When my husband and I began researching the ideal itinerary for a trip to Morocco, I read a blog written by a traveler on this site (progol) who, along with her husband, had used the services of Moroccan Family Tours. Salem was their driver for a two week trip through Morocco and was highly recommended. My husband and I are independent travelers and use private drivers and/or guides when needed. Since we were talking about a three week trip, how well we would get along with the driver was of utmost importance. As soon as I contacted Salem, he began working on an itinerary encompassing all Morocco had to offer. He booked all of our accommodations in lovely riads in great locations. All I had to do was book our flight to Morocco. Everything else was taken care of by Salem.

From the moment we met Salem, we knew we had made the right decision to hire him. Salem is not only kind, generous, and patient, but also has a great sense of humor. It was a true pleasure to be in his company. He speaks 6 languages fluently. Upon arrival in Casablanca, Salem met us and escorted us to a comfortable 4x4 Land Rover. He provided us with a cell phone so we could reach him anytime throughout the trip. (This came in handy when we needed an interpreter or directions while we were on our own.) When we visited the larger cities or major sites, he arranged a private tour with well qualified guides. Salem arranged the itinerary so that we had plenty of time to explore on our own. He took care of all our needs and was very flexible in regard to the itinerary. We never had to worry about our luggage. He ensured it was safe during stops along the way and we never had to carry our heavy bags when we arrived at our locations.

Our 20 night itinerary was ambitious, beginning and ending in Casablanca (9/30/18-10/20/18). On the day of arrival we first toured Casablanca before driving to Rabat (capital and one of Moroccos’s imperial cities), our home for two nights. Next, on the way to Chefchaouen, at Salem’s suggestion, we made an unscheduled detour to Tangiers for a few hours, toured the city by car, shopped in the medina, and had lunch on the waterfront where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Mediterranean Sea (breathtaking). Back on the road we finally arrived at Chefchaouen (the charming blue city) where we stayed for two nights at a lovely hotel within walking distance to the medina. After Chefchaouen, we drove through the Rif Mountains to Meknes with a stop at the Roman ruins of Volubilis. After a night in Meknes and a tour the following day, we headed to Fes for a three night stay in a lovely riad in the medina. One the first day we toured the medina and main sites of Fes with a guide hired by Salem. It was as if we had stepped back in time to an age before modern transportation and conveniences when we entered the medina. We had a free day to explore on our own. After Fes, we travelled toward Merzouga with a stop in Ifrane, the Moroccan Switzerland. The trip to Merzouga was one of changing landscapes and a true sensory delight. We drove through the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas Mountains, apple orchards, palm trees and the Ziz Valley Gourges before arriving at our destination of Et Taous, (near Merzouga), home to the dunes of Erg Chebbi. The next day, on our way to the Sahara desert, we visited an oasis, ripe with vegetation and palm trees filled with dates (in season). It was a real contrast to the desert landscape. We made a stop in Rissani (Salem’s home town) and were welcomed into his parent’s home for a lovely lunch. It was such a treat to meet Salem’s parents and tell them what a fine son they had raised! That night we stayed in a luxury tent at the Sahara Stars Camp in the desert. We star gazed that night and in the morning got up early for the sun rise before riding camels in the red dunes of the Sahara. Next we toured Todraa and Dades Gorges and stayed the night in the spectacular Boumaine Dades valley at a charming hotel with an excellent chef. The following morning we toured Quarzazate, the film capital of Morocco and spent the night in Tamdakht before driving to Marrakech, where we stayed for four nights. Salem arranged a private tour of Marrakech for our first day. We added an extra day in Marrakech to have some rest, but it was hard to resist the abundant shopping opportunities over the next couple of days. Salem recommended a fabulous Italian restaurant (so romantic) which was a welcome change from the many nights of eating traditional Moroccan food. From Marrakech we drove to Taroudant through the Tizi N’test Pass of the High Atlas Mountains with its spectacular views and numerous photo ops. Salem recommended a last minute change to stay one night at Palais Claudio Bravo, the very impressive Moroccan home of the the Chilean artist Claudio Bravo (now deceased). We had a beautiful suite overlooking the pool. We were given a private tour of the grounds and palace including his atelier and private museum. Dinner was served in a grand dining room and the service was exceptional. In the morning we were picked up for breakfast by a horse and carriage and taken to a pavilion overlooking a huge reflecting pool with the Atlas Mountains in the distance. It was truly magical. Sadly, we were only there one night! Next, we headed to Essaouira, on the Atlantic coast where we stayed for two nights in in a riad with a fantastic ocean view, before finally returning to Casablanca for our last night.

Throughout our time in Morocco, we visited lots of sites not included above. We saw the many contrasting landscapes of this beautiful country- the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, the majestic and colorful Atlas and Rif Mountains, gourges, lush oases, gardens, red desert sand dunes, colorful and bustling souks, medinas, and kasbahs. As I mentioned previously, it was a sensory and photographer’s delight!.

And what made this trip so special was our time with Salem. He is a true ambassador for his country. He helped us to experience the beauty of Morocco and it’s warm people. He is an excellent driver and so patient. My husband took thousands of photos and Salem was always willing to stop for another photo op (and frequent restroom breaks). He is a friend to all and it seems like he knows everyone. Salem has a great sense of humor and we laughed a lot along the way. He is generous person and often gave money to those in need. He is kind to all. On one of our stops, I was especially touched to see him run to help an elderly woman who was pushing a cart uphill. Salem is a man of great character and integrity and the person we came to know during our three weeks together. We were fortunate to have met him and consider him a friend. Overall, we can’t praise Salem enough! We had a great trip and would highly recommend the services of Moroccan Family Tours.

Welcome to Fodor's. What you and others have captured very well in reports is the incredible diversity of landscapes that is Morocco, as well as the sounds and smells.

So glad you had such a wonderful trip with Salem and Moroccan family! He’s a gem and it makes me feel good to know that others have had great experiences with him, too. The stay at the Palais Claudio Bravo sounds amazing!

Hi aworld2see....thanks so much for your trip report! I too am interested in using Salem for our itinerary. A few questions for you...do you wish you had broken up the drive from Fes to Merzouga? Did it seem interminable or did you make enough stops to make it tolerable? Where did you stay the night before the Sahara Stars Camp? Where did you stay in the Dades Gorge? thanks for the details.

Hi aworld2see, thanks for the information. I'm thinking of just staying at an inn in Merzouga and taking a sunset or sunrise trip to see the dunes rather than the desert camp experience ...would you get enough of this experience by staying at Kasbah Mohayut for the night? I also liked the looks of a place called Ksar Sania Eco-lodge as an alternative to Moyahut..it's a smaller place near the highest dune at Erg Chebbi. Camels are not on our list of things to do so would do the 4X4 trips.

Dar Blues looks wonderful. I'd like to stay there to break up the trip from Marrakech. The trip from Fez just sounds way too long for us even with the stops. I don't see a good half way place to stop from there to make the drive more manageable.

I'm really debating about whether to include a "Sahara" experience (I know it's debatable whether this is actually the Sahara, but Fodor's guidebooks refer to it so) as part of our itinerary. At the least, I'd include the Dades or Todra Gorges and an oasis near Skoura. Struggling with this so really appreciate the honest opinions of posters like you to help with this.