Greetings! If you are reading these reviews, you may be in the same position I was in at one time. For me, Morocco was a mysterious and alluring country inspired by the famous movie. It was also a predominantly Muslim country in Africa which were both firsts for my travels. As I did my research however, I discovered Morocco was nothing like that. Morocco is a beautiful blend of modern and traditional with the nicest people you could ever want to meet. Respectful followers of Muslim traditions but very accepting and tolerant of other people in cultures. I visited Morocco during Ramadan and found no inconvenience at all. Rather the opposite, I was invited to several homes to share in the traditional evening Break Fast. Ramadan soup, Breads, little pizzas, fresh squeezed Orange Juice, Tagines, Olives. Yummy!!
I never felt unsafe in any place or any time. I remained mindful of my surroundings while in the cities as I would in any urban area. Not out of concern for violent crime but more for petty things like pick pockets are people offering help for the purpose of receiving a tip. But sometimes the help is welcome and a $2 tip goes a long way. I was amazed at the landscapes. The coastal cities and villages with the great sunsets and seafood. Places where desert met ocean. A national park with limited but rare animals and even camels on the beach!!. The northern areas that looked more like Switzerland than Morocco. Green mountain sides and Cedar forests that included wild monkees I was able to feed. They would tug on my pant leg for more banana. The cities which were a combination of old and new. The walled old cites with the medinas that were car free and full of activity. These were very long and impressive walls I might add. Visits to hand made pottery enclaves and a traditional tannery. Then there was the deserts and the mountains (some with snow on them!). No end to the dramatic vistas and opportunities for photographs. Plus who can pass up riding a camel and sleeping in a very luxurious tent in the Sahara desert.
Most every thing is relatively cheap compared to western standards. Peas were 80 cents per kilo, oranges, bananas and bottled water were $1 per kilo/1.5liters respectively. Also the rooms in hotels and riads were a real bargain for what you got. In Fes for example, I got a 1600 square foot room including a huge bath and deck for about $90. The hotel even brought my food up to my deck and laid it all out for me. Again a $5 tip was hugely appreciated. Meals ranged from a about $6 with $30 being the most expensive for a large buffest. Most were in the $10 to $12 range.
The only thing I would warn about would be renting a car and driving it in urban areas. Also crossing streets. It was like a free for all and the most hectic thing I have ever witnessed. How they don’t have so many more accidents I don’t know. A favorite tactic is passing on the right and then making an immediate left in front of you. Don’t bother looking for turn signals LOL. You will share the road with pedestrians, cars, taxis, trucks, scooters, horses, burros, sheep, goats all seemingly doing there own thing and oblivious to their surroundings.
So this leads me to my selection of Gboo as my tour guide. As you may have figured out by now, Morocco may have the most tours and tour guides of any country I have ever been to so where to start. Based on reviews, tour offerings and cost, I selected 3 possible candidates and contacted them all. To me, Gboo offers the best variety of tours for the best prices and the most flexibility. They were also very responsive. I worked with Abdelhadi who was very courteous and very patient, I went from a 7 day tour, to a 15 day tour and then finally a custom 12 day private tour that I created from the Gboo 14 day tour offering. I revised this tour and the hotels quite a few times and Abdelhadi was so patient and helpful. I decided to choose my own hotel rooms and riads to earn credit card points and explore all the room options. Gboo was okay with that too. As it turned out, the hotels and riads I used that Gboo had originally recommended were the best so no need to second guess that. I opted for a private driver/guide (one on one) for the entire trip. I was surprised at how reasonable the cost.
Abdelhadi selected Hassan to be my driver/guide. (If you can get this person please do. He is very much in demand). He met me at the airport with a late model Toyota Land Cruiser. The first hour or so, Hassan asked me questions to determine my priorities for this trip. I focused on landscapes, people, culture and more about being a local rather than a tourist. Yes we visited many tourist attractions but I also many things tourist don't get to see on pre determined tour packages. We could change plans on the fly and could stop to take pictures anywhere. Also got to stop at farm stands, feed burros talk to locals, and even do some charity work keeping in the spirit of Ramadan. Things like giving local farmers better prices for their products, Asking to take pictures with unexpecting hard working farmers and villagers for a $5 tip.
Needless to say we hit it off in a big way. He was so committed in giving be the best experience and being flexible. This included a lot of walking and some climbing in hilled cities like Ait Ben Haddou even though during Ramadan he was unable to drink even water until about 7PM each day. He never got crabby (Like I would have fasting like that) and was a positive person. We shared music with me listening to Moroccan/Arabic music and I bluetoothed into his car radio so he could listen to mine. He really enjoyed 60's and 70's music. He never watched the clock and ended each day's tour as I wished. On occasion, he would drive back to the hotel to share late coffee or dinner. I was also surprised at how many other tour guides he knew around the country and also where were the best shops with local rather than tourist prices. (We got the best dates in the country for $5 a box.)
Most Moroccans speak some combination of darija arabic (Moroccan), traditional arabic, french spanish and some english. However this is not always the case in rural villages and non-tourist medina’s. Hassan was invaluable as an interpreter to ensure my communications were both correct and respectful. He also ensured I got the best deal in negotiations. He even let me connect my WiFi to his phone so I could stay in touch with people back in the states and send real time pics.
Finally, he did an excellent job of fulfilling his commitment to show me places off the tourist routes where he knew I could get great pictures and experience local life. After the tour ended and he dropped me at my hotel, he invited me to his home to share a Ramadan break fast and coffee with his friends. (Not to be confused with our morning breakfast.This was 7PM in the evening to mark the end of the daily fast). Needless to say, he had fully earned a generous tip for this amazing tour.
Abdelhadi and Gboo tours kept their promise to provide a Moroccan tour that would exceed my expectations. They made sure everything was right every step of the way and kept in contact during the tour via the what’s up app. They were 100% honest and I never had a concern for my deposit or payment for the tour. They offered a huge choice of tour types and itineraries and could accommodate groups of all sizes. If you are planning to visit Morocco, you should do your research, determine your priorities and choose 2 or 3 likely tour companies that appear to suit your needs. I am only suggesting that you should include Gboo tours as one of your options. I think with what they offer, they would be a solid choice. And LOL no I did not receive any compensation to write this review. I’m just a 65 year old single guy from Florida wanting to see the world. I received such a great experience from Gboo that I owed it to them to write an honest and accurate review.
Tom Pugliese
Fort Pierce, Florida