Original Travels Co

We had an excellent trip.
We were very lucky with the weather during the first two weeks of May — it was perfect for sightseeing.
Tayeb was a wonderful driver: thoughtful, punctual, accommodating, and fluent in English.
The itinerary was excellent and allowed us to experience the country’s diversity — from vibrant cities, to the High Mountains, to the desert, and finally the sea.
Although we very much enjoyed staying in the riads, it was lovely to end our trip in Essaouira at an international hotel with all the amenities and right beside the ocean.

Highlights
• The blue city of Chefchaouen, including our walk to the Spanish Mosque
• Volubilis — a fascinating historical site
• Merzouga — sleeping in a tent under the stars and the camel ride
• Boumalne Dades and the wonderful Todra Gorge
• Being lucky enough to experience the Rose Festival and see the rose fields in bloom
• Marrakesh, We thoroughly enjoyed the Majorelle Gardens (though we would also have enjoyed visiting other exhibits), the balloon ride and the excellent cooking class

Upon arriving in Casablanca, I would recommend touring Hassan II mosque and driving immediately to Rabat.
General Comments
Casablanca – Barcelo Casablanca. The city is very noisy. Recommend room on upper floor near the back of the building.
Rabat – Riad Kalaaz We had a wonderful breakfast. The room was a split level with the stairs going down very close to the entrance door. They should have railings for safety.
Enjoyed seaside lunch at Asilah
Tangier – Palais Zohia . Excellent location. Beautiful inner courtyards. Room is a little small. Enjoyed medina . Good local guide. He recommended excellent restaurant for supper.
Chefchaoeun – Taj Chefchaoeun Very nice hotel. Lots of stairs to reach hotel. Very good guide who recommended many excellent spots for photos. We enjoyed the walk our guide recommended to the Spanish mosque at sunset.
Volubilis thoroughly enjoyed walking through the Roman ruins,
Fes - Riad El Amine Fes – Lovely room. Great roof top restaurant. Beautiful courtyard.
Guide was good and necessary as the Medina is large and very confusing to navigate.
Merzouga - Tiziri Luxery camp. Loved sleeping in the tent and riding the camel.
Boumaine Dadas -Dar Rihana Dades Lovely hotel. (Towels were a little hard). Excellent food!
Marrakesh - Riad Atrium and Spa. The courtyard was very nice. The room was good but the rug inside the room was very worn. We thoroughly enjoyed the Majorelle Garden. The food tour was excellent. (I think his name was Souheil) We very much enjoyed the Mechoui and Tangia. The Balloon ride and cooking classes in Marrakesh were amazing.
In general the internet reception was not very good.

Our "local specialist" was Said and our driver/guide was Faisal. Organization and trip details were wonderful...almost everything went without a hitch. Riads and hotels were very good (asked for moderate priced) to excellent. Our driver/guide was superb...personable, knowledgeable, and thorough. He attended to every detail and, even when he passed us off to local guides, always checked in to be sure that everything was going well.
Inevitably, there were long car rides, and Faisal broke them up with interesting stops that highlighted local history and commerce. We had local guides in several cities, and in the aggregate, they were excellent.

Hotel Reviews

Dar Rihana Dades

Douar Aït Ouffi

A small, charming hotel that was managed impeccably in every way. The two brothers running the hotel were efficient, personable, and saw to every detail. The food we had there was the best we had in Morocco.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Diamond of Marrakech

Marrakech

Location was excellent. The staff were pleasant and extremely helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Guided Tour of Fez Medina

Fes

Sharif was extremely knowledgeable and personable. He has a thorough sense of history. He guided us through the maze of the medina, making us feel like we'd seen the most important and interesting aspects and was very responsive to our questions and interests.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Marrakech Evening Food Tour

Marrakesh

Our guide, Souhel, gave us a wide range of Moroccan foods we hadn't had anywhere else, showing us the kitchens in the Medina as they were cooking, and explained the processes involved. His choices were all tasty and authentic. Souhel was more than just a good guide and historian, he was a true ambassador of Marrakech and Morocco.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our recent trip to Morocco was everything we had hoped for and more. Karim was our driver/guide and he is a major asset to your company. He personalized our wishes and customized our experiences for a wonderful vacation. His life story was eye-opening and gave us a better understanding of the country and its people. We loved our accommodations and shopping events - coming home with way more stuff than we intended. Just one caution - maybe if you're almost 80 you should skip the camel ride.

My organized trip through KimKim went smoothly from start to finish. I reached out to several tour companies, but KimKim truly stood out, largely thanks to Imane. From the very beginning, she provided multiple Morocco tour options and responded promptly to every question I had. I was very happy with her pricing, which was more competitive than many other companies while still offering the same experiences and inclusions. Any time I wanted to make a change, Imane was quick to adjust the itinerary and sent updated plans, often daily until our trip was absolutely perfect. Her attentiveness and flexibility made the planning process effortless and enjoyable. We spent 13 days traveling throughout Morocco with a private driver, stopping in Rabat, Chefchaouen, Fes, Merzouga, Boumalne Dades, Marrakesh, and Casablanca. I cannot say enough wonderful things about our driver, Ilyace. Over the course of the trip, he became a dear friend, and it was genuinely hard to part ways at the end. Ilyace was fun, funny, informative, kind, and always ready to help with whatever we needed. His 12 years of experience truly showed in his deep knowledge of the country, roads, customs, and culture. He recommended incredible local places to eat that we never would have chosen on our own, which made the trip feel even more unique and special. I will absolutely be using KimKim again for future travels and am so glad I came across them during my Google search.
Thank you to everyone who made this trip so memorable!
Georgianna

Hotel Reviews

Merzouga Luxury Desert Camps

Taouz

The staff here were so friendly! Everyone that we encountered truly wanted to make our experience special and memorable. So many smiles!! Our tent/room was comfortable and beautiful. I highly recommend staying 2 nights. The guided day trip in the area to visit with Nomads and look for fossils was a highlight of the trip.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

While flies are expected in the desert, providing table fly fans could be a simple improvement that enhances the overall dining experience.

Dar Rihana Dades

Douar Aït Ouffi

I wish I could remember the name of the manager who was so kind, friendly, and genuinely welcoming, he truly made breakfasts and dinners feel special. Every member of the staff was fantastic, and the meals were absolutely amazing. I especially loved taking a few peaceful walks behind the hotel along the river. Seeing the locals tending to their gardens and graciously welcoming me as I strolled through was a truly memorable and authentic experience.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Take a guided hiking tour! Was a highlight of my trip.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Le Casablanca Hotel

Casablanca

We stayed here on our final night before departing. The hotel was beautiful, and the room was spacious and very accommodating. I especially loved the large bathtub, which was a wonderful treat after a two‑week trip. We spent our last day relaxing by the pool after touring the incredible mosque, which was a perfect way to unwind. While the pool service could have been a bit quicker and our dining experience at the outdoor restaurant was average, the stay overall was comfortable and a nice way to end our journey.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

A Drive from Chefchaouen to Fes via Volubilis, Moulay Idriss & Meknes

Morocco

Ilyace was hands down one of the highlights of my entire trip! Having a private driver for nearly two weeks was such a treat. From beginning to end, he was incredibly helpful, informative, fun, and genuinely engaging. His 12 years of experience really showed and made me feel completely at ease on the road. We traveled more than 1,650 miles together! I would highly recommend specifically requesting Ilyace as your driver for your Morocco adventure. Saying goodbye at the end was truly hard, as it felt like I had made a new friend.

Quality of Experience

Food

Ilyace introduced us to some great restaurants on our journey we would have never found ourselves. Loved the lamb chops at some tiny town along the way. One of the highlights of my trip!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hike through Berber Villages

Morocco

Highlight of my trip!

Quality of Experience

Food

Had a lunch inside a locals home, truly special.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mayssar was our driver/guide. He was kind, knowledgeable, conscientious and reliable.

We very much enjoyed our excursions and experiences. The hot air balloon ride, the street food tour, the desert immersion in the Sahara and the cooking class to name a few.

Activity Reviews

Private Cooking Class in Fes

Fes

Chef Miriam was terrific. She was knowledgeable, friendly and engaging.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Goat Cheese Tasting Experience at Domaine de La Pommeraie

Fes

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

First the positives:
I loved using the KimKim travel planning chat and being able to include all travelers to ask questions and make changes. The itinerary and hotel options provided were wonderful and even when we didn't get our initial hotel requested, we had excellent 2nd choices. Ali and Said did an excellent job setting up the trip.
Our driver Maysaar was definitely a highlight of the trip for us. He was very friendly, super talkative when we asked him questions, but also quiet on long drives when we wanted to read a book or stare out the window. He was always available when we needed him for local rides to restaurants, and was really the main reason our trip went so smoothly. We considered him a friend by the end of the trip. I would highly recommend him to any of my travel friends.
The negatives:
The only negative experience we had was surrounding the few days to and from the Sahara (Merzouga, Erg Chebbi). We knew driving there would be a very long day, and it was. We expected 7-8 hours with stops, but it ended up being 10 hours. The drive from Merzouga to Ait Benhaddou was a bit worse. We expected a 6 hour drive, and it was also 10 hours (a 4 hour difference was quite large and more than expected). As a result, we weren't able to enjoy much of the hotel or area in Ait Benhaddou.
Overall, an excellent trip to Morocco and I would recommend it to others as well as recommending KimKim. I am planning to contact KimKim again for an upcoming trip.

We wanted a trip where we could see much of the country side of Morocco as well as the cities and medinas. We decided to have a driver for our whole trip who knew the country and the roads. Over ten days, we travelled with Hamza who was a personable young man who knew instinctively what we needed to see. We also took private tours of the Mosque and the Medinas. Highlights for us were dinners in the Medina in Essouira, riding camels in the Agafay, and hiking in the Atlas Mountains. Hamza stopped whenever we had a photo op or whenever we needed a roadside coffee. We travel a lot and this trip will rank right up there as a special one. Thanks to Hamza and to Original Travels and Kim Kim.

Hotel Reviews

Barceló Casablanca

Casablanca

Good location in central district, clean and organized.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Mimouna

Essaouira

Amazing views, clean and great location.

Authenticity & Character

Classic Medina Riad, with old stair case and location on the water.

Location

This hotel is deep in the old city and requires a fairly long walk just to enter, however the walk past the souks is interesting and the hotel moves your luggage.

Staff

Fun at reception

Cleanliness & Comfort

Old but comfortable

Palais des Princesses

Marrakech

Old Medina riad but nicely redone, funky access to rooms but again you feel like you are in a different world

Authenticity & Character

Very authentic

Location

Nice but deep in the Medina

Staff

Efficient reception, fun food servers

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Atlas Mountains, Agafay Adventure & Camel ride.

Marrakesh

Riding camels is a once in lifetime experience

Quality of Experience

Food

Nice dinner at the camel camp with fun entertainment

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pop

Quick Tour of Casablanca with your Driver-Guide

Morocco

Hamza was great, he knew his way around and was good about reading our needs and expectations

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Tour of Hassan II Mosque

Morocco

As expected, interesting, crowded

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guides English was hard to hear

Transport

Self-Guided Exploration of Essaouira Medina

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full-Day Experience in Taghazout Beach

Essaouira

Surprised to see surging community, great beachside lunch

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A Day Trip from Essaouira to Agadir with a Guided Tour

Essaouira

Agadir is a large city and unless you stay there not worth exploring for a short visit. Not a great Medina

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Half-Day Guided Tour of Marrakech

Marrakesh

Nicely done, good way to experience the Medina

Quality of Experience

Stop for lamb at the hole in the ground oven, eat with your fingers

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Marrakech Evening Food Tour

Marrakesh

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip was amazing. I was really impressed with the coordination by the driver and all of the local guides, hotels and lunches. Everything was seamless.
Reda, our driver was exceptional. He had a great sense of humor and I especially enjoyed his deep ha ha ha laugh. He was very knowledgeable and qued us in on things to do on our own, ie. Restaurants and events. He went out of his way to help us find wine, which wasn’t easy!!
The hotels were perfect, always in the middle of the action. We really enjoyed our interaction with the local people in their homes and shared meals. Of course the desert was our favorite- a real camel ride and the camp was charming.
I appreciated the coordination between KimKim and the local tour company Original Travel. Said did a great job of coordinating the driver, hotels, guides, etc.
My only recommendation would be to have a larger vehicle. 7 persons in a 8 person van was too tight, considering that we spent hours every other day traveling. We would have paid for a larger vehicle and I failed to inquire as to the size that was provided.
This was my first trip with KimKim and I will definitely use them again.

Activity Reviews

Transfer from Fes to Merzouga via Erfoud & Camel Ride

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Guided Tour of Tangier

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Exploration of the "Blue City" Chefchaouen

Chefchaouen

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full-day guided tour in Fes

Fes

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Morocco Last Nomads Experience: Tea, Tales & Desert Adventures

Merzouga

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the Heart of Skoura: Pottery, Palm Groves & Local Life

Skoura

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Imlil Valley Walk - Toubkal NP

Imlil

This should have been a longer hike. There was not enough to do in this small village

Quality of Experience

Food

Tagine, tagine tagine.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was mediocre and there was no real interaction with the Berber as scheduled.

Transport

Half-Day Guided Tour of Marrakech

Marrakesh

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Visit Majorelle Gardens

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Ride in Marrakech

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Three Hour Cooking Workshop at La Maison Arabe

Marrakesh

One of our favorite events! Super fun and informative .

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Trip from Marrakech to Essaouira

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kim Kim overall made it easy for us to plan our trip to Morocco. We provided our interests and they made a specialized trip for us. Said was helpful in keeping us informed. Our driver Mustapha was great throughout the trip and was so helpful. Our guides were so knowledgeable. We really enjoyed our trip. I would definitely use Kim Kim again for our future travels.

Our driver Soufiane went above and beyond to ensure we had a great trip. He was outstanding! Our guides at Chefchaouen, Fez and Marrakech we very good. In particular, Fatima in Fes spent six hours with us and was a wealth of local knowledge. Mo in Marrakech (I’m sure not his real name) was also outstanding). He knew everyone- could have been the mayor. Great tour!!
I could not have been happier with the trip. The roads and the guides. And again, our driver was terrific. Love Soufiane!!

Hotel Reviews

Palais Sebban

Marrakech

Palais Sebban was beautiful. Staff were great. Room was great. Rooftop terrace was a welcome respite from the chaos of the city. Highly recommend this Riad!

Authenticity & Character

Felt line a sultan

Location

Close to main square and mosque.

Staff

Really nice people

Cleanliness & Comfort

Great housekeeping. Riad is so well kept

Riad Braya

FesfE

Beautiful Riad will wonderful staff. Loved this place!!

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful courtyard and rooms

Location

Great inside the Medina location

Staff

Very helpful staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beautifully kept. Gorgeous!

Orient Desert Camp

Merzouga

Great luxury tent in the Sahara. Loved that we had hot water and a bathroom!! Staff very friendly and accommodative!!

Authenticity & Character

Great tent and Berber music and dance

Location

Can’t beat the desert experience!

Staff

Great people

Cleanliness & Comfort

Chez Ichou

Dades Gorge

Dinner very expensive but nice! Staff very nice. Pretty location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Great natural setting over river

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Taj Chefchoaune Luxury Hotel and Spa

Chefchaoun

Nice hotel with excellent staff Beautiful view on top of hill over city. Makes for a long uphill walk back from town!

Authenticity & Character

Lovely hotel. Great helpful staff

Location

At top of hill, it is a long walk into town all uphill coming back

Staff

Great people.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Barceló Casablanca

Casablanca

Nice hotel in the heart of the city.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Guided Tour of Hassan II Mosque

Morocco

Nice tour of beautiful mosque.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Soufiane was terrific. Best driver I have ever had!

From Coast to Mountains: Casablanca to Chefchaouen via Rabat

Morocco

Nice to see Kaaba in Rebat.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driver very helpful and informative

Transport

Guided Tour of Fez Medina

Fes

Our guide Fatima was a wealth of information. She went above and beyond to make our tour special. Highly recommend this guide!!! The tour of the pottery/ mosaic place was awesome. So too was the tour of the tannery. Learned so much.

Guided Exploration of the "Blue City" Chefchaouen

Chefchaouen

Abdul our guide was great. Really knew the town. Gave a great tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chefchaoeun to Fez via Volubilis, Moulay Idriss & Meknes

Morocco

Beautiful landscape. Roman ruins very interesting. Driver Soufiane terrific!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer from Fes to Merzouga via Erfoud & Camel Ride

Morocco

Driver was amazing. Kept the long drive interesting. Camel ride to desert camp an experience of a lifetime. Camp was very nice. Staff very helpful and friendly. Great Berber music and dance. Desert breathtaking! Exceptional experience!

Quality of Experience

Food

We are gluten and dairy free and staff brought us a fruit plate to accommodate. Very nice!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer to Dades Valley via Todra Gorges

Morocco

Beautiful countryside. Our driver Soufiane was a blessing. Kept us informed and entertained.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Knowlegible driver.

Transfer to Marrakech via Roses Valley, Ouarzazate & Aït Ben Haddou

Morocco

Our driver took us to a carpet place where high quality Berber rugs were made. Great suggestion. We purchased. Two rugs there.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Half-Day Guided Tour of Marrakech

Marrakesh

Our guide Mo (can’t be his real name) was very good! He knew everything and everyone. We called him “mayor”. He showed us the mosque, Bahia palace, and so much of the souls. Great experience. I would vote for Mo!

Quality of Experience

Our guide was terrific!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver was terrific as usual.

Transport

Free Day in Marrakech

Marrakesh

Spent the morning at Majorel Gardens, Yves St Laurant museum and the Berber museum. Highly recommend! Beautiful gardens and interesting museums all in one location. Spent the afternoon at our driver’s home. Priceless experience. Soufiane is now family! Much love to him and his wonderful family!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport