AmandaCoganBarber
05 Mar 2023
I loved the most of the experience and find it really difficult to pick out one particular part! I felt we saw a lot of Morocco on this 3 day 2 night tour, some really breath takingly beautiful sights like the jaw dropping Snow Capped Atlas Mountains, Ait Benhaddou, location in "Game of Thrones ""The Mummy" "Gladiator" etc, the Valley where there was an ancient Jewish Kasbah in an Oasis of Date Palms where you felt like you'd REALLY stepped back in time! and of course the Erg Chebbi Dunes at Dusk with their vibrant Orange Sands that glowed like Fire! We also smelled some amazing aromatic fragrances and some not so pretty or sweet and saw some sights that weren't so beautiful!.. but this gave a more rounded experience and left me feeling that I had actually been on an adventure not just a holiday! It's the first time I felt like I was really seeing the world and how other people lived such as the Berber Tribes going about their daily life, especially if I also include our stays in Marrakech and Fez before and after the Tour which where the pickup and drop off points. The road trip itself gave an insight into how people live in Morocco and the Sahara, even if it was fleeting glimpses as we passed by. The landscapes you see are so diverse and at times you feel like you could be in many different countries!
Our Driver and Guide Ibrahim, was informative and funny, and our other Guide Ousamma was friendly, sweet and very helpful and couldn't do enough for me! Ibrahim played Gnawa Music throughout Tour in the Mini Bus which made the journey feel more authentic and we loved it! We've even downloaded some of it since (Gnawa is traditional Moroccan Music).
The luxury Desert Camp at Erg Chebbi totally blew us away!!.. and was everything I'd ever dreamed of from being a little girl, and far exceeded our expectations!! Our private Tent was luxurious, warm, clean and comfortable with a Shower, Toilet,4 Poster Bed and Charging Points! The live Gnawa Music around the Camp Fire, opportunity to have a go at the Drums, Dance, and eat great food made it a really fun night!, especially after just having rode on the back of a Camel into the stunning Erg Chebbi Dunes!
For me, the negatives where sometimes I felt like we where rushed through certain parts that really did need more time spent at them, not really having a proper chance to take things in, and also didn't enter the Film studio at all, which is a selling point used in the advertisement, and there where points we where not allowed to have a look around instead of going into the a Restaraunt for lunch which was chosen for us and not very cheap with a limited menu, which also disappointed a few other guests as it would have been good to see more of Ait Benhaddou for example, instead of having to sit uncomfortably with others whilst they ate and we just wanted to explore, but this is a short Tour where they need people to be in a certain place at a certain time so I do understand why they wanted to keep us together at these points! We also found that wherever we ended up there was nearly always someone trying to sell us something which is great if that's what you want, but it did take away from the feeling of being on adventure at times and bit more like we where being just led to places where people could make money from us!
I feel the Tour should perhaps do a little bit less of spending time ending up at selling points and spend a bit more at the locations where we can just stay and take there beauty in without constantly being seen as someone to make money from. It's great to have the opportunity to purchase things here and there, but not all the time!
One thing I really didn't enjoy was the morning walk out that you can do yourself into the Dunes around the Camp to see the Sunrise, as there where men stood waiting outside the Camp who at first seemed like they where doing the same as us, then started to follow you and engage in friendly chat with you and after a few minutes you realize they too are just trying to sell you things, and you end up missing the Sunrise because they keep following you and trying to lead you to different points you don't want to go to and just want to be left alone, then using little gimmick acts to draw you in like drawing pictures for you in the Sand and suggesting they take your photo stood next to it, then getting goods out and not really taking no for an answer and follow you as you keep trying to walk away from them. It takes away from the Magic of seeing the Sunrise because again you are constantly being talked to and can't just enjoy it, and before you know it your a bit wound up and have missed a lot of what you came out to do! Again I know there are many poor people just trying to make a living, and I understand that and sympathise, but there are times that should be special where you are just left to your own devices where you can just relax and take it all in! This was our one morning in a whole lifetime so far to enjoy a moment like this, and it was dulled and we may never have the chance to do this again, so I think some boundaries should be put in place in some parts of the Tour.
So as not to end on a negative note, I would say the Tour was really good, we saw so much, met some amazing people along the way, and where in great company with our Guides Ibrahim and Ousamma and the other people on the Tour. It was definitely worth doing and the cost is great for the service you get, the accommodation and food that is provided, the transport, and we where picked up and dropped of very near the Riads we'd booked in Marrakech and Fez which made it so much easier for us! I may have some complaints, but I would still say that you should do it, even if you are just remotely thinking about it, as it was amazing and a trip of a lifetime! I would suggest maybe booking more than one night in the actual Desert part of the Tour as it is absolutely stunning and it would give you the chance to really take it it!
Es war unglaublich und alles war genau wie beschrieben. Ich bin froh, dass wir gegangen sind
Die Lodge war auch gut, der Fahrer hilfsbereit, alles verlief reibungslos