Morocco Cultural Tour: Marrakech, Essaouira & the High Atlas Mountains

The trip was beyond our expectations. Each city & location has its own unique offerings and beautiful scenery.

Our guide and driver made the trip extra special, providing us unique insights on each city and location. He took great care of us, which was very comforting going to a new country for the first time.Joauad arranged for local expert guides as well for each city, that not only provided the perfect background information but were also very passionate about the topics at hand which made each place very memorable.

If you are thinking of going to Morocco, just do it, you will not be disappointed! This was truly a lifetime experience we will not forget.

We just returned from a 10 night trip to Morocco including Marrakech, the Atlas Mountains, the desert and Essaouira. Our trip was amazing! Hassan carefully planned everything and included so many sights along the way. All of our accommodations Hassan chose were perfect. They included Riads, Auberges, a tent and a Kasbah style hotel. The food was fantastic and we were able to eat everything, as all recommended restaurants and accommodations used mineral water to prepare food. Bottled water was available everywhere as well.

We had the pleasure of meeting Hassan on 2 occasions. He met us in Marrakech at our Riad and walked us to a restaurant and stayed for a bit talking with us. Then as a surprise we met up again in our tent and had dinner with him. He is very proud of his heritage and it shows in the trip he planned for us. 

We had a driver for the trip. He is such a nice person and was so knowledgeable and accommodating throughout our trip. To get out to the desert it takes 2 days of driving, but we stopped many times to see things along the way. We spent about 8-9 hours each day between getting there, lunch and bathroom breaks, and seeing sights you don’t want to miss. Some areas are very remote. He took great care of us the whole time. I read that you should bring Dramamine on the car trip through the mountains and didn’t believe it. 2 of the 4 of us got car sick, so I highly recommend taking something. The drive is very twisty turny in the mountains with a lot of  climbing and then or course, descending. The car was very roomy and the A/C was on. Our driver was great though and very patient!! We had such a great experience and highly recommend booking with Hassan. It is a beautiful country full of the most friendly people. We felt safe everywhere we went.  

The Best of Morocco 

I have travelled all over the world and I have to say that this is one of the best trip I’ve ever had.

Ziccaso! Yes you surprise me every time I choose new place to explore by linking me to best companies that can accommodate everything I want to experience!! Thank you for choosing this travel company, which is the best of the best.

I have decided to go to Morocco last minute and Mr. Hassan has accommodated my requests in a short time with a very impressive trip in all means!

He contacted me and asked me about everything I am looking for in this trip and made it just right to what I like.

The trip was arranged in a very short time and despite that he was very helpful, honest and true with everything he suggested and arranged.

To be honest the trip was way beyond my expectations.

Morocco is a very beautiful country, the people are so kind and welcoming always with a smile. It is very colorful and the food is really delicious and cooked with love everywhere. The weather was just right in March everywhere. Hotels and transportations were exceptional in all means.

I started my tour with my tour guide who was carefully chosen by Mr Hassan to take care of me. I have to say that he made the trip perfect with his honesty, caring, calming attitude, patience, and kindness. Since he picked me up from the airport to the last day he dropped off without any trouble or complaint. I felt like a princess and didn’t worry about anything during my trip. He took care of everything including checking in, baggage handling, transportation, taking everywhere and some walking and guiding tours, literally everything! I was really lucky.

Mr. Hassan was checking on me with directly during the trip and making sure the his brilliant arrangements were going well with me. I can’t thank him enough for arranging this incredible unforgettable tour.

My tour was fast lane tour, you can choose that if you like to sleep in a new place every night. I don’t mind that so that I can see and experience more things in a short time and got to visit many places too. The lovely thing about this tour it was by driving which I got to pass through many cities and villages and explore the rich culture and meet new people.

Morocco is old, vintage and charming. It has a lovely vibe. Casablanca is beautiful and coastal in which I started my journey, then I visited Rabat which is the capital ( very net and nice ). After that we went to Meknes and Fes ( my favorite old city). Then we went to Sahara OMG it was so charming. After that I have to say I saw all types of mountains in this country and the journey was very comfortable and relaxing. I went then to Marrakech which is very alive city and to Essaouira for a day tour and was lovely.

At the last day I was really sad to leave .. I felt that I left a part of my heart in this country. I can’t wait to visit Morocco again and see the few remaining places that I haven’t been to.

I would like to share some pictures and I actually created albums in my instagrams to show people the hidden gems of this wonderful country.

Thank you again Mr Hassan and to my guide for making my dream trip unforgettable.

Our two-week trip to Morocco, arranged by Zicasso’s travel company, was simply magical! We (a party of four over-70 Americans) found it very easy to book a customized adventure with the founder that met and exceeded our desired goals.

Our journey began with a four-night stay in Marrakech, which included a day trip to the Ourika Valley in the High Atlas Mountains. We then traveled overland to the desert (Erg Chebbi), making an overnight stop on the way to and from the luxury tented camp in Merzouga. Following a night's stay in the desert, we continued on to Fes, Chefchaouen (the “Blue City”), and Tangier. We were accompanied by an experienced English-fluent Berber driver who provided the epitome of service. Once we arrived at our destination, our driver ensured we were connected with a local guide for walking tours that were informative and fun. We were free to wander on our own as well.

To Americans contemplating a similar trip, we had two main concerns prior to leaving: the earthquake damage in and south of Marrakech, and the Middle East political situation. We encountered no problems whatsoever related to either. While in Marrakech and the Ourika Valley, we saw evidence of earthquake damage, but experienced nothing we considered a threat to our safety. Meanwhile, the beautiful Ourika Valley was one of many highlights, so we were very glad it was possible to go there. We discovered the wonderful hospitality Morocco is known for during each part of our journey.

As far as personal safety, follow the advice you would in any large city or tourist area: keep valuables safe and don't carry your cellphone in such a way that it could be easily snatched. The same goes for physical health. We followed general advice to enjoy things that were offered to us in restaurants serving tourists or as part of arranged street tours, while avoiding the temptation to try “exotic”, uncooked things we might find on our own. We ate well, enjoyed lots of mint tea, occasional alcoholic drinks, and had no major problems.

In addition to the Ourika Valley, other highlights included visiting the desert region (camel riding is optional, but a fun-filled 45 minutes if you are game), having a meal of delicious couscous in a Berber home, taking a cooking lesson in Marrakech with a chef, shopping in city souks and at the Fes leather and pottery-making establishments, and learning interesting historical facts during guided walking tours of Marrakech, Fes, Chefchaouen, and Tangier.

If heading north, arrange to stop, if only briefly, at the seaside community of Asilah, which holds a festival each year featuring colorful street murals that remain in place until the following year. While in Tangier, tour the American Legation Museum. Among other things, you will learn about the long history of good relations between the US and Morocco, which, in 1777, was the first country to recognize the US. I could go on!

Speaking for our group, the trip was one that will remain in our memories for years to come thanks to all who were involved!

All accommodations were satisfactory. My favorite city lodgings included the riads in Marrakech and Chefchaouen, where I enjoyed a swim in the indoor pool, and the palace in Fes.

We highly recommend this very professional and detail-oriented travel company. Jaouad helped us plan a 10-day trip of a lifetime to Morocco, seven days spent with our driver and guide and two and a half days with Jaouad himself.

Our guide picked us up at the airport in Casablanca where we spent a few hours visiting the Hassan II mosque and the local synagogue. We then drove to Rabat, which we toured for the afternoon and spent the night. On day two, we drove to Fes, stopping at Meknes and Moulay Driss along the way. We did a fun ceramic class in Fes and spent the next day touring this amazing city, including the tannery, the Mellah, the royal palace, and wandered through the souks.

The next day, we drove to Erfoud and then went into the Sahara Desert, where we did a super fun ATV ride and a sunset camel ride, and “glamped” in the desert. The following day, we visited a local market in Rissani and the gorgeous Todra Gorges with an overnight stay in Skoura.

Our last stop was three nights in the magical and very busy city of Marrakech, which included visiting the labyrinth of markets and doing a fun cooking class in the Atlas Mountains. Both our guide and Jaouad were phenomenal! They were fluent in English, very knowledgeable, super nice, and very interesting. We felt like we were continually getting the inside scoop on all things Morocco, ranging from the history of this beautiful country to its culture, to the politics and more.

Jaouad also chose beautiful hotels, most of which were riads, which gave us five-star accommodations in the authentic Moroccan style. I cannot say enough amazing things about our trip, which was perfect from start to finish!