Morocco tour review- 8-day private tour (5 cities):
Morocco Destination Tours, and more specifically Juba, THANK YOU!!
Summary:
VISIT MOROCCO WITH MOROCCO DESTINATION TOURS! No other place will compare to it – quite literally.
This was my first time travelling to not only Morocco, but to Africa, and it was genuinely of the best trips I have ever done in my life. Everything from the packaged deal to the service, to the sightseeing, to just how beautiful the country & its people are, made it a once in a lifetime trip.
I could not have asked for a better tour package, and tour guides, to show me a new country. Honestly, we are now friends with Juba (our tour guide) and hope to see him soon again!
It is important to be aware of the cultural differences, and it can sometimes be complicated to plan a trip to a country with a less structured tourism industry- but Morocco Destination Tours made it easy, accessible and stress free.
Once again, THANK YOU Juba and team!!! We will never forget this trip. I hope you get lots of people to trust in your service so you can continue to share your beautiful country & sustain your family business that you work so hard for. You deserve it.
Overall service:
I will say it a million times, but the crew with Morocco Destination Tours is THE BEST.
Always willing to help, willing to answer questions, with a smile on their face – we are so thankful to Juba and his cousin(our driver) for making our experience a true delight.
Yes, you pay them for their service, but they do not have to be super friendly to you. Moroccans are so nice, and especially this tour group.
We were there when the Sept 8th earthquake hit Marrakech. Our tour had ended that morning, but amidst desperation & distress we contacted Juba to help us figure out where we could stay for our last 3 nights in Morocco. Our hotel was affected by the earthquake, and we had nowhere to sleep.
Juba answered immediately, even though he no longer was providing a service & he was busy helping his family & friends. He found us a new hotel, and checked in on us until the day we left Morocco. There is no price for a kind heart.
Price:
As I said, this trip is STEAL. One of the best trips of my life for 1350 euros for the tour.
You get a completely private tour, with top hotels, private transport, full flexibility & peace of mind for a price that would buy you only half of that anywhere else.
I am a corporate finance analyst, I earn enough to live in New York, but am not at the point where I can drop tons of $$$ on trips yet. This is worth it.
Tourist group details:
I am a 25-year-old woman living in New York, USA. I am originally from Peru. I travelled with my boyfriend who is from London, and lives in New York too.
Being from Peru, I have seen what tourism can look like in developing countries like Morocco. I was not expecting it to be a breeze in terms of the logistics, but I was nervous to visit a country so different to the western world I am used to.
Both my boyfriend and I have travelled a lot around the world. We have seen luxury, we have seen outdoors, we have seen wealthy & less developed countries. Morocco is entirely unique.
This tour fitted our ideal of a trip perfectly because the itinerary was super complete with 8 days and five cities, and we had total autonomy over how to use our time.
However, I do think you can fine tune it for bigger groups, families, older or younger people. Juba and his team are SUPER understanding, and accommodating so they will make you feel at home.
Itinerary:
8-day tour all around the country. We saw it all: desert, mountains, beach, old and new cities & villages. We went to Marrakech, Fes, Chefchaouen, stayed a night in a luxury camp in the desert (rode camels and literally had a feast in the middle of the Sahara!!), the Atlas Mountains, Rabbat, Casablanca. All in 8 days, I still cannot believe it.
I never imagined that Morocco would be so diverse, and that each spot would be so unique. We learnt about Berber tribes, and the imperial cities through museums & tours & interactive activities such as visiting an Argan oil cooperative (where they make the oil!), as well as having a chance to try different foods & meet diverse types of Moroccan people.
This itinerary gives you the whole scope. We even stopped by the road in the mountains to play with some monkeys!! (Actual Berber monkeys!!). One of the coolest things I have ever done.
Packed with quality activities, Morocco Destination Tours made my life so much easier. I could have never planned an itinerary this good on my own, with limited knowledge about the local best places to go, how to stay safe, and how to coordinate all into 8 days (google will not do it).
Again, if you would like to do more of one or the other, they will be super accommodating and give you options. If you would like a more relaxed pace or more days in a particular place, they will also do that. Morocco is your oyster!
Accommodation:
We went for the mid-luxury package. They were all 5-star hotels, with access to rooftops, pools, clean & safe rooms (also include safe boxes) and very friendly people.
For the price tag, I did NOT expect such charming hotels. This is a deal. I felt like a princess. They all had access to spas, and restaurants, and free breakfast. All located very conveniently in the middle of the cities and definitely worth a million pictures. I have never found a better deal for hotels than this – not even in my home country where I know the tricks. We even spent a night in a luxury camp in the middle of the desert where we had a massive dinner, hot water showers, a music show by the fire at night, and people to carry our bags. Juba even went out of his way to get us a bottle of red wine (he asked me which wine I liked).
Chez Pierre hotel in the Dades valley is one of the most beautiful hotels I have ever stayed in. Huddled in between mountains, it is lamp lit & luxurious. We had a delicious gourmet meal under the stars.
If you look them up online on Booking or google, you will not be able to beat Morocco Destination Tours’ prices – Juba has a great relationship with all these folks and can assure you a fair price. Juba also made sure to check all hotel rooms when we first got there to ensure they were clean & perfect.
Transport:
We got a private driver AND Juba (our tour guide and coordinator) throughout the whole trip. He is not with you all the time though, so do not worry you can get all the privacy you need when doing the activities or walking around. Ridiculously AMAZING.
The driver is Juba’s cousin and super friendly. He always made us feel safe in the Mercedes Benz minivan and would get us places in a timely manner. Juba guided us through the surroundings while we road tripped around the country.
Fuel is included, you do not have to worry about it. The car was new & spacious with three rows and wide seats. I always felt safe, even though the windy roads in the mountains, which was super important to me.
Guides:
As said above, we had Juba always come with us and he is a professional guide so he would describe everything from types of trees we saw in the desert to museums.
Additionally, the tour includes a specialized guide in Fes and Marrakech. These are big, medieval cities with many alleyways, religious buildings, and historical sites. Both guides we had at each place were super knowledgeable, super friendly, gave us tours LONGER than we had even paid for because they loved their city so much. We gave on average $30-$40 tip between me and my boyfriend. That is because we do not earn that much relative to other New York corporates (if you can give more…please do!)
Flexibility:
Again, super flexible throughout the whole trip with schedules, things to do, stops in the road trip to use the toilet, and even the hotels you want to go to. Just ask.
Communication:
Juba was always super responsive via Whatsapp (and Eastern Time, New York time). I do not know at what time he goes to sleep, because he would always answer so quickly! Going to a new country, I had so many questions. I am also a big planner, so I wanted to know all the details. Juba gave me all the information and made it super easy to coordinate.
He picked us up from the airport on the first day, and even took us to exchange cash & buy a SIM card. He would let us know at what time we had to check out of the hotel every morning for the daily itinerary and would be easy to meet up with after our activities. Great service.
Improvements:
• Letting the tourist know more in advance the final hotels booked.
• Adding food recommendations to the itinerary.
• Advice on booking the spas at hotels earlier in advance so you make sure you get space.
• More advice on staying safe while walking around and what the usual range of tips are in the country.