Adventures in Morocco

Morocco | Oct 21 - Oct 30, 2024

Overall, the trip was pretty fantastic though there were definitely some glitches. Meeting our driver on day 1 was a bit sketchy since we weren't informed we had to take a bus to the terminal from the ferry, and once we made contact we found out this was not our driver for the whole trip. The first night was a bit scary, due partially from Brenda wanting to find individual Riads rather than your chosen ones. Accommodations were not as we had anticipated and it was well off the beaten path. Fortunately all turned out ok, and the next morning we met Karim who was our security blanket for the rest of the trip. Karim was a great guide and driver. He was so knowledgeable about his country, geography, fauna and of course customs of the Moroccan people. His love of his country was quite evident in how he spoke. In riding with him he was very conscientious in maintaining safe speeds and did not take risks. We felt very fortunate to have been gifted him as our driver. I can't be as complementary regarding the vehicle we road in though. Though it was comfortable it had a bad exhaust system and we could continually smell exhaust for 7 days and many kilometers. It was a breathtaking tour watching the countryside with the ever changing landscape of the country. Some of the travel days were spent far too long on the road in the vehicle though.
All the guides we had were knowledge and friendly. Our favorite, another Karim, lead on us a 4 1/2 hr hike in Azrou who shared so much about trees, plants and wildlife, as well as his lunch! A very remarkable man and hiking guide!! The 2 guides in the cities, Kamal in Fez and Mohammad in Marrakech were good. Kamal had a superior knowledge of Fez Medina and we surely would have been lost without him. He led us to areas that many tourists rarely experience as in the a market that was below street level packed shoulder to shoulder with people and the 3 of us had to hold hands so as not to be separated. He also presented a restaurant for us that was superb for spread of Moroccan food. It became quite clear he was also the ambassador for the shop keepers and tourists. We felt greatly under pressure to buy many items even though I know the custom was to repay the craftsman by purchases. Mohammad in Marrakech was a friendly jolly man who we enjoyed though also acted as a go between the shopkeepers and tourists. He did an overly good job in introducing us to the foods available in Marrakech market. I appreciated his openness to sharing Muslim practices and was very accommodating in finding restaurants in line with our dietary preferences.
Overall the trip was fantastic, but there were many challenges throughout with the language barrier, getting accustomed to layout of Riads, design of Medinas and constant calculating money exchanges. The warmth and friendliness of the Moroccan people we came in contact with was very welcoming.

Activity Review

Camel Trek into a Luxury Sahara Camp

Morocco

this was an experience of a lifetime! Really enjoyed the camel ride and the seeing the beauty of the dunes and desert which was breathtaking.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport