Top Marrakech Private and Luxury - page 99

This is a half day tour, and that means going to the very start of the desert with power poles on 3 sides and buildings behind you. Know and accept that, and you're in for an inexpensive and super fun experience. Every on-site staffer is very friendly and helpful and the camels (technically dromedaries) appear healthy and well taken care of. The quad ride is fun and the dinner is quite delicious, followed by a traditional music performance and everybody getting up to dance. Sadly we had no visible sunset, but we highly recommend the tour.

I took this tour on my first morning in Marrakech, and I'm glad I did! Our guide, Ridwan, was knowledgeable, enthusiastic and patient in helping to bring to life the rich history of the city, and showing us Jemaa el-Fnaa, the Bahia Palace, and the souks. Ridwan showcased the warmth and hospitality of the Moroccan people, and gave us invaluable hints and tips to ensure we got the most of our stay and saw the best that this incredible city has to offer. Shukran, Ridwan!

Really enjoyed getting out into the mountains, away from the hustle and bustle of Marrakech. Tour was just the right amount of stops. The Berber lunch was lovely and very tasty. Loved the dromedary ride! Guide was great too. Forgot to mention on the booking to be paired with friends, so were on a different bus!

Amazing experience exploring southern Morocco. Picked up directly from Place Mellah in Marrakech (very close to our hotel), we travelled towards our first main destination of Aït Benhaddou. The town was visually interesting and we were told a lot about its construction and position in the film industry. Honestly it was the highlight from the day. Sid an amazing place. Kalaat M’Gouna (Flower City) was our evening stop and the hotel we stayed in was well equipped, but could do with a bit of a face lift. Nonetheless, there were good views of the area and the terrace was a good spot to relax in the sun. It has also has a pool, but it is basically an ice bath. Staff were friendly. A relatively early get up at 7:30 and we made our way for a humble breakfast before jumping back in the van. We stopped at Todra Gorge and had a local guide for here and Tinghir, where we wandered through and entered a Berber house. They explained to us about carpet and tapestry making in the village. You are under no obligation to buy anything (the carpet-seller even said this), but for those who may want to purchase something and do not have the space to fit for the suitcases, they do send it internationally. There was a buffet lunch in Ferkla El Oulia and a stop for souvenirs in Melaab (we dressed in traditional Berber wear and had a group photo in the road). We had many stops along the way in our group, which broke up the journey nicely. We reached Merzouga in the mid- to late afternoon. We had to leave whatever belongings we needed for the camp outside a building. The vans cannot transport them across the Sahara to the luxury camp we stayed in. This may be slightly disconcerting for people, but trust them. They do this everyday. The process was organised chaos, but we received them at the camp later with no problem. While the bags were being transported with 4x4, we took an hour camel ride to a dune for some sand-boarding while we waited for our quad bikes to arrive. I am a bit of an adventure seeker and sadly we couldn’t ride the buggies a bit quicker, but I understand the safety elements and how difficult it is for the locals. We took them to a sunset spot before riding them back to camp. The tents in Merzouga were unreal. Accommodation was idyllic and we got bumped up to Premium, which was a nice surprise. The food was class and we had a beer and chilled in the camp and danced with the locals. Early get up for the final day: 4:30 a.m. 5 a.m: Breakfast — 5:30 a.m.: Camel ride to the see the sunrise. Back to the Merzouga town to collect our luggage. We said goodbye to our group and driver (Youssef), who were heading to Agadir, and jumped in another car to Fez with (Lüzy - I am sorry I cannot spell it). This day, we knew would long, but after a pitstop in Er-Rteb, we went all the way to Zaida. Amazing scenery through the Atlas Mountains on the way. Food was a kebab / butchers. Before reaching Ifrane (town where King Mohamed VI likes to sejourn and it is incredibly clean / honestly makes you feel like you are in the French Alps), we had a chance to see a group of macaques off-road. Then Lüzy drove us all the way to our hotel and ensured we had a hotel manager / employee to pick us up and walk us to our hotel. The old town of Fes is a medina and is therefore walled and almost impossible for cars to get in! The trip overall was 10/10. We enjoyed every minute of our excursion from start to finish. The activities were varied, the accommodation and food were very good, but for me it was the conversations with people in our group or local Moroccans that made it. We always felt respected, safe and well-looked after. See below more about our drivers: Youssef (our main driver) was very welcoming. His motto for us was: “Your job is to enjoy Morocco.” He was always in a good mood and if we had a problem/question, he would answer or ensure that he found an answer. He was exactly what you needed as an intermediary. We left to join another car on the third day, and he ensured to give us his number if any problems occur. Very reliable. He waited with us until the exchange happened. Youssef was also a great driver and knew the roads so well. Top bloke. Lüzy was also a great guy and told us a few things about the area from Merzouga to Fez. He was flexible when we asked him to keep driving and he was happy to do so. He also took me to a pharmacy and was on the phone to the accommodation to arrange pick up. Tom and Paloma

It was a fun time with multiple experiences: camel ride, quad ride, and plenty of a good dinner. The music was a cultural experience with the musicians including the audience in the fun. The fire entertainer was impressive and there were some fireworks at the end. The guide was a great communicator, he let us know what to expect. He also looked out for us, as we were the two oldest (by far) women on the tour. He even recorded the fireworks for us because we were too short to see. FYI they will not be picking up at your hotel as stated. You will meet at a hotel on the main road.

We had such a wonderful Tour with Hassan! We explored every area that was on my extensive list and then some! We had requested a particular restaurant for lunch and we were able to make that happen which was much appreciated. We learned SO much about Marrakech and Morocco which is always our goal when traveling. I would suggest that if you book this Tour to specify whether or not you want to visit local merchants to hear about their particular wares. We were taken to about 4 different merchants in which we had no interest in buying anything so that was a bit of wasted time. We were firm in our refusal to buy anything and it was fine, but would rather have spent our time seeing more sights. Overall it was a fantastic day with Hassan and a great introduction to Marrakech!

We had a lovely time with Ismail today and thoroughly enjoyed our trip to the Atlas Mountains. There were breathtaking views during our hike and a wonderful traditional lunch. Ismail is a treasure and it shows that he has a passion for his culture and introducing others to it. When we come back to Marrakech we will definitely book this again.

We are just back from the really wonderful experience of riding a camel across the palm groves at sunset. The driver and camel guide were both lovely, friendly people and were happy to answer all our questions about camels. We were treated to a snack of bread and olives with mint tea. The camels were adorable, especially the baby camel, Scooby Doo, who accompanied his mum while she worked.