Zagora Desert Tour 2 days 1 night from Marrakech

I booked this trip for me and my family (5 adults) because a friend recommended it. And I have to admit it was worth it. Despite a long ride from Marrakesh to the dunes of Tinfou we enjoyed it and could gather a lot of insights in culture - historical and present. The visit of the UNESCO Site of Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah was one of several highlights as well as the camel ride - even that camel-guides were asking for tips - what is principally ok - it would be somehow good to be prepared because we left the most of our belongings in the car transporting our luggage to the camp. We had a fantastic meal. The musisians could coordinate themselves better but we had a lot of fun anyway dancing under the stars around a camp fire. Despite other descriptions we could sleep very well and had a wonderful breakfast. Also the tour back was amazing: The drâa valley and ist palmeries, insights of ceramic or argan oil production. It seems the the programm is individualised to the groups requirements. So five stars under the nightsky of millions of stars ...

We hired this company because lots of good comments and I am a little bit disappointed with it. I requested (and it was confirmed by email) an spanish speaker driver and driver was really good one and really friendly but he was not spanish speaker. Also the company told us that driver would meet us in the hotel and night before hotel got a call from the company saying that we should meet in the square and look for his car (we were provided target number). Trip to Tinfou camp from Marrakesh is long but Houcein (driver) made it fun and he was always willing to adapt to our needs and always very friendly and polite. I’ve been many times in Morocco and Houcein is the best driver ever because other times they were driving too fast and dangerously but this time driving was perfect. One we got to tinfou all went much worst. Place is nice (even if dunes are nothing to do with Merzouga obviously), but the guy with camels was asking us for tips and once we gave tip to him he didn’t want to put camels up for a picture so he left. Dinner was nice but breakfast very poor. The worst thing were tents. I have been several times on different desert camps in the world (Wadi Rum, Merzouga, Zagora, etc) and on luxury and non luxury tents with quite days and windy days but these tents were not ready to be sold for tourist. Plastic on the tent was hitting all night long the wood (that tent is made of) because the wind and it was impossible to sleep. We also asked other people in the camp and they could not sleep at all. I went out of the tents during the night several times and the wind was not that strong but noise inside the tent was horrible. We spent a horrible night and then we decided to leave the camp as soon as possible.

Our group of 6 (3 couples) booked a 2 day 1 night private tour with Discover Morocco Tours and it was the best part of our entire 18-day trip visiting 6 different countries in Europe (including an Eastern Mediterranean cruise). At first, I was skeptical to take this tour because of the distance (7 hour one-way drive to the camp base). But was I glad that I booked it. We were picked up at our riad in Marrekech promptly on the morning of the first day by our driver and Rachid. Rachid was more than a guide, he was our companion during this unforgettable journey. Our driver was very courteous and careful. We feft safe and comfortable with his driving on those winding, mountaineous roads. There was plenty of room for everyone to sit and relax on the mini bus. We visited all the places that was described in the tour. The UNESCO site of Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah was an eye opening. We had first hand encounter a Berber man who showed us his family home, how the people lived in the village with its glory history. I liked that private tour because we could stop along the way and had lunch when we want to without being rushed. It was totally customized for our needs. Rachid was very knowledgeable and funny. The camel ride was a highlight of the tour and the experience of staying in a middle of a desert under the moon and the stars was memorable. The sand dunes were not spetacular but because we were just on the border of the Sahara. One thing that set this tour above others was the way we were treated by Rachid. He was personable and genuinely caring about our needs/interests. He went above and beyond to make sure we don't get pressured and ripped off by the merchants. We had a pleasant surprise when he took us to the community that had a library that housed thousands of original quran and books that were written in Arabics. We met a young scholar there who took us around the migrant community. It was a rich cultural experience. We went back to Marrekech on day 2 evening with a feeling that this tour by far was the most intriguing and culturally satisfying. Thanks again Rachid for your hospitality. Highly recommended if you have only a few days and want to explore beyond the old Marrekech medina.