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Morocco
When we left Madrid, we were not decided on spending 10 days in Morocco but we were wrong. Abdel picked us up from Casablanca airport and right away the smile and hospitality was present and we felt like someone we could trust was there to look after us. The 10 days took us to pretty much all the major sites including the deep south of Morocco (Sahara Desert). If anyone wanted to see Morocco without spending too much time, then certainly this 10 days was a great way to sample the best. More importantly, all our tours were private, we didn't cram into a tour bus, we had our own private 4x4 that took us everywhere (of course camels were our second mode of transport in the desert - ; ))
Could have not agreed with my friends. This was truly the most inviting experience of the Sahara desert for me. Special thank you again to Abdel and Hicham. The tour has certainly opened our eyes as well as taking the non-tourist areas, where we learned about local projects they support to help educate women and children. The camel trek and camping under the stars was fantastic as well as the food. Don't forget to bring a bottle or two of bubbly for a toast at sunset : )
Wow, where can I start - we have just come back from a wild seven days in the Sahara desert. The tour took us right into the desert and followed paths leading to lush palm plantations of oasis. Our host Abdel was excellent both in character and manners as well as very informed about the region. Good point is they are very much into conservation of the region and preserving their culture whilst entertaining and educating tourists about the berber and nomad life.
Would highly recommend this tour.
www.marrakech-loisirs.com
+44 (0) 843 2895 824
What can we say? The trip with these guys was fantastic! We did five days in the Sahara desert and it's something you must do once in your life. We spent the next four days doing some day tours: quad biking and day tours into the ourika valley. Will highly recommend the experiences!
Stu
For tailor-made trips to Morocco, I highly recommend Mountain Voyage Morocco and in particular their Marrakesh representative Rachid. From an initial enquiry, Rachid designed a wonderful trip for us including beautiful accommodation in Marrakesh, a car and driver (Amin seems to know everyone in Morocco) to take us over the Tichka Pass, staying in a Berber encampment, camel riding in the dunes, walking in the Todra Gorges and returning to Marrakesh via Ouarzazate and Ait Ben Haddou. All this was calmly, efficiently and economically handled by Rachid despite our having to cancel our original booking because of the pre-Christmas snow in the UK -- everything was re-arranged at no additional cost, and I can't imagine getting better treatment anywhere.
We booked a three-centre holiday through Naturally Morocco and thoroughly enjoyed it. Transfers etc were incredibly smooth and well-organised and going on guided treks and staying in small riads made us feel that we'd seen things we certainly wouldn't have seen if we'd been travelling independently. For first-time travellers to Morocco, like us, who are a bit nervous about what to expect, the people at NM are incredibly knowledgeable and reassuring and ensured that we had an amazing time.
Naturallymorocco.co.uk
01239 710814
Trekking in the High Atlas Mountains
Just got back from a great trip to Marrakech, the High Atlas Mountains and Essaouira in Morocco. The trip was organised by a great locally-based company called Epic Morocco. We just gave them a rough idea of what we wanted to do and they organised a private tour including a three-day trek from Setti Fatma to Imlil with a trekking guide. These people are on the scene and they really know the best places to stay.
We don't normally go for city tour buses but this was definitely worth it. We paid 260 dirhams (about £18) for two tickets valid for 24 hours that allowed us to jump off/on the tour bus along the route.
The main reason why we recommend it was that one of the routes took us out to the Palmeraie area (palm trees, camels etc) which we would not otherwise have seen.
Red bus just off the Jemma El Fna square on Av. Mohamed V.
Our last trip to Marrakesh allowed us to get to know the city more and we are here now to share some of our tips we hope you'll find useful.
If you want to see more of the city, take the guided bus tours. These buses have just been introduced in recent years. They are red, double-deck buses and offer continuous tours throughout the day. Get a 24-hour hopper ticket and you can get off at major stops that take you to Djamaa Lfna, Menara, Saadieen Toms, Koutoubia, Bahia palace, Median, etc. The buses are equipped with recorded messages in multiple languages that provide major highlights of the bus route.
The horse carts might charge more, but have that leisurely stroll around town. May not cover as much of the city as the bus tours. You can however ask the cart person for a short tour that your bus did not cover.
As far as where to visit, start with Djemaa el-Fna or assembly place of the nobodies. This is the centre point of Marrakesh. It is a large square where many of the budget hotels and souks are located. In the evening, there are rows of open-air food stalls, jugglers, snake charmers, storytellers and magicians. Around the square there are rooftop cafes and restaurants with balconies, where you can watch the entire spectacle.
On the other side of the square outside Median walls is the Bahia Palace. It was built in the 19th century as a residence of the grand minister of one of the sultans. It has wonderful gardens, fountains and a shady courtyard. The walls are decorated with Moroccan mosaics, and hand-crafted artwork.
To the front of the square is the Koutoubia mosque. It is the tallest (70m) and most famous landmark in Marrakesh, and is visible for miles in any direction.
The bus tours will also tale you to the Menara garden, which is the most popular among the Marrakshis because it is peaceful and relaxing. It houses the oldest and best-preserved of the three most famous minarets, as well as the largest.
There are many other places we could not see such as The Saadian Tombs, Majorelle Gardens... but I recommend that you don't miss Ali Benmalah or what many call Chez Ali: an impressive memorable Fantasia Show, acrobat, traditional Moroccan folk dance and a dinner fit for a king. A traditional event, it includes an opportunity to see the Berber folklore, the jugglers' performance, the flying carpet, the belly dancing and finally the Fantasia show.
www.ilove-marrakesh.com/chezali/
We had our hotel reservation made through www.asiarooms.com/ which we found offer very good deal on five-star hotels, just make sure you book way in advance.
The bus tour company does not have a site, but was recommended to us by hotel staff, you can't miss it if you ask, some hotels sell their tickets.
Is this your business?Search Been there
