Deserts & Kasbahs October 16th

Re: Deserts & Kasbahs October 16th

Hi, We have just completed Deserts & Kasbahs tour and are currently taking a couple of extra days in Marrakesh. You will have a fantastic time, Morocco has so much to offer and each city is uniquely different. From the old Roman ruins, the marvellous souks and kasbahs, the palmeries and Todra Gorge and of course the fantastic people who are so polite, shy but friendly.

If you are thinking of rugs, come prepared with sizes and colours you would like as there are just so many beautiful rugs that it gets quite confusing to choose between them all.

Pottery (plates, bowls etc) are best quality from Fes, silver jewellery (berber and tarwag designs) are good prices in Essaquira, and of course Marrakesh for just about everything, but can be a little more expensive.

Hand antiseptic gel is handy and good practice. Food is superb, dont be afraid to experiment. The chicken, onion & prune targine in Tenehir is excellent!! Also the fresh peach shakes in Fes at an outside juice shop is the way to relax and just enjoy the atmosphere.

There is a great Ice Creamery near your hotel in Marrakesh and the highlight of the tour is the camel trek into the desert, be prepared to sing a song from your home country as the desert guys on your first night absolutely love you to participate and they will accustom you with their drums and other instruments. Sweet mint tea will be offered to you on numerous ocassions by shop owners or locals, and its a great way to chat and show your friendship.

You will have some great Moroccan memories after this trip - WE LOVED IT!!

Re: Deserts & Kasbahs October 16th

Petra,

Thanks so much for your reply. That is a great tip re the rug. I would like to purchase smaller sized rugs so that I may hang them on a wall. What would you say is the average cost for a smaller sized rug?

I wasn't planning on doing the camel safari as I have done this in Egypt last year but since you say it was the highlight of the tour, I may have to reconsider.

A couple of questions for you. How much money would you say is sufficient for the two weeks? I will be taking US currency with me. Also, what type of luggage did you take and would you recommend a wheeled suitcase?

I would appreciate any other kind of advice you may think of.

Thanks again for your response and I look forward to hearing from you once again.

Cheers,
SG

Re: Deserts & Kasbahs October 16th

Hi SG
Rugs or kilims are beautiful and we found that making your decision is the biggest thing. We bought a couple of kilims about 1.5 metres X 1 metre and paid 200-250 Dirhams each. Thats about 20-25USD and they fold it, roll it and package it up for ease of packing. That seemed to be the going rate upon checking out quite a few shops. Naturally the bigger or smaller the rug the price varies accordingly. Hope this gives you a bit of an idea for the size you want.

We always take a backpack for managability, just find it much easier to throw it on your back than try and manouevre over rough ground and walk through crowds of people.

With breakfast provided on tour, and depending upon your eating requirements for snacks, lunch and dinner, I would say between 100-150 dirhams per day. A coke or fresh orange juice, chicken & vegetable targine with bread and Moroccan salad can cost approximately 35-60 dirhams depending where you eat. If you prefer a more upmarket cafe the prices increase. The cafes that ImTrav use or recommend are good value, clean and have a fantastic variety of Moroccan fare.

Internet prices are 1O dirham per hour and are in every city. Depending upon your souvenir purchases which only you can determine, 20-30USD per day would be heaps, we feel in our humble opinion.

The camel trek was excellent, but seeing you have already experienced one in Egypt it may be the same, but the alternative is to stay at the auberge whilst the rest of the tour group stay out overnight in the desert. We chose to sleep out under the stars and wait for sunrise which was terrific.... and our Berber guide cooked a great targine and played his drums and sang.

BTW, I had my hands henna tatooed last night by a Berber lady which she assures me will only last 3 weeks!!!!
If you think of any other questions, please feel free to ask. We are catching the train to Casablanca today after taking our final stroll around Djemaa El-Fna.

Happy rug planning and hunting. Cheers!

Re: Deserts & Kasbahs October 16th

Petra,

Thank you HEAPS for your response. Just a few more questions I have for you:

1. Were travellers cheques easy enough to cash? I was thinking I would take a combination of USD and cheques.

2. What kind of clothing would you consider "essential"? Will the opportunity arrise where I would need a bathing suit?

3. In addition the the camel trek, are there any other "optional" excursions and if so, do you recall the costs?

I got on fine in Egypt for three weeks with a backpack so I think one would be okay for two weeks in Morocco. My only concern is having room for souvenirs - but I guess that is why I should take less clothing

After reading your post, I am getting more and more excited. I only have five more weeks to go. I will be getting in to Casablanca the day Ramadan begins so this will for sure be an interesting time to be travelling.

Your tips and advice have been greatly appreciated, thanks again for your replies and all the best in your future travels.

Cheers,
SG

Re: Deserts & Kasbahs October 16th

Hello Petra & Sassygirl,

I have been wanting to travel to Morocco for ages. Having read your posts has increased my interest!!

Thanks for all the good tips & your enthusiasm!!

Look forward to hearing more from you both .

All the best.........Debbie.

Re: Deserts & Kasbahs October 16th

Hi SG & Debbie

Glad we could be of some assistance and are pleased that you are getting all excited about your trip.

In response to your questions:

1. We carried both travellers cheques and US cash and had no problems with either. Your starting hotel in Casablanca will change both for an equivalent rate to banks which is much more convenient for when you first arrive. You will have more opportunities in Fes, Tenehir, Marrakesh, Essaqira to change cheques/cash and nobody charged a commission.

2. Three-quarter length pants are the best piece of clothing I could have taken, and a cool cotton long sleeved blouse to wear to the mosque and rural areas where womens clothing tends to attract attention if it isnt modest. I took my bathing suit but didnt wear it - there is opportunity to take a dip at Essaquira if you wish.

3. The only other optional tour on this particular trip was on the morning prior to catching the train to Fes, you can take a tour of the third largest mosque in the world....... the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca which is situated right on the waterfront. You actually get a guided tour and an opportunity to see the beautiful ornate inside of the mosque, this cost 120 Dirhams.

WOW being in Maroc during Ramadan will add another dimension to your holiday and make it really unique.... you will have to let us know how it goes.

Morocco is a great country and ImTrav are very professional and have a great itinerary .... and our guide Jesse was excellent. SG you will have a wonderful memorable trip!!! and Debbie it might be your next trip!!

All the best. 8^)

Re: Deserts & Kasbahs October 16th

Petra,

Thanks once again for your very valuable advice/tips.

I am starting to do "trial" packs and thought of a couple more questions to ask you.

Concerning headwear - would you recommend a wide brimmed hat or will a typical baseball style cap suffice?

Concerning footwear - I usually travel with a good pair of hiking boots and a pair of casual sandals - will this suffice in Morocco?

Only four more weeks til I leave and I am getting so excited. The weather should be great at that time of year too - highs of only about 28-30 degrees.

Did you take the optional mosque tour? Was it worth it? Did the people who chose not to do this option do their own thing and shop or sightsee on their own?

Yes Ramadan sure will be a very intersting time to be travelling - quite unique I would imagine. I think I may even fast for one day myself just for the experience. Shall let you know how it went when I return.

Debbie, I would imagine that Morocco and Egypt are quite similar i.e the locals and the food so I am sure you would love Morocco too. I have heard ImTrav also has a fantastic tour through Tunisia - that is another destination on my list. What is it about that desert that people just can't seem to get enough of?

Take Care and Happy Travels,
SG

Re: Deserts & Kasbahs October 16th

Hello SG,

I hope you have a wonderful time & I'm looking forward to hearing all about it on your return. Perhaps we can see some photo's????

I have been told that Morocco is lovely & that the desert areas there are beautiful..so...oneday!!!! It's the cost of flights that's the biggest hold up, flying from OZ to the other side of the world costs an arm & a leg!!

Hope all goes well, will be thinking of you....Debbie.

Re: Deserts & Kasbahs October 16th

Hi SG
Sorry for the delay in replying to your last message but Tunisia isnt a great place for Internet..... but it is a great destination. Fantastic Roman ruins, quaint towns, amazing Bardo Museum and mosaics in near pristine condition, fun desert oasis campsite ..... ImTrav have a great tour.

A wide brimmed hat in particular for the deserts and the Roman sites and hiking boots and casual sandals would be fine...... we found that with the hotter weather of August a pair of Teva sandals were what we lived in.

The optional Mosque tour in Casablanca was worth seeing, if you didnt do this it would be just strolling around near the hotel until it was time to catch the train to Fes or nearby shopping, but it will be a Sunday and things maybe a little quiet early on.

I forgot to mention in my last post that a couple of the hotels you will be staying in have swimming pools which you might like to take a dip in.

Not long now until you pack your bags FOR REAL - you are guaranteed of having a brilliant time. Would be interested to hear how you find Morocco -PLMK thanks.

Petra

Re: Deserts & Kasbahs October 16th

Hello Petra,

Well I am back!! I have to agree with you that the Deserts and Kasbahs tour was fantastic. I really had a great time. My tour mates were wonderful, the food - delicious and Morocco itself quite exotic.

I would have to say that the highlights for me was the desert trek (I opted not to ride a camel but chose to walk and it was absolutely brilliant walking through the desert again with nothing but my thoughts). It took a while but the stars did eventually make it out and it was just breathtaking, exactly as I remembered it.

I also loved Tinehir and the trek through the Gorge and the palmery - the scenery was just incredible. The little town of Tinehir itself was also quite charming. I actually celebrated my birthday here and my tour mates made it quite special and memorable by finding me the largest bday cake I have ever had!!!

Marrakesh really was a feast for the senses and did not disappoint. The hotel left much to be desired, I ended up with a room that had a horrible smell to it so that I needed to block the sink and drains and keep the door closed. The view wasn't the greatest but the location made up for all of that. You were absolutely right, the gelato around the corner was fantastic, probably better than what I had in Florence.

So, now onto Ramadan This was definitely a different time to be travelling. The Ramadan fact sheet states that things/people will move at a much slower pace - well they were right on the money with that one. It was somewhat difficult to find restaurants that were open and when we found ones that were, the menus were quite limited. We ate a lot of our dinner at late hours but for the most part, the food was quite deicious. I wouldn't say that Ramadan is a horrible time to travel but I will say that I will not travel to a Muslim Country during this holiday again. I am happy that I got to experience Ramadan though. I also hope to return to Morocco one day when it is not Ramadan.

I would highly recommend this tour and Morocco, it really is an exotic Country and so much to see and do.

Now I am having a difficult time deciding where to go next. I think it is a toss up between India/Nepal, African Safari and Turkey. Soooooo many choices but when I do decide ImTrav is for sure the way to go.

Cheers,
SG

Re: Deserts & Kasbahs October 16th

Hello SG,

Welcome back!! I am happy to read that you enjoyed yourself, but sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy travelling during Ramadan.

Looking forward to seeing some pics soon!!

All the best............Debbie.