Morocco & Rwanda
 

Is there a realistic Flight itinerary for Visiting Morocco & Rwanda? We are departing from Los Angeles. My husband has a desire to do a camel trek in the Sahara and I to go gorilla trekking. I am wondering if there is any practical way to do this.
Advice is most welcome!

It can be done; whether or not it's realistic is debatable.

Nearly all international flights to/from Morocco use Casablanca, and Rwandan gorilla treks typically begin in Kigali. Getting from Casa to Kigali will likely take you a full day and require a double connection (for example, in Cairo and Nairobi, or in Mail and Addis Abbaba). Not exactly convenient.

While there are a few places where the phrase "you can't get there from here" applies, as above... yours is doable if you can find the right connections and willing to spend quite a bit of time in transit/airports.

Take a look at a site as Kayak, www.kayak.com for flights, selecting multi-city. Entering LAX/Casablanca (believe code is CAS, but might be another... better to just enter Casablanca) and the other Casablance/KGL and finally KGL/LAX. Be flexible with your dates, as some inter-Africa flights might not be daily. Then, see what pops up - carriers, length of flights, layover times, change of planes, price.

Hey, if you husband wants camel trekking, this can be done in northern Kenya* which sure would make the travel/connections easier.

*not the Sahara, but desert like; also, after 1/hr on a camel you'll both be looking forward to walking. :)

Good luck!

While there are a few places where the phrase "you can't get there from here" applies, as above... yours is doable if you can find the right connections and willing to spend quite a bit of time in transit/airports.

Take a look at a site as Kayak, www.kayak.com for flights, selecting multi-city. Entering LAX/Casablanca (believe code is CAS, but might be another... better to just enter Casablanca) and the other Casablance/KGL and finally KGL/LAX. Be flexible with your dates, as some inter-Africa flights might not be daily. Then, see what pops up - carriers, length of flights, layover times, change of planes, price.

Hey, if you husband wants camel trekking, this can be done in northern Kenya* which sure would make the travel/connections easier.

*not the Sahara, but desert like; also, after 1/hr on a camel you'll both be looking forward to walking. :)

Good luck!

i totally agree with rizzuto.Most of the international flights leave either from Casablanca or Agadir,and you have to take a connecting flight to Cairo which might be a pain in the a**s.well,i don't know much about this itinerary as i never been to Rwanda,but i can tell you about Morocco,it's really a wonderful country.i just got back from there a few days ago,and my trip was a life time experience.I did a 4 days camel safari with a campany named Desert flying Carpet located in Newark,NJ.You should check them out,maybe they can help.

Thanks everyone for your recommendations. Globetrotterforever
I will check out the company you recommended. Can I ask how did you like the 4 day camel safari? Was it too long? too short? Thanks!

You could make do with Barbary Apes in the Atlas rather than Gorillas in Rwanda!

The dunes of Chigaga and the dunes of Merzouga are both ideal places for camel treks.
The camel ride takes about 1h & a half to view sunset or sunrise.
It is something that you should experience when you come to Morocco.

Best;

Funny, I was just discussing camel treks yesterday with a couple. We all agreed that a short ride was sufficient. If you have not been on a camel before, you may not know what you are getting into with 4 full days.

I have done camel riding a couple of times in the Laikipia and Samburu region of Kenya and in Mongolia and have been very satisfied with half a day.

Be sure you know just what you will be seeing on your days on the camel. Ask about what type of saddle will be used. The saddles can rub against your skin, making it uncomfortable. No big deal for 1-5 hours. A big deal for 4 days.

If you are choosing Morocco for many other reasons besides camels, that hour and a half at sunrise/set would be great.

If you are choosing Morocco solely for the camel trip, I'd look into Sandi's suggestion. You can even arrange for more than an hour to more fully immerse yourself in the camel experience. I did a half day camel safari, led by Samburu warriors, at Lewa Downs in Kenya that was really wonderful. We saw a variety of wildlife from the camel, including rhinos. Lewa Downs is an outstanding reserve that you can enjoy when not riding the camel.

Globetrotter,

Can you give a brief description of how you spent your days on the 4-day camel trek and how many hours at a time you were on the camel? Who knows, you might convert me.

Totally agree with atravelynn - I've ridden a camel in China, Morocco and Jordan, and if I never ride another one I'll be happy. I will say that the saddle on the Moroccan one was more comfortable than the others, but there's no way I'd sign up for four days. Aside from the discomfort, ask yourself if you're up for something that moves so slowly for so long.

Globetrotter, you've got to launch a major marketing campaign to get Thursdaysd and me on that camel safari. Please take up the challenge.

Just so you know, kch246, I enjoy adventurous outings such as riding horses in Mongolia or elephants in India, canoeing the Zambezi, camping in Nepal and am not put off by a little discomfort. For me the prospect of another 3.5 days beyond the first half day of galumphing through the desert on a camel seemed as if it would be arduous and not a good use of my time/money. Especially when you are in a region (whether Morocco or Kenya) with a lot to offer when not astride the camel.

It's your money and your butt!