Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

Being in the Sahara, the sunset and the night sky. Also the Atlas Mountains which were stunning.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very good: knowledgeable and took us to some great restaurants!

Advice for Potential Travellers

We didn't need our sleeping bags: there were made up beds in both the Sahara camp and the gite where we had a tent/room for ourselves. It was very hot at the end of March/beginning of April and only needed a jumper in the evening in the desert. A couple of longer drives, but the scenery was stunning. The camel ride was fun after the first 10 min of getting used to it but does leave you a little sore!

Suggestions

Do it - a great holiday!

Most Inspirational Moment

The Atlas Mountains. It was a lovely walk although longer than we expected and the gite is lovely. Go for the hammam too!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very good!

Advice for Potential Travellers

My advice would be consider not taking a sleeping bag, I never needed it, there are nice beds even in the desert and blankets are available. I would take a travel pillow as many pillows were very fat and hard! Definitely take a torch and either take or buy snacks as it can be a long time between meals. Take a swimming costume, I didn't and I regretted it, all the hotels have a pool and it's very hot! And book your own flights not with royal air maroc! Every flight was delayed and our flight home was cancelled and I have never received worse customer service than from that airline.

Most Inspirational Moment

Sitting on the sand dunes in the Sahara watching the sunset. No artists palette will ever be able to paint the colours, or the scenery. Nothing can replace the memories of the complete tranquil peace

Advice for Potential Travellers

Travelled late March-didn't need a sleeping bag at all-the beds in the 'tents' had blankets. I didn't change any currency before arriving, and found it easy to swap into Dirham on the first day Don't forget swim wear-at least 3 hotels had pools

Suggestions

An amazing experience. Go with the flow, and take the opportunity to absorb everything. The group I was in were all truly amazing, and the laughs, and camaraderie will live on long after

Most Inspirational Moment

Riding camels and camping in the desert and 24 hours later walking in the Atlas Mountains in snow!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Rashid couldn't have been any better. He was friendly, efficient and great company.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go with Exodus....! This company proved to be so impressive in terms of organisation, efficiency, itinerary and group profile. I loved my trip!

Suggestions

Thank you Exodus!

Most Inspirational Moment

Contrast of the desert and the mountain experiences.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent, mixed with the group well. Knowledgeable and approachable. We were a very well behaved group so he had an easy time!!!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't change money at the first hotel as the exchange rate was very poor. Very cold at night in December in the gite and desert. Be prepared. Your body will know that you have been on the camel ride but it's all part of the fun and experience.

Suggestions

The trip notes need to be updated to reflect the desert accommodation. The trip notes make it sound as though you are staying in a communal tent when in fact is not far off glamping so we were all pleasantly surprised. There are proper beds and we didn't require our sleeping bags as there was bedding. Bus could have been a little larger. We were 16 in the group and at capacity of the bus and it was a bit of a squeeze throughout the week getting on and off.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were many, but three highlights: (a) New Year's Eve in the mountain gite. A long low table with floor cushions, a private party, delicious food, a visit from the local police (nothing we did - but we did hide the celebratory drinks bottles pretty sharpish!), games of GREED and cards until midnight, when two ladies revealed they had downloaded Big Ben chimes and Auld Lang Syne. An extraordinary evening that I will NEVER forget (b) Riding camels into the desert, songs and drumming around the campfire - and the game of "chicken" which came back to haunt me the next day (c) The foodie tour of Marrakesh - the lamb cooked undergrounds was exquisite!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Lahcen was a great leader - most importantly he listened to feedback and suggestions from the group and adapted plans to suit. Nothing was too much trouble and he played a full part in the great British NYE celebrations - which was lovely.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you travel in the winter months as we did - do not expect the weather to be hot, even in Marrakesh. You can certainly forget the swimming costume! We found the desert accommodation to be much better than the description suggests - two people sharing a private hut with proper beds and no need for our sleeping bags; the first couple of hotels were colder and we used our thermal liners - my friend even slept in her bobble hat! Take Euros to spend in the airport if you cant get Moroccan currency in the UK (some did manage to). Do the foodie tour in Marrakesh!

Suggestions

This was my 4th trip with Exodus - Macchu Picchu, Everest BC, Walking in the dolomites and this one. All have been very well organised, had great leaders and brilliant co-travellers. This group included couples and solos; from late 20's/early 30's to mid 60's - everyone got on famously and we have kept up contact on our return; so, don't be nervous, just do it - you wont regret a moment and you will make lots of new friends!

Most Inspirational Moment

The local school in the village where the gite is was insprational to us, in that the school is very poor by our standrds, yet the local kids were there trying to learn and be educated. We spoke to the tour leader and we went with him to the school and gave some gifts of pens to the schoolteacher for the children. The desert experience was amazing !!!! The stars.....wow!! We felt very small & insignificant underneath the star filled sky. And the sunrise next morning... Don't miss it!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our tour leader Mustapha ( the slim one!) was brilliant! His local knowledge, enthusiasm and love for his country was limitless! Nothing was too much trouble for him, he showed us the real Morocco and we loved it all! He seemed to know just where to stop & show us such interesting things, a local pottery, a local market, villages etc. He was full of helpful advice for every situation!

Advice for Potential Travellers

The desert experience was wonderful but it was cold at night. Apart from a sleeping bag, a silk liner is a good idea and also wear 'layers' to keep warm, take hat & gloves. The stay at the gite was great, but it was very cold in our bedroom (we were upstairs & it was December!) ..so definitely pile on the layers there! We used sanitizer before we ate each time and didn't suffer any upset tums. We took walking poles and used them when needed. Try and have a Hamman and a massage when you get to Marrakech.. Your tour lead should be able to arrange it for you.. We did & it was great! We bought some currency from Travelex at Heathrow airport, but other members of the group said they hadn't got any dirhams left when they had tried to purchase some. You will be able to get some from an ATM / bank the next day. Follow the yellow line at Casablanca airport to the departure lounge, our connecting flight from Casablanca to Ouarzarate was very late in departing....we were in the departure lounge for ages & no explanation was given!! Having asked 'official' looking men (airport police??) a few times, the general answer was 'it will go soon' !!! Eventually we boarded & all the group luggage turned up in Ouarzarate!

Suggestions

The week flew by but it was such a brilliant trip! Opening the bedroom curtains on the 1st morning to see palm trees was so strange!!! Take pens for the local children you may meet and will definitely meet as you walk to the gite. If you know French ...even a little, speak it!! A few low value coins if you take a photo of someone will be much appreciated. Try and remember some songs to sing round the campfire in the desert! We had an iPad with us & had downloaded a free star chart before we left the UK and this was invaluable in identifying the stars & planets in the desert night sky. Wifi usually available in the hotels.Have a great time!!!

Most Inspirational Moment

Camping in the Sahara and waking in the middle of the night to see the stars. Unforgettable and a very special sense of timelessness. Indeed much more Christmas-like (shepherds watch their flocks/3 wise men etc) than all the twinkling tatt at home! The in-camp evening entertainment was also fantastic with the local camelliers and camp caretaker doubling up as great drummer/singers. Our whole group got really into it with lots of improvisation and participation. 

Thoughts on Group Leader

I'm sure I'm not alone in saying that we found Mustapha to be a kind attentive and extremly humourous guide. His obvious passion for his country and Berber people together with his excellent language skills made the whole trip run very smoothly and with considerable added interest. Our driver was excellent too ... not at all crazy, just very calm and steady.... AND awake!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Pack light! It does get pretty cold at night so just layer up and go scruffy. I might think about wearing cycle shorts (covered) on the Camel ride as fairly demanding on the deriair! Trip note suggestions that women should take cover-up long skirts seemed uneccessary though a large scarf was fairly handy. Also the swimming pools at hotels are absolutly freezing and not really a viable option for December visits.

Suggestions

There was lots and lots of driving on this trip, which ordinarily would have driven me mad BUT we all seemed to get along really well, and Mustapha kept the banter going and the stops for photos etc, meant that it didn't get too overbearing. In anycase, all the bus time was more than worthwhile to get to stay in the Sahara! Next time I'd like to do a more active trip but given this was Christmas and my first visit to Morocco, I was more than satisfied. thanks Exodus!

Most Inspirational Moment

My passion is Travel Photography so the highlight for me has to be the Camel Trek in the Sahara Desert, leaving mid afternoon and arriving at our "Beduin Camp" with the amazing sunset in the Dunes. The late afternoon sun and the actual "Golden Hour" before sunset amongst the Dunes was something I'll never forget and resulted in hundreds of great images - everywhere I looked there was a great photo to be had with the Dunes, Camels, shadows and the traditionally dressed local Beduin Guides - just amazing stuff. I could have slept in the spacious tents provided but I decided to fulfill a dream of sleeping under the stars and although it was literally freezing overnight I put on plenty of layers and slept outside with only the stars to look at - an experience I'd recommend as you'll never forget it - BUT make sure you have LOTS of thermals and warm layers inc Hat & Gloves even IN your thick Sleeping Bag - believe me its cold! The third "incredible experience" of being in the desert was climbing the tallest Dune close to camp to watch the magnificent sunrise - just AMAZING! A hundred more photos followed with the first rays of the sun making the Camels, Dunes etc glow with beautiful light and providing many more amazing images - I ended up missing breakfast as the "Golden Hour" of light was just too good to miss As you can tell, those 20 hours in the desert was THE highlight for me as a Photographer but there were many more great places along the trip to photograph too

Thoughts on Group Leader

A good or a bad Guide can make or break a trip and I'm so pleased to say that our Group Leader, Abdullah, was just fantastic, he had a great sense of humour, really cared about us and was always looking out for us to make sure we had the best experience of a country he clearly loved and was proud of with his enthusiastic nature. He was very knowledgeable about the local history and customs and took time to tell us as much as possible to give us an insight into the country and its customs etc. He made an already good trip great!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for some long bus drives through switch back mountain roads and accept that you can't cover a great distance in a country to see lots of varied landscapes without suffering long drivesTake various Plug Adapters, for some odd reason they have 2 versions of the 2 Round Pin Plug with a slight difference in Pin pitch - some peoples adapters fitted some hotels some didn'tEvery hotel we stayed at, and most Bars/Restaurants, had WiFi and what was refreshing was unlike the ripoff mentality of UK hotels the WiFi was always Free AND was normally a very good strong signalDespite not drinking the tap water a few of us did get ill, make sure you take suitable medicines for such a situationAs correctly described in the Trip Notes it does get cold, especially at night in the Sahara and in the Atlas Mountains, taking enough warm kit will allow you to just enjoy these uinque surroundings in comfortWe found that speaking French came in extremely useful, even the few basic words I know made things a lot easierBe prepared for lots of hassle and being asked for money even for looking at someone or their Donkey, especially in Marrakech and even more especially in the famous Square - I am well travelled and found them to be more agressive than most countries I've been to and not very friendly in their demands for money. Don't let it put you off going though, just put on your "thick skin", stand your ground, smile the best you can and politely say no or "Non Merci"

Suggestions

Go with an open mind and enjoy!

Most Inspirational Moment

The camel trek into the desert and sitting around the fire at the campsite was fantastic, as was watching the sun rise over the sand dunes the next morning (well worth getting up early for!).Enjoyed visiting the towns and villages in the Sahara which meant we could get a sense of the 'real' Morocco.The walks in the Atlas Mountains were a personal highlight as the scenery was beautiful. 

Thoughts on Group Leader

Rachid was an excellent guide- very knowledgable and accomodating. A few people on the trip were ill and he did a great job of looking after them.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I think this is a great trip if you want to see different aspects of Morocco in a relatively short period of time.I travelled in the second week of November and the weather was great- warm and sunny in the day (but not too hot) and cool at night- take a jumper. The campsite in the desert is more luxurious than most of us expected - the tents are very roomy, with enough space to stand up in, and have matresses and blankets so you won't be cold. The camp even had proper toilets!The hotels were excellent quality- most of them had a pool and wi-fi.The food was good but not much variety- outside of Marrakech the menu is very limited and often just offered tagine, cous cous or omlette! And we drank a lot of mint tea!There was a bit more time spent on the bus than the trip notes suggest, but this is a necessary trade-off to cover such a large area in a week, and the scenery you see from the bus makes the trips enjoyable.Highly recommend visiting the Majorelle Gardens during the free time in Marrakech- they are beautiful and it's a relaxing way to spend ah hour or so.

Suggestions

Brilliant trip- you won't regret it!