Fez Luxury Private 3-day Desert tour to Marrakech

One of my most unforgettable experiences in nature! I have just returned from an absolutely fantastic trip to the Morocco and the Sahara desert. My adult daughter and I were fortunate to find Sami, with Planet of Morocco, who picked us up in Fez and took us to the south of the country to a Berber camp. The Berber people there are among the kindest people who can be found anywhere. They and the Planet of Morocco team, took us out into the desert on camels. There we sand boarded and climbed a high dune to see the sunset. After our ride back we had a delicious meal of tajine, salad, and a fruit dessert. We then danced around a fire to Berber drumming. Our accommodations were fabulous. Yes, tents, but more than tents--the Hyatt Regency of tents, private bathroom, shower, king size bed, and even a cat (which can be optional). I believe my desert trip was one of the most fun things I have done in my life. Then, on the way to Marrakech, we stopped at a women's carpet cooperative. Sami helped us with the bargaining. We both ended up with lovely Berber carpets. We could not have afforded them without his help. (Don't worry, we didn't exploit the women. Insane bargaining is the national sport of Morocco.) Sami is extremely cordial. For example, one night, I came in about midnight. When I came in, Sammy told me he was very tired. He looked beat! I later found some of the group wanted some bottled water. Even though it was after midnight and he was very tired, Sami drove them around searching for about an hour until they could find a place open so they could buy some. He's that kind of guy. If you are coming to Morocco, I highly recommend Sami with the Planet of Morocco. He will take good care of you and you will have a great time in Morocco.

My 70-something Dad and I booked this private tour. Our guide was Sami, and we spent time with another younger group who had Fouad as their guide. It was a fantastic experience! Most importantly, we were always comfortable and safe. Sami took good care of us. Communication was easy. Sami can speak English, French, and Arabic all in the same minute. He laughed with us and he helped us navigate bargaining for hand-made Berber carpets. He let us know when we were passing the last restaurant or toilette for the next 50 miles or so. He stopped on a dime when I asked if I could take a picture of a bird sitting on a power pole. I am from a town in the mountains of North Carolina. At first, to me, Sami's driving seemed crazy, but after watching a while, I realized that he was driving fairly defensively. He was clearly aware of where he needed to be ready to stop or speed up. He was watching what other drivers and other pedestrians were doing. He was ready in case they did something funny. He slowed for animals and although he passed several times on those narrow curvy roads, he never passed when I felt uncomfortable. When he turned us over to the people in the "camp", he stayed with us most of the time, but we had another set of beautiful people working with us. M'hummad who led our camels into the dunes was fabulous! There are 3 M'hummad's and I think this was the elder. He was funny and kind. He took pictures of us as a group, and he took our camels off the long ropes to take pictures of just Dad and me together. He helped us all get started on the sandboard. Later, he danced with us as the drums were played around the fire. The dinner in the "camp" was fabulous salad, tagine, and fruit. The water provided to drink was bottled water. The water in our cabin's shower, sink, and toilet did not have much pressure at all, so I never even really got enough to know if the shower got hot. I had read that there would be bugs to take lots of bug spray. I didn't see any bugs and didn't get any bites. Maybe earlier in the year there are bugs? We did have a cat invite himself into our room, but I think he would have run away if we had tried to scare him off. The second and third days we spent a little more time with Fouad and the rest of the group. What a neat group of people! Fouad and Sami obviously work well together, and that helped us all to have more fun together. Sami figured out that he and my Dad both like Ray Charles, so we spent some time singing "What'd I say" and "Hit the Road Jack" before we moved on to some Keb' Mo and then Dad's favorite-ACDC. One thing I did not expect was the police who stop vehicles every 50, 60, 70 miles? Sometimes they wave you through. Sometimes they make you pull over and they come get documents from the driver. Sami would get out and talk. Often I would hear laughing. Then Sami would come back and we would drive on. I was startled the first time or two, but apparently this is a common occurrence. We were sad when our tour ended and Sami and Fouad had to leave us. I would recommend Sami and Fouad to any adventure-bound traveler!

Very recommended, very fair price, ask for Mohamed! (Send greetings from Tommy & his crew!) We hired the tour, we doubted a lot because there are many Business. They picked us up at our hostel at the indicated time. The van was in very good condition and was very comfortable. Mohammed, the guide, was super friendly and attentive all the time, he is a very good person and knows a lot about many topics in general, in addition to what you see along the way. The trip is long but it is well worth it, you go through many different landscapes and climates, until you reach the desert, the people who work at the campsite are very friendly and fun, the food is super abundant and delicious. We were able to see the night sky and the sunrise, beautiful. The second day you travel to Ouarzazate, you pass through some very beautiful towns, in Risani we got off and the company had hired a local guide, who explained many things about the place and the culture of the Sahara in general, very interesting. That night we slept in Ouarzazate where we slept in a wonderful hotel, very luxurious, clean and with buffet dinner included. The next day (among other things)! We went to Ait Ben Haddou, with plenty of time to explore and get to know, then we set off for Marrakech, where they left us very close to our hotel, which, being in the medina, is not accessible by car. The truth is a very nice experience, we had a great time and relaxed because they take care of everything. All the people who work know a lot and it is very nice to share with them. Thanks !!