Yassin is a great guide and driver. We felt very safe. It is a very very long drive so you should really keep that in mind. But it is a perfect way to see more of Marocco and the sites where beautful. Yassin was on time, friendly, flexible and respectable for our space. The car was very comfortable, got a lot of water. The only downside was that there wasn't a lot of information about the sites. But all together a great day and great trip!
MiraThePumpkin
10 Aug 2019
On the day of the trip, we were picked up by a young man from the company (I forgot his name, unfortunately!), who was our guide and driver. We went to the top of Atlas mountain, which is a bit more than 2km higher than the sea level. The guide was a nice guy who is originally from a tribal Berber community. Despite he was raised in mountains in houses made of stone, far from Marrakesh, he managed to get high education and moved to Marrakesh. On the way up to the Atlas, we passed many of awe-inspiring Berber villages, which looked like if they were lost in time.
We visited Kasbah Telouet, built in the 18-19th centuries, which belonged to one influential guy who was of almost king status over Berbers and Marrakesh people. He was a son of slaves, a ruthless guy, killing those who would oppose him. He was a friend of France but lost his power eventually. His house/castle has only partially survived.
Next, we went to Ait-Ben-Haddou, another UNESCO heritage site. It is a group of earthen buildings surrounded by high walls. This is a traditional pre-Saharan habitat. The houses crowd together within the defensive walls, which are reinforced by corner towers. The oldest constructions were built in the 17th century, and since then little has changed about them – there’s no electricity, no sewers, and you need to go 3km away with a donkey from the settlement to get water. There’s a river nearby, which actually looks like a tiny stream of water. The water is very salty there, and people wash their clothes there. There’s something like an oasis where people grow some apples, figs, dates and almonds, and, if you are lucky, you can catch some fish. The village is strategically located on a route between Sahara and Marrakech. Crafters of the village would sell their crafts for food. They also would buy salt to preserve food for longer. Their storage place is on the top of the tallest hill, where villagers looked for caravans, stored food supplies, and where women and children hid if someone dared to attack the village.
Interestingly, many movies were filmed there, including Game of Thrones and Gladiator.
Our local guide also brought us into one shop where one seller showed a method used for writing secret messages. For example, you can use very sugary tea instead of ink on the paper. When it dries out, you don’t see anything, but if you bring this paper to fire, the sugar caramelises, and you see the message. He gave me a little painting he did in less than 10 seconds as a gift. I had no cash to buy any of his paintings – I regret this. The food in a restaurant nearby was edible but not as good as in some places in Marrakesh.
On the way back, it was snowing heavily. Being in clouds felt wet and cold, but seeing heavy snow was something totally unexpected. The trip lasted 12h, and I got exhausted. However, I got to see so many great places and get immersed in a history of Morocco, I had a great company - our guide, who stopped any time my co-traveller or I asked him, and it is an amazing trip indeed.
I highly recommend this agency - I booked camel ride with them and was left highly satisfied.