Most Inspirational Moment
The arrival at and walking in Todra gorge is spectacular. I won't spoil the surprise of the arrival but you should have your camera ready when you get off the bus. The drive through the pass on the way to Marrakesh is also amazing particularly when you consider the desert landscape you were in only two days previously. However the best part for me was watching the scenery change as we moved around the country.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Mustapha was an excellent guide with masses of local knowledge and great pride in his country. Our driver Hasan was also one of the best tour bus drivers I have ever seen always keeping safety ahead of everything on some very difficult roads and manic traffic in the cities.
Advice for Potential Travellers
- I would suggest not taking the Royal Air Maroc flights which were the designated group flights. They were quite disorganised in getting people on and off the plan although once we got going the flight was ok. However the timing of the flights is also not very good as you arrive very late into Casablanca on the first day so you only get the following morning in the city which is spent at a couple of the sites so no exploring time. You would be better off taking an earlier flight or arriving a day before if you want to explore this city. The flight on the way back is not direct and takes six hours when direct flights are available with other airlines and take about 3-4 hours.- Be aware and ready for the fact that some of the hotels are very basic and not up to Euro standards but this is not a real problem as long as you approach it with the view of this being an adventrue and not a luxury trip.- Pay a lot of attention to the recommended packing list in the trip notes as there is very little on that list that you won't be using (or borrowing!) during the trip. - take some entertainment for the bus trips if you get bored watching the scenery. The bus we had was quite small for the size of our group (15 plus driver and guide) so you may need to make allowances around personal space.
Suggestions
One thing people should be prepared for so there are no false expectations is around the desert camp. It is a Bedouin camp in the sense that the tents are put up by Bedouin people and there are cooks that prepare the meal, and of course you do ride camels to get to it which was a lot of fun. However it is not a actual Bedouin community of any kind and the only people who will be there (at least in our case) will be your group, your guide and the camel herders that bring you out there. This does make sense as the camp is only a fairly short actual distance from the small town that you stay in the previous night (although once you are over the dunes and out of sight of the town you still feel like you are a million miles from anywhere). For me this was fine and being able to light out under the stars without any sounds of civilization was highlights of the trip. However if you are expecting to see an actual working camp and community then you may be disappointed. For that you will need to wait until you get to the mountains where you do experience an actual local community feeling.