Marrakesh Desert Tours — Local services in Marrakesh Prefecture

Note: This is a review written by an actual customer of this tour company, unlike a large number of what I can only assume are reviews written by stooges.

Before beginning to justify why this company deserves only 2 stars, I have to say that the actual experience in the desert, with the Berbers was increadible, one truly not to be missed; the stars, the food, the music all contributed to a genuinely magical experience for me and my girlfriend and I hope many of the people that came with us. Staying over night in the desert and trekking on the camels over the dunes in Zagora was just as I expected it to be. It was also the only part of the experience that was not stage managed in any way by the tour company itself. That was the main reason that our actual time in the desert was actually good. The rest of the trip, however, left a large amount to be desired, to say the least!

Where to begin? This company claims that the people who work for it can speak English. This is, like most of the claims this tour company makes, only a half truth at best. The bus driver was incapable of communicating anything but the most rudimentary commands to us and otherwise spoke only in rapid and incomprhensible French. This made discovering where to meet the driver difficult and meant that rather than being dropped off at our hotel at the end of the trip, we had to walk back from the centre of Marrakech. It also meant that we were never told when the bus would stop, for how long, or why. The driver himself was surley, stopped whenever he wanted to smoke and drove like a lunatic. On one occasion, whilst returning to Marrakech, he overtook a coach on a harepin bend at 80kmph on a road that overlooked a 5km deep gourge which had no crash barriers. I am far from immune to risky experiences but this was virtual suicide. The bus also lacked seat belts for anyone other than the driver and had such paultry "air conditioning" that I feared catching heat stroke. The "air conditioning" was about as powerful as being blown at through a straw.

However, this was only the tip of the iceberg, the most irritating part about this trip was the claim made by the tour operators that everything would be included in the price. A more accurate claim, the one they should have made, is that nothing was included in the price (save the camel ride). Every time we stopped we were lead by "tour guides" who again spoke only very limited English and who demanded payment for "tours" that mostly consisted of them repeating hackneyed and irritating phrases like "this was built in the 11th centuary" over and over again. Furthermore, every time we stopped, the "tour guides" would lead us to a resteraunt that charged a ludicrous amount for the most basic of meals, seemingly only for the reason that by doing this, they might claim a prearranged commission from said resteraunt for leading us there. On top of this the "tour guides" and the bus driver did not tell us where we were to meet the bus at any point after the "tour" stops were completed, thus making it essential for us to follow the tour guide, whether we wanted to or not, with the obvious result that payment was demanded. Finally, we were often forced to stop at random shops where it was "not obligatory" to buy anything; "not obligatory" you might say, indeed, but certainly expected.

Frankly how stupid to they think people are? We stopped a total of 4 times, twice on the way there and twice on the way back and on both occasions we were asked to buy knick knacks and curios at extortionate prices that none of those on the tour wanted.

I would not recommend this tour company to anyone. As I say, it's only redeeming feature was the time you actually spent in the desert, and to an extent, the beauty of some of th places that we stopped at, minus the incessant demands for payment for the completion of...

Review for the 4-day tour (Marrakech - Zagora - Merzouga - Fez, standard sleeping options): While not being sure what to expect, this was the best decision we made for our trip through Marocco. A wonderful experience of the changing landscapes, different kinds of deserts and especially the rural culture. If you want to see as many different sides of Marocco as possible, this is for you. Even though the agency does not always communicate a lot about what is planned, the organisation is seamless and very trustworthy. We constantly felt safe and taken care of, you just have to trust the process. After experiencing the distances and speaking to the other groups, I can strongly recommend to do at least do the 3-day or even the 4-day tour if you have the time. Otherwise it might feel like you spend most of the time in the car, and you see less of the great stops along the road.

• WHAT TO EXPECT: * long bus/car rides (the great landscapes and frequent breaks help). You won't arrive at the desert before 17:00 which makes sense during the hot months. Make the most of the time you have there. Zagora desert: Camel ride from/to camp. Basically off-grid camping with an Arabic toilet, no running water and no electricity. Lower dunes and stone desert but truly the feeling of being alone in the wilderness. I love camping, so this was great. Merzouga desert: Huge dunes like in the movies, more tourist camps but still okay. 1 hour camel ride through the dunes for sunset and sunrise. The camp was next to the big dunes (as all camps are): Large but cozy, toilets and running water, great breakfast and dinner, bonfire, locals to chat and play berber music with. Still camping though, so book the luxury option if you prefer a hotel feeling. Lovely little hotel in Dades Valley as a comfy break (2 stars though, do not expect luxury please!) Great stops with 1h-tours along the road to see villages and nature (Aït Ben-Haddou, Ouarzazate, Dades Valley, Todra Gorge)

• VERY IMPORTANT * Not everything is included in the price: Guides and camel leaders expect tips (10-40 DH), which is a normal practice in Maroccan tourism. Be prepared, it is what it is. If you can afford this tour, you can afford the tips too. Lunch is also not included and will only be offered at overpriced (100-130 DH for a menu) tourist restaurants. Often there is no other option to go to in the area but the food is at least okay and you can share with someone to save extra costs. Also not included: Drinks at lunch spots. There are certain instances where the guides or locals will recommend to buy something (like the Sahara scarf or the camel leader's souvenirs). Sometimes you can feel pressured to buy as it is often the case here in Marocco with street vendors and tourist traps. Just know: You never need to buy (a t-shirt or regular scarf will do too) and usually no one will make you feel bad if you don't. At least in Zagora you can only take into the camp what you can carry yourself on the camel, so prepare a backpack with lots of warm clothes and leave the rest in the driver's car for the night.

Enjoy your...

BEWARE BEWARE!!! the BIGGEST waste of money I have ever spent! First, we “upgraded” every option on the tour (I say this so you know I’m not a cheap “complainer”, as I generally leave wonderful reviews) I am convinced the “positive reviews” are fake. Because I truly had a TERRIBLE experience.

My husband and I booked this tour to see the Sahara desert, and ride a camel during sunset and sunrise. There were many things the website says you will get to experience, and I am here to tell you it is NOT at all what is described. While there are SO many details that were falsely advertised about this tour, here is the truth on what you need to know:

You will spend your days driving about 10 hours each day in a van of 16 passengers, in extremely small and uncomfortable seats with air conditioner that BARELY works (keep in mind you are in the desert) you will be extremely sore for driving for 3 days in uncomfortable seating. Bathroom breaks are few and far in between and you have to eat where ever the drive stops for “food” (my husband AND several others got food poisoning from one of the places, because the food was spoiled!)

Once we arrived to the sand dunes on the second day. (At sunset) our guide for the camels did not even stop to allow us to take photos (your only opportunity to photograph the sand dunes, that you are paying to see) until AFTER the sun went down and we were out of the dunes! So our only photos at of dunes are dark and grainy and terribly positioned, because it was getting dark outside, and our guide stopped at the end of the dunes. (Camp is outside the dunes)

We paid to upgrade to a “private tent” HAHA we had a shared tent with a thin sheet separating the beds, the couple kept us up until 1:30 in the morning... which ALSO you will wake up at 4:40 AM!!!!! to trek back through the desert ( so you don’t even get to see the sand dunes you paid to see. We LITERALLY WERE IN THE DARK!!!!) you will NOT get a “sunrise” camel trek” (Also. Our tent was not closed on the floors, so our room was full of crickets and other bugs that crawled all over us all night.)

website did not mention that they would not provide towels for our showering, so.... that was not fun.

On top of it all (several things I’ve not mentioned just because it’s too much to list) my husband got food poisoning from the food we were served!!!!!! that makes 3 people in our group vomiting from food poisoning. This is 100% unacceptable!!!!!

This was the biggest waste of money and precious time we spent in Morocco.

Do yourself a favor and BOOK A DIFFERENT COMPANY!!*

First photo is example of what we got in the 5 minutes we were allowed to take photos, and second photo was an attempt to get “sunrise camel ride” photos... which was...