Road Trip! The thing about spending the night in the desert is that you have to get there first. From Marrakesh it’s quite a trek and there’s just the company for the job. Sahara 4X4 tours. Rashid our tour guide was awesome! He spoke very good English and was able to answer all the questions we had even taking us to a couple of extra places upon request. The tour cost 140 euros per person for the 2 days we were gone, which I think is worth it.
Since it’s my very first review on trip advisor, why not!
It started bright and early when Rashid picked us up at our hotel. They pick you up and drop you off at your place of choice.
From the moment we turned out of the city, the views were captivating.
The scenery was always colorful with browns, reds, and greens melding together to create a breathtaking landscape.
Then there’s the matter of the Atlas mountains. Morocco is not the only country that gets to take in the beauty of the Atlas mountains, they extend through Algeria and Tunisia as well, they’re that vast. As Rashid told us, in Morocco there are different names for the Atlas mountains starting with the Rif (a crescent moon series of mountains) which turns into the the Tell Atlas, The Middle Atlas, and the High Atlas. The tallest peak of the High Atlas mountains sits at 13,665 feet (4,165 metres) and the name is Mount Toubkal. Wanna know more, Britannica’s got you covered.
The beauty of the drive is the diversity. One minute its the desert landscape scattered with foliage, meshing with greens, and the next its a small village where the people that live up in the high mountains come to get supplies. Grocery stores aren’t readily available out here. Hot commodities are donkey’s and camels. You can get a donkey for approx. $250 where as a camel costs a couple grand, like a used car, but that is what they use as their car.
Coming from foot trails carved into the mountain, bringing the donkey’s they laden them with the supplies before starting the trek back up into the hills. This could be a multi day journey to come down and get all the way back up.
How many asses can you fit into the back of a truck? Obviously the best bet is sideways and I counted 6!
Porcelain can be found often at road side stands right off the road.
Setting corn out to dry on the rooftops of the house. At least I think it’s corn, now I can’t remember?
After only a couple hours driving we stopped for a break.
As I said in my first Moroccan post, we just couldn’t get enough of that mint tea, so we just over did it and ordered it at every opportunity.
Perfect for us, because Rashid is an excellent tea mixer/pourer. Trust me, its an art.
As we started the winding road up and up, it was nice to look back.
On the sign in between the 2 towers it tells you our altitude at this moment, 2260 meters. A little over halfway to the tallest point of the Atlas mountains. SPOILER ALERT: We never make it to the tippy top. It has a lot to do with ice, snow, and no available roads.
CLA studios. Movies filmed here: Lawrence of Arabia, Tea in Sahara, Black Hawk Down, Kundum, Gladiator, Cleopatra, The Mummy 1 and 2, Alexander the Great, Kingdom of Heaven, Sahara, Troy, Hidalgo, Babel.
Drove right by the studios on the way to the desert.
Moroccan Baths. Stopped for lunch at a local restaurant called El Bahja.
After a few snaps in town we hit the road again and headed back out to the vast landscapes of the ever closer desert.
Then came the date trees. We were just in time for date harvesting. Trees upon trees laden with figs ripe for the picking. With the dates came the insects. The area was teaming with them. Hard to keep the windows down if the car was at a stand still because the bugs would swarm the area.
Dates! Ripe and ready for the picking.
In one town, date harvesters bring boxes filled with dates to the local market and sell them by the boat load. When dates are in season the prices are cheap and it’s like a stock exchange in the small square.
Trying my hand at snapping pics as we sped along the road.
A cemetery we passed by.
Like a bus, the van stops to pick people and goods up along the road as they head from place to place. Since most people use camels or donkey’s to get around, its very common to catch rides or hitch hike from a neighbor heading the same way you are.
Just a few minutes to load everyone in and they are on their way.
A couple of hours later, we found ourselves at our destination but the last leg of the journey would be done by camel. We loaded up and road out just as the sun started setting.
Source: @will
First time on a camel. I’m convinced that you don’t ride a camel the same way you do a horse. I believe this because I saw how the locals road the camels and it was with both their legs on one side on a saddle that sits back, whereas we did the whole horse thing. Not very comfortable, probably too much information, but I didn’t walk straight for about a week after that camel ride.
Riding a camel out to the desert.
Hey guys!
Anytime I’m outside to see a sunset, it was a good day.
Just arrived at the camp. As the camels hunker down for the night, we will head to our tents!
The tents were set in a circle with an inner area that had cushions to lounge on.
Inside of the dining all.
In the last dying light of the sun, I walked up on a hill of sand and watched it set. It was as dark out here as it is at night when you are at sea. The stars were illuminated brightly in the sky, It’s so refreshing to look up at them without the hindrance of city lights.
I didn’t have much to eat this night. My stomach was in turmoil. Tied in knots and hurting, it was a typical bacterial situation, same thing that happened in both Tanzania and Senegal. Will saved my life with some Pepto tablets and I was in bed before dinner even finished trying to survive the night. Luckily in the morning, I felt much better.
EARLY MORNING
As excited as I am to catch a sunset, I’m just as excited to catch a sunrise. The next morning they came by and woke everyone at camp up just in time for us to walk up the hill for a few shots.
The camels still haven’t fully woken yet. They will soon though, after breakfast its back to the village, although we opted to not have a camel ride.
The desert in all her glory. Beautiful.
Heading back to our car, we hit the road and abruptly slowed pace to share the road with these guys.
In Zagora, Rashid told us of the saying “52 to Tombouctou” He explained it saying that once a year camel caravans set out to Tombouctou from Zagora (the road where this sign is specifically) and it takes 52 days to get there at which point they sell and trade and then head back. Now I know where Tombouctou is, Mali!
Road work. No hard hats, no safety equipment, and we drove right by that pile of dust!
This reminds me of Edoras from LOTR. Just a wee little bit.
Shaped like a tagine, Moroccan dinnerware which dishes are typically served on, this mountain has the perfect Moroccan touch.
AIT BEN HADDOU
A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987, Ait Ben Haddou is a ksar (fortified city) located along the former caravan route between the Sahara and Marrakech in present-day Morocco.
Where scenes for Gladiator were filmed.
Jumping out of happiness to have seen an ancient city out in the desert.
The gate in the bottom left side of the screen was built for Gladiator the movie.
Rashid’s the best, he took us off-roading to get to this vantage point for a few photos.
Afterwards, it was a leisurely drive back to Marrakech, where we had dinner and went to bed early for a very early flight back to Rome the next day. So much fun!
This article appeared first on The Cassey Excursion.
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Amazing Exeperience & very intresting blog, Keep sharing with us
Best Tour Ever, Keep Up the Good Work, Moha!
This is probably one of the most memorable Christmas vacation we had as a family. We found out about www.moroccotabiartetours.com from a friend of ours who highly recommended Moha and his travel company. And we were impressed by his reviews on TripAdvisor.
Moha responded quickly to my inquiries, even with the time difference in Morocco, and he was polite and resourceful. We signed up part of our trip with Moha and part of the trip we decided to tour Marrakech on our own.
Our plan was to spend two nights in Marrakech and tour the city on our own first. Then we would have Moha pick us up and drive us to the Sahara Desert from Marrakech, spending one night at the luxury camp in the Sahara Desert, and drive from Sahara Desert to Fes the following day, spend the night at Fes, and depart from Fes to the US.
Upon arrival in Marrakesh, we were inundated by taxi drivers who were eager to provide a ride to our hotel. It was quite chaotic and frantically, a bit terrifying being transferred from one driver to the next and not understanding what was going on due to language barrier. We selected a US hotel chain ourselves. I probably would suggest staying at a Moroccan riad to experience the Moroccan traditional lodging and dining. Our hotel was outside of the city center, which makes commuting to the medina a bit difficult and finding traditional style dining was also sparse near our hotel. There was a mall across from our hotel and the food in the food court was mediocre, probably because we didn't know what to order or ask for. The next day we hopped on the City Tour Marrakech Hop on Hop off city bus, and was disappointed by the extended wait time, and we wasted valuable time between attractions. And I would probably suggest not adding the “camel rides” with the Hop on Hop Off buses since the camel treks in the Sahara is by far the best.
Moha picked us up from our hotel the next morning, still dark, planning to reach the Sahara’s by sunset. My first impression of him was that he appeared a lot younger than I expected but yet mature and serious. Our hotel prepared breakfast for us early in the morning, so we were able to pack some food for the trip. The ride to Sahara Desert was rough and long, but Moha made sure we had plenty of breaks in between to get breakfast, lunch and for bathroom breaks. He also stopped at a number of local attractions, and we enjoyed visiting the sites. We also liked the restaurants Moha selected for us, and kids had plenty of delicious spaghetti while the adults had Tagine. He made sure we kept up with the tour schedule, in order to arrive at Sahara desert on time to trek the camels into the sunset. Moha’s spoken English was definitely above average, communication was never a problem. We also felt safe with his driving, very smooth and conscientious. Even though Moha’s driving was smooth, I would suggest packing some snacks, water, or fruits in the car. Moha apparently is very disciplined on not eating or drinking much during the long drive; however, the tourists may not be able to sustain the rough terrain over the High Atlas Mountain without something to snack on, esp if younger children are in the car. And if you happen to be in the right season, I believe you can ask Moha to find you some really juicy oranges on the way. Once we arrived at the Sahara’s, Moha had us on the camels, one camel per person, and then he left with his vehicle to meet us at the Luxury Camp where we would spend the night.
The highlight was definitely being on the camels, we arrived promptly by nightfall, there was one camel per person, and the trek to our camp was definitely once in a lifetime experience. Our camel guide was hilarious, and he took us to awesome sand dunes to take incredible sunset pictures. Our family had so much fun enjoying the sunset while trekking with the camels, and when we arrived at the Luxury Camp, it was indeed luxurious and beautiful. We were completely mesmerized by the experience. Our tent was large enough for probably up to 6 people, and there was a nice shower and toilet area. However, I would suggest that once you arrive, start taking your hot shower, our hot water ran out later that night, and Sahara winter in a tent was not suited for cold showers!
The dinner was in a communal large tent, with warm delicious soup, Moroccan traditional salad, and Tagine. The dessert was also something to die for, we enjoyed every bit of it. By 9-10 pm, there was welcoming music, bonfire, and celebration of the tourists’ arrival. The traditional Berber music, dancing, and drumming under the stars was amazing. If you have a chance to see Moha drum, you should. He is an excellent drummer, enthusiastic and with much musical talent.
The next morning, we witnessed one of the most beautiful sunrise, sand skied before breakfast and had a very lovely breakfast with hot mint tea. Around 9-10 a.m., we were in Moha’s car for our drive to Fes. We had also requested a visit to fossil factories on the way to Fes, definitely worth the stop if you are interested in fossils. The factory we visited can also ship to the US. Our children enjoyed the stop, it was almost like visiting a Natural Science Museum in the U.S, very interesting and informative.
We arrived at Fes by nighttime, and we checked in to another US chain hotel that night. Again, away from medina. I presume that staying near or inside the medina would have been more cost effective and should have a wider selection of local restaurants. The next morning, Moha took us shopping at the Medina in Fes, the tour guide Moha had hired for us was excellent and knew the medina well, we were able to communicate with her in English on what we wanted to shop for, and she found the shops for us effortlessly.
After a couple hours of shopping, Moha took us to the airport. I would suggest making sure that there was a 3 hour lead time to accommodate delays in checking in at the airport. We had souvenirs that were large and heavy, and the custom ended up wanting us to repack our souvenirs as check-in baggage. Also, there were multiple layers of security, and we barely made it on our flight with a 2 hour lead time. It was also time consuming to pay for extra check-in baggage with Ryan Air. Overall, I think we would have enjoyed our departure more if we had arrived earlier and take things easy; however, to no one’s fault, we just wanted more time to shop at the Fes Medina, and thus we were tight on time.
Overall, this was probably one of the best adventure we had ever had as a family. It was exotic and the experience was unparalleled. I would again recommend having the tour guide like Moha with you if you are traveling, especially from city to city. Our self-guided portion of the trip described above was confusing and at times frustrating, so if I were to do another trip in Morocco, I would definitely go with a tour. Moha’s guided tour was well-planned, thoughtful and organized, and most importantly, Moha was very personable and helpful. It was definitely a really fun trip, and thank you Moha for this unforgettable memory!
Really Nice Blog Keep Share with Us your Experience & Memories in Morocco
So just went on down to Morocco and on your advice, we got the same tour. It was an great trip. Sahara 4X4 was excellent and we had Omar and he did just as good of a job. Its a long drive and they make it comfortable and informative.Thanks for the advice.
Adam! Glad you enjoyed the tour. I really loved this trip and the tour guides are awesome :)
Some awesome photography here. The photo of you on the camel is one for the books!
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