Traveling in Morocco. Please help me pick tour options!
June 11, 2015 2:35 PM Subscribe
I will be in Morocco for ten days in July. There are two small group tours that I've selected, with each of them having a feature that I like that the other doesn't have.
These are the two tours I've chosen:
Morocco 1: Casablanca, Fes, Todra Gorge, Ait Ben-Haddou, Marrakech
Morocco 2: Casablanca, Rabat/ Moulay Idriss, Volubilis/ Fes, Chefchaouen/ Tangier, Marrakech
Option 1 does not visit Chefchaouen (and I really want to visit Chefchaouen, and possibly the Cave of Hercules), but it does have an overnight stay in the Sahara, with a camel ride into the desert.
Option 2 does visit Chefchaouen, but does not include a desert stay.
If I do Option 1, there's a possibility of flying in a couple days early into Tangier, visiting Chefchaouen and the Cave, and then moving on to Casablanca for the start of the tour. Perhaps if I stay at an upscale hotel in Tangier, they could assign a taxi driver for me for the day? With Option 2, I plan on staying an extra day in Marrakech to visit a couple key places before I leave.
1. Does anyone have tips on easily getting to Chefchaouen from Tangier? And to the Cave of Hercules? Should I hire a guide for the day, and if I do, how to find a reliable one?
2. If you've already been to Morocco, which of these tours would you say is the better one in terms of a first time traveler to Morocco?
3. If you know of a good guide, or a different tour in the timeframe of June 25 - July 12, I'd gladly welcome your input!
If I had more time in the country, I'd have planned my own itinerary (although with some hesitation given the harassment that's invariably directed at solo female travelers. I'm an experienced solo traveler, but with a short period of time I'd like to cover the basics and possibly return if I love it).
Thank you very much for your input, MeFites! I know we have some savvy travelers in here!
These are the two tours I've chosen:
Morocco 1: Casablanca, Fes, Todra Gorge, Ait Ben-Haddou, Marrakech
Morocco 2: Casablanca, Rabat/ Moulay Idriss, Volubilis/ Fes, Chefchaouen/ Tangier, Marrakech
Option 1 does not visit Chefchaouen (and I really want to visit Chefchaouen, and possibly the Cave of Hercules), but it does have an overnight stay in the Sahara, with a camel ride into the desert.
Option 2 does visit Chefchaouen, but does not include a desert stay.
If I do Option 1, there's a possibility of flying in a couple days early into Tangier, visiting Chefchaouen and the Cave, and then moving on to Casablanca for the start of the tour. Perhaps if I stay at an upscale hotel in Tangier, they could assign a taxi driver for me for the day? With Option 2, I plan on staying an extra day in Marrakech to visit a couple key places before I leave.
1. Does anyone have tips on easily getting to Chefchaouen from Tangier? And to the Cave of Hercules? Should I hire a guide for the day, and if I do, how to find a reliable one?
2. If you've already been to Morocco, which of these tours would you say is the better one in terms of a first time traveler to Morocco?
3. If you know of a good guide, or a different tour in the timeframe of June 25 - July 12, I'd gladly welcome your input!
If I had more time in the country, I'd have planned my own itinerary (although with some hesitation given the harassment that's invariably directed at solo female travelers. I'm an experienced solo traveler, but with a short period of time I'd like to cover the basics and possibly return if I love it).
Thank you very much for your input, MeFites! I know we have some savvy travelers in here!
When I was in Morocco, I did both a trip into the Sahara and visited Chefchaouen. They were both fabulous, for different reasons, but the highlight of that trip was definitely the Sahara. Chefchaouen was beautiful and a welcome respite after the craziness of Marrakesh and Fes, but in the end, it's just a beautiful relaxed city. If it's one or the other, do the desert.
posted by toby_ann at 4:38 PM on June 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by toby_ann at 4:38 PM on June 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
Tour #1. Fes is worth a week alone if you can swing it, camels in the desert from Merzouga is a lot of fun and Todra Gorge is a very pretty drive. Aït Ben Haddou beats Rabat hands down. The only downside is a single night in Marrakesh when you need at least 3 sunsets to work out the best spots to experience the Djeema El Fna as it wakes up for the evening.
posted by N-stoff at 10:59 PM on June 11, 2015
posted by N-stoff at 10:59 PM on June 11, 2015
I did a tour with Intrepid, but not *your* tour with Intrepid. As a tour company I found them fantastic, our guide was local and excellent and the other people on the tour had similar ideas about travel to me.
Obviously my priorities are not necessarily yours, but my highlights were Fez, Todra Gorge and the Sahara (I did not go to Chefchaouen). Nearly every tour starts or ends in Casablanca, but avoid spending anymore time there than you have to - the only thing worth seeing is the Mosque, and half a day is plenty.
Moroccans are friendly and interesting people, especially if you attempt to speak Arabic (however bad you are). I am about as obvious a foreigner as you can get (young blonde small woman) and I was never made to feel unsafe or uncomfortable.
posted by cloverthistle at 1:43 AM on June 12, 2015
Obviously my priorities are not necessarily yours, but my highlights were Fez, Todra Gorge and the Sahara (I did not go to Chefchaouen). Nearly every tour starts or ends in Casablanca, but avoid spending anymore time there than you have to - the only thing worth seeing is the Mosque, and half a day is plenty.
Moroccans are friendly and interesting people, especially if you attempt to speak Arabic (however bad you are). I am about as obvious a foreigner as you can get (young blonde small woman) and I was never made to feel unsafe or uncomfortable.
posted by cloverthistle at 1:43 AM on June 12, 2015
Desert! Wonderful. Comfortable. The Berbers are welcoming and gracious. Drink some camel milk. Sit around a bonfire. If you are lucky the Berbers who work your camp will drag out their drums and jam And dance for and with you.
Why Casablanca?
posted by leafwoman at 7:48 AM on June 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
Why Casablanca?
posted by leafwoman at 7:48 AM on June 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
Definitely option 1! And instead of going to Chefchaouen, spend an extra two days in Marrakech at the end of your trip. Go visit the gardens of Yves Saint Laurent (I don't remember the name), and explore some of the high-end cuisine as well as the street-food on the Djeema El Fna. See the ancient madrassa. Or stay longer in the desert, I would love to do that.
While I do understand the love for Chefchaouen, it is just another picturesque touristic destination. There are so many amazing and unique experiences in Morocco, really, and the Sahara and the Berbers are different from anyone and anywhere else.
One of the things I really like about Morocco, and was surprised at first time I went, was the rich and diverse landscapes - there were truffles being sold at the roadside in the oak forests between Rabat and Fes. There is skiing in the winter in the Atlas, and villages up there with an alpine feel. There is the desert, and it's huge changes from night to day and it's unique population. There are the coasts, with coastal plains and fishing villages and lovely resorts on great beaches. There are verdant agricultural areas. There are the dramatic natural phenomena like the Todra Gorge (which I haven't managed to see yet). It's the perfect country, and I could go there again and again.
I've been to Marrakech twice, under really different circumstances. First time was with an adult group, with a lot of focus on culture, time enough for every experience and lodgings a bit off the tourist tracks. Also spending a little more money on food, though it was still extremely cheap from my European perspective. That was wonderful, and one understood why it is a favorite holiday spot for the rich and famous. I'd love to go there again with my family.
Second time was with my students, and in spite of my best attempts, there was a lot of focus on the cheap bars and restaurants and shopping, a hostel 2 mins from the Djeema El Fna, and very scattered experiences at the cultural sites. That was terrifying and chaotic - it felt like the worst tourist trap ever.
I found this article looking for a link for the Al Fassia restaurant - it's not half bad. Al Fassia is run by women and staffed by women, and has some of the best traditional cuisine in Morocco.
No matter what, I agree that Fes is the most amazing city in Morocco, and that shopping should be done there, if you are thinking of that. Not only is everything cheaper than in Marrakech, it is also more authentic and beautiful.
Compared to other North African and Arab countries, women can move about almost without problems. Moroccan women are strong. (Even my long-legged, blonde, 20-year-old Scandinavian students felt safe everywhere).
Also, I quite liked Casablanca. It is a rough city, with a lot of crime - not at all as safe as the rest of Morocco. But it has an energy that is quite charming and it is worth some hours. Visit the grand mosque on the seafront, and walk around - maybe go out to the university on the tram to see modern Morocco. But I wouldn't go off the main streets alone there.
posted by mumimor at 10:45 AM on June 12, 2015 [2 favorites]
While I do understand the love for Chefchaouen, it is just another picturesque touristic destination. There are so many amazing and unique experiences in Morocco, really, and the Sahara and the Berbers are different from anyone and anywhere else.
One of the things I really like about Morocco, and was surprised at first time I went, was the rich and diverse landscapes - there were truffles being sold at the roadside in the oak forests between Rabat and Fes. There is skiing in the winter in the Atlas, and villages up there with an alpine feel. There is the desert, and it's huge changes from night to day and it's unique population. There are the coasts, with coastal plains and fishing villages and lovely resorts on great beaches. There are verdant agricultural areas. There are the dramatic natural phenomena like the Todra Gorge (which I haven't managed to see yet). It's the perfect country, and I could go there again and again.
I've been to Marrakech twice, under really different circumstances. First time was with an adult group, with a lot of focus on culture, time enough for every experience and lodgings a bit off the tourist tracks. Also spending a little more money on food, though it was still extremely cheap from my European perspective. That was wonderful, and one understood why it is a favorite holiday spot for the rich and famous. I'd love to go there again with my family.
Second time was with my students, and in spite of my best attempts, there was a lot of focus on the cheap bars and restaurants and shopping, a hostel 2 mins from the Djeema El Fna, and very scattered experiences at the cultural sites. That was terrifying and chaotic - it felt like the worst tourist trap ever.
I found this article looking for a link for the Al Fassia restaurant - it's not half bad. Al Fassia is run by women and staffed by women, and has some of the best traditional cuisine in Morocco.
No matter what, I agree that Fes is the most amazing city in Morocco, and that shopping should be done there, if you are thinking of that. Not only is everything cheaper than in Marrakech, it is also more authentic and beautiful.
Compared to other North African and Arab countries, women can move about almost without problems. Moroccan women are strong. (Even my long-legged, blonde, 20-year-old Scandinavian students felt safe everywhere).
Also, I quite liked Casablanca. It is a rough city, with a lot of crime - not at all as safe as the rest of Morocco. But it has an energy that is quite charming and it is worth some hours. Visit the grand mosque on the seafront, and walk around - maybe go out to the university on the tram to see modern Morocco. But I wouldn't go off the main streets alone there.
posted by mumimor at 10:45 AM on June 12, 2015 [2 favorites]
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Seriously, don't go all the way to Morocco and not stay in the desert.
posted by chainsofreedom at 4:13 PM on June 11, 2015 [1 favorite]