I would say the person harps on “so many tourist” would you say the same in Rome at the Mona lisa? Like why a shock? 12EUR meals is not too much. I loved this tour, it was one of the highlights of my life! Super cheap also! My cheapest tour on my back to back 6 country trip!
Los precios van en función del pais, lo que puede ser barato en uno, es caro en otro... 12 Euros, por las comidas que se sirven en las paradas de muchos tours por Marruecos, sobre todo en las escapadas al Desierto, no son cara, son carisimas, teniendo en cuenta el menú. Yo actualmente estoy en Barcelona y al lado de casa, comiendo bien, el menú diario son 11,50 Euros y te aseguro que nada que ver. Por esa zona, hay quien trabajando 10 horas al dia, no cobra 200 euros al mes. Tambien es cierto que hay torus y tours, pero en general son muchos Kms en muy poco tiempo y la gente apenas puede disfrutar de los lugares que se visitan.
A night in the Sahara, under the stars, hearing the wind blow past your tent, and then delicious breakfast in the morning is one of life's great experiences. I've done it twice and hope, Inshallah, to do it with my grandson in a few years. Also, I do this experience on a southern loop from Fez, to the desert, and back around to Marrakech. There are wonderful places to stay the nights before and after the desert, and you're seeing new ground and places instead of backtracking.
I am traveling to Morocco next month, last 2 weeks of January. Would you please recommend me an agency for a trip to Sahara desert. I will be in Marrakech. Thank you in advance
Hello! I am from Argentina. I m looking for an excursion to the desert but leaving from Fes and arriving in Marrakech but I can't find a trustworthy agency. I travel alone and would like to be able to join a group. If you have information I would appreciate it. Thank you! Yamile
I’m Moroccan living in the US and I have done a tour driving from Casa to Merzouga then ouarzazat then Marrakech then back to Casablanca. I did the full trip in 5/6 days. I think seeing the other side of the Atlas mountain is worth it and I think it’s the best part of Morocco. The roads are excellent with really good cellular coverage. Food in Morocco outside of large cities and especially along the roads in villages could be hit and miss but I don’t think $10 at a restaurant is abnormal (knowing that a sandwich in Marrakech or Casablanca could cost you between $4 to $6). But for people worrying about it, get some sandwiches with you from Marrakech to eat for lunch. The trip you did is indeed long for 3 days. That’s 560km one way with stops probably most of the day you would be driving. I think that region is so beautiful with some spectacular landscapes (especially the spring with snow on the mountains as a background) to rush through it in 3 days. I do not believe it’s a desert trap but the area is famous along tourists and if you showed up in the high season, you will encounter many tourists as the country does host close to 10 million tourists a year. Advise for some of your viewers: The desert is warm during the day but also could be very cold at night (especially during fall, winter and spring). I would not advise doing this trip in the summer as these areas could be extremely hot.
We skipped Marrakech this time, but I recommend flying to Ouarzazate to save yourself a 14 hour drive back and forth. When you return to Casa, Marrakech is only a two hour train ride.
I think if people are making a living out there, carrying food, water, etc to a remote place good on them. £10/$12 us is fine. You’re abroad! Enjoy it and you’re helping businesses and families to live, creating employment for locals and even the shops are supporting a scarf and clothing vendor. Chill! Keep things in perspective and enjoy!
Very informative and watchable. I really enjoyed the honest review. I was about to complain about you not saying which month, because so many travel vloggers leave that out. But then I found it in the description box. Late May. Thank you so much! My girlfriend and I are seriously considering a visit in May of next year (2025).
I think for €12 a 3 course meal in the middle of nowhere is a deal no matter how you look at it. It is pretty annoying to see tourists that make 25 times the average salary of a Moroccan complain about the price of a tour meal. Other than that comment pretty informative video and great captures. Straight to the point.
The point was never that it was too expensive, the point is the quality is not good. For the same money you can find way better. A restaurant should not compromise quality just because they have a captive audience. I'm just seeking to give an honest and authentic view and I glad you enjoyed the video overall.
Anyone complaining about Chris' assessment doesn't seem to be a well-traveler or understand the basic fundamentals of economics. The Instagramers are Instaflating tourism. Chris this helped a lot! Thank you!
Flying to morocco tomorrow and visiting merzouga around next week, really hyped about it. Happy to have found a realistic blog about the tour with some actual advice, thanks for that!
Less than a month ago I did the camel trek (each way, about an hour each) and overnight in the tent camp. As it was part of a larger, comprehensive tour of the country it felt more integrated with the overall country experience. It was well worth it.
Thank you so much for this video. Based on your experiences, and my difficulty with long distance road travel, my girlfriend and I decided to fly to Errachidia from Marrakech, before getting a taxi to our hotel in Merzouga. Saved a lot of time, we got an extra day in the desert.
Thank you! I certainly hope to show the truth in my videos rather than Instagram perfection. With this one I just made the video that I wish I could have watched before doing the trip.
I recently went to Morocco and hired a car at the airport for the duration of my stay [5 weeks]. Although it was a smaller Fiat 500 I had much fun taking it through the Atlas Mountains and often on dirt track roads and some roads still being constructed. Many times I didn't see another car or person for an hour at a time so some level of mental preparedness for these 'solo' adventures is required, staying at Riads and your back with real people again (4G mini-router helps keep you connected in the wilderness, buy the data-SIM in the airport arrival hall.) It was a great and relatively cheap way to see this amazing country and I had total freedom to stop and eat wherever I wanted.
Sounds like a great fun way of doing it to me. On my trip I did want to do the major cities as well so public transport worked well for that. The trains are really good in Morocco between the cities.
That's awesome! I'm thinking to rent a car too for a trip in May, would be going from Ouarzazate to Merzouga... What are the roads like? Is petrol/diesel cheap? I'm most worried about keeping the car in perfect condition to return it without risking insurance claim, I know in Europe they can be really petty about tiniest scratches, no idea what they're like in Morocco?
That is the best way , as Morocco living in USA I visited Morocco every year and that is what I always do get a car and drive around , if you can it’s the best way you can visit way more places and try way more places for food .
I was planning to do something like that in Morocco and I found this video very helpful. Chris gave a very detailed information about everything a new tourist may need about this tour. Thank you Chris.
Thank you for this was so comprehensive and helpful. I was worried about what to expect from this tour but it looks well travelled and busy. We need more informative travel vlogs like this
Thank you for your honesty I am from Marrakech, and everything you say is accurately, we hope that everyone who came to us will enjoy with a beautiful heart. Just have fun. ❤
Absolutely, I think that's why it sees so many tourists. The downside of that is that may tourists equals more hastle. Still, well worth visiting finally!
Thank you Chris for sharing your review of the tour. I have a couple of comments: - Overall, the vibe we get from the video is more negative than positive. It could have been a bit more balanced and benefited from showing more of the beauty of the country, the magic of the desert, unique Berber culture and people's generosity. - I have done this route couple of years ago and allocating 3 days isn't giving it justice. I would recommend at least 5 days (two nights in the desert) and spend sufficient time in each place. - I am native Moroccan and a 10€/12€ for a 3 course meal is really a good deal. You can always find cheaper but that applies to all places on earth. Can't comment on the quality but generally speaking the restaurants who are selling a lot usually offer fresh ingredients given the high rotation. Hope you enjoyed your time in Morocco!
Interesting. I just came back from Marrakesh, staying in a beautiful riad all by myself, exploring Marrakesh. I don’t think I missed a great deal without taking such a trip, but thank you for the video so we can appreciate what to expect on such a trip.
Mister Kermis, it was an absolute delight to discover your channel. Yours insights are always no nonsense, very down to earth, very thoroughly and highly entertaining. It has been a pleasure, please keep doing what you do x
@@ChrisKermis Can i go with you next time ? xD A shame the one in Tangier was so short, but that was an awesome one!! Culturally very highly rated! Never knew he wrote Naked Lunch there. ! Instant classics! Be waiting when you make a mor eprofound vlog about Tangier!
Thanks for this! Doing one of these tours on the 27th and this was a great overview. As a solo traveller I have no desire to pay the premium for a private tour or drive on my own, so this seems to be the way to go!
Thanks for the advice, I live in Fuerteventura, there’s talk of starting a new ferry to Morocco from Fuerteventura soon, I look forward to taking a trip to Morocco, probably in my van 🚐
Cheers my fellow Englishman... excellent informative video showing everything 👌... planning on going to morrocco in September... just trying to make my mind up Agadir for the sea or Marrakech for the experience and the trip to the desert something I've always wanted to see 🙏
Hey it all depends on how long you have. I would say don't spend too much time in Marrakech. The medina is an experience and well worth seeing, but I soon got fed up with it. Then you've got the Majorelle Garden which is a must outside of the old city and not to be missed IMO. 3 days was plenty for me though. I actually shot a bunch of footage there and intended to make a video but I wasn't happy with it so never released it. I'm super keen to visit Agadir myself and will do so on my next trip. Enjoy your trip and by all means get in touch via the usual socials if you need any tips.
Great video!! Like you said, there is not an abundance of information about this desert trip online and I will be undertaking it in November (albeit with a rental car) so I am happy to find a recent video not long before I leave myself and to see see it's worth the long distance.
Thank you! Assuming you’re just going on a tour like I did, it’s not proper desert, it’s just what could be described as an edge. I went around in trainer style shoes, but then barefoot around the camp. With caution though, its not common at all but there could be nasties around like scorpions.
@@ChrisKermis That's brilliant and yes the exact same tour; thank you for the prompt response. Did you find the trainers to be okay? Any issue with sand or general abrasion?
So much money you say and being ripped off for around £10 for an extensive salad and chicken tagine...really? You might consider the distance a food supplier has to deliver his wares to this location and the associated costs. People still think Morocco is immune to rising world wide costs. Making a fortune??? well this may come as a shock to you but a business relies on making a profit to survive and Morocco's travel industry is seasonal.
I just came back from a Merzouga trip with my family. We flew to Ouarzazate, spent a day touring the Atlas Studio and Ait Ben Haddou, then two days to Merzouga, a night in the desert camp and a day back to Ouarzazate. That's a good way to go.
Very good and honest videos, we spent a month driving our own car around Morocco and totally agree it is far better going to non tourist stop off “restaurants” they are a rip off and are not what “true” Morocco and Moroccans are. Our stay for one month was so good we are going back again next year.👍. The people are lovely, friendly and have a great sense of humour, the food is excellent and the scenery is outstanding. Having been to many of the cities we found that even if you do have some men approaching to act as guides if you say no they say OK and walk away. Same for the stall holders they will try to get you to go into their shops etc if you say no they say OK so all in all we felt very safe even in medinas where we spent most of our time in back alleys we had absolutely no problems.
That's a wonderful for way to do it if you have the time! I only had 2 weeks there so doing this tour made sense for me. Also solo so didn't want to just drive myself. What you say about dealing with the unwanted attention is certainly the way, just be clear and always look like you're not freshly off the plane!
I agree, being polite is always the best way as while we would say “no” we always said in Arabic “thank you” and always with a smile as they always greet you politely and with a smile - lovely people.
Thanks for this honest perspective! I'm surprised people find some of the commentary "complaining." It sounded like a review I would give to help people have a realistic view of what to expect on this tour. I have one question, which you may not be able to answer: did you notice vegetarian options on any of the menus along the way? I'm a vegetarian and I can be pretty resourceful, and cobble together a decent meal, but some places in the world simply don't offer much more than salad and pasta, if that.
Thank you 🙏🏽 There’s always a few who don’t want to hear anything but the positives for various reasons. Sadly I don’t really remember about the food options offering vegetarian, it was a couple of years ago that I did this trip.
Hey Chris. I did the exact 3-day Sahara tour from Marrakech and I agreed with everything you said about this tour in my 10 day stay in Marrakech. The food in some of those restaurants were horrible, the journey was very long especially going back to Marrakech. And I agree that paying a bit extra for luxury accommodation is worth it because I did exactly the same thing as well. All in all, it was worth it. But yes, you bring cash, sun cream, probably insect repellents, pack light, bring plenty of drinks and snacks and sweets, portable charger, wet wipes. I know the guy who was next door to me in the bedouin tents seen a scorpion in the toilet area. Camel rides are very uncomfortable but the views of the desert was amazing. I did the 2-day Sahara tour in Tunisia as well which was pretty good too
Wow a scorpion in the toilet?! All I had was a cockroach under the bedside table though that didn't seem a big enough concern to even. put in the video. Anyway, good to hear that it matched up with your experience. What I wanted was to make the video that I wanted to see before doing it, something that tells both the good and the bad.
@@ChrisKermis It was on the side of the toilet. They ended up containing it and simply took it away somewhere. Yes it is important to put the pros and cons rather than sugar coat it. I always do the same and give an honest opinion about the places that I have been to
Just came back home from Moroco with 3 small kids 6, 3 and 3 and it was great, especially the sahara and camels.. They are well organized and if you have kids there are ways for that.
Excellent video, Chris, with some great insights into these tours. It helped that you had a degree of awareness about the kickbacks earned by the tour companies for bringing their customers to the various sales outlets. And of course they get kickbacks from the restaurants as well so you did well to eat solo on the way back. Once you get over the Atlas mountain ranges, the whole massive area to the south and east is semi-arid desert which the Moroccans refer to as 'sahara' as that's Arabic for desert/wilderness. But it's not 'The Great Sahara Desert' which is hundreds of kilometres to the south. Much of this Moroccan desert area is 'hamada' which is a stony/beaten earth surface, a few bits are 'ergs' which are sand seas, but geographically they are all part of the same semi-arid region. Some people think only Erg Chebbi (measuring 16 miles by 5 miles) is desert, but no, that's just a sand dune within the same climatic region. Anyway, great video which I will point people to.
Thank you, appreciate the additional info too. Some day I must make it to the Sahara proper, though overall I'm glad I took this trip to the edge of Morocco.
True very beautiful video. I love so much Morocco. I myself Come back from a road trip there. You Can even see the first vidéo of thé trip on m'y channel : Au Sud De Nulle Part (Cheffe Chaouen) subtiles available
Tim Cullis is correct when he talks about the kickbacks. It is well known that bazars and other tourist facilities have to 'take care' of the guides, etc, if they want tourists to visit their establishments. That said, it also happens in other countries. Another thing to point out is that, due to the excessive heat during the summer, the main foreign tourist season is between October and May, which means months of unemployment and a lack of income for folks employed in the remoter areas south of the High Atlas Mountains, including the desert regions. Enjoyed the video - Lots of correct info.
I beg to differ regarding a few points. I've been to Morocco three times, almost always in the area east of the High Atlas, and mostly in Merzouga. The many Moroccans I met didn't call everything past the mountains "desert." Maybe Arabs call it "sahra" as a description for both arid and semi-arid. The eastern edge of Morocco where Merzouga is (and many miles to the north and south) is true desert, and since that desert is contiguous with the rest of the Sahara, there's no point in saying it's not the Sahara. The Sahara isn't just sand dunes. To be considered arid (desert), an area must have less than 10" of precipitation a year, on average. Merzouga's average is 3.2". (Ouarzazate is also desert, by the way.)
Thanks, really a big thanks for this video, very interesting, very real. I'll do this trip perhaps next summer, and I appreciate to have a clear idea about it.
I appreciate this video so much because it led me to research the area. Unfortunately, Erg Chebbi is saturated and not a very pleasant experience going on these types of tours. I decided for Erg Chigaga, truly remote with the closest village located 60 Km away and only accessible 4x4. A pleasant and down to earth desert experience.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed the vid! I can’t really say what company it was, I never contacted them directly. Basically I just made a deal with my riad In Marrakech (a lot cheaper than doing it online in advance)
Loved your video, mate. I have already been to a similar tour 2 years ago (starting from Fes) and I vouch to the veracity of literally everything that you're highlighting in your video. My experience was very very similar to yours and it was refreshing to find a video that is just telling the bare facts :) these tours can be a bit of a let down, especially considering the 'image' they sell you online
Thank you 🙏🏽 Some folks don’t like the truth, I actually thought the tour was pretty good value overall as a solo traveler, but it’s certainly not Instagram perfection
Headed to Morocco at the end of February for either 3 or 5 weeks (depending if I leave earlier to visit friends in Europe). This is something I want to do. Haven't decided yet if to loop north from Casablanca to Fez and Chefchaouen before heading south to the Sahara and then Marrakech and some hikes in the mountains, or to do it the other way around, heading south first. In any case, interesting to see what the tours are like. The dunes are beautiful. I think it's a complete shame that vehicles are allowed to traverse them as they contribute to their erosion. But of course, people always want "convenience."
That'll be a pretty awesome trip you can spend that long. I get what you mean by the vehicles, they do go set ways around the dunes that you don't really see but they're still there of course. It's quite a tourism factory line there.
Hi Chris, in retrospect if you had to do this trip over again would you have booked this 3-day tour -or- used a car rental to venture at your own pace? Thanks for the video!
Sorry for the slow reply, internet was blocked in Iran where I just was. If I was solo I would certainly have booked this tour again. If I was with others I would probably use a car rental (split the driving, have company etc).
I just got back from a week and a half in the country and did a 3 day tour from Fez to Merzouga and then onto Marrakesh. Sadly we made the mistake of going during Ramadan so the only places available for the lunch stops was those in and out tourist-y stops. Still a lovely time though!
Bad timing but still well worth it I bet. Wish I had have done between Marrakesh and Fez rather than going back to Marrakesh. Just didn’t work with my itinerary though
I think that this video maker misses the point that all the stops made along the drive to the Sahara desert for food and Morocco wares is the way these Moroccans make their living to sustain their lives. Instead of being snarky about it, appreciate that you are able to help them and you have the money to make such a fabulous visit.
My advice for those seeking more authentic travel experiences, is to get to know a few locals. In Egypt , we got to.know an Egyptian felucca owner, who took us out in.his boat for free ,on the Nile. I would also hire a bike, or motorbike, and get off the tourist routes, into small villages. Often locals would invite me into their houses for refreshments, and a chat. I was happy to give back to them as well, but always haggled hard.
@Chris Kermis This was in my younger, more adventurous days, when I didn't care about comfort or convenience. Obviously it's different if one is looking for a 2 week holiday
done this tour few year ago only problem is some of places they steer you towards for food arent great not the price but just the quality we found our own restaurants on some stops and it worked out better
I'm Moroccan, I live in the US and I visit once or twice a year. The reason the drivers take the tourists to the same restaurants and attractions is because they get commissions. This is an old trick that bus drivers used with regular Moroccan travelers forever- and it's probably not particular to Morocco, but when tourism is as important to the economy as it is in Morocco, we really have to do better. By the way, tourists can demand to go somewhere else. I don't see why they have to agree to being herded like that. Like Chris said, get your information from the Internet. There are plenty of credible blogs and videos on line. I wouldn't go on an organized trip ever, exactly because I hate people deciding for me. Just got back from Turkey and I had a great time just my and my wife- no guides or tours. Guides and tours have their place of course, may be when visiting educational sites- but it has to be professional and not shady like taking you places to eat or shop to get commission rather than look for the better deal for you. It's unfortunate that the tourism ministry or whoever is responsible there are not making a serious effort to fix some of these issues and make the experience more comfortable.
A few people asked for the details of the company I used and how to book. I simply booked it through my riad in Marrakech, but I have since had contact with the driver on my tour. His name is Redaouane Aitelmahjoub and is happy to be contacted directly on WhatsApp +212671530534. I've also been asked the time of year that I went, It was mid to late May. As I say in my video, overall I think it's a good experience and good value, and I do recommend Redaouane.
12 dollars for a tagine and a salade, that is actually not expensive. Even moroccans pay pretty much the same price for kinda food and they do not complain about it
It's quality that matters to me, and 12 dollars is still not good value if the meal is not good. I agree that 12 dollars is not expensive, but I am not going to say that something is good just because it's cheap.
Sorry for the slow reply, internet was blocked in Iran where I just was. I took the tour in late May but do not know the name of the tour company as it was arranged by the riad that I stayed at in Marrakech (Riad Al Amine)
This reminds me so much of my village in Pakistan, where sand is of different colour but everything is so much cheaper and no tourist scams like this 3 day trip.
This was an excellent video and so helpful. My son and I will be there in 4 weeks and I have been looking at these 3 day tours. Your experience is pretty much what I was expecting, but with a lot more detail. I was planning to make a sandwich for our lunches. Is there an opportunity in the hotel or en route to buy bread and fruit and bottled water? To all the people saying you'd pay more for lunch in europe, that's not the point is it? 🤣 And to all the guides complaining - just because someone is touring your country, it doesn't mean they are naiive and don't understand how things work. Trying to guilt tourists by saying these people are poor is bad faith. So are the people poor who don't give commissions to the guides. And it is not the poor, hard workers who benefit from these schemes. Tourists will pay more attention to honest reviews like this with good and bad. If you want people to make positive reviews of the food or accommodation, make sure you use decent places. Thanks very much Chris Kermis and good travels
Thank you! I just made the video that I wanted to see before going. Many don't appreciate the truth but they're not the audience for this! Shops on route were pretty limited to be honest, typically just a small place where you can buy water and snacks. I'm sure you could make something work, but always have a plan B so that you don't get hungry, it's long days of travelling.
Planning on doing a very similar route to this in a rental car when I travel to Marrakech in march! What a well done video. This helped immensely. Cheers
Very comprehensive and balanced review, thanks. We've been to the "other" erg, Erg Chegaga, out of M'Hamid a couple of times. I understand it's less crowded than Merzouga. We've always gone in winter and practically had the place to ourselves. The most recent trip we took the express CTM bus down to M'Hamid via Ouarzazate and Zagora, then booked a five day trek out to the Erg and back (walking with the camels carrying the kit). It was just my wife and myself and we had two guides; a cameleer and a cook. We bivouacked under the stars and ate freshly prepared food courtesy of our chef, morning, noon and night. It was physically fairly tough but an absolutely outstanding experience!
I am about to do the 7 day package with them with the 3 days in marakesh. When you say five day trek did you walk the entire time ? how many nights did you stay at camp?
@@ryanetrbass Yes, we walked the entire time, with camels carrying our bags and all the supplies. We carried only day-packs. We covered 25-30km per day. We bivouacked in the open for the first two nights until we reached Erg Chegaga dunes, then stayed one night in one of the tented camps, followed by two more nights bivouacking on the way back to M'hamid. We started and finished the trip with nights at the Kasbah Hotel in M'Hamid. The trek started from right outside the hotel door and we just walked into the desert! We do enjoy multi-day hiking. Do it a lot in Scotland. This was a kind of "Rolls Royce" version, with good weather, someone to do the cooking and navigation, and no heavy backpacks to carry!
@@TarrelScot man that sounds terrible and a lot of work. that's extreme walking. for me. But that's amazing if that was up your ally. I want to find a tour with less walking. more riding camels. did they have more options ? what was the name of the company Sir?
I did this tour with my family last week, including two kids, 5 and 14 years old. We spent an extra day (and night) in a nice hotel in Merzouga to able to chill and relax a bit and not have the long journey back to Marrakesh straight after waking up at 5am in the desert to watch the sunrise. A few points: 1. We took camels to the desert camp in the evening and again from the camp back to Merzouga the next morning. There was a sandstorm in the evening, so I was very glad we had the ride back on the camels the next morning in stunning early morning sun conditions. Regarding your comment about young kids, there was no riding shotgun on 4x4s or in the back of a pickup, and my 5yr old daughter rode with me on the camel both ways and loved it. 2. IMO you’re exagerrating the issues with the lunches, or you just had bad luck. Our 3 lunches that were included were all either 100 or 120 MAD per person and were all delicious and very good value, even my kids loved them. We had vegetable soup + meatball (kefta) tajine + desert each time and all were very good, particularly the first one in Ait Ben Haddou. You also can’t compare the cost of an omlette and a coke to a 3 course meal. Sure, you probably could get something cheaper and more “authentic” but 10€ for a delicious 3 course meal is great deal IMO. 3. Don’t be so cynical about being guided to opportunities to buy stuff from local sellers. That’s how these people make a living. We never felt under any pressure to buy anything, it was all very relaxed. Regarding the driving part, you’re right, the roads are excellent and there’s almost always good cell phone coverage. As for the driver safety, it depends. On the way there our driver was extremely calm careful and I felt very secure. On the way back though we had a different driver and he was constantly on the phone (no hands free) and made a lot of very sketchy overtakes with basically no visibility of oncoming traffic. All in all enojyed watching the video, nice job 👍
Thank you for taking the time to write all this based on your experiences. To be honest I look back on some aspects of this video and cringe. It was made fairly early in my TH-cam “career”, and I certainly think some aspects were too negative and came out wrongly. The main thing I wanted to do was just show exactly what it was like, the good and the bad. I couldn’t find any info online at the time even though so many people do it. Wow it must be difficult attempting it with a 5 year old though. It’s a lot of time in the minibus! Hope you and your family had a great trip overall in Morocco. It’s certainly a great country with a lot to offer!
@@ChrisKermis Thank you for your honest response. Despite my criticisms I still think it was a great video and would certainly be very helpful to anyone who was doing this tour for the first time. We had a great time in Morocco and would love to return!
What I was really waiting to hear you say is that where you went is NOT The Sahara. It's actually one of the Ergs named Erg Chebbi (as the name of your camp implied). The real "Sahara Desert" is some distance away, across the border in Algeria. Tour companies will argue against that, but they will deploy a clever use of words based on the fact that most tourists won't know that the Arabic word for desert is Sahra. So they will say "You will visit sahara", which I guess isn't a lie, but what they're subtly saying is that you will visit "A" Sahara, but not "THE" Sahara. Whilst there's no disputing that Erg Chebbi is beautiful, if your bucket list includes "Visit The Sahara Desert", then I'm afraid that item remains unticked if where you actually went was Erg Chebbi. Re. Ait Ben Haddou, there is electricity and running water in the old village. I've been there a couple of times (most recently just over a month ago), and on my first visit a few years back I stayed in a place in the old village itself. Their selling point was the lack of electricity, meaning the experience would be more "authentic". But the truth is that there is electricity, they just choose not to switch it on and make you do everything by candlelight! I was told that if there was anything I needed to charge, that they would switch on the electricity in the morning. Although the hot and powerful shower was particularly welcome! Interestingly, whilst most families moved out of the old village into the new, they're now starting to move back into the old village to take advantage of the touristic interest. On my recent visit I saw signs inviting you to spend 10 Dirhams to visit an "authentic Berber home". I don't recall seeing that on my previous visit. All that said, Morocco is an amazing country that I have now visited seven times, and can't wait to go back!
@@ChrisKermis Oh definitely! I think what annoys me is that people are lead to believe they're going to The Sahara Desert, when they're actually not! I am expecting people to reply to my post saying that I'm wrong though. 🙃 😁
Andy Baker - The Sahara is not a nation. It doesn't have distinct borders. It is not just sand dunes, either. Many maps show the Sahara crossing the border, so that most of the eastern edge of Morocco is Sahara (apart from where the border runs straight north to the Mediterranean). It is definitely desert there, and that desert is contiguous with the rest of the Sahara desert, so why not consider it Sahara? Because it doesn't fit your movie-image idea of the Sahara? "The Sahara is mainly rocky hamada (stone plateaus); ergs (sand seas - large areas covered with sand dunes) form only a minor part, but many of the sand dunes are over 180 metres (590 ft) high.[10] Wind or rare rainfall shape the desert features: sand dunes, dune fields, sand seas, stone plateaus, gravel plains (reg), dry valleys (wadi), dry lakes (oued), and salt flats (shatt or chott).[11]" - Wikipedia ...So, what is "some distance away"? Where do you think the Sahara starts?
1. Why do they take them to the restaurants and shops they do? Because those restaurants and shops pay them to. 2. I HIGHLY recommend that anyone doing a Merzouga tour take the 4 day option. You stop 1 more night in Ouarzazate on the way back so you don't have to do that 3rd day of endless driving hell. Plus Ouarzazate has cool movie making history and you have time to stop at Rissani for the market and the filming location for Hamunaptra from The Mummy. 3. Two nights in Merzouga might be a good idea if you have time, according to the local experts on TA, there are many interesting things to do around there. An old mineral mine, a desert museum, a lake with flamingos, an oasis etc. And you need time to try Berber pizza! 4. I did a private tour, it was my splurge for my Morocco trip because I knew I wouldn't like touring with a bunch of randos. (Cost $730 for 2) We stopped at certain predetermined places for lunch, but never saw the cavalcade of vans this guy always seemed to be in. Maybe it was a timing thing. We also had a lot more landmark and photo stops, partly because it was 4 days but also because it's easier to do with just a couple or few people. Private tour is great if you can work it into your budget. 5. However you go, I do recommend this trip. The desert/tour was my favorite part of my Morocco trip! So much that I'm going back in May to spend two weeks in the desert, among other things.
Tours like these tend to actually takeaway the beauty of the Sahara experience by providing all amenities and I'm not against it as I know some people still want to have a comfortable experience, but more of the charm of the desert is the experience of solitude and seeing the vastness of the Sahara desert. I suggest you visit Algeria for that reason specifically places like Djanet, Tassili or Sefar. Best of luck in your future travels
True the Algerian Sahara is beautiful, I did it when I was a student but there is 0 amenities. Not something a group of tourist should venture to … if you want to advertise the Algerian Sahara wait a bit until civilisation reaches that part somehow …
Hi Crish, thank you for the video and the explanation. I'm planning to visit Marrakesh this May and interested to join the tour, but I couldn't find any detail about the tour you are using. I try to read the description and find the pinned comment but i could find any. Could you give me any more detail if you have please? Thanks
I do appreciate your video as moroccan private chef in the states you do complainig a bouve the prices what the get back in your home Land for 12 bucks a big mack you exagerided brother, moroccan are full of hospitality and happyness and generious and i'm sure you feeled it ,thanks again all the way from Meknassi Miami.
That is a pity, the climate should be excellent for good wines at least along the coast. Couple of years ago I drank wine from Lebanon which was a recommendation by Lawrence Osborne in one of his books.
Did the same trip with a private driver, who spoke perfect English in a new and clean 4x4 He took us to interesting places away from tourist spots but that was more expensive than what most people are prepared to pay. We paid for the trip and all was included. We certainly have seen more than what you are showing in your vlog. It was entirely up to us what we wanted to see and when we wanted to make a stop. The trip was organized as a bespoke trip by the riad we stayed in before and the driver by chance was the same we had the previous year. We knew everything about the places we traveled through. The buildings in the gorge are closed down due to filling rocks. We tried some camel tagine, pretty authentic. I am assuming you traveled to Merzuga via ourzazad . Our camp was in a spot of it own and bizarly had a swimming pool and the restaurant. On the way we passed lots of nomad tents. Very different experience. We are both older travellers so comfort was paramount to us.
@@paulanorman7266 yes it was an added bonus that we knew the driver from the previous visit to Marrakech and he was great and very informative. He did care that we got out most from the experience. Hope you enjoy your trip. We are back in November but going to visit different parts. 🤞☺️
Hello, I am going to Marokko for easter break. We are two travelers, and we are still considering many options on how we would like to make the tour to Sahara. Is it possible to habe the contact person or website for the trip?
CHRIS!!! You are terrific!! I'm planning my trip now. Was wondering how you got from Marrakech to Casablanca at the end of this trip. That's sort of my last thing to figure out. Thank you for sharing!
Videos like this one are indispensable, really. Why sugar coat things? Some videos about Marrakesh come across like a real estate agent's sales pitch. If you take their advice, you would run to the man with the monkey on a chain in the Medina. A monkey on a chain is about as appealing as a pantsless hobo laying on the ground, at any price.
Thank you. I've never been a fan of the Instagram perfect image view of traveling - It's a lie. Travel is absolutely amazing, but there's always good and bad in one sense or another. This video just shows what it's really like, as best as I could manage at the time.
The point was never that it was too expensive, the point is the quality is not good. For the same money you can find way better. A restaurant should not compromise quality just because they have a captive audience.
@francis Reynders You absolutely right, this people have deferent thinking about some countries, I’m sure he pays 3 times more in his country for food that’s been prepared 3 days before or got out of the freezer
$12 for a lunch( tajin with chicken and salad plus fruit) and it’s in a restaurant and he saying it’s over price lol I think even if it’s free he still will complain.
@@hassanchantouf3983 Here we go again.... Firstly, let me repeat: "The point was never that it was too expensive, the point is the quality is not good. For the same money you can find way better. A restaurant should not compromise quality just because they have a captive audience". Secondly, Should I enjoy a Big Mac simply because it's cheap at 6 Euros or whatever it costs? No? Well that's basically the argument you're making.
I see a lot of complaint from the blogger about how much money these people must be making almost every place that he went to on his way to the Sahara. Tourists must take into consideration the number of people it takes to run such an operation in the desert dar away from a city. Just the logistics to provide food, water, shelter and amenities to the tourist in a barren land. Besides, this is their only income. And it feeds a lot of families. So, be generous when you go to a cheap destination like Morocco. I have not seen complaints about the price of food and logging when bloggers and tourists visit Japan, NewYork , London and complain with envy about how much money those tourist outfits charge or make from tourism. Why?
I know right! What exactly did he expect? It’s a “tourist destination” and the people rely on holiday goers to help them make a living. They aren’t makings millions, and they certainly aren’t “ripping people off” when charging €12 for a lunch. They were a French colony and only recently gained their independence from a colonial past. All I got from this was negativity and high expectations, as if he was expecting the Ritz. If he wanted an “authentic experience” then he should have travelled on his own, and not bothered with the tourist groups. If you want any local prices, then move to that country and live as a local, and experience the hardship, and only then, you will appreciate and understand why locals charge a little extra to tourists, especially Western tourists, who are still reaping the rewards from colonialism. Reading history from non-bias material, can really add context to reality.
I love the old town where you see the houses like claves on the Mountain and the dry river, and we didn't stay the night at the desert, but spend 2 hrs admiring the sunset and the views, spectacular.
Just watched this as it is exactly what we intend to do on our visit to Marrakech in June. Lots of good info on what to expect especially about the food as although I can eat anything my wife is super fussy . What I did like is you described it as it is and there is enough in this to convince me its worth doing and definitely the luxury option, as a matter of interest how and where did you book it BTW I am 70 and my wife is a few years younger but we are both in good shape do you think it would be too much for us in your honest opinion
Do check the description of my video, I just booked it through the riad where I stayed in Marrakech at the time. I also gave a good breakdown of the times which shows what you can expect in terms of stop offs and driving times. Of course I can never say if it’s good for you, but I see no reason why no if you’re ok to be in a minivan for a lot of hours. If you have more money to spend it could be nicer to do it at a more relaxed rate with a private tour or driving yourselves. What I did as great value, but you do pay the price for that in other ways that I showed.
Hello, Chris! I really enjoyed your video. May I ask what time of year you visited? I'm planning a trip for next April and I would like to know more about the temperature.
I would say the person harps on “so many tourist” would you say the same in Rome at the Mona lisa? Like why a shock? 12EUR meals is not too much. I loved this tour, it was one of the highlights of my life! Super cheap also! My cheapest tour on my back to back 6 country trip!
Best response yet.
Mona Lisa is in Paris 😅 But yeah, I also wouldn’t complain about 12 euros for a not so tasty lunch, I am probably not there for the lunches
@@junototoronutrition is always key to well being no matter where you are in the world
Los precios van en función del pais, lo que puede ser barato en uno, es caro en otro...
12 Euros, por las comidas que se sirven en las paradas de muchos tours por Marruecos, sobre todo en las escapadas al Desierto, no son cara, son carisimas, teniendo en cuenta el menú.
Yo actualmente estoy en Barcelona y al lado de casa, comiendo bien, el menú diario son 11,50 Euros y te aseguro que nada que ver.
Por esa zona, hay quien trabajando 10 horas al dia, no cobra 200 euros al mes.
Tambien es cierto que hay torus y tours, pero en general son muchos Kms en muy poco tiempo y la gente apenas puede disfrutar de los lugares que se visitan.
He's not complaining, people... He's giving his honest opinion of his experience. I think he's genuinely lovely!
Thank you 🙏🏽 I have no doubt the video has helped a lot more people than the ones that don’t like it
No BS. No sensationalism. This is perfect. Thank you for your genuine thoughts!
Thank you, glad you liked it!
@@ChrisKermiswhat time of year did you take this trip?
Mid May
A night in the Sahara, under the stars, hearing the wind blow past your tent, and then delicious breakfast in the morning is one of life's great experiences. I've done it twice and hope, Inshallah, to do it with my grandson in a few years.
Also, I do this experience on a southern loop from Fez, to the desert, and back around to Marrakech. There are wonderful places to stay the nights before and after the desert, and you're seeing new ground and places instead of backtracking.
It is special, I hope you do manage to return with your grandson
I am traveling to Morocco next month, last 2 weeks of January. Would you please recommend me an agency for a trip to Sahara desert.
I will be in Marrakech.
Thank you in advance
Hello! I am from Argentina. I m looking for an excursion to the desert but leaving from Fes and arriving in Marrakech but I can't find a trustworthy agency. I travel alone and would like to be able to join a group. If you have information I would appreciate it. Thank you! Yamile
@@ooregon100 I've used ExperienceIt Tours. Based in Fez and totally reliable.
@@yamileroumie4909 I've used ExperienceIt Tours - based in Fez - for 5 trips.
I’m Moroccan living in the US and I have done a tour driving from Casa to Merzouga then ouarzazat then Marrakech then back to Casablanca. I did the full trip in 5/6 days. I think seeing the other side of the Atlas mountain is worth it and I think it’s the best part of Morocco. The roads are excellent with really good cellular coverage. Food in Morocco outside of large cities and especially along the roads in villages could be hit and miss but I don’t think $10 at a restaurant is abnormal (knowing that a sandwich in Marrakech or Casablanca could cost you between $4 to $6). But for people worrying about it, get some sandwiches with you from Marrakech to eat for lunch. The trip you did is indeed long for 3 days. That’s 560km one way with stops probably most of the day you would be driving. I think that region is so beautiful with some spectacular landscapes (especially the spring with snow on the mountains as a background) to rush through it in 3 days. I do not believe it’s a desert trap but the area is famous along tourists and if you showed up in the high season, you will encounter many tourists as the country does host close to 10 million tourists a year. Advise for some of your viewers: The desert is warm during the day but also could be very cold at night (especially during fall, winter and spring). I would not advise doing this trip in the summer as these areas could be extremely hot.
Thanks for the additional info, 5/6 days seems like a nice more relaxed way to do it if not on the 3 day tour.
We skipped Marrakech this time, but I recommend flying to Ouarzazate to save yourself a 14 hour drive back and forth. When you return to Casa, Marrakech is only a two hour train ride.
@@ChrisKermisalso if you're a Cheapskate you shouldn't travel!
@user-ob4cc1jl5h If you like bad food just because it’s cheap you should eat at McDonald’s 😂
@@ChrisKermiswhat time of year did you do this trip?
I think if people are making a living out there, carrying food, water, etc to a remote place good on them. £10/$12 us is fine. You’re abroad! Enjoy it and you’re helping businesses and families to live, creating employment for locals and even the shops are supporting a scarf and clothing vendor. Chill! Keep things in perspective and enjoy!
Going to Morocco 🇲🇦 in August 2024 ( family of 4 )
We watch all your videos! Thank you 😊
Glad you enjoyed them. Hope you have a great trip to Morocco with your family!
I’ve done that trip with my wife when we were newlyweds. We enjoyed it a lot and still mention it from time to time.
Very informative and watchable. I really enjoyed the honest review. I was about to complain about you not saying which month, because so many travel vloggers leave that out. But then I found it in the description box. Late May. Thank you so much! My girlfriend and I are seriously considering a visit in May of next year (2025).
I think for €12 a 3 course meal in the middle of nowhere is a deal no matter how you look at it. It is pretty annoying to see tourists that make 25 times the average salary of a Moroccan complain about the price of a tour meal. Other than that comment pretty informative video and great captures. Straight to the point.
I couldn’t agree more with you!
I was thinking the same. 12 euro gets you a crappy McDonald's in most European countries.
The point was never that it was too expensive, the point is the quality is not good. For the same money you can find way better. A restaurant should not compromise quality just because they have a captive audience. I'm just seeking to give an honest and authentic view and I glad you enjoyed the video overall.
With 12 bucks you look for daily specials junk at McDonald's here in California.
@@ChrisKermis Finally someone told you what i wanted to tell you since you came to Morocco.stop complaining 😂😂😂😂😂
Anyone complaining about Chris' assessment doesn't seem to be a well-traveler or understand the basic fundamentals of economics. The Instagramers are Instaflating tourism. Chris this helped a lot! Thank you!
Flying to morocco tomorrow and visiting merzouga around next week, really hyped about it. Happy to have found a realistic blog about the tour with some actual advice, thanks for that!
Thanks, glad it was useful for you!
How was it?
Less than a month ago I did the camel trek (each way, about an hour each) and overnight in the tent camp. As it was part of a larger, comprehensive tour of the country it felt more integrated with the overall country experience. It was well worth it.
Glad you enjoyed it! 3 days was enough for me, I was very happy to be independent again after that
hi monizdm, could you kinldy provide the tour company you traveled with? much appreciated! cheers ;)
Hello @monizdm did you book through a tour company? If yes, what's the name? Thanks
Chris oh wow you look good in sahrawi style 😊 i really like you❤ im moroccan from italy
I skipped the camel back and was able to make an extra stop on the way back through Draa Valley.
Thank you so much for this video. Based on your experiences, and my difficulty with long distance road travel, my girlfriend and I decided to fly to Errachidia from Marrakech, before getting a taxi to our hotel in Merzouga. Saved a lot of time, we got an extra day in the desert.
Glad it was helpful!
how much did the taxi cost you from Errachidia to Merzouga?
Enjoyable video! And refreshing that it's honest instead of going overboard on the positivity like a lot of travel videos do.
Thank you! I certainly hope to show the truth in my videos rather than Instagram perfection. With this one I just made the video that I wish I could have watched before doing the trip.
Hello Chris I love your style! We're going to Morocco on february and we are using your videos as a guide, greetings from Argentina!
Thank you, I’m glad to hear you like them!
I recently went to Morocco and hired a car at the airport for the duration of my stay [5 weeks]. Although it was a smaller Fiat 500 I had much fun taking it through the Atlas Mountains and often on dirt track roads and some roads still being constructed. Many times I didn't see another car or person for an hour at a time so some level of mental preparedness for these 'solo' adventures is required, staying at Riads and your back with real people again (4G mini-router helps keep you connected in the wilderness, buy the data-SIM in the airport arrival hall.) It was a great and relatively cheap way to see this amazing country and I had total freedom to stop and eat wherever I wanted.
Sounds like a great fun way of doing it to me. On my trip I did want to do the major cities as well so public transport worked well for that. The trains are really good in Morocco between the cities.
@@ChrisKermis I'm more of a Mountain person than a City person despite living in London (or perhaps because of it.)
That's awesome! I'm thinking to rent a car too for a trip in May, would be going from Ouarzazate to Merzouga... What are the roads like? Is petrol/diesel cheap? I'm most worried about keeping the car in perfect condition to return it without risking insurance claim, I know in Europe they can be really petty about tiniest scratches, no idea what they're like in Morocco?
That is the best way , as Morocco living in USA I visited Morocco every year and that is what I always do get a car and drive around , if you can it’s the best way you can visit way more places and try way more places for food .
Thank you for struggles and highlighting a few of the traps... The camel i rode was on a beach in Agadir... The ride was much smoother then a horse.
I did that over 30 years ago. It was great and the owner was called Michael and he introduced his camel. Also called Michael
I was planning to do something like that in Morocco and I found this video very helpful. Chris gave a very detailed information about everything a new tourist may need about this tour. Thank you Chris.
Thanks, Khalid. Glad it was useful!
At least go once
Check it out
Don't trust no word'go see by your own eyes
Am from there stay at home go Turkey 80% cheaper
loved your honest feedback!!!
Thank you!
What a fantastic video, we’re off there on our motorbikes april 2024, thanks for a super informative insight
Thank you, glad it helped!
What a useful video! Thank you!
This is literally the best video i ve ever watched. clear , totally helpful. Thanks billlionsss
Thank you, I'm glad it helped!
Thank you for this was so comprehensive and helpful. I was worried about what to expect from this tour but it looks well travelled and busy. We need more informative travel vlogs like this
Thank you, I'm glad it was helpful!
Thanks for the honest review
Thank you for your honesty
I am from Marrakech, and everything you say is accurately, we hope that everyone who came to us will enjoy with a beautiful heart.
Just have fun. ❤
It’s a wonderful country and aside from this fairly critical video I hope I’ve help to show the beauty of Morocco through my vlogs
Nice video Chris, it's a beautiful country Morocco, probably the most different place you can visit that is closest to home.
Absolutely, I think that's why it sees so many tourists. The downside of that is that may tourists equals more hastle. Still, well worth visiting finally!
Thank you Chris for sharing your review of the tour. I have a couple of comments:
- Overall, the vibe we get from the video is more negative than positive. It could have been a bit more balanced and benefited from showing more of the beauty of the country, the magic of the desert, unique Berber culture and people's generosity.
- I have done this route couple of years ago and allocating 3 days isn't giving it justice. I would recommend at least 5 days (two nights in the desert) and spend sufficient time in each place.
- I am native Moroccan and a 10€/12€ for a 3 course meal is really a good deal. You can always find cheaper but that applies to all places on earth. Can't comment on the quality but generally speaking the restaurants who are selling a lot usually offer fresh ingredients given the high rotation.
Hope you enjoyed your time in Morocco!
Interesting. I just came back from Marrakesh, staying in a beautiful riad all by myself, exploring Marrakesh. I don’t think I missed a great deal without taking such a trip, but thank you for the video so we can appreciate what to expect on such a trip.
Thanks for watching, hope you had a great time in Morocco!
I am very happy to watch this video before I go to Morocco. Thanks!
Thank you, glad it helped!
Very good and honest review.. no sugar coating ❤
Thank you, that’s what I wanted to do
Thank you for your honest opinion about your trip.
Mister Kermis, it was an absolute delight to discover your channel. Yours insights are always no nonsense, very down to earth, very thoroughly and highly entertaining. It has been a pleasure, please keep doing what you do x
Thank you 🙏🏽 Glad you like what I’m doing
@@ChrisKermis Can i go with you next time ? xD A shame the one in Tangier was so short, but that was an awesome one!! Culturally very highly rated! Never knew he wrote Naked Lunch there. ! Instant classics! Be waiting when you make a mor eprofound vlog about Tangier!
😆 I was surprised the Tangier one didn’t get more views to be honest, I thought it was quite a good one!
Thanks for this! Doing one of these tours on the 27th and this was a great overview. As a solo traveller I have no desire to pay the premium for a private tour or drive on my own, so this seems to be the way to go!
Absolutely, it’s well worth it overall!
Did you try it? I will be traveling solo in morroco and i wonder if its worth it.
Thanks for the advice, I live in Fuerteventura, there’s talk of starting a new ferry to Morocco from Fuerteventura soon, I look forward to taking a trip to Morocco, probably in my van 🚐
Cheers my fellow Englishman... excellent informative video showing everything 👌... planning on going to morrocco in September... just trying to make my mind up Agadir for the sea or Marrakech for the experience and the trip to the desert something I've always wanted to see 🙏
Hey it all depends on how long you have. I would say don't spend too much time in Marrakech. The medina is an experience and well worth seeing, but I soon got fed up with it. Then you've got the Majorelle Garden which is a must outside of the old city and not to be missed IMO. 3 days was plenty for me though. I actually shot a bunch of footage there and intended to make a video but I wasn't happy with it so never released it. I'm super keen to visit Agadir myself and will do so on my next trip. Enjoy your trip and by all means get in touch via the usual socials if you need any tips.
Amazing info. I am heading to Marrakech in a few weeks. I wonder can you actually swim in those riads, mini-pools? Or it is more of a decoration?
You can swim in the riads. They are small but still cool off in them 😊
Great video!! Like you said, there is not an abundance of information about this desert trip online and I will be undertaking it in November (albeit with a rental car) so I am happy to find a recent video not long before I leave myself and to see see it's worth the long distance.
Definitely worth the effort and the stop offs, but if you see a load of white minibuses at a restaurant, avoid!
Hi Chris hope you're well, lovely video; I wanted to know if you had guidance on clothing and/or specifically footwear for the desert?
Thank you! Assuming you’re just going on a tour like I did, it’s not proper desert, it’s just what could be described as an edge. I went around in trainer style shoes, but then barefoot around the camp. With caution though, its not common at all but there could be nasties around like scorpions.
@@ChrisKermis That's brilliant and yes the exact same tour; thank you for the prompt response.
Did you find the trainers to be okay? Any issue with sand or general abrasion?
So much money you say and being ripped off for around £10 for an extensive salad and chicken tagine...really? You might consider the distance a food supplier has to deliver his wares to this location and the associated costs. People still think Morocco is immune to rising world wide costs. Making a fortune??? well this may come as a shock to you but a business relies on making a profit to survive and Morocco's travel industry is seasonal.
Simply comparing to other restaurants in the same area that don't have a deal with tour companies but offer better food...
I just came back from a Merzouga trip with my family. We flew to Ouarzazate, spent a day touring the Atlas Studio and Ait Ben Haddou, then two days to Merzouga, a night in the desert camp and a day back to Ouarzazate. That's a good way to go.
Very good and honest videos, we spent a month driving our own car around Morocco and totally agree it is far better going to non tourist stop off “restaurants” they are a rip off and are not what “true” Morocco and Moroccans are. Our stay for one month was so good we are going back again next year.👍. The people are lovely, friendly and have a great sense of humour, the food is excellent and the scenery is outstanding. Having been to many of the cities we found that even if you do have some men approaching to act as guides if you say no they say OK and walk away. Same for the stall holders they will try to get you to go into their shops etc if you say no they say OK so all in all we felt very safe even in medinas where we spent most of our time in back alleys we had absolutely no problems.
That's a wonderful for way to do it if you have the time! I only had 2 weeks there so doing this tour made sense for me. Also solo so didn't want to just drive myself. What you say about dealing with the unwanted attention is certainly the way, just be clear and always look like you're not freshly off the plane!
I agree, being polite is always the best way as while we would say “no” we always said in Arabic “thank you” and always with a smile as they always greet you politely and with a smile - lovely people.
Do you think it’s oki to drive through the desert to Mezouga by our car? Do we need 4x4?
@@comiwonderer Mezouga is the point where the road runs out pretty much. Getting too Mezouga is fine
Hi there, can you please share the information of the guest house you stayed at or if you have any recommendations where to stay? TiA
Thanks for this honest perspective! I'm surprised people find some of the commentary "complaining." It sounded like a review I would give to help people have a realistic view of what to expect on this tour. I have one question, which you may not be able to answer: did you notice vegetarian options on any of the menus along the way? I'm a vegetarian and I can be pretty resourceful, and cobble together a decent meal, but some places in the world simply don't offer much more than salad and pasta, if that.
Thank you 🙏🏽 There’s always a few who don’t want to hear anything but the positives for various reasons. Sadly I don’t really remember about the food options offering vegetarian, it was a couple of years ago that I did this trip.
Thanks Chris! Looking forward to watching your other vids.
Hey Chris. I did the exact 3-day Sahara tour from Marrakech and I agreed with everything you said about this tour in my 10 day stay in Marrakech. The food in some of those restaurants were horrible, the journey was very long especially going back to Marrakech. And I agree that paying a bit extra for luxury accommodation is worth it because I did exactly the same thing as well. All in all, it was worth it. But yes, you bring cash, sun cream, probably insect repellents, pack light, bring plenty of drinks and snacks and sweets, portable charger, wet wipes. I know the guy who was next door to me in the bedouin tents seen a scorpion in the toilet area. Camel rides are very uncomfortable but the views of the desert was amazing. I did the 2-day Sahara tour in Tunisia as well which was pretty good too
Wow a scorpion in the toilet?! All I had was a cockroach under the bedside table though that didn't seem a big enough concern to even. put in the video. Anyway, good to hear that it matched up with your experience. What I wanted was to make the video that I wanted to see before doing it, something that tells both the good and the bad.
@@ChrisKermis It was on the side of the toilet. They ended up containing it and simply took it away somewhere. Yes it is important to put the pros and cons rather than sugar coat it. I always do the same and give an honest opinion about the places that I have been to
i guess you are tunisian or algerian i can't trust you
@@soumia_kiz4265 No I'm from England!! - a bit of a dumb response from you for making these silly assumptions
Thinking of going to Morocco next May. This video is so honestly and useful!!!!! Watch it if you can!! Expellant video Chris!!! Thanks
Glad it was helpful!
Just came back home from Moroco with 3 small kids 6, 3 and 3 and it was great, especially the sahara and camels..
They are well organized and if you have kids there are ways for that.
Good to know, I couldn’t imagine doing it with kids but good if they can make it work
Thanks for sharing Chris.
Will certainly be considering the luxury option as well.
Your video is extremely insightful and appreciate your honesty
Thank you 🙏🏽
Excellent video, Chris, with some great insights into these tours. It helped that you had a degree of awareness about the kickbacks earned by the tour companies for bringing their customers to the various sales outlets. And of course they get kickbacks from the restaurants as well so you did well to eat solo on the way back. Once you get over the Atlas mountain ranges, the whole massive area to the south and east is semi-arid desert which the Moroccans refer to as 'sahara' as that's Arabic for desert/wilderness.
But it's not 'The Great Sahara Desert' which is hundreds of kilometres to the south. Much of this Moroccan desert area is 'hamada' which is a stony/beaten earth surface, a few bits are 'ergs' which are sand seas, but geographically they are all part of the same semi-arid region. Some people think only Erg Chebbi (measuring 16 miles by 5 miles) is desert, but no, that's just a sand dune within the same climatic region. Anyway, great video which I will point people to.
Thank you, appreciate the additional info too. Some day I must make it to the Sahara proper, though overall I'm glad I took this trip to the edge of Morocco.
True very beautiful video. I love so much Morocco. I myself Come back from a road trip there. You Can even see the first vidéo of thé trip on m'y channel : Au Sud De Nulle Part (Cheffe Chaouen) subtiles available
Tim Cullis is correct when he talks about the kickbacks. It is well known that bazars and other tourist facilities have to 'take care' of the guides, etc, if they want tourists to visit their establishments. That said, it also happens in other countries. Another thing to point out is that, due to the excessive heat during the summer, the main foreign tourist season is between October and May, which means months of unemployment and a lack of income for folks employed in the remoter areas south of the High Atlas Mountains, including the desert regions. Enjoyed the video - Lots of correct info.
I beg to differ regarding a few points. I've been to Morocco three times, almost always in the area east of the High Atlas, and mostly in Merzouga. The many Moroccans I met didn't call everything past the mountains "desert." Maybe Arabs call it "sahra" as a description for both arid and semi-arid. The eastern edge of Morocco where Merzouga is (and many miles to the north and south) is true desert, and since that desert is contiguous with the rest of the Sahara, there's no point in saying it's not the Sahara. The Sahara isn't just sand dunes. To be considered arid (desert), an area must have less than 10" of precipitation a year, on average. Merzouga's average is 3.2". (Ouarzazate is also desert, by the way.)
@@ChrisKermis thank you if you could share where did you book your tour to the Desert
Thanks, really a big thanks for this video, very interesting, very real. I'll do this trip perhaps next summer, and I appreciate to have a clear idea about it.
Thanks, glad it helped!
I appreciate this video so much because it led me to research the area. Unfortunately, Erg Chebbi is saturated and not a very pleasant experience going on these types of tours. I decided for Erg Chigaga, truly remote with the closest village located 60 Km away and only accessible 4x4. A pleasant and down to earth desert experience.
Great video Chris! Love your humor
Can you share the tour company you did it with?
Thanks!
Thanks, glad you enjoyed the vid! I can’t really say what company it was, I never contacted them directly. Basically I just made a deal with my riad In Marrakech (a lot cheaper than doing it online in advance)
@@ChrisKermis thanks a lot Chris!
Loved your video, mate. I have already been to a similar tour 2 years ago (starting from Fes) and I vouch to the veracity of literally everything that you're highlighting in your video. My experience was very very similar to yours and it was refreshing to find a video that is just telling the bare facts :) these tours can be a bit of a let down, especially considering the 'image' they sell you online
Thank you 🙏🏽 Some folks don’t like the truth, I actually thought the tour was pretty good value overall as a solo traveler, but it’s certainly not Instagram perfection
Headed to Morocco at the end of February for either 3 or 5 weeks (depending if I leave earlier to visit friends in Europe). This is something I want to do. Haven't decided yet if to loop north from Casablanca to Fez and Chefchaouen before heading south to the Sahara and then Marrakech and some hikes in the mountains, or to do it the other way around, heading south first. In any case, interesting to see what the tours are like. The dunes are beautiful. I think it's a complete shame that vehicles are allowed to traverse them as they contribute to their erosion. But of course, people always want "convenience."
That'll be a pretty awesome trip you can spend that long. I get what you mean by the vehicles, they do go set ways around the dunes that you don't really see but they're still there of course. It's quite a tourism factory line there.
I plan to travel to Marrakech for a holiday this year, and a night in the Sahara will be on my list to do. looks amazing
Hi Chris, in retrospect if you had to do this trip over again would you have booked this 3-day tour -or- used a car rental to venture at your own pace? Thanks for the video!
Sorry for the slow reply, internet was blocked in Iran where I just was. If I was solo I would certainly have booked this tour again. If I was with others I would probably use a car rental (split the driving, have company etc).
❤❤❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉 thumps up Mr. Chris, realy appreciated such Great vido tank you so mcuh.
I just got back from a week and a half in the country and did a 3 day tour from Fez to Merzouga and then onto Marrakesh. Sadly we made the mistake of going during Ramadan so the only places available for the lunch stops was those in and out tourist-y stops. Still a lovely time though!
Bad timing but still well worth it I bet. Wish I had have done between Marrakesh and Fez rather than going back to Marrakesh. Just didn’t work with my itinerary though
Hi, we're also planning to do this from Fes to Marrakesh, may I know the link/ where did you book the tour? Thanks!
I think that this video maker misses the point that all the stops made along the drive to the Sahara desert for food and Morocco wares is the way these Moroccans make their living to sustain their lives. Instead of being snarky about it, appreciate that you are able to help them and you have the money to make such a fabulous visit.
Thanks Chirs, for your honest review. Thanks for the tips on the tourist food scams
My advice for those seeking more authentic travel experiences, is to get to know a few locals.
In Egypt , we got to.know an Egyptian felucca owner, who took us out in.his boat for free ,on the Nile.
I would also hire a bike, or motorbike, and get off the tourist routes, into small villages.
Often locals would invite me into their houses for refreshments, and a chat.
I was happy to give back to them as well, but always haggled hard.
That’s certainly a great way to do it!
@Chris Kermis This was in my younger, more adventurous days, when I didn't care about comfort or convenience.
Obviously it's different if one is looking for a 2 week holiday
done this tour few year ago
only problem is some of places they steer you towards for food arent great
not the price but just the quality
we found our own restaurants on some stops and it worked out better
Exactly!
I'm Moroccan, I live in the US and I visit once or twice a year. The reason the drivers take the tourists to the same restaurants and attractions is because they get commissions. This is an old trick that bus drivers used with regular Moroccan travelers forever- and it's probably not particular to Morocco, but when tourism is as important to the economy as it is in Morocco, we really have to do better. By the way, tourists can demand to go somewhere else. I don't see why they have to agree to being herded like that. Like Chris said, get your information from the Internet. There are plenty of credible blogs and videos on line. I wouldn't go on an organized trip ever, exactly because I hate people deciding for me. Just got back from Turkey and I had a great time just my and my wife- no guides or tours. Guides and tours have their place of course, may be when visiting educational sites- but it has to be professional and not shady like taking you places to eat or shop to get commission rather than look for the better deal for you. It's unfortunate that the tourism ministry or whoever is responsible there are not making a serious effort to fix some of these issues and make the experience more comfortable.
Exactly! Thanks Mohamed
thank you for this, we are going on a trip to marrakech soon, and your tips and insight are very helpfull!
Good stuff, enjoy your trip!
A few people asked for the details of the company I used and how to book. I simply booked it through my riad in Marrakech, but I have since had contact with the driver on my tour. His name is Redaouane Aitelmahjoub and is happy to be contacted directly on WhatsApp +212671530534.
I've also been asked the time of year that I went, It was mid to late May.
As I say in my video, overall I think it's a good experience and good value, and I do recommend Redaouane.
hi Chris do you have the link of the riad agency company? i am going to Morocco very soon. I can't wait for it :) thanks
Thank you for sharing your experience, I was hesitant to do this trip, but after watching the video I decided to give it a try, thank you Chris
Thanks Juan, hope you enjoyed it!
Hello Chris
Thanks for the vedio and advice
Welcome in morocco
I'm from morocco
Thank you!
Very accurate feedback in this video. Great review
I agree. It sounds like my exact experience except I had a private guide 😕
12 dollars for a tagine and a salade, that is actually not expensive. Even moroccans pay pretty much the same price for kinda food
and they do not complain about it
It's quality that matters to me, and 12 dollars is still not good value if the meal is not good. I agree that 12 dollars is not expensive, but I am not going to say that something is good just because it's cheap.
Are you kidding me? That is VERY expensive for Morocco
Thank you for your video Chris, thanks to you I have chosen this excursion and the same luxury option, it was a really nice trip !
Good stuff! I’m glad the video was helpful!
Have you been on this tour? What's your experiences and what advice can you offer others? Let us know 😀
what I would love to know, around what time of year (what month) did you take the tour? I am sorry if you said it in the video, I must have missed it.
@@thesymbolized I have the same question. I would also like to know what the name of the tour company is. Thank you
Sorry for the slow reply, internet was blocked in Iran where I just was. I took the tour in late May but do not know the name of the tour company as it was arranged by the riad that I stayed at in Marrakech (Riad Al Amine)
@@ChrisKermis sorry it took me so long to thank you for your reply.
This reminds me so much of my village in Pakistan, where sand is of different colour but everything is so much cheaper and no tourist scams like this 3 day trip.
Visiting Pakistan really high on my list, I’ve come so close a couple of times but it’s fallen through. It seems an incredible place to travel!
This was an excellent video and so helpful. My son and I will be there in 4 weeks and I have been looking at these 3 day tours. Your experience is pretty much what I was expecting, but with a lot more detail. I was planning to make a sandwich for our lunches. Is there an opportunity in the hotel or en route to buy bread and fruit and bottled water?
To all the people saying you'd pay more for lunch in europe, that's not the point is it? 🤣 And to all the guides complaining - just because someone is touring your country, it doesn't mean they are naiive and don't understand how things work. Trying to guilt tourists by saying these people are poor is bad faith. So are the people poor who don't give commissions to the guides. And it is not the poor, hard workers who benefit from these schemes. Tourists will pay more attention to honest reviews like this with good and bad. If you want people to make positive reviews of the food or accommodation, make sure you use decent places.
Thanks very much Chris Kermis and good travels
Thank you! I just made the video that I wanted to see before going. Many don't appreciate the truth but they're not the audience for this! Shops on route were pretty limited to be honest, typically just a small place where you can buy water and snacks. I'm sure you could make something work, but always have a plan B so that you don't get hungry, it's long days of travelling.
Planning on doing a very similar route to this in a rental car when I travel to Marrakech in march! What a well done video. This helped immensely. Cheers
انت إنسان جميل وراقي وتعطي صورة جميلة على المملكة 🇲🇦🇲🇦🌷💘💖 مرحبا بك
Thank you for your kind words ❤️🇲🇦
Morocco and it’s people are wonderful 🎉 il be going back with some small change in my pocket they deserve it ❤🎉🙏
Very comprehensive and balanced review, thanks. We've been to the "other" erg, Erg Chegaga, out of M'Hamid a couple of times. I understand it's less crowded than Merzouga. We've always gone in winter and practically had the place to ourselves. The most recent trip we took the express CTM bus down to M'Hamid via Ouarzazate and Zagora, then booked a five day trek out to the Erg and back (walking with the camels carrying the kit). It was just my wife and myself and we had two guides; a cameleer and a cook. We bivouacked under the stars and ate freshly prepared food courtesy of our chef, morning, noon and night. It was physically fairly tough but an absolutely outstanding experience!
That sounds like an amazing experience, very different than these kind of tours.
I am about to do the 7 day package with them with the 3 days in marakesh. When you say five day trek did you walk the entire time ? how many nights did you stay at camp?
what was the company you used ? Nick and BoBos?
@@ryanetrbass Yes, we walked the entire time, with camels carrying our bags and all the supplies. We carried only day-packs. We covered 25-30km per day. We bivouacked in the open for the first two nights until we reached Erg Chegaga dunes, then stayed one night in one of the tented camps, followed by two more nights bivouacking on the way back to M'hamid. We started and finished the trip with nights at the Kasbah Hotel in M'Hamid. The trek started from right outside the hotel door and we just walked into the desert! We do enjoy multi-day hiking. Do it a lot in Scotland. This was a kind of "Rolls Royce" version, with good weather, someone to do the cooking and navigation, and no heavy backpacks to carry!
@@TarrelScot man that sounds terrible and a lot of work. that's extreme walking. for me. But that's amazing if that was up your ally. I want to find a tour with less walking. more riding camels. did they have more options ? what was the name of the company Sir?
I did this tour with my family last week, including two kids, 5 and 14 years old. We spent an extra day (and night) in a nice hotel in Merzouga to able to chill and relax a bit and not have the long journey back to Marrakesh straight after waking up at 5am in the desert to watch the sunrise.
A few points:
1. We took camels to the desert camp in the evening and again from the camp back to Merzouga the next morning. There was a sandstorm in the evening, so I was very glad we had the ride back on the camels the next morning in stunning early morning sun conditions. Regarding your comment about young kids, there was no riding shotgun on 4x4s or in the back of a pickup, and my 5yr old daughter rode with me on the camel both ways and loved it.
2. IMO you’re exagerrating the issues with the lunches, or you just had bad luck. Our 3 lunches that were included were all either 100 or 120 MAD per person and were all delicious and very good value, even my kids loved them. We had vegetable soup + meatball (kefta) tajine + desert each time and all were very good, particularly the first one in Ait Ben Haddou. You also can’t compare the cost of an omlette and a coke to a 3 course meal. Sure, you probably could get something cheaper and more “authentic” but 10€ for a delicious 3 course meal is great deal IMO.
3. Don’t be so cynical about being guided to opportunities to buy stuff from local sellers. That’s how these people make a living. We never felt under any pressure to buy anything, it was all very relaxed.
Regarding the driving part, you’re right, the roads are excellent and there’s almost always good cell phone coverage. As for the driver safety, it depends. On the way there our driver was extremely calm careful and I felt very secure. On the way back though we had a different driver and he was constantly on the phone (no hands free) and made a lot of very sketchy overtakes with basically no visibility of oncoming traffic.
All in all enojyed watching the video, nice job 👍
Thank you for taking the time to write all this based on your experiences. To be honest I look back on some aspects of this video and cringe. It was made fairly early in my TH-cam “career”, and I certainly think some aspects were too negative and came out wrongly. The main thing I wanted to do was just show exactly what it was like, the good and the bad. I couldn’t find any info online at the time even though so many people do it.
Wow it must be difficult attempting it with a 5 year old though. It’s a lot of time in the minibus!
Hope you and your family had a great trip overall in Morocco. It’s certainly a great country with a lot to offer!
@@ChrisKermis Thank you for your honest response. Despite my criticisms I still think it was a great video and would certainly be very helpful to anyone who was doing this tour for the first time. We had a great time in Morocco and would love to return!
What I was really waiting to hear you say is that where you went is NOT The Sahara. It's actually one of the Ergs named Erg Chebbi (as the name of your camp implied). The real "Sahara Desert" is some distance away, across the border in Algeria. Tour companies will argue against that, but they will deploy a clever use of words based on the fact that most tourists won't know that the Arabic word for desert is Sahra. So they will say "You will visit sahara", which I guess isn't a lie, but what they're subtly saying is that you will visit "A" Sahara, but not "THE" Sahara. Whilst there's no disputing that Erg Chebbi is beautiful, if your bucket list includes "Visit The Sahara Desert", then I'm afraid that item remains unticked if where you actually went was Erg Chebbi.
Re. Ait Ben Haddou, there is electricity and running water in the old village. I've been there a couple of times (most recently just over a month ago), and on my first visit a few years back I stayed in a place in the old village itself. Their selling point was the lack of electricity, meaning the experience would be more "authentic". But the truth is that there is electricity, they just choose not to switch it on and make you do everything by candlelight! I was told that if there was anything I needed to charge, that they would switch on the electricity in the morning. Although the hot and powerful shower was particularly welcome! Interestingly, whilst most families moved out of the old village into the new, they're now starting to move back into the old village to take advantage of the touristic interest. On my recent visit I saw signs inviting you to spend 10 Dirhams to visit an "authentic Berber home". I don't recall seeing that on my previous visit.
All that said, Morocco is an amazing country that I have now visited seven times, and can't wait to go back!
Thanks for the info, I wasn't even aware of what you say about the Sahara. Still overall a worthwhile trip to make in Morocco!
@@ChrisKermis Oh definitely! I think what annoys me is that people are lead to believe they're going to The Sahara Desert, when they're actually not! I am expecting people to reply to my post saying that I'm wrong though. 🙃 😁
According to Google Maps, the Sahara doesn't even go into Algeria! I let people believe what they want..
Andy Baker - The Sahara is not a nation. It doesn't have distinct borders. It is not just sand dunes, either. Many maps show the Sahara crossing the border, so that most of the eastern edge of Morocco is Sahara (apart from where the border runs straight north to the Mediterranean). It is definitely desert there, and that desert is contiguous with the rest of the Sahara desert, so why not consider it Sahara? Because it doesn't fit your movie-image idea of the Sahara? "The Sahara is mainly rocky hamada (stone plateaus); ergs (sand seas - large areas covered with sand dunes) form only a minor part, but many of the sand dunes are over 180 metres (590 ft) high.[10] Wind or rare rainfall shape the desert features: sand dunes, dune fields, sand seas, stone plateaus, gravel plains (reg), dry valleys (wadi), dry lakes (oued), and salt flats (shatt or chott).[11]" - Wikipedia ...So, what is "some distance away"? Where do you think the Sahara starts?
@@andybaker2456 Where did you get your information?
Thanks for your video, I’m so happy we rented a car and will be in control of our itinerary
1. Why do they take them to the restaurants and shops they do? Because those restaurants and shops pay them to.
2. I HIGHLY recommend that anyone doing a Merzouga tour take the 4 day option. You stop 1 more night in Ouarzazate on the way back so you don't have to do that 3rd day of endless driving hell. Plus Ouarzazate has cool movie making history and you have time to stop at Rissani for the market and the filming location for Hamunaptra from The Mummy.
3. Two nights in Merzouga might be a good idea if you have time, according to the local experts on TA, there are many interesting things to do around there. An old mineral mine, a desert museum, a lake with flamingos, an oasis etc. And you need time to try Berber pizza!
4. I did a private tour, it was my splurge for my Morocco trip because I knew I wouldn't like touring with a bunch of randos. (Cost $730 for 2) We stopped at certain predetermined places for lunch, but never saw the cavalcade of vans this guy always seemed to be in. Maybe it was a timing thing. We also had a lot more landmark and photo stops, partly because it was 4 days but also because it's easier to do with just a couple or few people. Private tour is great if you can work it into your budget.
5. However you go, I do recommend this trip. The desert/tour was my favorite part of my Morocco trip! So much that I'm going back in May to spend two weeks in the desert, among other things.
Which tour did you take?
its very cool to watch your videos, nice way of filming and good soothing voice!
Thank you 🙏🏽 This is a really old one too
Tours like these tend to actually takeaway the beauty of the Sahara experience by providing all amenities and I'm not against it as I know some people still want to have a comfortable experience, but more of the charm of the desert is the experience of solitude and seeing the vastness of the Sahara desert. I suggest you visit Algeria for that reason specifically places like Djanet, Tassili or Sefar. Best of luck in your future travels
Thanks, I'd love to do something like that in the future and see the real Sahara!
The Sahara doesn't stop at the dunes. It is quite possible to experience the solitude and vastness of the desert in Morocco.
اسمك عناب و تتعنب جيدا لكن الصحراء المغربية جميلة جدا بوساءل الراحه المتوفره في جميع المجالات
True the Algerian Sahara is beautiful, I did it when I was a student but there is 0 amenities. Not something a group of tourist should venture to … if you want to advertise the Algerian Sahara wait a bit until civilisation reaches that part somehow …
كرغولي 😂
Hi Crish, thank you for the video and the explanation. I'm planning to visit Marrakesh this May and interested to join the tour, but I couldn't find any detail about the tour you are using. I try to read the description and find the pinned comment but i could find any. Could you give me any more detail if you have please? Thanks
I do appreciate your video as moroccan private chef in the states you do complainig a bouve the prices what the get back in your home Land for 12 bucks a big mack you exagerided brother, moroccan are full of hospitality and happyness and generious and i'm sure you feeled it ,thanks again all the way from Meknassi Miami.
ديك 12£ هداك نهار و نص ديال واحد خدام مسكين نهار كامل!!
Very interesting, many thanks! How about wine , is wine also being offered for lunch and dinners?
No there was no alcohol anywhere during the trip
That is a pity, the climate should be excellent for good wines at least along the coast. Couple of years ago I drank wine from Lebanon which was a recommendation by Lawrence Osborne in one of his books.
Did the same trip with a private driver, who spoke perfect English in a new and clean 4x4
He took us to interesting places away from tourist spots but that was more expensive than what most people are prepared to pay.
We paid for the trip and all was included.
We certainly have seen more than what you are showing in your vlog.
It was entirely up to us what we wanted to see and when we wanted to make a stop.
The trip was organized as a bespoke trip by the riad we stayed in before and the driver by chance was the same we had the previous year. We knew everything about the places we traveled through. The buildings in the gorge are closed down due to filling rocks. We tried some camel tagine, pretty authentic. I am assuming you traveled to Merzuga via ourzazad . Our camp was in a spot of it own and bizarly had a swimming pool and the restaurant. On the way we passed lots of nomad tents.
Very different experience. We are both older travellers so comfort was paramount to us.
Sounds like a fantastic way to do it if you have the money and time!
I am hiring a private driver for my trip to the desert in a month. Glad to hear the personal driver was worth it for you.
@@paulanorman7266 yes it was an added bonus that we knew the driver from the previous visit to Marrakech and he was great and very informative. He did care that we got out most from the experience. Hope you enjoy your trip. We are back in November but going to visit different parts. 🤞☺️
So how much was the private driver? What is the closest city to go to the Sahara?
Hello, I am going to Marokko for easter break. We are two travelers, and we are still considering many options on how we would like to make the tour to Sahara. Is it possible to habe the contact person or website for the trip?
CHRIS!!! You are terrific!! I'm planning my trip now. Was wondering how you got from Marrakech to Casablanca at the end of this trip. That's sort of my last thing to figure out. Thank you for sharing!
Very easy! There’s a fast train between Marrakech and Casablanca.
Ha - what used to be the Marrakesh Express. Can't help singing the song!@@ChrisKermis
Videos like this one are indispensable, really. Why sugar coat things? Some videos about Marrakesh come across like a real estate agent's sales pitch. If you take their advice, you would run to the man with the monkey on a chain in the Medina. A monkey on a chain is about as appealing as a pantsless hobo laying on the ground, at any price.
Thank you. I've never been a fan of the Instagram perfect image view of traveling - It's a lie. Travel is absolutely amazing, but there's always good and bad in one sense or another. This video just shows what it's really like, as best as I could manage at the time.
Thank you for such a great video..
12 euro is normal price
Yes, I've had some absolutely excellent meals in Morocco for 12 euros, the food is amazing there in many good places.
what time of year was your trip?
If you find it to expensive , please stay at home !! These people has to live as well as you do.
The point was never that it was too expensive, the point is the quality is not good. For the same money you can find way better. A restaurant should not compromise quality just because they have a captive audience.
@@poproachuk4018 I earn nothing from youtube. Thanks for watching!
@francis Reynders
You absolutely right, this people have deferent thinking about some countries, I’m sure he pays 3 times more in his country for food that’s been prepared 3 days before or got out of the freezer
$12 for a lunch( tajin with chicken and salad plus fruit) and it’s in a restaurant and he saying it’s over price lol I think even if it’s free he still will complain.
@@hassanchantouf3983 Here we go again.... Firstly, let me repeat: "The point was never that it was too expensive, the point is the quality is not good. For the same money you can find way better. A restaurant should not compromise quality just because they have a captive audience". Secondly, Should I enjoy a Big Mac simply because it's cheap at 6 Euros or whatever it costs? No? Well that's basically the argument you're making.
I see a lot of complaint from the blogger about how much money these people must be making almost every place that he went to on his way to the Sahara. Tourists must take into consideration the number of people it takes to run such an operation in the desert dar away from a city. Just the logistics to provide food, water, shelter and amenities to the tourist in a barren land. Besides, this is their only income. And it feeds a lot of families. So, be generous when you go to a cheap destination like Morocco. I have not seen complaints about the price of food and logging when bloggers and tourists visit Japan, NewYork , London and complain with envy about how much money those tourist outfits charge or make from tourism. Why?
Thanks Chris for your video!
Lots of complaining 😂😂😂
I know right! What exactly did he expect? It’s a “tourist destination” and the people rely on holiday goers to help them make a living. They aren’t makings millions, and they certainly aren’t “ripping people off” when charging €12 for a lunch. They were a French colony and only recently gained their independence from a colonial past. All I got from this was negativity and high expectations, as if he was expecting the Ritz. If he wanted an “authentic experience” then he should have travelled on his own, and not bothered with the tourist groups. If you want any local prices, then move to that country and live as a local, and experience the hardship, and only then, you will appreciate and understand why locals charge a little extra to tourists, especially Western tourists, who are still reaping the rewards from colonialism. Reading history from non-bias material, can really add context to reality.
Thank you for a very helpful video!
I love the old town where you see the houses like claves on the Mountain and the dry river, and we didn't stay the night at the desert, but spend 2 hrs admiring the sunset and the views, spectacular.
Which tour did you take? Do you have a link you can share please?
Thank you for sharing. I will be going to Morocco in February
Thank you for your honest review.
Glad it helped!
Just watched this as it is exactly what we intend to do on our visit to Marrakech in June.
Lots of good info on what to expect especially about the food as although I can eat anything my wife is super fussy .
What I did like is you described it as it is and there is enough in this to convince me its worth doing and definitely the luxury option, as a matter of interest how and where did you book it
BTW I am 70 and my wife is a few years younger but we are both in good shape do you think it would be too much for us in your honest opinion
Do check the description of my video, I just booked it through the riad where I stayed in Marrakech at the time. I also gave a good breakdown of the times which shows what you can expect in terms of stop offs and driving times. Of course I can never say if it’s good for you, but I see no reason why no if you’re ok to be in a minivan for a lot of hours. If you have more money to spend it could be nicer to do it at a more relaxed rate with a private tour or driving yourselves. What I did as great value, but you do pay the price for that in other ways that I showed.
Hello, Chris! I really enjoyed your video. May I ask what time of year you visited? I'm planning a trip for next April and I would like to know more about the temperature.
May for me, so I think April should be a good time to go for you, should be a little cooler than when I was there. Enjoy your trip!
@@ChrisKermis Thank you so much!