Thank you Kimkim, Original Travels, and Reda!
Morocco
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Mar 24 - Mar 31, 2024
We are so glad we planned this trip through Kimkim. The interface was very user-friendly and connected us with the amazing team at Original Travels in Morocco. Abdellah’s expertise showed in our itinerary that packed a whole spectrum of experiences in only a one-week trip. Throughout the whole planning process, Abdellah was consistently professional, responsive, informative, and inquisitive to make sure he was planning a trip tailored specifically to our interests. Before embarking on the trip, Said and Abdellah provided us with all necessary contact information and confirmations, as well as warm wishes. When our flight got delayed by 12 hours, Abdellah was immediately able to provide an adjusted itinerary and new accommodations for the first night.
Upon exiting the airport in Casablanca we were welcomed by our absolutely incredible driver Reda. He assisted with our luggage and showed us to the very new, clean, comfortable vehicle we would spend much of the next week riding in. Our trip to Morocco would not have been the same without Reda. He is flexible, accommodating, knowledgeable, fun, funny, and punctual. His knowledge of everything we saw along the drives is vast and he was eager to share this and answer any questions we had about Moroccan culture and the sights along the way. He is a very strong English and French speaker. Additionally, he taught us some words in Moroccan Arabic. We spent a lot of our trip in the car, and there was not a single moment we felt bored or uncomfortable. Reda treated us like family. His sense of humor is fantastic, he is unwaveringly kind, and always ready to graciously assist in any way possible. Reda’s driving was very safe, to the point of driving especially gently when one of us had fallen asleep in the car. He was always on time, always dressed sharply, and always ready to show us a great time. We truly enjoyed the time we spent with Reda.
Original Travels arranged a perfect itinerary allowing us to see and experience as much of Morocco as possible, learn from amazing guides, stay in the most beautiful Riads, eat the best foods, and enjoy every second of our trip. We rode camels, star-gazed, sand boarded, and rode ATV’s at our camp in the dunes of the Sahara Desert. We strolled the picturesque blue streets of Chefchaouen. We saw the ancient structures in Ait Benhaddou where scenes from several famous movies have been filmed. We drove through diverse landscapes, each more breathtaking than the last. We saw wild monkeys in the snowy Atlas Mountains. We ate a delicious and plentiful dinner with a warm and welcoming local family at their home in Fez. We toured Marrakech with the expert and endlessly knowledgeable guide, Hanan. We strolled the enchanting, historic grounds of Kasbat Titrit near Ait Benhaddou under the most beautiful sunset. We learned about the history of pottery, mosaics, leather making, carpet weaving by the Berber people, and got to tour a fossil quarry. We experienced so much history, went so many places, had so much fun, ate so much food, all without a single hiccup or delay.
We visited Morocco during Ramadan and were worried there would be a lack of food options during the day. However, there is an abundance of food available for tourists in cities and along the way. Thankfully, our guide, Reda, knew the best places to stop for food and clean bathrooms.
Before we packed for our trip we did a lot of research to make sure we wore the appropriate attire to accommodate for the weather, but also to be respectful of the people living there. While we dressed on the conservation side, we did notice that many tourists dressed however they wanted. Wearing a head scarf is not mandatory for female tourists, but we would still recommend you bring one.
Hotel Reviews
Lina Ryad & Spa served a wonderful dinner and breakfast. They provided a comfortable, spacious room. Don't miss out on the breathtaking panoramic view from the terrace!
This camp was incredible! There was a great setup, nice staff, good amenities. The campsite is eco-friendly, run by solar power. We were surprised that the showers were so nice and had plenty of hot water. The food was really good! The camel ride and the ATV ride through the dunes were once in a lifetime experiences.
Kasbah Titrit is the coolest hotel we have ever stayed at. The building is breathtakingly beautiful even from the main road. The grounds are enchanting, as you can freely walk through the remaining structures and corridors of the ancient Kasbah. The hotel is palatial and ornate, with a calming ambience and a substantial pool and spa. Our room was riveting and spacious with high ceilings and a large, private balcony where we could sit and look out at the lush valley below. The service at this hotel was of the highest caliber. Dinner and breakfast were beyond bountiful. They just kept bringing more and more of the most beautiful, delicious food. We consistently felt like we were the only guests in the entire establishment.
Perfect place to spend our last two nights in Morocco. The terraces were very large and relaxing. The bar was inviting and reasonably priced. The breakfast buffet offered a large selection of fresh and tasty food. The restaurant served a fantastic menu all day for lunch and dinner. On Friday night the restaurant features live music and a belly dancer. The music was lovely and the dancer was fun and engaging. When we checked out there were some charges on the bill for some food items we hadn't gotten. Fortunately, the receptionist suggested double-checking the bill before we paid and cleared up the accidental charges without hesitation. This did not seem like a regular occurrence and was obviously an accident. It only took an extra few minutes at checkout and the receptionist was apologetic.
Activity Reviews
We are very glad we added this to our itinerary! The Hassan II Mosque was huge! The craftsmanship was very impressive, the guide taught us a lot about the Mosque and Islam, and the grounds were very clean. This is a great experience to add to your itinerary if you'd like to learn about the culture because this is only mosque that non-muslims are allowed to visit.
The drive was beautiful but the weather was very cold and rainy, so we did not tour Volubilis, Moulay Idriss, nor Meknes. We did see the ruins and the towns from the car which was still really cool. The rain stopped shortly after we arrived in Chefchaouen so we were able to walk around the Medina. The Medina is beautiful and you can cover pretty much all of it within 60-90 minutes walking.
Due to a flight delay at the beginning of our trip, our time in Fez was cut in half. Fortunately, we were still able to fit a lot in! We got to walk through the ancient Medina; we visited a mosaics and pottery factory to learn the history of them and how they are made; we went to a tannery to see how leather is made; we saw one of the king's palaces, and his brother's palace; and we got to see the old tower at the top of the hill.
We were very excited to be invited to a Moroccan home, especially because it was during Ramadan so we got to have Iftar with the family. Our driver, Reda, also attended with us because the family that hosted us did not speak English. The food was amazing and plentiful. We ate so much that we skipped breakfast the next day! Our host, Said, and his family were welcoming and hospitable and their home inside the Medina was beautiful. This was a great educational, culinary, cultural experience.
We weren't in the desert long enough to go to any big dunes for sand boarding, but we did try sand boarding on a tiny dune at camp and it was fun!
This was the most exciting part of our trip! If you are still trying to decide if you want to do this, we recommend you do it! It was over an hour long and we had so much fun! The guide was very accommodating. He saw that we had a GoPro, but were recording from the handle bars, so he ripped some material from his scarf and used it to tie the GoPro to the ATV so we didn't have to hold it. We got some really cool videos from our ride! He also took a break about half way through the ride to take pictures of us out in the dunes.
So cool! Passed through the Atlas Mountains and we got to see some wild monkeys! There was a variety of landscapes ranging from snowy mountains, to rocky hills, to sandy desert. There were many pretty panoramic views and pit stops along the way. We also stopped at a cool fossil museum close to the end of our drive. Also, once we finally got to the desert, we got to take a 2 hour camel ride to the camp site. This was a once in a lifetime experience! Seeing the beautiful sunrise on the back of a camel was like a dream!
This drive was another cool drive! We enjoyed seeing the valleys, the gorge, all the kasbahs, and the views of the landscape. We also stopped at a carpet factory that taught us the history of how the Berber women make the carpets/rugs, and how the different tribes make different types of carpets/rugs to accommodate for the different climates in which they live. For food, we stopped at a restaurant with lots of seating. The food was good!
This was another beautiful drive! We saw more of the Atlas Mountains, villages built right into the side of the mountain, pretty views, windy roads, and some damage from the earthquake in September of 2023. We also stopped at Ait Benhaddou in the morning before our drive and saw the location of many famous scenes from movies that filmed in North Africa.
We hired a private guide to take us through Marrakech. Our guide Hanan, the first female tour guide from her town in the Middle Atlas Mountains, was fantastic! Very knowledgeable, kind, informative, smart, and friendly. She took us to Bahai Palace. The palace was extremely beautiful with some of the best craftsmanship we've ever seen. Such detail in every single inch of the palace. We also were happy to have Hanan with us there because everyone else was just walking around looking, while we had detailed explanations of what each room was as well as details about the thought and love that went into designing and building the palace. After the palace, she took us through the ancient Medina. This was a cool experience, but we are so glad we had her with us! We got to see all the products that different people were selling, we got to go to the section where the artisans were making their items, and we got to see the Jewish section of the market. Hanan gave us recommendations of good places to eat and good roof top views to check out while in Marrakech. Once the tour was over, she walked us back to our riad. After that, we ate lunch at our riad (Palais Sebban) and then headed back out again with Reda to the Majorelle Gardens. The gardens were very pleasing and relaxing. We enjoyed seeing all the cacti, flowers, koi, and birds. Also, admission to the gardens grants you admission to the Berber museum on the property. We were unable to take pictures in there, so we don't have anything from there in our included photos. However, it is worth checking out the museum. It is very informative and doesn't take long. However, all the information is written in French, so if you don't know French, you can just look and skip the reading. The riad had a show on Friday nights with local musicians and a belly dancer. If you are staying there, we recommend attending!
