A really good trip.
Morocco
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Mar 21 - Mar 29, 2026
We had a good trip, we enjoyed Morocco, and received excellent service from KimKim. Our local guides were all excellent. Sharif in Fez was highly knowledgeable and professional. The guide who took care of us on our camel trek was so friendly and helpful. We do not recall the name of the two guides who helped us on the ATV trek. They were fantastic. We were not accomplished at driving through sand and they helped us constantly and with good cheer. Sa'id led us on a hike through the 'monkey fingers' near Dades. He knew a lot about the area and was exuberant. That hike is listed in the itinerary as 'easy' and we were a bit concerned that it would not hold our attention as all 4 of us are accomplished hikers. The hike was NOT easy. We walked up-stream and over rocks and boulders. Perhaps Sa'id could see we were excited by a challenge and took us on that route. It was perfect! We needed a bit of help up some of the taller rocks, but all of us enjoyed our experience greatly. Our next local guide was Oosama in Marakesh. He was excellent, knew his history and territory, helpful, and showed us many things.
Our driver/guide was a very nice young man. Your itinerary suggested that our driver would be knowlegable but might have little English language skills. We found his English to be excellent. We landed during Eid and could not visit the great Mosque, so we had excellent alternatives. We visited the Chellah archaeological site. But Samah did not really know about either. He explained we should just enter and walk about. A local guide would have been far more helpful in framing and orienting things. The second stop, which included an excellent place to have lunch, was the Chellah site. Of course our driver could not come with us, but he was also unfamiliar with the site. We were told we would have to buy tickets, but we did not know why or for what. I'm not sure he knew. As it ended up, the Chellah site was absolutely perfect. The archaeological digs were explained in a guided recording and were very interesting. The gardens were nice, and lunch was excellent. But we had no way of knowing any of this before being asked to pay an entry fee. We understand that a driver is not a guide, but perhaps Kim Kim should sponsor the drivers to visit the sites so they know what to tell tourists. The same issue arose when we did visit the Mosque in Casablanca at the end of the trip. Samah had not been there, he took us inside but they would not allow him to buy our tickets (perhaps as he is not a registered guide) but after he handed us entry funds we were really confused about what to do. The ticket seller didn't help at all. We didn't know the museum was right there and free and we could see things while we waited for our formal tour. The formal tour was oddly organized (herding all different language speakers into the same group until we got inside the Mosque itself.) It would have been great to know that. My sense is that Samah will be an excellent driver/guide with a bit of help from Kim Kim in visiting the sites himself, and as he learns more about how tourists think.
The hotels were nice. The food was excellent. The Dades hotel was especially excellent. The staff did everything possible to make our stay wonderful. We did have real issues with the hotel in Marakesh, but a call to Sa'id, our local contact, and everything seemed to be taken care of. Sa'id was really helpful both before and during our trip. He helped make it a great experience.
Hotel Reviews
The staff are incredibly kind and helpful. The tents are well designed and spacious.
The staff at this Riad go above and beyond to be helpful and provide a lot of information. The rooms are very unique and well appointed.
This place was absolutely amazing! It is very well appointed. The staff are incredible, a level of service that is way beyond expectations. The food is spectacular! From the welcome tea and cookies, through breakfast and dinner, the flavors and presentation were amazing. They were exceptionally accommodating for food preferences and made alternative dishes.
This is a larger Riad then others that we have stayed in. There were a lot of activities happening when we arrived. Upon checking in at all other riads we were warmly greeted and and had a nice welcome. No such warm welcome was made checking in to the Palais Sebban. It set the tone for our visit.
Activity Reviews
Underwhelming experience. Chaotic purchase of tickets and lack luster guided tour.
Sharif was quite knowledgeable and he paced the tour so we all could enjoy different aspects that interested us..
The camel ride and sunset were wonderful. The ride was long, with a couple of quick stops to see the monkeys and the fossil exhibit.
An amazing experience not to be missed. The guides were great at assisting us if we got stuck. They provided a snowboard to try on the dunes. They took picture and videos. We enjoyed the adventure.
Great guide, but very very crowded. Best to view if you have an interest in the architecture of the period.
The hike along a river bed (after a rain) was challenging. We loved it. The views were spectacular, the guide was helpful, and we exerted ourselves just right. We hiked on for lunch at a local home. It was a great experience.
There was a lot to see on this very long ride. We stopped for lunch, which was ok. We skipped the movie studio. Our stops at the argan oil and rose oil places were more sales than informational. We did two very different kasbahs where we had excellent guides and learned about the history and architecture of the area.
Our guide was excellent and helped us to see and understand many things. A highlight was peeking inside a bakery where people bring their own mixed dough to be baked in a huge oven. Marrakech is a chaotic place. It is good to see it with someone who knows where they are going and why it is interesting to see certain things.