OAT in Morocco?
Apr 20th, 2006, 06:22 PM
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A friend and I took that trip 2 years ago in March. We had a fabulous time - it was one of the best trips for both of us and we've both travelled a lot - both with groups and alone. The guides were excellent, the Sahara at sunrise was spectacular, and the people we met were very welcoming. The images and photos from the trip have made their way into several of my paintings. We had a great experience with OAT.
Apr 21st, 2006, 07:16 AM
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There are a number of posts about OAT in Morocco. If you do a search you will find more information.
FYI: Ramadan begins Sept 24 and ends around Oct. 24. I don't have the dates in front of me now. This may or may not affect your decision to go in Oct. You might want to wait until the end of the month, or go in November.
FYI: Ramadan begins Sept 24 and ends around Oct. 24. I don't have the dates in front of me now. This may or may not affect your decision to go in Oct. You might want to wait until the end of the month, or go in November.
Apr 25th, 2006, 05:33 AM
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I did a desert trip this last month.
The dunes we went to where about a two hour drive from mhamid. Getting to the dessert takes a while but the experience is completely worth it.
I donīt know OAT, but while I was there i saw some companies that advertised as taking you to the dunes, but all they did was take you to a single sand dune near zagora ( which is not what you are looking for )
We used a guide to take us, since we do not like being part of bigger groups, his name is Mark Willenbrock.
And we was great at this sort of trip, let me know if you want more info
The dunes we went to where about a two hour drive from mhamid. Getting to the dessert takes a while but the experience is completely worth it.
I donīt know OAT, but while I was there i saw some companies that advertised as taking you to the dunes, but all they did was take you to a single sand dune near zagora ( which is not what you are looking for )
We used a guide to take us, since we do not like being part of bigger groups, his name is Mark Willenbrock.
And we was great at this sort of trip, let me know if you want more info
Apr 25th, 2006, 07:31 PM
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Sanell,
Another poster asked me for tips/suggestions for the OAT Morocco trip on another OAT thread. You might be interested in the same info.
We went to Morocco in March and found layers and thermal undies necessary for the cold nights in the desert and the mountains. I don't know what October temps are, but be prepared for a wide range of temps day to night - especially in the desert. I tended to wear a longish travel skirt (over my thermal long underwear and hiking boots) much of the time and found that somehow that made me more approachable to some of the women we met, particularly in the rural areas. One of the other women on the trip brought little bottles of bubbles with her and as she blew bubbles the kids just flocked to her, followed by their mothers, which created more great opportunities for interaction.
At one of the farms we visited, one of the wives decided I was wearing a scarf I'd bought over there wrong and retied it for me the "correct" way for a woman and we became best pals - I was the only one in the group that she let take her photograph. She admired the beaded glasses keeper cord on my sunglasses, and when I gave it to her (out of sight of her husband who quickly took possession of moisturizing cream another person offered her for her children's very windburned, dried cheeks) when we left, she looked like I'd given her the world! I wished I had brought a bunch of those elastic seed-bead bracelets to give to the women we met who were so nice to us!
A word of warning for the day you visit the tannery, it will probably smell worse than you expect. Our guide quickly bought bunches of fresh mint and handed them out to us to crush and hold under our noses to counter some of the smell. Also, the smell rises, so if you climb up to the surrounding roofs for a better photo opp, or to escape the smell - the photo opp might work out, but the smell will actually be worse!
Bring lots of film or memory cards for your camera - the colors and light are fabulous. Moisturizer and sunscreen are critical - especially while in the Sahara - and a small flashlight. Sunrise over the Sahara dunes is spectacular, but those dunes are a lot higher than they look! Only a couple of the people in our group actually made it all the way to the top for sunrise.
As you can tell, I really liked Morocco and the OAT trip - hope you do too. And I agree with Luisah, you might want to try to avoid Ramadan.
Another poster asked me for tips/suggestions for the OAT Morocco trip on another OAT thread. You might be interested in the same info.
We went to Morocco in March and found layers and thermal undies necessary for the cold nights in the desert and the mountains. I don't know what October temps are, but be prepared for a wide range of temps day to night - especially in the desert. I tended to wear a longish travel skirt (over my thermal long underwear and hiking boots) much of the time and found that somehow that made me more approachable to some of the women we met, particularly in the rural areas. One of the other women on the trip brought little bottles of bubbles with her and as she blew bubbles the kids just flocked to her, followed by their mothers, which created more great opportunities for interaction.
At one of the farms we visited, one of the wives decided I was wearing a scarf I'd bought over there wrong and retied it for me the "correct" way for a woman and we became best pals - I was the only one in the group that she let take her photograph. She admired the beaded glasses keeper cord on my sunglasses, and when I gave it to her (out of sight of her husband who quickly took possession of moisturizing cream another person offered her for her children's very windburned, dried cheeks) when we left, she looked like I'd given her the world! I wished I had brought a bunch of those elastic seed-bead bracelets to give to the women we met who were so nice to us!
A word of warning for the day you visit the tannery, it will probably smell worse than you expect. Our guide quickly bought bunches of fresh mint and handed them out to us to crush and hold under our noses to counter some of the smell. Also, the smell rises, so if you climb up to the surrounding roofs for a better photo opp, or to escape the smell - the photo opp might work out, but the smell will actually be worse!
Bring lots of film or memory cards for your camera - the colors and light are fabulous. Moisturizer and sunscreen are critical - especially while in the Sahara - and a small flashlight. Sunrise over the Sahara dunes is spectacular, but those dunes are a lot higher than they look! Only a couple of the people in our group actually made it all the way to the top for sunrise.
As you can tell, I really liked Morocco and the OAT trip - hope you do too. And I agree with Luisah, you might want to try to avoid Ramadan.
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