So I messed up my vacation planning last year. Booked this 10 days morocco tour package from marrakech three days before flying out because my original Italy trip fell through. Figured Morocco would be fine – how different could it be, right? Wrong. So incredibly wrong. I’m writing this from my couch six months later, still thinking about those desert nights and already browsing flights back. My friends are sick of hearing Morocco stories, but whatever – they asked what happened on my trip. Marrakech Hit Me Like a Brick Wall (Good Kind) Airport pickup was chaos. Hassan shows up forty minutes late driving this ancient Mercedes that sounds like it’s dying but somehow purrs along perfectly. He’s apologizing in rapid Arabic-French-English mix while loading my bags and immediately starts planning my entire vacation. “You like adventure? Desert? Mountains? Shopping?” All yes, apparently, because suddenly I’m committed to this comprehensive Morocco tour starting Marrakech that sounds way more intense than my original “relax and see some sights” plan. First night in the medina nearly broke my brain. Every direction looks identical – red walls, narrow passages, identical wooden doors. GPS useless. Asked three different people for directions to my riad, got three different answers, all delivered with complete confidence. Found it eventually. Sort of. The riad owner, Mustapha, had to come find me wandering in circles two blocks away. He’s laughing, says it happens to everyone, brings me mint tea, and suddenly I’m not annoyed anymore. This hospitality thing in Morocco isn’t marketing – it’s real. Day Two: Djemaa el-Fna Nearly Killed Me (Worth It) Morocco medina exploration package sounds organized and safe. Reality? Pure sensory assault that somehow works. You’ve got snake charmers (real snakes, people), drummers whose beats vibrate through your chest, food smoke so thick you can barely see, and approximately ten thousand people all talking at volume level eleven. Made friends with Mohammed at the grilled meat stalls. Communication involved pointing, gesturing, broken Arabic phrases from my phone app, and lots of nodding. His lamb skewers were better than any restaurant meal I’ve had anywhere. Cost maybe two dollars. Still dream about that seasoning. Wandered into carpet shop “just looking.” Three hours later I’m drinking my fourth glass of tea, learning about knot patterns, and somehow negotiating for a rug I definitely don’t need. Ahmed (the seller) shows me photos of his family, asks about mine, explains how his grandmother taught him this business. By the time we agree on price, buying that carpet feels less like purchase, more like helping family. Still have the carpet. Still love it. Atlas Mountains: Reality Check Time Mountain drive from Marrakech took forever because I kept making our driver Youssef stop for photos. These views don’t exist where I’m from – snow-capped peaks rising from desert landscape like something from fantasy movie. Ait Benhaddou UNESCO site visit almost didn’t happen. Schedule said one hour stop. Ended up staying three hours because this place is insane. Ancient mud-brick city that’s.
Found this company on the website and from the start Abidine was really fantastic. He was very quick in replying and accommodating to our requests. We did a 10 day... read more trip with them. We were met at Marrakech airport by our driver Ismail. I think luck was on our side when we got this guy. He spent the next nine days with us. He was a fantastic driver, yet cautious and caring about our needs. Every night he would escort us to our Riad and did not leave till we were settled in. True regard for us. The highlight, of course was the desert trip. Ismail was born and raised in the desert, so was no stranger to the surroundings, which made us very comfortable. He turned out to be a good musician, playing the drums at the night get together around the fire. The trip included going to Essaouira, Casablanca, Chefchaouen, Meknes, Fes, Dades Valley, Aitbenhaddo, among other very interesting places, all taken care of by PDTours. We thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful scenery, the local people, the tantalizing food,the camel ride and the magic of the desert all in part to Ismail. I highly recommend this company and I cannot say enough about our driver, as the driver can dictate how your vacation will be and ours was extremely good.
oddyoboy 08/12/2019
Incredible Memories Made! - My partner and I stayed in Morocco for 12 days in January 2023 and discovered Private Desert Tours only a week before we were due to arrive. The 5 day... read more tour slotted in perfectly with our gap in the middle of our holiday. It was the last thing we booked, and anytime we visit Morocco again, a tour with Private Desert Tours will be the first thing we book. It was honestly brilliant!
Our guide/driver Ismail met us at our Riad in Marrakech and could not have been more helpful. He was welcoming, chatting to us about places we were passing, teaching us phrases and we wouldn't have seen even a fraction of Morocco if it wasn't for Ismail. He really made this trip such a wonderful and relaxed experience.
The highlight for me was camel riding and visiting the desert as it was truly magicial and it's somewhere I will go back again and again.
If you're thinking of doing a tour I cannot recommend Private Desert Tours enough, communication was exceptional, if we had any questions we could ask via whats app and get a quick response. It felt like they really cared about giving us the best experience. (And we really did).
We cannot thank Private Desert Tours and Ismail enough for giving us the best experience and best start to 2023. Thank you for the incredible memories!
michellehH499TN 21/02/2023
Fantastic tour, great people! - My wife and I decided to explore Morocco for our Honeymoon - we had limited time (less than a week) and wanted to see many spots. We booked Private Desert... read more Tours and we could not be happier with how it turned out. Our driver, Ismael, was fantastic, professional and accommodating. In 5 days, we visited everything that was on our list: Dade's valley, Erg Chebbi desert, Berber Villages, Fez, Chefchaouen, Casablanca (which wasn't on the list but Isamel managed to make a short detour to accommodate us). The tour started on Monday morning from Marrakesh and ended Friday afternoon back in Marrakesh. We travel quite a bit, and this was one of the most wholesome and complete experience we've encountered - highly recommended.
traveldooda 18/02/2023
My friend recommended this private desert tour once he got back from his trip to Marrakech. He talked highly about Abidine and his team. I was worry about the heat... read more and some other logistics stuff but my confidence got boosted up as Abidine was very responsive and gave us a lot of informations. We were blessed to have Ismael as our driver and travel companion. Abidine and Ismael really took my worries away. Ismael was very on time yet very flexible with our requests. I could not memorize all the places he took us to but all of these places made my Morocco experience completed. Some of the tours that really stays in my heart is the visit to Ait Ben Haddou, the Berber house where Beber womens make rugs, and of course the Sahara adventures. Ismael was not only our driver, he also become a friend for a life time. It’s amazing how trust built in only a day. That’s how sweet and good he is. His driving is very good as well. My husband said he feel save traveling with him. When Ismael performed the Berber music in the camp, it was a perfect icing on the cake. I definitely going to recommend this tour to every single people I know who will go to Morocco! All in all.....SUPER!!!
Pancaliputri80 25/09/2019
Totally dependable. We definitely would use them again. - Attentive, reliable, responsive. No surprises! From start to finish, every stops along the trip, local guides, every places to stay except one were tops. Excellent driver. What a wonderful trip!
P8185FYstephenn 15/11/2022
My friends and I had a blast touring the Sahara Desert! The trip to and from the desert was full of lots of fun stops, but our experience in the... read more Sahara was truly a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Abdoul was a wonderful guide and taught us so much about Morocco. Abidene graciously answered many questions from us prior to the trip and was easily able to arrange for vegetarian meals. We truly had an incredible experience - it’s been the highlight of our trip; and I highly recommend Private Desert Tours. I plan on booking another, longer tour with them the next time I visit Morocco!!
khylieesi 09/03/2023
Our honeymoon in Morocco was unreal thanks to Abidine . The planning was seamless and stress free. We simply highlighted the destinations we wanted to visit and the rest was... read more magic. From the hotels, food and guides there was not one complaint. The culture, people and architecture is outstanding.
One highlight of our trip was the outstanding customer service. We received treatment as if we were staying at the Riad everywhere. Moroccan's are deeply invested in tourism. Our driver, Ismail was extremely professional and knowledgeable. He kept us safe and on schedule as well as provided great company. He tied the whole trip together and we could not have imagined a better trip leader.
I am recommending PRIVATE DESERT TOURS to all of my friends and family. We plan to use their service again in the near future.
stephankarbaja 05/05/2019
Couscous’s Desert Camel - Excellent ride through the desert on the Japanese camel. Truly hilarious, unique and amazing out-of-this-world experience.
Ryan J 09/03/2023
Me and another 3 friends went to morocco to spend a week there. We had the incredible luck of having Abdul as a guide for the whole trip. Not only... read more did he prepare all the points of interest to visit according to our demands and timetable, but he also ensured that we had the best of the experiences there: he drove us through the desert for the whole week with a smile, we listened to both his and our music while traversing amazing landscapes, stopping whenever we required to rest and eat at the places he recommended, which never disappointed. He also took us to the most remarkable cities and places: I will never forget our days at marraketch or the dunes in the desert and sleeping surrounded by them and the stars. 11 out of 10. I couldn't imagine a better guide for such a travel.
Fedestroncio 22/10/2019
This was a unique experience which me and my family will cherish for the rest of our lives. Thank you Abidine for making it possible. Your prompt response to all... read more my queries helped me plan my trip better. A million thanks to Ismail (our guide) who made sure we had a wonderful time through the trip. We feel like we made a great friend in him. From introducing us to local music, to tirelessly driving the 4 days, to taking us to these amazing riads run by the most wonderful people, to showing us the main sites to see along the way - he was simply amazing. This tour helped us experience Morocco in a way that no other tour could. We met amazing families who hosted us. The desert camp was spectacular. I was worried that being a vegetarian and not being able to speak arabic or french would be major hurdles - definitely not so. This tour made it so easy to manage. This is something I would recommend to anyone planning on spending time in Morocco.