Original Travels Co

Our trip was spectacular, but what made it especially so, were the fine people we had the pleasure of being with in Morocco. So it will be them that I speak about.

Our right hand man, Soufian was an exceptional driver, tour guide, problem solver, and friend. He was personable, attentive, knowledgeable, and always punctual. When unexpected issues arose in our travel plans (beyond his control), he handled them with grace and efficiency. On the rare occasions when someone else had to take over driving, we found ourselves missing Soufian’s lighthearted and playful banter. By the middle of our week-long trip, he felt more like a member of the family than a hired guide. The Moroccan people, in general, impressed us with their genuine warmth, friendliness, and quick smiles, but Soufian truly embodied these qualities in the best way possible. Our time with him felt far too short, and we’ll cherish the memories we created together.

Additionally Sharif was an outstanding tour guide, and our visit to Fez was truly enhanced by his expertise and thoughtful approach. From the outset, he impressed us with his extensive knowledge and passion for the city’s history and culture. When he outlined the detailed itinerary for our four-hour tour, I expressed concerns about whether it might be too challenging for my 83-year-old mother, who has mobility issues. The itinerary included significant walking, particularly through the bustling Medina. However, Sharif immediately adapted to our needs with remarkable patience and understanding.

Throughout the tour, he was incredibly attentive to my mother, always ensuring she felt comfortable and supported. He found creative ways to navigate the sometimes-difficult terrain of the Medina, and his kindness and care did not go unnoticed. His background as a university-trained linguist shone through, making the experience enjoyable and accessible even for us, as English-only speakers. He communicated complex historical and cultural details with clarity, making the tour both educational and engaging.

The tour itself was exceptionally well-organized, taking us to a variety of fascinating sites while offering deep insights into the vibrant history and traditions of Fez. Sharif’s ability to balance an ambitious schedule with a personalized touch truly stood out. Thanks to him, we were able to complete the entire tour without feeling rushed or overwhelmed, despite the physical challenges.

I wholeheartedly recommend Sharif to anyone visiting Fez. His professionalism, expertise, and genuine care for his guests make him a truly exceptional guide. I am confident that you, too, will have an unforgettable experience in his capable hands.

Thanks so much to both of these men.

The trip was incredible! Our driver Yassine was amazing, as he went above and beyond to ensure our enjoyment and safety. Each of the stays were beautiful and beyond hospitable. Moreover, the organized activities were perfectly curated.

I want to highlight the service we received from our driver, Ayoub. Apart from being an excellent driver, always being available, always being on time, and being extremely knowledgeable and caring about our experience, Ayoub was one of the main factors to the excellent overall experience we had. For a 23 day trip, Ayoub was critical to our experience. We couldn’t say enough good things about Ayoub, all without any reservation. We are very grateful to Ayoub for everything he did for us.

Mohamed was a pleasure to deal with in arranging our trip. He was extremely responsive. For the most part, we are very pleased with the itinerary he came up with that we worked on together. In retrospect, we would have made one small change only and that was where we spent NYE. The trip was very well planned.

The only issue we had was the choice for some of the places we stayed. Star ratings are not necessarily consistent with North American ratings.

When we were in Morocco, Said was our contact. Once again, Said was very responsive and caring. We had a few glitches here and there with specific bookings and changes. Not all were solvable but Said did what he could and where something couldn’t be fixed he was concerned that we were satisfied with whatever resolution he could find.

Overall, we had an excellent trip and the service we received, particularly from Ayoub, was a big contributors to that experience.
Allan and Susan, Dec24-Jan25

Our guides were amazing throughout our trip, there were a few things that we were expecting that weren’t provided. However that didn’t stop us from having an incredible trip. Our driver Ilyace took great care of our family and really helped make our trip enjoyable

My family and I enjoyed many parts of our trip to Morocco beginning with the original city center in Rabat, the Andalusian Gardens and Chellah Necropolis.
Charif, a licensed tour guide, a very welcome addition to our tour joined us in Fes. The Roman ruins of Volubilis , tour of Fes and dining experience with a local family in Fes were both interesting and valued experiences. We did not have the dining experience at L'Amandier Palais Faraj.

The Tiziri Luxury Camp was a unique and thoroughly enjoyable experience. Staff there were cheerful and helpful but it would have been an asset to have Charif with us (there were no accomondations available for him) .

Marrakesh was an interesting city and the Secret Gardens were delightful. The food tour coming at the end of our trip was less interesting as it consisted almost enrtirely (snails excepted) of items we had sampled many times before. The dinner at the end of the food tour was up two steep flights of stairs to a mediocre setting where we were served the poorest meats of the trip - dry and overcooked.

The accommodations were beautiful and comfortable, an experience in and of themselves.

I will take some responsibility for not being explicit enough regarding my limitations but I see no indication that Said read or took seriously any of my requests or comments as we planned this trip. His description of Rachid as a driver guide who could provide us with knowledge of sites, culture and history was frankly preposterous. He did add Charif on Day 3 and we all appreciated his expertise.

The pacing of the trip was not good with too many hours riding in the van and not enough time to explore the sites we were in. Said's travel time estimates were universally off. This was epitomized by the trip to Chefchouen where we arrived at 8:00 PM and the hotel was still a 1/2 mile steep climb from the street (I got a ride with the luggage but the rest hiked it). The itinerary showed a number of interesting sites but no time to see any of them. We delayed our departure the next morning to noon but there were only two people of the group willing and able to hike up and down that mountainside. I would eliminate that stop from the itinerary unless it was a two night stay and although the hotel was lovely and the staff wonderful it was not an appropriate choice for us.

The Casablanca Hotel and Merzouga were the only sites where we were transported to the entrance; several other hotels involved walking 5-10 minutes from the van to the accommodation. A statement by Said that the van would be available at all times, even during walking tours proved quite inaccurate. There were many place the van simply couldn't go. On the last day my daughter and I got a ride from the Secret Gardens to the van via a motorbike cab, a welcome accommodation I would gladly have paid for during the entire tour.

I expected to sit by at points during the tour as I recognize my limitations but it was disappointing to realize that Said didn't attend to that or our desire for a competent tour guide from the onset.

None of these criticisms is meant to indicate that the trip was a bust for I did enjoy seeing this beautiful country with my family that had been on my wish list for some time. I'm sure most or all of them would rate the experience highly and I invite you to ask them directly. Their perspective is certainly different from mine. I know we all appreciated Charif.

We had an incredible stay in Morocco. From the early planning stages with the Kimkim team and Saïd to our arrival in the airport when we were greeted by our personal driver for the week Soufiane. He was a very kind, friendly, knowledgeable and respectful person who we felt instantly comfortable with. He seemed to know everyone wherever we stopped and had great relationships. Our tour guide in Marrakesh on the first day was very knowledgeable and friendly I can’t remember his name.
During our trip to the desert Soufiane stopped in several locations along the way to May our drive more comfortable. The guys at the Luxury Camp were so nice, the food was very good and their service outstanding. We will never forget this vacation.

Hotel Reviews

Palais Sebban

Marrakech

We loved staying at this Riad. It was wonderful. On our first day we had a really large room with views of the inner courtyard. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner that night with a Belly dancer show and singers. An unexpected experience. Everyone at the Riad was super friendly and kind. Even one of the waiters remembered that my husbands stomach was not feeling so good and offered to make him a special tea. On our return from the desert we stayed here again for one night and stayed in a smaller room above the pool area. This one was not as glamorous but everything worked well.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Well located at a close entry to the Medina

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Dar Rihana Dades

Douar Aït Ouffi

Nice place to stay. Was really cold but heat finally kicked in. Breakfast was nice and dinner was also very good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Run by two brothers. They were very friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds were very firm and heat takes a while to warm up but otherwise a nice stay

Tiziri Luxury Camp

Merzouga

T

Authenticity & Character

Location

Luxury camp located in the middle of the desert. Nice view of sunrise from the sand dunes.

Staff

The guys were very friendly, food was good, music and entertainment at night was very nice.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nice touch with the heated blankets to warm you up in the cold desert nights. Heater also was very helpful and the extra blankets.

Riad Ouarzazate

Ouarzazate

This was our least favorite Riad. The staff were very friendly and kind however the food was not good. This is in the middle of nowhere so there isn’t much to do here it was just an overnight stay on our way back from the desert.

Authenticity & Character

Quality of the food

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Half-Day Guided Tour of Marrakech

Marrakesh

Our guide for the half day tour of Marrakesh was great. He was timely, professional, friendly and very flexible to our needs.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day trip from Marrakech to Amizmiz Valley

Marrakesh

This day trip to the Amizmiz Valley was nice. We hiked for about 3 hours and then had lunch at a Berber home. People were all very humble and kind everywhere we went. Our guide was very nice and the meal at lunch was good!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer from Marrakech to Boumalne Dades

Morocco

Soufiane was an excellent driver during the entire trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer from Dades to Merzouga via Todra Gorges & Erfoud

Morocco

This is a long day overall. Our driver did his best to make it more manageable by making frequent stops for bathroom, looking points, lunch, coffee etc.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sand-Boarding in Erg Chebbi

Merzouga

We never got to do this. We arrived too late at the luxury camp and were never offered to do this activity.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer from Merzouga to Ouarzazate via Draa Valley

Morocco

Parts of this journey were long and boring. The stops in some of these towns were in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do.

Quality of Experience

Food

The food in the last Riad we stayed at before leaving for Marrakesh was not very good.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A Journey from Ouarzazate to Marrakech

Morocco

Uneventful ride back to Marrakesh. Our driver stopped for us in several looking points and for lunch.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Moroccan Hammam at Les Bains De Marrakech

Marrakesh

I had a reservation for this Hammam however at the last minute our driver took us to a different one without telling us. I felt a little uneasy about this change. It decided to just give it a chance. The Hammam we went to was Les Bains de Alhambra and it turned out to be very good service. I’m still not sure why the change was done when I had clearly requested that one.

Quality of Experience

Great massage and Hammam

Guides, Drivers and Staff

It was nice that our drivers

Transport

A fabulous trip to Morocco made possible by Said and his team at Original travels.
The accommodation was of a high standard and we particularly enjoyed the stay at the Riads, Riad Al Rimal in Marrakech and Riad Dar Rihanna Dades. The highlight for us was the camel safari and glamping in the desert and being introduced to the Berber culture. Another bucket list tick was our visit to the charming blue city of Chefchouen. Shout out to our guides, Hanan in Marrakech and Azzdine in Fes for introducing us to their beautiful cities and for their patience in guiding us through the wonderful sights. A huge thank you to our wonderful driver Oussama for our safe and smooth journey across Morocco. He was an exceptional driver and very professional, courteous and attentive to our needs including being flexible with start times. His driving skills, knowledge of the land and local people was exemplary. Oussama is a real asset to the company and I am happy to recommend him for future travellers to Morocco.
Shukran!!!

Hotel Reviews

Riad al Rimal

Marrakech

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right in the heart of the Medina

Staff

Mohammed (Night and Day) were very attentive to all our needs :)

Cleanliness & Comfort

Dar Rihana Dades

Douar Aït Ouffi

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

The chef whipped up some amazing gourmet food that was delicious and visually appealing as well :)

Cleanliness & Comfort

Orient Desert Camp

Merzouga

Authenticity & Character

Loved the Berber cultural experience

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palais Medina & Spa

Fès

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very comfy beds and great breakfast buffet

Puerta Azul

Chefchaouen

Charming and quaint hotel painted in shades of blue, walking distance to Medina and the blue streets.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Barceló Casablanca

Casablanca

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Marrakesh Evening Food Tour

Marrakesh

Quality of Experience

Food

Loved the Lamb Tangia

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Hanan was a wonderful guide, introducing us to the variety of foods and drinks.

We want to express our deepest gratitude for the outstanding service we received during our tour of Morocco. Karim, our guide, and Ikhelf, our driver, not only fulfilled their duties but consistently went above and beyond to ensure we had an unforgettable experience.

Tangier was our first stop, and Karim introduced us to the city’s rich history with great enthusiasm. He guided us through the Medina, Cape Spartel, and the Hercules Caves, sharing fascinating anecdotes and historical facts that brought these places to life.

In Fes, Karim led us through its impressive Medina, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, helping us appreciate the city’s ancient traditions. His patience and attention to detail were remarkable, especially during our visit to the Chouwara tannery, where he explained the intricate processes of traditional leatherwork.
Chefchaouen felt like a dream in blue. Karim not only showed us the city’s iconic spots but also took us to local artisans’ workshops, allowing us to engage with their craft and learn more about their work. This personal touch made the visit even more special.

At the Roman ruins of Volubilis, Karim amazed us with his knowledge of ancient history. Every mosaic and column had a story behind it, and he ensured we fully understood and appreciated them.

In Casablanca, we visited the Hassan II Mosque, and thanks to Karim’s explanations, we were able to grasp both its architectural brilliance and its cultural significance. We also enjoyed a stroll along the Corniche, where he shared excellent local recommendations.

Rabat allowed us to discover landmarks such as the Hassan Tower, the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, and the Kasbah of the Udayas. Karim highlighted the historical significance of each site, connecting the dots of Moroccan history in a clear and passionate way.

Finally, Marrakech was a vibrant burst of colors and culture. From Jemaa el-Fna Square to the Majorelle Gardens and Bahia Palace, Karim made every corner meaningful. He even took the time to personalize our experience by suggesting additional activities and places based on our interests.

Ikhelf, on the other hand, was an incredible professional. He always greeted us with a smile and ensured that our journeys between cities were smooth and safe. His kindness and willingness to assist us at every moment were truly exceptional.

What truly impressed us was how both Karim and Ikhelf exceeded our expectations at every turn. Whether it was sharing personal stories, offering local insights, or ensuring every detail of the trip was flawless, they were always one step ahead.

We are deeply grateful for their dedication and would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone looking to explore Morocco in an authentic and enriching way. Thank you for making this journey truly special!

Amazing experience would definitely recommend. Our driver Ilyace has been amazing and made our long drives fun and interesting. I love the tiziri camp amazing food indeed and the whole experience. The local family has been so hospitable as well and we felt at home. The food tour is a must for sure Said has been amazing to feed us and made sure we enjoyed it. Fatima is amazing as well sharing her knowledge about Fez. We also enjoyed the food indeed Dar Rihana, still craving of the food and the presentation of the food is amazing.

Hotel Reviews

Barceló Casablanca

Casablanca

They went over and beyond to make our stay amazing and a birthday surprise for my hubby

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lina Ryad & Spa

Chefchaouen

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Salam Fes

Fes

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The bed smells like something foul i dont know if its from The rest room or something

Dar Rihana Dades

Douar Aït Ouffi

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tiziri Luxury Camp

Merzouga

From start to finish a luxury in the desert indeed. The best sleep we ever had and the food is amazing. The staff are all truly hospitable

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palais Sebban

Marrakech

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Half-Day Guided Sightseeing in Fes

Fes

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer to Dades Valley via Todra Gorges

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Architectural Elegance: A Journey through the Hassan II Mosque

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dine with a local family

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hammam & Spa Experience Marrakech

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Quick Tour of Casablanca with your Driver-guide

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chefchaoeun to Fez via Volubilis, Moulay Idriss & Meknes

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Marrakesh Evening Food Tour

Marrakesh

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer from Fez to Merzouga Desert

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sand-Boarding in Erg Chebbi

Merzouga

We didn’t get to experience this

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer from Boumalne Dades to Marrakech via the Atlas Mountains

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half-Day Guided Tour of Marrakech

Marrakesh

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport