Grand Tour of Morocco

Lack of communication from leader, didn’t eat with us during included dinners. He said to wait to buy rugs but later when asked, he stated, that was days ago and everything had closed due to the annual festival, this should have been advised at the beginning of the trip. There was no arrival or departure group dinner, no checking that everyone had water etc for each day, luckily everyone was well travelled so we organised ourselves. He was a nice person but lacked experience and forethought for was required for the trip

Our tour leader, Hassan, was excellent. He anticipated our needs. He also responded to occasion unrealistic requests by clients calmly and with diplomacy. He is a charming, funny, knowledgeable, professional tour leader.

It was a lovely trip, with a very varied itinerary and beautiful scenery. Our tour leader had extensive knowledge, and was very informative and helpful. We also had some really good local guides. There were some long drives, but we had plenty of stops, a great driver and a comfortable minibus. It was great to see the changing scenery, so I didn't find it a problem. The accommodation was mostly really good, several with a traditional design, and always very clean. I wasn't particularly looking forward to camping in the desert, but the camps were so much more comfortable than I had anticipated, and they turned out to be great experiences.

The trip took place entirely during Ramadan which we had been led to believe by Explore information online that the trip would not really be impacted however we did not find this to be the case. Many times we heard our guide say "it is closed today because of Ramadan". Lunchtime options seemed limited as many cafes and restaurants were closed so we sometimes had to pre-order in advance from a fixed price menu, no opportunity as a group to try street food, a couple of lunches taken at service stations. Eating out in the evening was often very busy and not easy to eat anytime before 8 a.m. due to locals and staff breaking fast. Unfortunately our tour leader was not as enthusiastic and communicative as hoped, this may have been due to lack of sleep and lack of food and drink during Ramadan. The mini bus was very comfortable and we had an excellent driver. This is very much a road trip, covering around 3000km, which I had anticipated, the scenery and views were amazing throughout the trip, sometimes long drives, with comfort breaks. When visiting various sights, local guides were very informative and passionate. I found the accommodation rather mixed, some good hotels, some adequate and a couple a little below par. Both of the desert nomad camps were excellent, the second one at Erg Chegaga was wonderful with very comfortable accommodation, great washroom facilities including showers, fantastic service from all the staff for dinner and entertainment round the campfire. A fascinating insight into Morocco, it's people, culture and landscape. Unfortunately I feel that we didn't get the vibrancy and full experience that I had anticipated, due to it being Ramadan.

I was prepared for all the driving thanks to friends having taken the same tour a few years earlier. However, it might have been nice to have another 2-day stop during the 3rd week. It was a long haul of drives and new lodgings daily from the Todra Gorge (day 11) until Essaouira (day 18), with many of us having fallen ill along the way, before we were able to rest, recharge and launder some bits and bobs with a 2 night stay in Essaouira.