who's been to morocco?
 

Looking for thoughts on Morocco as a destination. Anyone who's been want to share please. Info. seems hard to find and africa board is not so active. Thanks.

I have, although it was quite a while ago. In fact I think I will go again to Marrakech.

Try posting this on the Africa board for more responses.

We were in Morocco about ten or twelve years ago for a two week trip. We landed in Marrakech and then took the train to Meknès and then to Fez. In Meknès we hired a private guide who showed us around the town and also took us to Vorubilis and a nearby town (I forget the name) where infidels are not allowed to stay overnight. We took two side trips from Fez, using local transportation. From Fez we took a long distance (first class) bus back to Marrakech to fly back to Paris.

I suggest that you start browsing in travel books in your local library or travel bookstore.

I did Underhill, there doesn't seem to be as much traffic over there. But thanks for the suggestion. I just thought I'd try both boards.

Hi Michael,

Already have bought some books and browsed the web. More looking for peoples impressions and experiences. Also been to Virtual Tourist, has some good info. Just looking for more. Thanks for the input and info.

We are planning a trip to Morocco for this March. I have found the travel forum on Trip Advisor to be a bit more active than the one here, so you might try looking there. http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum...5-Morocco.html

Also, laclaire who is active on the Fodors site, particularly Spain, has been there recently, so hopefully she will see this and respond. She is one of the people who inspired us to go.

jgg, I hope you post back regarding your experiences in Morocco. I have had Morocco or Tunisia as a "maybe" destination, so would be interested to know how the kids liked it as well. It will require heavy campaigning on my part to get my husband on board, so I need to know whether others thought it "worthwhile". A relative term I know, but all input helps.

poutine- I will definitely post a trip report on my return. We will be spending 6 nights in Barcelona and 8 in Morocco say can legitimately post the trip report on the Europe board!!

We "did" Morocco awhile back. Flew into Casablanca via Lisbon ... spent a day.. not a lot to see in Casablanca (Rick where are you when I need you?) Rented a car and drove to Rabat.. then on to Fez (stayed at Palais Jamal..much recommended) There, a guide took us to Volubilis. Next we drove thru the Atlas Mts. to Erfoud. Another guide drove us into the desert to see the sunrise (now, I underrstand from a friend, there are tent camps out on the desert for this purpose). From Erfoud, drove to Ouzarate (Sp??) Amazing landscape... wish we had had a geologist with us. Then on to Marrakesh and the Momounia. Marrakesh is the highlight and I gather now there are many options to the Momounia. (Is that the right spelling??) As I recall the drive from Marrakesh back to Casabland was not all that interesting. But... Morocco has beeen a highlight of our travels. Other friends recommend the beach resorts. I could go on about the caravanseris, etc. but my mind is failing -:)

Bookmarking to see what kind of answers you get laartista. We just bought our air tickets this past weekend for a Mar/Apr trip - love those milestone events!

I agree that the Africa board doesn't have many people who post about Morocco. It's very much a top end safari board with a tiny bit of Egypt thrown in. But I've seen a few other interesting talks about Morocco on this board. Maybe because it couples well using Spain as a doorway, which is what we're doing - into Casablanca, out of Granada. Now, with a bunch of budget airlines flying to Marrakesh, Fez, Agadir and a few others, I'd imagine it might become even more of an interest to Euro travelers. We'd thought about flying out of Fez to somewhere like Belgium for the contrast instead of ferrying to Spain. But we decided that we liked having the option to depart Morocco on flexible schedule instead of being locked into a particular time. Not saying we'll hate Morocco (and we wouldn't be going if we thought we would) but since this is a totally new area for us, we liked having options.

Michael: I bet that town was Mouley Idriss? They actually opened it up for overnight stays as of early last year. Hardly anyone seems aware and so are thinking it might make a very sort of "different" night. We're mulling if it's going to be possible. What did you think of it as a town?

I have been there twice for a total of two weeks. I adored the country. I did not go down into the desert..only as far as Taroudant. The food is outstanding. Fez was my favorite place; Essouria was also great.

I've been to Morocco twice in the past year...loved it. First trip was with my husband and repeated the same areas with two women friends and 5 adult daughters...It was a trip of a lifetime..started in Fez, then went to the desert (Esoura) and had a night in a private bedouin camp amid the sand dunes, a sunrise camel ride across the dunes, and back to our super exotic camp of carpets and tents made of carpets for a sumptuous breakfast...in the evening we had a troup of performers with music and dance....then on to Ouarzazate to see the places where many movies were made..Laurance of Arabia, Gladiator, etc...then on to Marrakech to the most wonderful place in the medina...Le Jardin de la Medina...an oasis of garden with pool in a most beautifully restored small palace....the trip was affordable and so much fun we will never forget it...we had a guide with us the entire time and that made both the trips memorable. We took a cooking class outside Marrakech and they sat under the trees and by a fab pool to be served the meals we made...everything was perfect...I highly recommend it......try to stay in riads...these are traditional homes, and palaces than have been converted into B&Bs...you get a real feel of the country that way..

Sounds like a fantastic trip! would you mind telling us who set it up for you..how you found the guide, etc?

Thanks very much..I plan to return someday soon.

Me too! We like to travel independantly and actually enjoy the buses and such, rather than guides (except on a local basis for a day). But I'd be very interested what outfit handled your desert stay in the tents, if it were associated with a particular hotel, etc.

Clifton,

It was Moulay Idriss. I do not recall the town as being anything special. Far more interesting were the day trips we took from Fez to nearby market towns. I do not remember the names off-hand and am going out of town in ten minutes. Send me an e-mail to remind me and I'll look them up upon my return.

...our guide was a gem, highly educated, personable, and great companion.....I had a call on his cell phone while on top of a donkey crossing a stream to get to a world heritage site outside Ouarzazate (where scenes from the Gladiator were filmed)....from the headquarters in Marrakech to see if everything was going well and were we happy...indeed we were...at the moment we were all laughing our heads off on our donkeys..if you contact: [email protected] or other address: [email protected] can help you...he was our guide and works for the Moroccan agengy that arranged everything.. mention that the ladies he took around in April are highly recommending him....it is so handy to have them arrange the riads, etc...because from here it is hard to read between the lines...if you decide to go, i would be happy to give you the names of the riads we stayed in and which ones i would recommend....they also arranged our trip to the desert and our private camp..it was so much better than what we saw some other people getting....everything was superb they arranged, and if you give them a budget, they will work with that..we traveled around in our own little bus.

just saw the message above mine...it wasn't Moulay Idriss..that must be someone else....this is Moulay Hachem (El Bissouri)

Thanks so much for the guide info. Did you get his name from someone who had used him before? Do you pay him directly or through an agency. Your posts have rekindled my desire to return someday soon!

Awesome responses everyone. YES, a camel trek in the desert, that's what I want, sounds like a once in a lifetime experience. I've already gotten 2 friends to commit to the Morocco leg of my trip. Although I travel alot solo I didn't feel comfortable doing Morocco on my own. i8d's thanx for the contact info. I also found 2 others www.cameltrekking.com and www.saharatrek.com.