Marrakech & the Sahara

At 72 l was a bit worried if l would be a stumbling block with the other travelers. None of it. lt was the most amazing trip l've ever had. We were looked after from the word go and l never felt the odd one out. lf l did have a hic cup, my friends would help me. They called me the tough old bird!!!

This was the first time I had gone on a holiday like this and the first time on my own.  Although I was a little concerned to start with there was really no need to be.  I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it and will be travelling with Exodus again. 

This was a fabulous introduction to adventure travel. This trip was my first group holiday and I loved every minute. The group profile was really good! We had people from their 20s to their 60s, all great and interesting people with their own travel stories to tell. The itinerary was a great mix of culture, landscape and sightseeing. It was busy and we packed such a lot in in just 7 days. The trip was really well organised and I would have no hesitation in going with Exodus again.

Morocco was my first Exodus experience, and if this trip was anything to go on, it won't be my last. It is a truly beautiful country, and one that can be more fully exploited by this trip, taking in the variety of everything the desert, mountains and city has to offer...

Loved it, a hassle free way of seeing Morocco.  It would be difficult to visit all the places we went in such a short space of time independently. 

Morocco is a beautiful country, wonderful people, stunning landscape and healthy wholesome food. This trip gives you a chance to experience the amazing contrasts that the country has on offer, from the stark beauty of the Sahara, the beautiful mineral rich mountains of the High Atlas to the frenetic pace of Marrakesh. The trip to the 16th century Kasbah of Ait Benhaddou, where they filmed Gladiator and Game of Thrones was fascinating and other small chances to sample local traditions like a Hamam and a tea ceremony were also welcome. This is a great introduction to adventure travel.

It is an adventurous trip which offers an interesting overview of the country. The tour was generally well organised and ran smoothly, the driving was safe, the only criticise is about the comfort of the vehicle: the group of 16 people tried to be fitted in the small van, and one of tourists had to share the seat between driver and the guide in the front… The group leader Lahcen Hamyouy was very knowledgeable guide, friendly and responsible person. The best day of the journey was camel riding through Sahara desert and star gazing in bedouin camp. Also the Atlas mountains scenery was magnificent while driving and walking as well. One of the highlights was visiting kasbah  Ait-Ben-Haddou, in Ouarzazate province, after seeing this ghost town you understand why this place has attracted a lot of directors and writers of various film industries to shoot movies such as ‘Lawrence of Arabia’, ‘The Mummy’, ‘Gladiator’ etc. Tour organisers should consider to spend more time in this beautiful place rather than wasting it in the remote village in Atlas mountains in freezing prison cell-like plain rooms. That guest house was very uncomfortable to stay in and needs a lot of improvements (little mobile heaters can make big difference). The food was good overall BUT hygiene and sanitation was very poor I am afraid (most of places with non-working flush toilets, missing toilets paper and open rubbish bins). The last part of the trip - visiting Marrakesh - was not that much exciting than others. Central square with its chaotic market is really dangerous place to walk because of annoying street hasslers and pickpocketers. One Italian restaurant “Portofino” recommended by the group leader was very decent place to have a meal…

This trip was a great way to see varied parts of Morocco, from city life in Marrakesh to the desert and up to the High Atlas Mountains, where there was a good amount of snow. This meant that there was quite a lot of time spent on the minibus, but there was some impressive terrain to see. In February, the nights and mornings were cold and dramatically different to the temperature in the mid-late afternoon. There were local crafts to visit (rug making, pottery, argan oil production, spice and incense stores) with retail opportunities, the camel ride into the desert, the steam baths and some down time. I really enjoyed the week, and if this is your first visit to an Arabic country, it's a tough call between Morocco and Jordan, as the latter has the Lost City of Petra, a great sight / site, which Morocco doesn't have.

Excellent holiday with the contrast of the desert, mountains and Marrakech. We were there the first week of November, the climate was excellent.

Our trip around Morocco was lovely. We were able to see parts of Morocco that would have been more difficult to visit on your own. Diving through the mountains, camping out in the sahara, going on a camel caravan ride, staying in a small village, and ending in a big city with lost of people and markets made for a very nice and varied trip.