Travel Forums - Journeymemo.com

[Bec]

Hello,

I have a couple of questions about Morocco that have arisen after reading through the many excellent posts on this site.

I have a decent idea of what I want to do while in Morocco, but I want to clarify some specifics. I have 9 nights which I would like to spend in Marrakech (3 nights), fez (2 nights), Essaouira (1 night) and various other locations.

I would really like to do a camel tour from Marrakech into the Sahara, spending a night in the desert. Would one night be sufficient, and does such a tour exist? If so, where is the best place to find a tour like this? Do I just ask at whatever accommodation I stay at?

Which brings me to my next question. Is it necessary to pre-book accommodation in Fez & Marrakech? I will be there from the 25th of May till the 3rd of June - over the UK long weekend. I’d prefer to just wing it, but i guess there could be alot of english there at this time.

Also, I like the idea of hiking in the Atlas mountains, but im not sure how to go about doing this. Is it easy to find my own way around or should I go with a guide? How long should I allow for the mountains? Would a day be sufficient?

Thanks for all help / suggestions forthcoming

- toby

[Bec]

Hi Toby,

I spent a few nights in Marrakech back in March, and did an overnight trek into the Sahara. You'd need to budget a few days for this, as it takes about a full day's driving (hiring a taxi or a car) or a full day or night on the bus from Marrakech to get to the desert. Then most overnight treks leave mid-afternoon and return the following day around noon (depending).

It's easiest to get treks from either Zagora or M'Hamid (both about a day's drive from Marrakech, with buses going from Marrakech to both). My fiance and I went all the way to M'Hamid (end of the road) and arranged a trek from there with Sahara Services. It was an absolutely fantastic experience, and would definitely recommend you do it if you can squeeze it into your schedule. There are a lot of trekking companies in both the above mentioned towns, and I think I would avoid booking anything from Marrakech, unless you want to overpay.

There are a few options in terms of where to go in the desert. We went to the Chegaga dunes which were awesome.

As for accommodation in Marrakech... when we were there in March we booked ahead, and the hotel we stayed at was actually full when we tried about a week before we went to extend our stay by one night.

Hope this helps.

It's a fantastic country. Enjoy your travels!

[Bec]

Hi Lucy,

Thanks heaps for your reply, its proved to be really helpful and allowed me to adjust my plans to better suite my schedule.

I dont think i will be able to make the sahara trek, but that just means i will have to come back another time because you made it sound like a really good adventure.

Thanks again Lucy!!!

cheers, toby

[shayy]

good travel

[skank]

when we were there in March we booked ahead, and the hotel we stayed at was actually full when we tried about a week before we went to extend our stay by one night.

[namericavoyage]

Morocoo is a great place to have trips and vacations..
its great to have a long holidays there..
i liked the information on the above post.
its great to know more about the places..
thanks......

[lily]

Enjoy your travels!