Places Around Marrakesh, Marrakesh

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We have been 4 women, used Zebra Adventures Tours during September 2011.
Youssef takes care of pretty much everything. We were pleased with most of the accommodations they booked for us. Youssef will give you all the references of your trip in advance, so you can look up reviews for each one. I highly suggest travelers do this so you might know what to expect, and if it turns out you prefer something different, they sure can change it. We asked for "mostly moderate" accommodations and didn't really look them up, so all of the Accommodation we have been accommodated were amazing.
Overall, it was so nice not to have to worry about where to go, what time, and how (dealing with taxis, etc), as Our Driver Mohamed took care of all of this and he's quite organized. We loved our acompany with him a funny caring and responsible person, Youssef and their other guides & contacts - these guys working amazingly well and efficiently together, to make a an excellent team to feel comfortable with.
Their prices were reasonable, and the accommodations were the best, comfortable and clean, their services more than highly recommended.
If you want to have a nice time in Morocco, you had better using this Local trustworthy tour company

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My wife and I did a 4-day tour from Marrakech to the desert and back with MDT ( www.moroccodesert-tours.com ). We had a great time. Like others, I was in touch with Hassan over several weeks before our trip, and had some last-minute changes, which he dealt with amazingly and was most accommodating. He truly wants you to have the absolute best experience in Morocco, and is the best ambassador a country could have!

We had very experienced and knowledgable driver / guide all the way. We saw both city and country life, and really felt like we got a complete picture of life in Morocco. We also stayed in some very lovely riads, and this was likely due to Hassan's relationship with them and excellent rates he likely is able to get for his clients. After each long day on the road, it was so nice to come "home" to a beautiful and serene hotel/riad with great food and amazing staff.

Four days was really not long enough for all the ground we covered. There is no way to get to the desert and back except by car, and it is about 10 hours in the car from Marrakech and back. It was our fault, but I think we should have added another day or so in order to really feel relaxed and get to stop and see everything we wanted. For us, it was too much time in the car (again, nothing related to this review, this was our decision).

We especially enjoyed the time we spent with the Berbers, both in Merzouga/Erg Chebbi and along the way. My favorite part was getting to see their very primative way of life, yet to see how utterly content, happy, and generous they are. It really makes you think about your life and puts the Western world into perspective.

All in all, we were very happy with the service and support we got. I am a very experienced traveler, have always done my own planning and never used a tourguide or group tour, but think this was the best decision I could have made for this part of Morocco. I felt very safe and taken care of, and got to see things and avoid hassles I would not have on my own.

Hassan's contacts:
contact@moroccodesert-tours.com
www.moroccodesert-tours.com

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We have booked 3 day tour to the sand dunes of Erg Chigaga fromMarrakech with Your Morocco Tour and had a great time. These sand dunes much less popular with tourists offered a real adventurous trip to the Sahara Desert. Traveling in our 4x4 WD through the sandy region will stay with us for ever. We had to trust our driver/guide for navigation as really there is no road to follow and also to his driving skills to drive us safely along the piles of sand.
This trip was the highlight of our holiday in Morocco. We would strongly recommend anyone that is in Marrakech to book Sahara Desert tour Morocco as it will enrich your life experience.

Fabulous water park we only found after having our car leafletted whilst in a cafe on Boulevard Mohammed VI. So good we went there twice. We have young children (4 and 6) and it was too far to drive to Eassouria, the nearest beach, which was apparently 3 hours n the car and back. So we visited "The Sea at Marrakech".

The Oasira had a lazy river you float down in rubber tubes, a Pirate Lagoon for little ones, with three slides which come out from an Octopus, a huge pool with wave machine and swim up bar, Toboggan racing slides, three snake rides, a scary ride only open at Midday and kid's lagoon with tipping bucket to splash waiting swimmers!

The park is on Km 4, route du barrage which is off Bd Mohammed VI near the Airport turn off.

Our holiday wouldn't have been the same without this wonderful water park. After all there is only so much slogging around dusty streets with kids in tow you can do.

The landscaped gardens were really tranquil, we found another normal pool we didn't even go in, the staff are helpful and overall it is really well planned out. We were a little disappointed they wouldn't let my little boy take his own little rubber ring in. But apart from that wouldn't hesitate to recommend to those that need to cool off and have a bit of fun, especially if you have children. This is not a scary water park and definitely not on a par with those in Orlando, Florida.

We took a 2night, 3 day tour into the Merzouga Desert with Sahara tours.
BE WARNED!!
The van has NO AIR CON, or SEAT BELTS. And the driver speaks no english!! Considering that you are driving for 10 hours each day, this makes the trip very painful!! Its great to see the country side, but it would be nice if your driver can tell you where you are!! Or even get across how long you have at each stop!!
I would not reccommend Sahara. On the way back we switched vehicle with another group just starting out. Their van also did not have air con or seat belts and to make matters worse, one of their chairs was broken completly but they sold the seat anyways!!
We saw other company tours with smilling cooled people in their land cruisers. We were very jealou!s!

Also I must say, the tents leave much to be desired. They are sewn together blankets tossed over sticks in the sand.

If you are going to marrakech then it is compulsory to take to the shores of the charming seaside port of essaouira. Only 2hrs out of the hustle and bustle escape the heat of Marrakech cool down there and enjoy the porteguese left 18th century ports and enjoy lunch with sea views.

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Last year, we hired a grande taxi for the day to take us to the Ourika valley, Essioura and (on different days) Ouarzazit. The days out cost us 1100 - 1400 Dirham per day (there were three of us and a mobility scooter).
The Ourika valley trip was wonderful. There was an obligatory stop at a 'friends store' but no compulsion to buy and it was a good place to stop, use the toilets and have a cup of tea.
Ouarzazit took 3 1/2 hours each way. Add in a couple of breaks to look at the views (spectacular), lunch and you've got a long day. Not really a day trip as far as I'm concerned.
Essioura was good day out, especially if you like sea food and shopping.
Of course the prices might have changed. We got our driver off the street (waved him down for a trip into Marrakch) liked him and his style of driving and asked about day trips. Hey presto 'Mustapha's your uncle'.
His name was Mustapha Belbayed but I've lost his number.
Marrakech and Essioura are overrun by hawkers selling fake watches, handbags and anything you can think of. Don't buy them they're crap and you'll be lucky if they last the holiday.

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i went on a hiking holiday in the atlas mountains.
So i didn t like to do it with a large group from a large tourcompany so i searched for a small local travel agency and I find Abdellah.
He s a real local guy (berber) and really a fantastic guide . He arranged the whole tour for 300 euro less then the other travel agencies here in Belgium (and most important for me alone).

He took me from the airport, where i slept the first night in a small hotel/riad in Marrakesh. Ealry in the morning we left to Lalla takaroust where the muletier (guy with the donkey) awaited us to start or 6 day hiking trip in the mountains.

He took me to a lot of villages for example Ait zitoun, Ait hamd, Imin Tala,..... we walked everyday about 4 to 6 hours and slept and eat with the local people. The people from the villages are very open and always invited us in to talk (guide talked lol because they only speak berber language and a bit francais). I really learned a lot of the way of living of the berber people.
Also the nature (mountains) are very beautiful and especially very quit. At night you could see millions of stars.
After the hiking tour we went to a small village Amizmiz to take a car back to Marrakech where i spent my last three days.
So i can recommand these trip to anyone from families to couples or like me single travellers.