My wife and I just finished an epic trip to Morocco that was arranged by Experience it Tours. One of the big selling points for us was that they only service a few destinations (Morocco, Kenya, and Oman) and therefore have an incredibly deep knowledge base and insights into each country. We like to travel a bit off the beaten track and don’t enjoy cookie cutter tours that just stop at the most popular attractions. The Experience It Tours custom itinerary allowed us to fully immerse ourselves in the culture and with the local people and have a real Moroccan experience. Still digesting this incredible trip but we wanted to break down the components to show how Experience it Tours delivered on all fronts.
Guide/Driver, Are you allowed to give 6 stars?? Achraf Nouri or guide and driver really made the trip for us. So knowledgeable and so many keen insights into Moroccan culture, the people and history. Truly a first class education. In addition to his guiding skills he also hired for us several experts along the way Fes, Rissani, Tineghir and the Todra Gorge) who brought even more interesting perspectives on those tours. In addition to his guiding skills Achrav was also an excellent driver who navigated some incredibly challenging roads with the greatest of ease and safety. You spend a lot of time with your driver and with Acrav it felt like having a close friend or family member along for the ride. Can’t say enough about how much he enhanced our experience.
Itinerary: We built a custom itinerary as we needed to meet up with my wife’s sister in Marrakech but we felt the route taken gave us the full breadth of Morocco. From the major cities and palaces in Casablanca and Rabat to the incredible Medinas in Fes and Marrakech, to the desert towns where we had several side stops to see the various artisans and their crafts first hand, to our epic Sahara desert Camping experience, we felt like we got the full range of Moroccan life but from a Moroccan perspective not the tourist one.
One of many highlights was the drive over the mid Atlas mountains winding through the small villages that had survived the 2023 earthquake. Other than maybe the Mediterranean coast we felt like this itinerary captured Morocco beautifully. (10 days)
Accommodations/Dining: We opted for the 4 to 5 star Riad/Hotel plan and were always surprised and delighted. An amazing first night at the Hotel Casablanca was followed by unique and gorgeous Riads in Fes, Skoura, and Marrakech. And of course probably the highlight of any Morocco trip ws our overnight camping in the Sahara. When I say camping I use that term loosely as these desert accommodations were 5 star and made for the perfect Oasis to explore the desert. Our guide Achraf also picked some incredible restaurants for us that were a perfect blend of native Moroccan cuisines and some international fare. Side note: The breakfast in these Riads were a real treat. Mostly buffet style but with a wide range of Moroccan treats to get your day started right. (Fresh squeezed OJ everywhere!)
If you are interested in a real Moroccan experience where you truly come to learn about their culture and feel first hand the warmth and uniqueness of the Moroccan people, Experience It Tours is your ticket. Ultimately what Experience It Tours has mastered that many larger outfits haven’t is to deliver this truly authentic travel experience but without giving up any of the comforts we American travelers clearly covet. Experience nailed it on all fronts and we’ve started the Kenya planning already!
Scott Parmelee
Former Publisher Outside Magazine/Outside On-Line (Active Lifestyle and Adventure Travel Publications)
P.S. Couple of suggestions:
Getting change was a big issue. For every bathroom stop and the many pictures that we took some small tips are needed Mostly 2 -10 Dirhams. None of the Riads had change (or smaller bills. As a result we got stuck overtipping in several instances.(Our wheelbarrow porter in Marrakech was quite happy with the 100.00 Dirhams I gave him for the 100 foot trip!. My recommendation is that Experience It supplies each guest with a substantial change purse to kick off the trip (you could tack it on to the fee) This would save a ton of angst and hassle to not have to worry about the tipping.
Additional Visits: Not sure if this is part of the bigger agenda but when in Marrakech we did a full day excursion to Ourika Valley. Yes we did the more touristy waterfall hike (Should leave Marakeesh at 8:00 A.M. to avoid huge crowds hiking) and that was beautiful but much bigger highlights were the drives through 2 adjacent valleys that got us to the top of the High Atlas Mountains with astonishing views. There we also had an unforgettable lunch at a local house overlooking the Valley. The drive through these two valleys and mountains we were completely alone and felt like we had Morocco with just us and the amazing Berber people. (Oukaimden and Imnane). We found that a full day in Marrakech including the Medina, Jardin Majorelle, and Mosque with a night exploring the Jemma el-Fnna followed by the Ourika and adjoining valleys excursion was a perfect amount of time.
Well done Experience it Tours!
