Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

The visit to the Sahara and our stay at the Berber camp was super! Sitting around the campfire at night while our hosts and the guests sang songs, all under a clear night sky with thousands of stars was delightful.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our tour leader was exceptional! His knowledge of the country, the people, and the culture is formidable. With his pleasant demeanour, tolerance for the quirks of the different nationalities comprising our group, and a good sense of humour, he made our visit comfortable, easy and fun.

Advice for Potential Travellers

How to avoid getting sick: It's really easy to get an upset stomach in Morocco. To avoid this, don’t eat any uncooked vegetables unless you washed them yourself with properly treated water (i.e. bottled water), drink bottled water or manufactured drinks from bottles (i.e. don’t drink tap water, or any drink that might be made with tap water or fruit that doesn’t have the peel removed), and wash your hands with soap as often as possible. I’d also recommend brushing your teeth with bottled water and even cleaning your toothbrush with bottled water. Indeed, almost everyone on the trip got sick at some point (some quite sick actually) likely because they didn’t follow these simple rules. How to avoid getting ripped off: Bargain! Almost everything is negotiable in Morocco. I start my bidding at a maximum of 20-25% of what a merchant is asking, and never pay more than 50%. If I'm bargained up to 50% and the merchant says he/she won't sell, I say "No thanks," and walk away. 99.9% of the time, the merchant will not let you walk away so easily, but will still drive you past 50%. Don't let remorse get the better of you! Absolutely insist that 50% is your final offer. Eventually the merchant will give. Even if she/he pretends to be upset, don't get fooled, they're still getting more than what they would get from a local.

Suggestions

Enjoy! Morocco is relatively safe and this tour can be a lot of fun.

Most Inspirational Moment

Of course watching the sunset over the dunes in the sahara after reaching our camp on camle back is an experience I will never forget.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Abdullah was great. He was very sweet, knowledgable, helpful and professional. He always took the time to asnswer our questions. He did a very good job explaining what we coudl expect and we alsways punctual and accomodating.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring some medication for nausea and upset stomach. Even though we were careful about the food, a bunch of us got some bad cramps. Also, the drive through the mountains is very windy and made a few people nauseous even though we had an excellent driver.

Suggestions

8 days goes by fast, so if you have the chance, extend your holiday and take atrip out to Essaouira for a nice relaxing stay by the seaside. Also, visiting the ancient city of Fes is spectacular!

Most Inspirational Moment

Quite a few inspirational moments. One that sticks out is singing and dancing around the camp fire in the Sahara desert. Truly amazing!! Get involved!!!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent group leader. His extensive knowledge of the land made me feel safe and at all times i felt comfortable. His leadership skills and attitude towards the trip has definitely had a positive effect on me. I will be using Exodus' services in the future :-)

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you are unsure of what to pack get in contact with exodus! I followed the universal list... however, i did not need a jumper, waterproofs or a sleeping bag for my trip. It all depends on the season. This was extra weight i could of done without!!!

Most Inspirational Moment

Sitting on top of a Saharan sand dune watching the sun set and the stars come out will be a moment difficult to top for any future trip.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Abdullah, our group leader, was simply sensational. Always watching out for the group, but never in an oppressive school-master way, his sense of humour and enormous passion for his country and his job really made the trip special.

Advice for Potential Travellers

With long waits at airports on both the outward and return journey, make sure you're prepared. Though I didn't myself, some fellow travellers managed to find a few Moroccan dirham available in the UK which came in enormously handy when getting to Casablanca and realising that the departure lounge has no way of obtaining money, and only one solitary café for entertainment. Similarly, the airport lounge in the outbound flight remains something of a mystery for me, with nowhere to change dirham back (and some shops not even accepting anything other than Euros) despite being a closed currency.

Most Inspirational Moment

The camel trip was a memorable experience, as was glamping* in the desert and star-gazing. Equally memorable is the trip into the ante-Atlas mountains, and stay in the peaceful village, with gorgeous views from the gite. [* some members of our group were disappointed that the campsite is far more luxury than they were expecting - has low-occupancy tents (2 or 3 sharing max), proper toilets (although flushed with a scoop of water from a bucket and not plumbed) and a 3 course dinner was served on ceramic plates with proper cutlery. Our hosts even managed to rustle up a birthday cake !]

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader was excellent. Clearly proud to show off his country and impart knowledge and tips. He looked after the group extremely well, always looking out to make sure everyone was ok, but without fuss or being obtrusive. 10/10

Advice for Potential Travellers

Generally the quality of the accommodation is much better than you might expect from the trip notes. Sheets and blankets are provided at the gite and the camp site, so a light sleeping bag or liner should be sufficient - certainly from May- Sep (despite the trip notes recommending 3 season sleeping bag). Group flights change at Casablanca airport for both outbound and return flights, to/from Heathrow. There are limited facilities particularly for the domestic transit lounge on the outgoing flight (you'll have a 3h wait). You can get small amounts of Dirham in the UK (at poor exchange rates) but Euros also seemed to be accepted at the one and only cafe/bar in the terminal and where the Exodus group congregated! On the return leg, there was nowhere in Casablanca airport to exchange Dirham and most (Duty Free) outlets would not accept them for purchases even. Recommend you try to spend them in Marrakech. As a guide, £180 per person was plenty for the week for most people to cover meals, drinks, tips and small souvenirs. If you are not particular about returning to Heathrow or being on the group flights, there is a direct EasyJet flight to Gatwick leaving at a similar time to the group flights, for the return journey. This avoids another wait in Casablanca and Air Maroc were not the most efficient of check- in staff, to say the least! Some members of our group flew out on the Saturday, because the group flights arrive in Ouarzazate quite late and you arrive at the hotel around 2am, leave to start the first day proper at 9am. This is something I wish I'd done!

Suggestions

Be prepared for a fair bit of sitting in the bus on this trip - necessary to take in so many places in the week. Marrakech is a brilliant experience and assault on the senses, but I was glad to be part of a group for this part of the trip - it meant the women in particular could enjoy it, without being hassled too much. The food in the south of Morocco is tasty but not particularly varied - you may feel like you never want to see a tagine again after a few days.. but the feeling won't last! The only restaurants, unfortunately, are for tourists, as the locals in the south do not eat out. Marrakech, is a different proposition entirely and there are loads of choices. The restaurant our guide took us to on the last night was particularly good. All in all a wonderful trip and would recommend. Travelling with a fantastic group of people also made the holiday special.

Most Inspirational Moment

Two hour camel trekking into the Sahara and spending the night in a Bedouin camp under the stars. Running up the sand dunes to see the sunset and sunrise and another camel trek back again. Loved it!!!!Ait Benhaddou was awesome!!!! 

Thoughts on Group Leader

He was an absolute star. He had a sense of humour, was friendly and was there for us all the way :)

Advice for Potential Travellers

Enjoy...Enjoy...Enjoy, that is all.

Suggestions

Fantastic trip.

Most Inspirational Moment

Highlights of the trip were the trek on camels in to the desert and watching the sunrise and sunset, and the walk up in to the Atlas mountiains, it was beautiful. 

Thoughts on Group Leader

The group leader was great, he was very informative and would answer any questions you had.  He even arranged a birthday cake at our last hotel as 2 members of our party celebrated birthdays during the week we were there.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If it's your first time don't worry about it, everybody joins in and the ones that have done this type of holiday before are very quick to help and give advice.

Suggestions

I can honestly say it was one of the best holidays I have ever had and I would not hesitate in using Exodus again, in fact I am going to book a trip to the Inca Trail next year.  The whole trip was organised extremely well and covered a lot of ground over the 8 days we were there, the hotels we stayed in were clean and friendly and the food was great.  Our groups age ranged from 24 to 64 and everbody got on really well and enjoyed each others company, although you may be a lone traveller you are never alone. Excellent!!!! 

Most Inspirational Moment

 I think my best bit was the visit to the library and pottery. I think this was partly due to me not expecting much from the day which turned out to be really interesting.  Then the bus broke down, which also turned into a highlight as we went for a walk and had mint tea in a family’s home.   

Thoughts on Group Leader

 He was very knowledgeable and experienced which meant we could just sit back, relax and enjoy all the experiences. 

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you want to get to know Morocco and don't have much time- Book it

Most Inspirational Moment

Arriving on our camels at the Bedouin camp in the Sahara then racing up the nearest high sand dune to watch the sun go down. Singing round the camp fire until late, then getting up early to race back up the sand dune and watch the sun rise again. The trek up into the High Atlas mountains was refreshing - a sensible pace meant it was less challenging than it might have been, and the views were amazing. 

Thoughts on Group Leader

Lahcen was a great tour leader - friendly, calm, efficient, helpful and knowledgeable. His timing estimates were somewhat 'approximate', but it was all part of this charm! He definitely helped make the holiday.

Advice for Potential Travellers

My luggage failed to make the connection from Casablanca to Ouazarzata. This is apparantly quite common and the tour leader was very matter of fact that I would be without my luggage for the first three days and nights of the holiday (half the trip). This included the night in the dessert, meaning I was without my sleeping bag, and I had to borrow blankets from the hotel. On the first morning I had to buy emergency essential toiletries and clothing from the market in Ouazarzata, which was challenging. As predicted, I did get my luggage back at the end of day three. Make sure you carry any essentials in your hand luggage.The trip is run with a kitty for all water, lunches and dinners for the majority of the trip (Marrakech is the exception), with all meals taken as a group as there don't appear to be opportunities to go out independently. This is appropriate and works well, but it would have been nice to know in advance what to expect.I was able to buy Morrocan Dirhams in London without any problems prior to the trip - and was grateful for them. Toilet stops are few and far between - and often involve finding your own convenient bush! That said, most toilets we did find were 'Western' style and usually had toilet paper and hand washing facilities.The night in the gite was extremely cold and very basic. You do need your sleeping bag there, too, as well as an overnight bag. This is the second night you are without your main luggage (the other being the night at the Bedouin camp in the dessert). Take a good book/pack of cards/something to pass time in the gite between sundown and dinner.

Suggestions

An enjoyable trip with interesting stop-offs and a few great highlights. You're with the group virtually all the time, so fingers crossed you get good fellow travellers!

Most Inspirational Moment

Camel trekking into the Saharra desert and sleeping in the camp was a wonderful experience. The camp is well catered for and the living conditions were comfortable. Seeing all of the stars including shooting stars as it got dark was a very memorable experience! The tents were smaller than I had expected, with 2-3 people sharing each one. There was a basic toilet block (lit by candles) and a central tent where we ate. Be warned - during the winter months it can be very cold and hat, scarves, gloves and thermal layers were definitely required!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was very good. Informative and willing to sort any issues that arose. My luggage didn't arrive until mid-way through the holiday and he dealt with the logistics of this and ensured that I had adequate equipment to endure the cold evening in the desert. He also did what he could for those who became ill on the trip. His English was very good and he was always willing to take any questions that we had.

Advice for Potential Travellers

There are a few long journey's which I personally didn't mind. There is only one way into and out of the desert however, so you do have to take the same road in and out, resulting in a 4 hour 'repeated' journey.You can take Dirams into the country - there is a limit but I got them from a Currency Exchange in my home town before I left. The exchange rate wasn't fantastic but it does mean you have some money to spend in Casablance airport were we had around 3 hours before our internal connecting flight. Casablance airport didn't have many facilities so make sure you have a good book! My luggage didn't turn up until a few days later, which didn't seem particularly uncommen. Do remember to pack your essentials into your hand luggage! In November it was cold in both the Saharra at night and in the mountains. Take plenty of warm clothes. The mountain gite was basic and chilly! 

Suggestions

This is a holiday that covers a lot of ground in a week. There isn't much time in Marrakech, so some people may find that they would prefer a little bit more time to explore. I wish I'd done a bit more reading to make the most of the 'free' afternoon. Marrakech by night was much more fun that by day - the central square was a sight to be seen! There wasn't much free time for individuals to do their own exploring and we tended to eat as a group, especially as we all paid into the optional kitty at the start of the holiday which covered the costs of lunches. Many of the meals were 'set' menus, so there wasn't a lot of choice in what you ate, but the food was genrally good - slightly blander than I had expected. The mountains were spectacular and it's definitely worth going for the walk from the gite. Be prepared for some rought roads to get into the High Atlas Mountains! A great holiday - the group was very mixed. Individuals, couples, young and slightly more mature.