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Great TR, so glad I found it. We had planned a very similar itinerary, but a couple weeks into our trip the electronics ban happened (yes, we were to fly Air Morocco from NYC to Casablanca), and we canceled the entire trip. I can’t imagine traveling to Morocco without a camera and any change of flights was impossible. Someday we will get there, it really looks gorgeous.
For what we had planned we only had 14 days (including the flights), and a self drive. We’ll definitely get a driver if/when we go, and I’ll remember your words: “if I were forced to make a choice, say, between Essaouira and Chefchaouen, I can now say it's a no-brainer - Essaouira wins by a mile.” I think our plans included 1 night in each – the blues of Chefchaouen are really unique it seems. Love all your pictures, but the one of you and the ancient columns is really special! Great angle. And the ones in Fes with all the arches and gates. Regarding the driver, how does that work? Do you pay for his accommodation and meals? Or you’re paying a set fee for his services and he deals with his accommodation and meals on his own? Were your ryads your choices, or part of the package? About the hustlers in the cities: would you advise having a guide inside the city all the time, so he can help with it? We like to do things on our own at our own pace, but constant harassing like this would bother me. Was this a problem only in cities (Fes, Marrakesh) or everywhere? I remember a “No, thank you” was enough in Istanbul a few years ago. Never a problem there. Dar Seffarine, wow! I really have no words for that suite. I think we had only planned dinner there, but I’ll try to stay there when we go. WOW!!! In retrospect, if you were to do this again, would you spend more/less time in any of the places? Would you do anything differently? Thanks. |
<<Regarding the driver, how does that work? Do you pay for his accommodation and meals? Or you’re paying a set fee for his services and he deals with his accommodation and meals on his own? Were your ryads your choices, or part of the package? >>
When I researched last year, I found it difficult to find an agency that would provide a driver only; generally speaking, the companies arrange the bookings for hotels and driver, but only of the hotels that they have a relationship with. The more known places had no flexibility in their policy (like Journey Beyond Travel, Morocco Expert tours) but I found an agent, Berbers Space Morocco, who worked with me so I reserved a few places on my own. For instance, Dar Seffarine was a MUST for me. In general, it worked for me, as I wasn't wedded to other places, and the choices were good enough. I loved our riad in Chefchaouen; I probably would've chosen elsewhere for other places, but he did give me choices in each location. There were a few names I saw listed on the travel boards for drivers, but these were from old reports (on TA, I think) and I was hesitant to contact an individual without any real presence on the internet. I know folks have self-driven, and not found it a problem. I simply wanted to have a driver because I wanted to cover a large territory in a relatively short period of time, and didn't want to be hassling in and out of cities. As it turned out, the driver provided for us was much more than "just" a driver, and as I've mentioned multiple times, Salem is a gem and has his own company, Moroccan Family, https://moroccan-family.com/, who I'd work with again in a heartbeat. As far as having a guide all the time in the city, well, for me that would be too much. We also like to have our time to ourselves, and having a guide constantly would've felt weird to us. I do think one needs to have a very thick skin and just push on in dealing with the hustle. Being as mentally prepared as you can and just be aware how persistent the touts and others can be. I don't know the secret, though. As far as I'm aware, Dar Seffarine serves meals for their patrons, only. They don't have a restaurant. We ate there 2 out of the 3 nights and the food was excellent and the comraderie was delightful. <<In retrospect, if you were to do this again, would you spend more/less time in any of the places? Would you do anything differently? Thanks.>> This is a hard question; I'm still not sure what I would do differently. I probably would try to add a few days -- so I could restructure our trip a little bit differently. 1) stay 2 nights in the Dades Gorges area and do a walk into the villages in the mountains. I would eliminate Ourzazate. 2) stay 1 night in Casablanca to see the mosque 3) add at least one night to Essaouira 4) break up the trip from Fes to Merzouga somewhere 5) stay in a mountain inn/guest house somewhere in a mountain village I don't know if I'd eliminate Chefchaouen or not, but this thought came to me last night: Chefchaouen is very much a tourist destination because of its blue walls. It's very pretty and it's definitely more relaxed than the larger cities, such as Fes or Marrakech -- BUT when you're there, the walls are still the walls, just painted blue! It's the photos AFTER the trip that make it so memorable! And yes, it's easy to take great photos in Chefchaouen!! There is one spot (I'm on the steps) where you have to wait your turn to take a photograph! It's a pleasant enough place to be, and walking around the medina is more relaxing than other places, but essentially, its all about the look of the town. I think I've answered the questions -- let me know if you want more info! And tp, I do agree, travel is all about impressions, which can vary a lot. |
Such wonderful photos. Making me sorry we turned down the camel rides at Kasbah Amridil which I thought a great site.
Adding my 2cents, TP -- I think that you can definitely plan a trip with hiking as a focus. A few years back I had looked into that for another potential trip to Morocco that we never took. There are quite a few places you can stay that would provide you with opportunities for exploration and hiking. I agree that spending less time in Fes & Marrakech would lessen the hassle factor. However we prefered Marrakech to Fes as we thought there were more interesting sites to see. (We were 7 days in Fes & 6 days in Marrekach) Interestingly we started in Marrakech and Fes came 2.5 weeks in our trip. Marrakech was different and exciting to us. By the time we got to Fes we had seen alot and felt very comfortable with the country and familar with what we saw. Progol saw Fes earlier in her trip and ended in Marrakech. Wonder if timing makes a difference on one's perspective? In any case, they are both worth visiting. Also agree that Essaouria is worth a stop. We went south from there which also had fascinating lanscapes. |
Originally Posted by yestravel
(Post 16758946)
Such wonderful photos. Making me sorry we turned down the camel rides at Kasbah Amridil which I thought a great site.
I agree that spending less time in Fes & Marrakech would lessen the hassle factor. However we prefered Marrakech to Fes as we thought there were more interesting sites to see. (We were 7 days in Fes & 6 days in Marrekach) Interestingly we started in Marrakech and Fes came 2.5 weeks in our trip. Marrakech was different and exciting to us. By the time we got to Fes we had seen alot and felt very comfortable with the country and familar with what we saw. Progol saw Fes earlier in her trip and ended in Marrakech. Wonder if timing makes a difference on one's perspective? In any case, they are both worth visiting. Also agree that Essaouria is worth a stop. We went south from there which also had fascinating lanscapes. yestravel, it was fun & amusing to take the camel ride, but I don't think you missed much! |
Great photos and itinerary that you followed, I'm glad you enjoyed it! thanks for sharing
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Thanks, soufmargh! I'm glad you're enjoying the trip! It's taking me a lot longer to finish the trip than it did to actually travel!
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And we continued on to Ourzazate. One of the treats of this trip was meeting up with yestravel and gotravel, who were traveling in Morocco at the same time. We had been in touch prior to and during our trip trying to coordinate, but it seemed that we were just missing each other and would probably be passing each other on the road. They were leaving Marrakech and on their way to the desert just before we were to arrive in Marrakech. Darn, our mini-GTG seemed to be a bust! But yestravel came up with the good idea to put our drivers in touch with one another --- yes, I’ll have my driver talk with your driver --- and they were able to coordinate our visit and we met up for lunch in Ourzazate.
After saying our goodbyes, we remained in Ourzazate. Not one of the places that stands out on our trip, but we made a stop at the Musee du Cinema; Lonely Planet calls it a “small, dusty cinema museum” which is “housed in a former studio and exhibits a collection of old sets, props and cinematic equipment.” It was an okay stop, but not a place I’d go out of my way to visit. There were numerous rooms with sets of different kinds, and I can imagine kids would have fun going through them. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...704d7e7f36.jpg Yes, lots of old props! https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3e88d7c764.jpg I got a kick out of the large candelabra just sitting in the walkway The best moments were in the parking lot – Michael plays old time (Appalachian)banjo music and enjoyed listening to a local man playing a banjo-like instrument. He graciously let Michael take his banjo, and here, Berber meets old-time, and we have a Moroccan hoe-down! https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...00892d813d.jpg Berber meets old-time! We stayed that night at Riad Tama, just outside of the city center. It’s one of the higher rated hotels in Ourzazate; it was comfortable, but a large hotel suited more for large groups and was good for one night, but not memorable. Mediocre food, but wonderful view of the oasis and the Atlas Mountains. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c15d999157.jpg |
And today, we are on our way to Marrakech (but not by the Marrakech Express ;))! But we made several stops along the way, including a drive through the High Atlas mountains before arriving at our final stop of the day.
Ait Ben Haddou is one of the more popular kasbahs to visit. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage sight that’s been used in many film sets. Given its popularity, its no surprise that there are vendors lining the streets. I was prepared to dislike it but we really enjoyed the visit. It’s wonderfully situated and the traditional mud architecture has been well maintained. And it wasn’t nearly as crowded as I had expected. First, we stopped at a viewpoint, admiring Ait Ben Haddou from the distance: And we take a shot of the remarkable view https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...51cbd0771e.jpg And another shot, a minute later.... https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d30b306dab.jpg We crossed a bridge over a small river to get to the kasbah, and then walked through the small streets and up the hill, filled with shops and others, and stopping and admiring the views along the way. Approaching the kasbah https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...bcd1476098.jpg The small streets https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6804de870f.jpg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c9d85b27a4.jpg Views from the kasbah as we walk up the hill https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...bfa585c54d.jpg It is a long walk up the hill https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...14fab9e66d.jpg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...95d30db994.jpg We could see that there was something being filmed below with many horses being raced back and forth - we never did find out what it was, but it was interesting to watch from above https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e222692cb1.jpg And onward he goes.. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d22f9b77f9.jpg |
And there is definitely a theme that goes through our trip...
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...54a2696af1.jpg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b6a36c7714.jpg Though this interlude didn't exactly bring the clapping crowds! |
The weather changed rapidly between sunny skies and ominous clouds, with occasional showers. And the topography gradually changed as we got closer to the High Atlas mountains.
Not sure who these men were or where they were going, but we passed them along the road. You never know who or what you're going to see! https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...756162a893.jpg A few more views of the wonderful mud brick architecture https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2587f4b0b3.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7012b8d29b.jpg Old and new, side by side https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...64411829bd.jpg The Berbers used to produce a lot of salt from the High Atlas mountains; Salem took us off the highway, onto a small dirt road, to show us a site of an old salt deposit https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...13353f2e42.jpg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...fccc3a11bf.jpg Along the road https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...799b5bc104.jpg |
<<But yestravel came up with the good idea to put our drivers in touch with one another --- yes, I’ll have my driver talk with your driver --- and they were able to coordinate our visit and we met up for lunch in Ourzazate.>>
lol. Yet more lovely photos - I love that one of you taken through the window but they are all good and really capture the places you are in. And how nice to see the Travels even though it was only for lunch. |
Well, I'm running out of adjectives to describe your photos! I love revisiting our trip through yours.;) But again a miss for us, Kasbah Telouet. We passed on it which from your photos was a mistake. I'd say "next trip" but that's not happening! Yes, it was fun to be able to have a lunch GTG. Glad that worked out.
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A GTG in the middle of Morocco - that's priceless!
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Hi, all! I’m,glad there are still some followers here! The 2-week trip has now become 2-month trip report!
annhig, thanks for the lovely words about the photos. I must admit I also like that one of me from the window - it’s always a surprise when I get one I really like. And catching up with the Travels (I hadn’t thought of them that way before, but it’s so perfect!) was so much fun. yestravel, glad you’re enjoying the photos and revisiting the trip! And I am pleased that the GTG came together, too. Yup, TP, a mini-GTG in Morocco. It was amazing that it worked out! |
Still following and loving it. Your photos are everything I thought Morocco would be, and make me really want to get there. Thanks for sharing your experience and answering my questions.
I will keep the Moroccan Family in mind for when we go, they really sound like a great family to work with, especially as they offer some flexibility in the hotel choices. I love the items you listed as "would do differently", because they were on my list to do/see. I had a very hard time fitting everything in 15 or 16 nights. I'll work on adding a couple more days when we go. Such an amazing country! |
Thanks so much, xyz! I'm glad you're enjoying the photos and are finding the report helpful!
More to come soon... |
Truly an awe-inspiring photo- narrative!! Thank you so much Progol.
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oh there's more? Yippee!
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Thanks, so much, inquest!
And annhig, I hope to have more pix up on the weekend. Darn that work - it definitely takes away the energy to do the fun work of a report! Oh, retirement can't come too soon! |
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