Morocco Immersion Tours and Adventures

The entire trip was amazing! The itinerary was the perfect blend of city action, historical insight, and natural wonder. I was particularly impressed with our driver’s dedication to our comfort and convenience. Despite covering a huge geographic area, Raschid kept the pace of interesting stops and comfort breaks just right. He even gave me the heads up when I needed more rugged footwear. I also appreciated the informative stops at the artisan cooperatives. By the end I felt I could discern authentic quality and make informed purchases I will cherish forever. Absolutely marvelous!

Hotel Reviews

Riad Farouzi Fes

Fes

Absolutely wonderful hospitality and care! Delicious, generous breakfast every day! Helpful suggestions to enjoy the area.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad El Palacio

Chefchaouen

The staff here really made us feel special. We felt such warmth and hospitality from the moment we arrived. The view from the rooftop is amazing too!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

They were welcoming and lovely.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Afternoon Guided Tour of Rabat

Rabat

Our guide, Hassania was so well informed and personable. Her warmth and good humor even outshined her obvious depth of knowledge and skill of communication. We wanted to take her with us!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

What an unforgettable adventure! From the beginning, until the last goodbyes, this trip to Morocco was about as perfect as it could be. Nihad, our planner was fantastic-helpful and responsive. Our tour manager, Rachid, was, simply, the best- so kind, funny, helpful, a joy to spend 2 weeks with, really. The official tour guides- Hassania, Rachid ("other Rachid"), Hicham, and the others whose name I cannot recall, were friendly and knowledgeable. They, and the Moroccan people, in general, who are among the kindest , warmest people you will ever meet, provided context and meaning for this trip. Morocco is a beautiful country and in our 2-week stay, we were treated to an unexpected variety of geography. It was incredible how much the scenery changed from day to day, or even hour to hour- Cities, green farmland, what I like to refer to as "Arizona", snow-capped mountains, forests, oases, desert, ocean. You name it, we saw it! I know I was going to enjoy this trip immensely, but never in my dreams did I imagine how much I would love this country and these people. I certainly hope I am fortunate enough to return one day.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Club Val d'Anfa Casablanca

Casablanca

Great location, beautiful hotel right on the water.

Authenticity & Character

Very nice hotel with uniquely Moroccan touches.

Location

Right on the water, so close to so many good restaurants (it even has a few if its own)

Staff

Not much, it just that bc it is such a big hotel, the "personal" service that we had in the riads was not there, as is expected

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Wind Palace

Essaouira

Super-cool spot in the medina, a short walk to the water. The only potential downside is that there is no A/C, so you needed the windows open for cool, fresh air, but the bustle of activity in the square continued throughout the night. Just bring a fan or use a "noise" app on your phone to drown it out easily.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful building, beautiful rooms.

Location

Easy access to shopping, delicious food, the water

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The roos were spacious, the bed was awesome, and the shower had the best water pressure I think I have ever experienced.

Riad La Croix Berbère Luxe

Marrakech

Great location, beautiful building, friendly staff- who could ask for more?

Authenticity & Character

The rooms were great, had a pool in the courtyard/ atrium that you could take a dip in , if you so desired, terrific rooftop views.

Location

Quiet spot on the edge of the medina, easy walk to all of the action, both within the medina and in the new part of the city.

Staff

They were all generally very helpful and attentive

Cleanliness & Comfort

Great bed!

Kasbah Tiziri

Kelaat Mgouna

Such a pretty Kasbah, in a beautiful location. Staff was amazing, the rooms were lovely.

Authenticity & Character

Michelle, the owner, helped design and reconstruct this kasbah, so it has some amazing touches in it.

Location

Nice and quiet location with terrific views.

Staff

Super friendly and helpful. Again, Michelle is top-notch!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sahara Stars Luxury Camp

Merzouga

Really liked this place, but it was not our favorite on this trip. The rooms were beautiful, but the restaurant was mid. Also, there were dogs that were barking all night, which interrupted our sleep. Not sure if they were a part of this camp or another, but it was annoying, all the same.

Authenticity & Character

Lovely tents with fully-functional bathroom facilities. Glamping as it should be.

Location

Nestled in the peripheral dunes of the Sahara, the setting was magical.

Staff

They were very sweet, but it seemed like the place was run by 20-year-old boys who were way to young to have so much responsibility foisted upon them. They were diligent and kind, but I feel like they were a bit overwhelmed.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything was clean, the bed was awesome.

Riad Farouzi Fes

Fes

This place was probably my favorite place to stay on Morocco. It was absolutely gorgeous and the staff was beyond wonderful. The breakfast spread was nothing short of amazing.

Authenticity & Character

Again, beyond gorgeous, nice and quiet.

Location

Within the Medina, but on the edge. Easy waking to nearby restaurants.

Staff

So helpful and kind! Ibrahim was amazing.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad El Palacio

Chefchaouen

Great little riad in Chefchaouen. Quiet spot,

Authenticity & Character

Very pretty, as all the riads seemed to be, clean, comfortable

Location

Close to the action, but not so close as to be problematic.

Staff

The young men who worked here were so kind and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel des Oudaias

Rabat

Beautiful hotel, only stayed one night, but it definitely set the tone for and amazing trip.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful

Location

Great location, close to the Old City

Staff

Very helpful and friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Merzouga to Dades Valley Via Todgha Gorge

Morocco

Another great day driving, with many stops/ sight to see. The fossils collective in Erfoud had some amazing pieces of fossil art. We stopped at a roadside shop where we tried on native Amazigh clothing and took pictures in them. The family that owned the store was so warm and welcoming. They even let my husband lead a little jam session after he saw an electric guitar sitting in the store. The whole family got involved! Next was the tour of the old village if Tighir (excuse any misspelling). Our guide there was again, fantastic. After that, a stop at the women's rug collective, then an absolutely incredible (and huge) lunch. Next was the Gorge, which was a cool little trek. It was great to see all of the families picnicking alongside it.

Quality of Experience

All of the wonderful people we met that day, combined with another beautiful drive made the day special.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fes to Merzouga via Ifraine and Azrou - Camel Trek to Desert Camp

Morocco

LONG travel day (about 10 hours from start to finish. Had lots of stops, so it kept things interesting.

Quality of Experience

Such a change in scenery from the beginning of the day's trip to the end!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I felt that the young men running the camp were too young to be doing so. They seemed a bit overwhelmed, but performed admirably, if a bit awkwardly.

Transport

Guided Tour of Fes

Fes

It was great to learn about the history of Fez and to see the old Medina, souks. The sight s and sounds were everything I had hoped for. Our riad was the most incredible place and the service was outstanding. Dinner and a show at the Palais de Medina was a treat.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

"Other" Rachid, our tour guide in Fez, was amazing. He was incredibly knowledgeable, and grew up in Fez, so it was like having the "mayor" give us a tour. Everywhere we stopped, he knew someone. When we spent considerably more time in the pottery colletive, deciding on which piece to buy, we were never rushed. I'm sure Rachid stayed with us considerably longer than he had planned, so we could get the entire day's tour completed.

Transport

{{start_location}} to {{end_location}} via Volubilis and Meknes

Morocco

Meknes is currently closed, due to renovations, but Volubulis was fantastic.

Quality of Experience

The ruins were terrific, and it was amazing how well-preserved many of the mosaics were.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The tour guide, whose name I forget, was very knowledgeable.

Transport

Hike to Cascade d'Akchour

Chefchaouen

We did not make it to the waterfall, unfortunately, due to the trail being flooded from snow-melt. It was a bummer, but we were able to hike to the God's Bridge, which was a beautiful hike.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Orientation Walk & Free Afternoon in Chefchaouen

Chefchaouen

Once we got settled in, we headed to the Spanish Mosque to see the sunset. This provided a great view of the city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Rachid, our tour manager/ driver was fantastic. He showed us a terrific restaurant which was probably one of the few in Chefchaouen that serves alcohol. We styayed an extra day, just as a recovery day, which also happened to be my birthday. Rachid managed to get the restaurant to have a little cake/ celebration and he even showed up at the end to join us for dessert. It was truly special of him to have gone that extra mile. The young men who staffed our riad were wonderful- kind, informative, eager to help.

Transport

Rabat to Chefchaouen

Morocco

It was great to see the changes in geography from one place to another. For all of the long drives, Rachid stopped every 1.5-2 hours for a pit-stop. The places he selected throughout the trip were clean and well-maintained.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon Guided Tour of Rabat

Rabat

Hassania, our guide was fantastic. The tour was informative and interesting. We covered a lot of ground in a short time, but it didn't feel rushed. The mausoleum was breath-taking.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Hassania was fantastic. Knowledgeable, friendly, just all-around terrific.

Transport

Arrive in Casablanca & Transfer to Rabat

Morocco

Quick and easy. Rachid was ready and waiting for us when we got through customs. Communication was easy, as we texted via WhatsApp, so we kept him apprised of our progress once we landed.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Rachid was charming from the start. Easy to talk to.

Transport

The van was great and there was plenty of room for us and our luggage (even once we finished all of our shopping in Morocco).

Overall we were happy with the experiences we had on our trip. During the planning process, Nihad was receptive to my ideas and answered my questions. Our driver/tour manager Mo was very professional, punctual (other than when first picking us up from the airport, but that was because he was not provided the most up to date arrival time), and knowledgeable.

1. The hotel stays that Nihad booked us in were below our expectations. I suspect though, that there are not a lot of options for stays outside of Marrakesch. Each hotel was clean and staff were very hospitable and friendly, and so we very much appreciated those positive attributes. Many of the stays did not have basics such as shampoo or shower soap, including the "luxury desert camp" that we stayed in. Since we pack light, we don't travel with our own shampoo or soap, so not having it available in the hotel is a disappointment.

2. We did not find out until the end of the trip how extraordinarily expensive the taxi ride from the airport to our first hotel was. Nihad arranged a taxi ride (it ended up being our trip driver/trip manager) that would cost $50 USD. Well, at the end of the trip from the same area in the medina, we booked our ride through our hotel to the airport and it was only $20 USD. I eventually saw on social media afterwards that a reasonable price is 100 Dirhams (equivalent to $10 USD). Therefore, the $50 USD we were charged was exceptionally more expensive. If Nihad does not know this, please let her know so that future guests are not charged that much.

3. Our city tour/food tour with Hussein was a nice overview of the city, visiting a lot of the highlights of the city. The food part of the tour was not enjoyable, but understandably authentic. The last restaurant served us dirty utensils to eat with so that left us with a bad taste with regards to the food part of the trip. Hussein though was very friendly and knowledgeable. I would just suggest perhaps cleaner restaurant options if possible.

4. For tours driving to different cities, drive time estimates ahead of time would be nice (could just include that on the itinerary shared with the guest ahead of time) so we can be prepared.

5. Slightly disappointed we could not do the camel ride on the way back from our desert camp. According to the camp, we were supposed to have "reserved " it when we started the camel ride to the desert camp but we were never told that when we took that camel ride- it would have been nice to have known that up front.

Again, overall, it was a wonderful cultural experience. In retrospect knowing what I know now, I would probably book my own hotels and ask more questions before the trip. It's hard to know though when one has never been to a country to know what questions to ask.

From start to finish our Morocco experience was one to remember. Nihad was professional and prompt with any questions or actions required. The hotels and riads we stayed in were fascinating and well chosen, particularly for location. Our city guides were informative and knowledgeable and helped us understand the cities and sites we visited. We had two drivers, and the second one in particular, Abelhadi, made us feel welcome and our long journeys safe and enjoyable. Moroccan hospitality is warm and we would love to explore it more.

Morocco is a remarkable country, and we had an amazing adventure. The costs were reasonable, the communications before the trip easy and complete, the guides were fantastic. Specially, I greatly appreciate the guidance from our driver and trip manager, Ayoub. He was much more than a great driver. Ayoub was a fountain of information about Morocco and Moroccans. It was wonderful getting to know him and to spend many hours in the van with him. We were lucky to have him as our guide from beginning to end. The local guides were also all quite amazing. Hisham in Marrakesh, Omar in Imlil, and Rasheed in Fes were all superb guides. They were all so intimately connected to their communities, excellent at communicating with us, and deep sources of knowledge and understanding about the history, culture, contemporary society, and places to visit. I consider them teachers as well as guides.

When I travel, I want to learn about the country and the people. But, of course, one can learn only so much about a country in a little more than a week. Nevertheless, through their guidance, Nihad, Ayoub, and our local guides provided an experience that gave me a much better understanding of Morocco and Moroccans. I hope to return in the future.