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.
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
Amazing experience - This year I decided to do my yearly birthday trip in Morocco and I knew I wanted to see more than just Marakesh. I found PDT via Google and after... read more a few emails back and forth Abidene managed to tailor the tour to my desire (from Marakesh to Dades valley, desert, Fes, Chefchaouen, Meknes, Casablanca and back to Marakesh)
The tour itself was lovely, we met very hospitable local people and learned a little bit about the history of Morocco, even managed to forget my fear and rode a camel.
Ismail, our driver, was very nice, friendly and most importantly was an excellent driver which is quite a quality to have here:))
On my birthday (even though I kept it a secret), I was surprised with a birthday cake and a present to remember the trip. Kudos also to the Fes local guide that was amazing and managed to organize for me a lot of tiny surprises on my birthday. He made us regret not spending more time in Fes, maybe next time.
Overall the tour was memorable experience that I definitely recommend. We will definitely book another tour with PDT when we visit Morocco again.
Isabella B 14/06/2023
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
Our trip to desert Erg Chebbi dunes was amazing. The gorges and the desert were spectacular. The food everywhere was delicious but most of all our guide Abdoul was a... read more delight. Our trip to Morocco will always have a special place in our hearts because of Abdoul. He was incredibly polite and courteous. He was patient and always was happy to stop where ever we wanted. His great love and respect for his country was wonderful to see and so rare in our modern times. He has a very positive effect on my children. We all felt very sad when our trip came to an end. On the plane as we were about to take off both of my children looked out of their windows and said " Thank you Private Desert Tours And Goodbye Morocco,
Manuelayp 30/05/2019
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
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
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
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
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
Couscous’s Desert Camel - Excellent ride through the desert on the Japanese camel. Truly hilarious, unique and amazing out-of-this-world experience.