Lemme start with the brutal truth – my first Morocco trip was such a train wreck that I literally came home and told my wife we’d never travel internationally again. Picture me: standing in some random tourist shop in “Fez” (spoiler: wasn’t even the real medina) while a pushy salesman tried selling me a $300 carpet that I could buy on Amazon for $40. My “expert guide” was too busy on his phone to notice I’d been separated from our group of 30 tourists crammed into a bus that smelled like decades of body odor. That disaster cost me $4,800 for two people. Eight days of pure frustration. Fast-forward two years, and Morocco has become my obsession. I’ve been back five times, spent way too much testing different tour operators, and now I actually know which best Morocco tour package options are legit versus complete scams. This isn’t gonna be another fluffy “10 reasons Morocco is magical” article. This is gonna save you from expensive mistakes and show you exactly how to pick tours that actually deliver what they promise. The $2,400 Per Person Ripoff That Opened My Eyes My wife Sarah and I booked through some big-name company (won’t name names, but rhymes with “Shmostsaver”) because their website looked professional and they had decent reviews. Here’s what we thought we were getting: Here’s what we actually got: The breaking point came on day 4. We’re supposed to explore Fes medina, which is this incredible maze of 9,000+ narrow streets dating back over 1,000 years. Instead, our guide takes us to the “medina gift shop area” – basically a strip mall designed for tour buses. While we’re trapped listening to a carpet sales pitch, Sarah spots this tiny alleyway where actual locals are buying groceries. We sneak away for 20 minutes and stumble into this hidden courtyard where an old man is hand-crafting leather using techniques that haven’t changed in centuries. Those 20 minutes? Better than the entire previous 4 days combined. That’s when we realized – we weren’t experiencing Morocco. We were being processed through Morocco like cattle. How I Cracked The Code on Morocco Tours (After Testing 6 Different Companies) Look, I became slightly obsessed after that disaster trip. Over the next 3 years, I tested six different tour operators ranging from budget group tours to luxury private experiences. Here’s what I discovered about finding the best Morocco tour package: Discovery #1: Group Size Lies Are EverywhereCompanies advertise “small groups” but pack you with other “small groups” at every major site. That intimate 8-person experience becomes 40+ people fighting for bathroom access. Discovery #2: “Desert Tours” Are Mostly FakeReal talk – if your Morocco desert tour packages don’t involve at least 5-6 hours driving from major cities, you’re getting the Disney version. Most companies take you to small sand patches near Marrakech and call it “Sahara Desert Experience.” I’ve now done the real Sahara three times. The difference is night and day. Discovery #3: Local Guides Make or.
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
I must say we really enjoyed the 3-day tour especially the hours in the Sahara, Dades, Todra and Ait Ben haddou as well as the 2 hotels & restaurants that... read more you recommended. These days serve a big break for us after lots of hassle in Marrakech as we were couple so outstanding there. Abdou, our driver, was very nice, friendly & helpful and he is the type person that does not keep you on talking which perfectly fits our style. Last not not least, thank you Abdoul of taking care of us during the 3 day and we'll not hesitate to recommend Private desert tours
761sabrines 31/05/2019
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
We went on the 5 day Desert Tour From Marrakech To Chefchaouen. We customised our tour from the tour packages offered to include an additional day in Fes. This was... read more provided at a very reasonable price, given the luxury of the hotel and the amount of travelling we needed to do (Merzouga to Fes was 8-9 hours drive!). The organiser was very quick to respond and was well organised. We had Hassan as our driver and he was very accommodating to our needs/stopping whenever we wanted, and bringing to different locations that suited our wants. Overall a great experience, would recommend!
Alicia T 23/06/2023
Memorable Experience! - With the coordination of Private Desert Tours we recently completed a tour of Morocco with another couple. We started our 11 day tour in Casablanca and completed it in... read more Marrakech. I cannot say enough positive things about our driver Ismail - he not only provided information during our drive, but he also coodinated tour guides, & ensured our accommodations were set. All around it was a memorable experience!
Eli M 18/11/2022
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
From day one, Abidine was extremely responsive and helpful with our questions and helping us with our decision on picking the right tour for our time frame in Morocco. Always... read more very pleasant and professional, we had no problem booking our tour for two
abroad. Thank you Abidine for all of your help and organization!
When our 3-day tour actually started, we had no idea we were in for the trip of our lives. Our driver and guide, Ismaï, was prompt and on schedule, yet patient and accommodating for us whenever we wanted to stop for pictures. Also, he was great company with lots of insight without being an overbearing tour guide. He knows his way around..he never had to look at the map!
All stops were culturally immersive and fun, especially the Berber guest house in Gorges Dades. Very kind people who took care of us and cooked us the best dinner we had in Morocco! Not to mention the camel trekking and staying in the Berber tent. An unforgettable nights.
This is the real deal for a tour. Private is not an understatement, it was just us two with our private drive and our time. We were so happy we weren't on the bus tours loaded with other tourists. Private Desert Tours has given us memories for all our lives and we will without a doubt recommend this tour to any friends or family who plan to travel to Morocco. Our dream is to return one day and we will be booking with Private Desert Tours again.
Scott_Fairfax_CA 02/06/2019
A Great Experience - We hired Private Desert Tours to take 4 of us around Morocco for 11 days, and we were more than pleased with our experience!
Starting with our communications with... read more Abiden, that were always promptly and professionally answered, to our days with Ismail, as our driver, we were more than happy!
Abiden set our tour up to take us where we asked, and had every detail covered. He had Ismail, our driver , meet us at the airport, and take us to our Riad. From that moment on, Ismail took care of us. He was an excellent, polite and courteous driver through all our long journeys around this amazing country! Every day Ismail got us where ever we were supposed to be. In the evening, he made sure we were settled at our Riad, before leaving us. Ismail would be at our Riad on time each morning to help us get our luggage to the car, and be on our way.
We journeyed from Marrakesh, to Essaouira, to Casablanca, Rabat, then Chefchouan, to Meknès, Merzouga ( the desert), and beyond with Ismail. We switched drivers before heading in through the High Atlas Mountains, as Ismail had to start with a new group. Our new driver, Adeel, was a very careful, confident driver through those rugged mountains, and on to Marrakesh.
In order to see as much of the country as possible, we put on a lot of kilometres. Some days had long stretches of driving, but we saw so many incredible wonders in this diverse and beautiful country!
Many thanks to Abiden, Ismail, and Adele for a trip of a lifetime!
Sue3020 16/11/2019
hight recommendations for this amazing agency thank you private desert tours for the unforgettable experience .
eveything was excellent thank you Again million time
Anisse A 04/05/2019
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.