Casablanca all together, we just spent a few hours there but with traffic in the city it was more than needed and not worth it. In Marrakesh we spent three nights but only two full days, we had an amazing time and our guide Ali was super fun to be with, he was also very accommodating with our last minute itinerary changes and just adapted to our pace. On our second day we went to Agafay desert in the afternoon, this was definitely a highlight of our trip, if you have the chance, don't miss it! From Marrakesh we drove to Essaouira, we only spent one night there and I wish we had more time, it was one of my favorite places of all. One tip is, buy all your souvenirs there, its way cheaper than any other place and they have everything. Definitely don't miss Essaouria. On our last day we drove back to Casablanca and had dinner at a fancy restaurant our driver Mohammed suggested, we had an amazing time and the food was delightful! Well, food was amazing every single day, from the most cheap to more pricey places!
All of our accommodations were unbelievable nice and charming, it was definitely a huge part of our whole experience, we mostly stayed at riads, which were the perfect selection for us. We were provided with a small cel phone for anything that we needed at any time. Our driver Mohammed was incredibly helpful and friendly, and most importantly, drove us with professionalism and great skills all around Morocco, which involved a lot of driving!
I will definitely will be using kimkim services again and would recommend to anyone planning their next adventure!

From beginning to end, we were extremely well taken care of. From our first communication, Yassine patiently helped us prepare an itinerary that was perfect for our group. Once we arrived in Morocco, everything was seamless and well organized. Our driver Mohamed was polite, helpful and charming. He helped make the long drives between cities enjoyable, and assured that we were always comfortable. We were quite pleased with the selection of riads; all three were beautiful and special, each in... read more

From beginning to end, we were extremely well taken care of. From our first communication, Yassine patiently helped us prepare an itinerary that was perfect for our group. Once we arrived in Morocco, everything was seamless and well organized. Our driver Mohamed was polite, helpful and charming. He helped make the long drives between cities enjoyable, and assured that we were always comfortable. We were quite pleased with the selection of riads; all three were beautiful and special, each in their own way. Guides were polite and well-informed. Ali in Marrakech did a great job choosing restaurants for us, and we had a few memorable and delicious dining experiences thanks to him.

All in all, we had an excellent trip, and were extremely satisfied with the level of service from KimKim. We would do it all over again if we could.

Thank you for an wonderful experience!!

Our trip was great and well planned by Yassine. Our driver Nabil was wonderful and very responsive. He gave us a little phone that allowed us to easily contact him when we needed. We couldn't have asked for better help in a land that we were unfamiliar with.

Our trip was seven days and packed, we were in Tangier, Chefchaouen, Fez, Casablanca and Marrakesh. Admittedly, we should have narrowed down the places we went to, to allow for our type of travel which is a little more leisurely.

We... read more

Our trip was great and well planned by Yassine. Our driver Nabil was wonderful and very responsive. He gave us a little phone that allowed us to easily contact him when we needed. We couldn't have asked for better help in a land that we were unfamiliar with.

Our trip was seven days and packed, we were in Tangier, Chefchaouen, Fez, Casablanca and Marrakesh. Admittedly, we should have narrowed down the places we went to, to allow for our type of travel which is a little more leisurely.

We stayed at 3 star locations and most were great! Riad RK in Marrakesh was great, the fact that they had a Hammam in the location made unwinding much easier. Our Riad in Chefchauouen was also very beautiful and the staff there were very helpful.

On the downside, our riad in Fez (Dar Malika) was nice enough and in a central location but we had a less than ideal situation while there. They are admittedly under transition and do not have a person who works there that stays overnight. This makes it very difficult to talk to someone when the water isn't working (which it didn't for us). The house was very cold outside of the room we stayed in and the second day the groceries went on strike so our breakfast was only a little bread and yogurt. Going to the tannery and not being able to shower was a huge miss. This is the one place I would not stay at again.

The tours that Yassine booked and the guide in Fez was also wonderful. The only downside is that we started to feel like we were only being taken places to spend money instead of simply to admire the culture and choose to buy things if we wanted. We started to feel like the tour was very planned to only go to places that would eagerly show us things only to get us to buy very expensive items. I could do without all the shopping that seemed to be most of the tour, it was very repetitive and didn't allow for much downtime or peace.

There were so many good things and a lot of lessons learned. I will vocalize more about what I'd like in the future and also be sure to know that less is more when booking. Thank you Kimkim, Yassine, Nabil and all of the staff at Morocco off the Beaten Path, you were wonderful!

First of all, a big thank you to Yassine and the other members of his team: Hassan, Mohammed & Nabil as well as Chris and Kellie from Kimkim who all worked together to arrange this trip for us. A special thank you to Mohammed, our driver, who drove us all over Morocco, covering great distances. He was an extremely safe and responsible driver who knows the roads and traffic conditions of his country very well.

Ever since I saw the BBC documentary " Sahara" presented by British Actor Michael... read more

First of all, a big thank you to Yassine and the other members of his team: Hassan, Mohammed & Nabil as well as Chris and Kellie from Kimkim who all worked together to arrange this trip for us. A special thank you to Mohammed, our driver, who drove us all over Morocco, covering great distances. He was an extremely safe and responsible driver who knows the roads and traffic conditions of his country very well.

Ever since I saw the BBC documentary " Sahara" presented by British Actor Michael Palin, many years ago, I wanted to visit Morocco and the Sahara desert. And in January 2019, the day finally came. Before our Morocco tour started, my husband and I have been travelling in Southern Spain for a week. On 11 January, we took the FRS ferry from Tarifa in Spain across the Straits of Gibraltar to Tangier. We spent one night in Tangier and our driver, Mohammed, met us the next morning on 12 January to start our Morocco of the Beaten Track tour.

Our first stop on the tour was Chefchaouen. The winding road from Tangier to Chefchaouen through the Rif Mountains was very picturesque and a great way to see the greener countryside of Morocco. People often think of Morocco as mostly a dry desert landscape, but the route from Tangier to Chefchaouen is very green and beautiful. Chefchaouen was one of the highlights of our trip. The accomodation at La petite Chefchaouen in the heart of the old town on the hill was great. This small boutique hotel is run by two young brothers who were always extremely kind and professional. The decorations were modern and stylish and practical, similar to small boutique hotels in Australia and Europe. The breakfast was great and the wifi always reliable. The town itself was lovely and the locals very friendly. We always felt really safe walking around on our own. A shop keeper invited us up to his roof terrace to show us the spectacular view and meet his ginger kitten. It was great that he genuinly just wanted to show us the view and was not trying to sell us something. In Chefchaouen in general, we felt more relaxed and not so hassled by every second person as in Fes or Marrakech. When you walk around the Medinas of Fes and Marrakech, everybody wants to sell you something or be your guide. The Moroccans are great sales people, but not all toursits want to constantly buy things, so it can be quite exhausting to keep saying no. If you do not want to buy something, the 2 most useful phrases to learn and to say firmly but always with a smile are: La Shukran or Non Merci!

From Chefchaouen we drove to Fes, again with spectacular views over the Rif and Middle Atlas Mountains and rows and rows of olive plantations. En route we stopped near Moulay Idriss to see the Roman Ruins of Volubilis. For people with an interest in history and museums and archaeology, these ruins are a must see. The views over the surrounding countryside and Moulay Idriss from the ruins are great. Since the trip involves a lot of time on the road, it can sometimes be hard to find a clean restroom, so even if you are not that much into ancient ruins, I would highly recommend a stop at Volubilis, to stretch your legs and walk among the ruins and it also has very clean toilets. Just make sure you have enough coins to tip the cleaning ladies.

We then stayed in Fes for 2 nights at a beautifully old renovated 300 year old house in the Medina, called Dar Mallika, owned by an Australian writer, Susanna Clarke. In winter it is quite cold in Fes and the house was very cold, but the room had heating and airconditioning and the electric blankets on the beds were great. It was also good to have a choice of different high quality English Breakfast and other Teas as well as several international News Channels in any language of your choice, to stay up to date with what's going on in the world while on holiday. There was also a selection of music to listen to while having breakfast, from classical, jazz to Arabian pop! Si Mohammed, the Riad manager was also a great host, very well organised, helpful and professional. Fes was a fascinating city and a journey back in time. It was great to see the intricate hard work and centuries of tradition at the pottery workshop and handmade carpets. The guided tour of Fes was great, however a bit too long for me. I would have preferred a half day tour, but that depends on the type of traveller you are. I think some people will enjoy having a guide all day and don't feel comfortable exploring on their own and prefer the guide to make restaurants recommendations or shopping recommendations for them. I personally am very independent and like to explore on my own and make my own restaurant choices, so for people like me, a half day tour would be better. Nevertheless, the guide was excellent and we learnt a lot from him about the history of Fes.

The drive to Merzouga from Fes takes about 8 hours, so if you want to do the camel ride around 5pm in order to reach the desert tented camp by sunset, you really need to leave Fes no later than 8 am and it is not practical to have too many stops. We left at 8 am and since it was only my husband and I and our driver, we told Mohammed we don't want to make many stops, we prefer to get to the desert early. But for older travellers who may need more stops and rests, I think it may be a good idea to rather stay 2 days in the desert, first night in the desert hotel, and then do the camel ride the next day without having to rush. We had limited time in Morocco and only 1 night in the desert, so for us, leaving Fes early and driving without many stops worked well. That said, it is important to make a few short stops to give the driver a break. It's such a great distance to travel and the roads are not easy, I think all people doing a tour should be considerate towards the driver, as he has a massive task to drive everyone from point A to B safely and deserves to have lunch and tea breaks too. We had a late lunch in Erfoud at a cafe I would like to recommend. It's not that easy to know which restaurant or cafe to pick on the road in this remote part of Morocco, but we were lucky to find the Cafe Restaurant Dakar Erfoud. The cafe had seating outside on a terrace and inside. It was very clean and the young men who ran the cafe spoke very good French and made us feel at home. We didn't want to have a big sit down meal. Just a quick sandwich or pizza, and since they are a pizza place, they made us a Moroccan flavoured pizza from scratch and within 35 min, we were on our way to the desert. The pizza was delicious and the cafe also had wifi and even features in a French Spy novel (we found out later when we did some research about the cafe). Here is their website, have a look.
https://www.restaurantdakarerfoud.com

We arrived at the Hotel on the edge of the desert around 4:30pm, and reached our tented camp after a 1 and a half hour camel ride on two camels called Aslan & Anlal, lead by their master Yussuf who only spoke Arabic, Berber and a few words in Spanish! Yussuf was great, he knows the camels and the desert very well and he was very friendly and an enthusiastic photographer. He took many photos of us on our camels. We watched the sun set over the dunes and reached the camp just after sunset. The dinner at the camp was nice, although a bit cold. One thing I would say about doing a desert safari in winter, is be aware that it gets very cold in the desert at night. It was -1 degrees celcius. So if you travel in winter, or if you are an older traveller with health issues or not the outdoor camping type, make sure to pack enough warm clothes, the kind of clothes you would pack if you go camping on an alpine mountain hike in cold weather!

We left the desert the next morning on the same camels with Yussuf leading the way. This time we saw the sunrise. We met our driver back at the main desert hotel and started our drive to Ait Ben Haddou through many dusty little mud brick . We stopped to see some fossils as well as stops in the Todra & Dades Gorges. We had a great walk through the Todra Gorge, took some great photo and had lunch in a town on the edge of the Gorge, called Tinghir. This town was really pretty and a great tourist stop with many hotels and good restaurants. Since it is such a long drive, I would suggest especially for older travellers to stop in this town for lunch or even one night, before continuing the journey to Ouarzazate or Ait Ben Haddou as it is a very tourist friendly town, you can take beautiful pictures of the gorge and do some shopping. I saw some great inexpensive rugs and clothes and other souvenirs in this town, much better value that what I saw in Marrakech. We ate at a restaurant called Inass, popular with tourists. The food was good and they also have an indoor and outdoor seating area and very clean toilets. Again, run by a group of young Moroccans. I really enjoyed seeing the young moroccans running B&B's and restaurants. They seem to know what tourists want and these guys could also speak very good English and French.

After a quick stop in Ouarzazate, the film studio town of Morocco, we arrived in Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage site and a famous movie setting: Gladiator, The Mummy, Laurence of Arabia and many more were filmed here. We stayed at the beautiful Riad Caravane, owned by a French artist who bought a ruined Kasbah and after 5 years of renovations and art collected from all over Africa & Asia, turned it into a 1st class small boutique hotel with very professional staff and fine dining. The Riad also has a rooftop and small splash pool with panoramic views over Ait Ben Haddou. Although we only stayed 1 night in Ait Ben Haddou, I think it is a town where one could spend more time, especially after travelling such long distances.

On Day 6 of our trip we left Ait Ben Haddou for Marrakech. Although Marrakech is not really that far from Ouarzazate or Ait Ben Haddou, the journey takes a long time due to unfinished road works on the Atlas Mountains. We saw some spectacular scenery driving through the Atlas mountains, but the road is quite scary and unfortunately the only way to get to Marrakech by road from the desert. However Mohammed did an excellent job always driving slowly and very carefully.

We arrived late in the afternoon in Marrakech and that is where we spent out last 2 nights in Morocco. I liked Marrakech, the red (dark pink) city . The Riad in Marrakech was nice, again very friendly helpful staff. This one was very traditionally decorated and also had a spa & hamman. Marrakech highlights for me were the Marjorelle Gardens, Bahia Palace and Koutoubia Mosque. The Jemma al Fna square was interesting to see and a must see especially on a first visit, but too many people. The Marrakech Medina is good for restaurants and shopping but I found it hard to walk there with vespas and motorcycles coming from all directions and also too many people for me. By this time we also did not want to buy anything else as we’ve already done all our shopping. I think staying in the Medina is interesting and gives you a true feel for the place, but it is also quite exhausting to keep saying no to everyone who wants to sell you something and if you don't like crowds, like me staying outside the medina might be more peaceful.

Our guide in Marrakech, Nabil was great. He has a lot of knowledge about the city and showed us some interesting places. He was also easy going and flexible, so when we were tired, we could take a break. I would definitely visit Marrakech again, 2 nights and 1 and a half day was not enough to properly explore the city and I can see there is a lot more to Marrakech than the historic medina. Now that I know the medina, next time I would prefer to stay in the area near the Marjorelle Gardens outside the medina, where it is a bit calmer, less motorcycles and people and more open spaces. But that is just my personal taste. If you like staying in the buzz of everything, a road in the medina is definitely for you!

Now that I know the country a bit better, I think 7/8 days is not enough to see all the things we wanted to see and next time I would make it at least 10 days and spend more time in the smaller towns like Thingir, Ait Ben Haddou and Chefchaouen and also try to see more of the coast.

All in all it was a great first visit to Morocco and we are very grateful to Yassine and his team for this excellent introduction to Morocco. The tour was very well organised and they always took such good care of us. It was always easy to communicate with Yassine and his team and they were there to help 24/7! I would recommend them to anyone who would like to to visit Morocco! Just be clear about what you want and what you like and they can arrange it for you!

First we were very pleased with our trip. This is our third one arranged by your company. We went to Croatia last summer and the last winter to Portugal. I'm going to divide my comments into two categories: The first will be the positives, the second will be some weaknesses.

Positives:
Everyone was punctual and right there to meet us and pick us up as scheduled.
Our driver, Nabil, who was with us the whole trip was exceptional. He was good humored and an exceptionally safe driver.
The... read more

First we were very pleased with our trip. This is our third one arranged by your company. We went to Croatia last summer and the last winter to Portugal. I'm going to divide my comments into two categories: The first will be the positives, the second will be some weaknesses.

Positives:
Everyone was punctual and right there to meet us and pick us up as scheduled.
Our driver, Nabil, who was with us the whole trip was exceptional. He was good humored and an exceptionally safe driver.
The cooking class that you scheduled us was terrific.
Our guide in Fez, Mohammed, was superb.
Our guide in Marrakech was very supportive and helpful, but he could have provided more information about what we were seeing. I did love that he added a trip to a Berber Village on our way to our hike.
We loved going to the desert. Riding a camel to the luxurious tent camp was a highlight of the trip.

Negatives:
The first night's accommodations in Fes were outstanding. The other riads were less pleasing due to the fact that we had signed up for four star accommodations. Since we one triple and one double room, we found them to be the same size with an extra bed thrown into the double which made it very tight. My understanding was that the Riads that we were booking would be giving us nicer than standard rooms when I questioned the travel agent about some of the very cheap prices which I saw online for the accommodations.
It would have been good to have received more information on the driving distances. Our third day was horrific and we were exhausted and irritable by the time we reached Fez. I wish the agent might have suggested that we skip Chefchalquin, although we loved it, as it was just too much driving.
I wish that we could have spent time in the Berber museum at Marjorelle Garden in Marrakech.
In retrospect, it would have been good to have more suggestions that would have made for a more relaxing trip. In the end, we canceled our accommodation in Eousoura (sorry for spelling) as it seemed to just far to go to the Casablanca Airport on the day that we would be leaving on an 8 hour flight home. We ended up going to Eousoura as a day trip from Marrakech. Our accommodations on our last night were paid for by us which was fine, but the riad, Riad Zanibar, was a bit rundown and it is a place that I would not have recommended. I understand that the last minute request probably had something to do with it.

We had a fantastic time in Morocco. We visited seven cities in a span of 12 days, accompanied by our Morocco Off the Beaten Track driver, Mohammed. We began our tour in Chefchaouen, then Fes, Merzouga, Ouarzazate, Marrakech, Essaouira, and ended in Casablanca. Each city was uniquely different from the last and we were greatly pleased with the beautiful accommodations secured for us by the MOTB team. We met some wonderful locals while we were there, and felt so welcomed in a place so far away from home.

We enjoyed an unforgettable introduction to Morocco. The places we stayed were, without exception, all very lovely and well located, with full, nice breakfasts and excellent staff. Our driver was nothing short of wonderful. He was extremely helpful, offered what turned out to be excellent advice when requested, and took outstanding care of us. We realized the driver could not substitute as a professional guide, and there were a few times he could not provide answers to our questions,... read more

We enjoyed an unforgettable introduction to Morocco. The places we stayed were, without exception, all very lovely and well located, with full, nice breakfasts and excellent staff. Our driver was nothing short of wonderful. He was extremely helpful, offered what turned out to be excellent advice when requested, and took outstanding care of us. We realized the driver could not substitute as a professional guide, and there were a few times he could not provide answers to our questions, because of language difficulties, or just lack of really specialized knowledge. Yassine and his colleagues made certain that we were always well cared for, and they were genuinely concerned that we enjoyed ourselves.
If there were one aspect we would have done differently, knowing now what we do, we would have covered less, or else lengthened the trip. It was impracticable to cover the distances we did and still arrive at our destinations with enough time to do any exploring. We definitely needed another full day in Chefchaouen. We thought Essouaria was more important to visit than Volubilis, Moulay Idriss, or even Rabat. Ifrane was better just to pass through than visit. We spent proportionately more time in the car than we wanted. We did rely on the trip planners to know how long it would take to reach a given city, and travel times in general; despite cutting down on some of our original plans, we still could not cover everything.
In Fez, our cooking class was very enjoyable; we did not get as much benefit from the professional tour guide as we had hoped, however. He repeatedly remarked that he could not show us what he wanted to because we had come to Fez on a "holiday" (Friday), and that we needed to visit on a different day to see more activity. That was hardly anything we could have known in advance. He also disappeared whenever he "delivered" us to merchants he thought we should shop from. We loved the goats and the argan cooperative; Todra Gorge was excellent; we enjoyed the hammam in Marrakesh; and our overnight in the Sahara was probably the single most important experience.
Overall, the special attention we received throughout our trip, and particularly in Marrakesh, made us very glad we chose Kimkim and MOTB/Yassine and his team to make our arrangements.

We were a party of 6 from Australia. The booking experience with Kim Kim and Off the Beaten Track was 1st class. A great team effort congratulations to Yassine and his team.

When we arrived in Tangier the pickup details had not been detailed and I was surprised to find a driver whom I had not been given his name. Nabil - a lovely man. Nothing was too much trouble for him even though his command of English was patchy at times.

I will address each part of the trip keeping in... read more

We were a party of 6 from Australia. The booking experience with Kim Kim and Off the Beaten Track was 1st class. A great team effort congratulations to Yassine and his team.

When we arrived in Tangier the pickup details had not been detailed and I was surprised to find a driver whom I had not been given his name. Nabil - a lovely man. Nothing was too much trouble for him even though his command of English was patchy at times.

I will address each part of the trip keeping in mind one of our party had been unknown to 4 of us prior to the trip. (not a great idea) This man had not been forth coming with his health issues and the fact he suffered from COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) meaning his ability to walk any distance or climb was severely impaired.

Accommodation: The accommodation was excellent in every stop - Tangier, Fez, Desert, Quarzazate, Marakesh and Casablanca. The Riads in Fez and Marakesh were beautiful and the hosts wonderful. Our Fez host went out of her way to help our impaired traveller. The desert speaks for itself and an experience all should have. Ait-Ben-Haddou in Quarzate is 6th century with the whole area under restoration. Sadly we arrived here after sunset and the "getting there" was a little troublesome in the dark. The property has no electricity and lit by candles - not that that is a problem however, not having been able to orientate ourselves in daylight did put a dampener on the night's experience. Next morning was a whole different scenario - a fabulous area and I could not recommend it more highly - just get there in daylight. Our unhealthy traveller just could not make it there and the host went out of his way to arrange alternate accommodation. The host himself was horrified that we arrive after dark.

Meals: All meals provided were great with hosts providing lovely meals on our arrival. Breakfast everywhere excellent

Travelling by Car: Nabil was an excellent safe driver. The 4x4 vehicle comfortable and well maintained. Our travel times were challenging for him time frame wise. Arrival times were really impossible given the state of the roads in some areas and the trucks, buses etc filling the roads. ( I might say some of this was my fault as I had tried to put so much into the trip and Yassine has gone out of his way to accommodate this - in retrospect I had been a little ambitious - an extra day would have made so much difference especially Fez to the desert) We were due to drive Marrakesh-Casablanca on the Saturday morning for a 11.45am flight to London. This truly was not possible - the road over the Atlas mountains is being rebuilt and consequently slow. I didn't know this at the time but given the time it had taken to get everywhere else I cancelled the last day in Marrakesh and added an extra night in Casablanca. The Kim Kim team did this effortlessly for us - thankyou it was the right thing to do.

Guides: The local guides in Fez *** , Quarzate *****, Marrakesh ****** Desert Experience ******
My only comment is that travellers need to understand the driver is not a tour guide as well sadly
and as a result we travelled a long way with no local commentary which would have been very nice. Nabil did his job so well and this comment is in no way a mark against him. He could not have done more.

The Experience would I do it again = Most definitely I could not recommend it more highly

Well done Kim Kim and Morocco Off the Beaten Track
Marion Patrick