Awesome Morocco Tours — Local services in Marrakesh Prefecture

Booked with Awesome Tours Morocco for a guided tour to Ourika with an air vented van. With a visit to the Berber house.

Everything amazing till the time to pick us up arrived, it was agreed to be ready by 09:00 they picked us up 09:40 in a filthy van, we said okay not an issue let’s see where we going. After 10 minutes they stopped and swapped us to a different van which was in a good shape but it was only 4 of us, then driver said we need to stop to pick up the guide and we aired 20min. But instead of the guide he transferred us to another van with more people and no guide, at this point we felt it was all a joke, the van was nowhere near what they said, the driver was constantly on the phone trying to make sure he fill the van prior we travel that was his main concern, after 2 stops of 20 minutes each we finally started to drive to Ourika at 11:00. By chatting to the other passengers I found out some of them booked with their hotels reception directly, some of them booked through Tropical group, and some with various other agencies.

Which made even more sense whenever you go you will end up together, once we arrived at the house they explained how they process the Argan oil and all the essences, which was the best part of the trip. Then we moved toward the waterfalls but prior that they stopped at Fatima restaurant for a lunch break, once you enter you will see the locals get a different food/prices/menu

They told us to go down by the river and you could see more and more people were arriving and they were trying to get rid of you as fast as they can to refill the table.

The menu is set for 120Dh overpriced food and a joke, the driver was angry with a family who didn’t want to eat there and they went somewhere else.

After eating an overpriced tasteless with only chicken options food, the Driver told us we have 2 hours to go to the waterfall, I enquired about the guide he said it’s extra £3 per person, I asked him it was included in the trip he said no and that’s what we offer.

Anyway we started walking toward the waterfalls with the rest of the group, he told us to come back at 16:30.

While we walking loooots of people came and offered to saw us where to go for £2-3 per person, which at this point you can start understanding that’s everybody is playing the game.

We opted out to go by ourselves but they were persistent.

We managed to climb slowly toward the waterfall but by the time we reached it, it was already 15:30 so we had 1 hour to go back.

We went back on time but some of the group didn’t show up on time they came 17:15 and some 17:30 driver didn’t have their phone numbers and couldn’t do anything, the only thing he did is shouting to the foreigners, while we had 2 native old ladies delaying as well never said a word, anything they asked him to do he would do, stop for a we stop for a camel stop for buying.

Its my fault for booking with an agency and trying to support the locals, while I could easily go with an online agency and keep myself out of all that headache, won’t happen again, and the only reason I’ve typed all my experience in detail is to make people aware and don’t fall for...

The guys from the agency are friendly but the problem was that what we had expected was completely different from what we received. For starters, the driver did not share information with us, made random stops throughout the way without any kind of explanations, and was always late. Then, the visit to Ait Ben Haddou was not included (we had to pay the entrance to the city, which is APPARENTLY 300 DHS per person + the guide who was not very good + and then tip some kids who forced us to cross the river by grabbing our hands without permission). We shared the van with people that booked the same/similar tour with other agencies, which meant that we all slept in different hotels/camps. They said dinner was included, however, we had to pay for our drinks. They didn’t even offer water (not even in the desert!!!) We left the hotel late in the morning, and arrived late to the desert. Therefore, WE MISSED THE SUNSET. The kid who guided us through the dunes demanded 50 DHS each, and was furious when we gave him less than that. The people who “welcomed” us were not friendly at all (one of us even threatened to call the police) and spoke in Arabic leaving you completely alone and in a very bad position. Without any explanations, they said we had to book an additional tour to see the sunrise (which was supposed to be included…) 100 DHS extra for nothing: they took us to the dune until we saw the first ray of sun and they asked us to take the jeep (which is not a jeep) and left the place right away. The camp was horrible. They gave us dry noodles with a piece of chicken, and 6 tangarines to EIGHT (8) people. We demanded more food, they were angry again. They pretended they did not understand us, which was a LIE AGAIN. They said the food was over, but we insisted until they cooked some “sauce” and gave us extra bread. Of course, this was only for our group of 8… the rest of the people were asked to leave the tent so as they couldn’t see what was happening with us. Water/drinks were not offered here either. There is no running water in the camp. Then, they made us wake up at 5 AM, saying we would leave at 5:30 but that was also a lie. They made us wait outside in the cold (I personally entered their facilities without permission and opened the door as we were freezing). We left at around 6:15. The breakfast was bad too, of course. Everything is a HUGE mess. I typically try to adapt myself to different situations, but they are not prepared to show their beautiful country to the tourists. I felt they only care about money the entire time, which would be fine if the service is good… but this was definitely not the case AT ALL. Save 100 euros, and book a...

We contacted Hicham with a last minute request for a 3-day/2-night tour from Fes to Marrakech via the desert around the Erg Chebbi and Merzouga area. Hicham was quick to respond and we found his offer to be the best option for us. The value was excellent compared to other providers with a price tag within our budget of USD 250 per person. Hicham was always very friendly yet professional making sure that we were ok throughout the trip. So why didn't I rate his company Awesome Morocco Tours higher? A couple of points - as we pretty much had a private tour, Hicham chartered a taxi for the journey to the desert. While this may have been the most economic option, we felt that a mostly speeding taxi driver created somewhat of an unsafe experience. Furthermore we felt that some of the stops previously advertised as quick touristic sightseeing opportunities turned out to be more like restroom breaks throughout the trip. Again, clear expectation management from the start would have been helpful. Overall we commend Hicham on his enthusiasm and willingness to go the extra mile for his clients. Awesome Morocco Tours is a growing company and I can see a lot of potential...