Morocco Tour for Solo Travelers: Discovery, Culture & Cooking Course

My family, including my husband and our 16- and 11-year-old daughters, booked a 3-day driving tour with the tour company, picking us up from Fes, taking us to the desert for a camel trek to sleep in the desert, and then delivering us to Marrakesh. They put together a well-designed trip for us with stops at historic sites along the way, including the UNESCO World Heritage site of Ait Ben-Haddou, the Togda and Dades gorges, and through the High Atlas mountains. The camel trek - about an hour long - was easy and unique and took us to the wonderfully-appointed luxury hotel in the Erg Chebbi sand dunes, which included luxurious tents with real toilets and showers in our private tents. The trip included 3 days of driving - covering 700 miles / 1100 kilometers - and all meals and lodging. One of the best parts was our driver Mustapha. He was such easy company, knowledgeable about all things Morocco, a safe driver, flexible, taught us Arabic and Berber words, and helped us bargain for excellent prices on local ceramics and carpets. We had a spacious Mercedes van with plenty of space for us to stretch out. We received a bespoke itinerary, a local cell phone, and a phone call from the tour company to check on us along the way. I would definitely recommend them. Note: There is MAJOR construction on Route 9 from Ouarzazate through the Atlas Mountains to Marrakech, adding an hour or so of driving time.

Our trip to Morocco was truly exceptional in every way.  Our travel designer and his team delivered top-notch customized service from initial contact all the way to our return back home. My husband and I went on a 12-day trip through much of Morocco (Rabat, Fes, Marrakech, Sahara, Atlas Mountains, Oualidia, and many amazing places in between). When we arrived, our driver welcomed us with a warm smile and said we were now family. Over the next week and a half, we truly felt that we had become family as he spent every day with us sharing what his country had to offer with such incredible enthusiasm, professionalism, and knowledge. While we spent a lot of time in the car together, our driver made sure we were never bored and he went out of his way to make every experience special for us. He is a huge asset to the company and anyone would be lucky to have such an engaging Moroccan ambassador.

The travel team did an incredible job hiring local tour guides in each city. Our guides in Rabat, Fes, and Marrakech were very knowledgeable, customized the day to our interests and energy levels, and encouraged us to participate and ask questions no matter the topic. We gained a better appreciation for the history, culture, and lifestyle of each city thanks to their passion and attentiveness to our interests. We also think they created an appropriate balance of downtime and structure.

The accommodations chosen for us were high quality and in good locations. We questioned a couple of options prior to our trip, but upon arriving, understood entirely why they were chosen. For example, while we expected beautiful riads in the main cities (and they did deliver here!) we were pleasantly surprised to stay in a beautiful garden hotel in Skoura on the way to Marrakech. Of course, the desert camp was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that we'll be talking about for years to come.

We were most impressed by the many nice touches the company took to provide the perfect experience for us. When we landed, we were surprised with a customized leather bag with my name in Arabic, a local cell phone, some petty cash in local dirhams, and a covid safety kit (I should note that covid was not a concern, and precautions were taken - we felt very safe). My husband was dying to try the best local tagine the country had to offer. The travel team not only set up a quality tagine lunch in Marrakech but took us behind the scenes to see the dish being made. They also made sure we always had access to bottled water and snacks in the car. 

I struggle to write a review that truly reflects how amazing our experience was, but this travel team provided us with the access, luxury, and adventure that we could only have dreamed of. I highly recommend their services - you will be delighted and all expectations will be exceeded.

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 had an amazing tour of Morocco and felt completely safe. The war in the Middle East did not affect our trip.

Volubilus was very interesting and we were so happy to have had that stop on the way to Fes.

We loved going to the pottery studio and learning how the mosaics are made. It definitely helped us appreciate the beauty of the walls everywhere we went.

Our guide in Fes was knowledgeable, warm, welcoming, and generous. She taught us so much about the city and its history, as well as sharing current-day customs and how they evolved from traditional customs. She didn’t take a single wrong turn in that maze of a medina and made sure we felt no pressure from the salespeople she introduced us to.

Our guide for our first hike to the Berber home for lunch was able to lead us through the woods despite rain and fog, and without a clear trail. He was respectful and personable. He told us his first degree was culinary and shared a recipe for pastilla, which we told him had become our favorite dish. The family we ate with was equally warm, even though we couldn’t communicate, and the food was wonderful. The lamb was the best I’ve ever eaten and hubby is still talking about the potatoes!

Our guide in Marrakech was very funny and personable, and also knowledgeable about the city and its history.

He was incredibly friendly, saying hello to everyone we passed and sharing with us the strong community ties he has to two villages. He helped us understand the extent of the earthquake damage in that area and his humanity came through beautifully. Lunch in the High Atlas was also great. He gave us options for easier routes or a “Berber taxi”. (We didn’t take either, but it was nice to have options!)

We loved the YSL museum and Majorelle gardens.

The staff and lovely family running the perfectly located riad took great care of us. The riad was beautiful and a five-star experience.

Scarabeo was amazing! A really truly great experience. Glamping is an understatement.

Ourika was a five-star setting, but the hotel was probably 3.5 stars. The furniture in the room was a bit shabby and at breakfast, there was a huge, dead cockroach on the floor next to our table. It hadn’t been swept. The food and wine options were good, and there were lots of beautiful spaces inside and out in which to sit. The staff were very responsive to problems we raised (the bathrobe in the room had dirty tissue in the pocket) and that was great.

I’ve saved the best for last: our last guide was amazing! Better than that! Incredible! He made the whole week go smoothly and ensured we were comfortable and felt safe and cared for every step of the way. The never-ending supply of water and snacks was appreciated. He checked in on our comfort constantly and made sure we knew we could call him at any point if we needed help, even at night. He gave us advice and tips, and was so lovely to spend time with. He let us leave our purchases in the car (which I’m sure meant he was lugging them into his hotel room so we didn’t have to) and made us feel good even when we got the car covered in mud after the rainy mid-Atlas hike. (Of course, it was spotless again the next morning!). Mostly, it was his personality – warm, caring, passionate, and ever-smiling – that made the trip so wonderful. When (not if!) we come back, we certainly would want to be with our guide again!

The following are things we would have liked to know that you may want to share with future travelers:

Lots of places did not take credit cards. Our first riad served us dinner, which was pricy in comparison to other places (1100 MAD without alcohol), but required payment in cash. (They were willing to wait until check out.)

ATMs won’t give more than 2000 MAD at once, so we needed to go often.

I didn’t bring a bathing suit because I was so concerned about modesty, but the places we stayed at were obviously comfortable with Westerners in bathing suits! I also didn’t know if I needed a bathing suit for the hammam.

Again, overall we were so very happy and cannot wait to return!