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Morocco

WHEN: September 2019
WHERE: Marrakesh > Tinghir > Merzouga
HOW LONG: 4 nights

Where to Sleep?

So as some people know we had quite the issue with our hotel and sleeping arrangements. The short video below explains what happened. Due to the situation we had I obviously don't have any hotel recommendations for you. 

Our Trip!

Once we were picked up from our tour all the fun began! We were a group of 16 all around the same age category. Mostly couples with a few solo travelers. Honestly our group was amazing. We got super lucky with a good bunch!
Day 1: We headed up through the Atlas Mountains with many stops for toilet, photos and souvenirs. We had a 2-3 hour stop in the gorgeous town of Ait-Ben-Haddou. We were brought to a great place for lunch. We then continued on to our hotel in Tingher. Our hotel was stunning and provided us with free dinner and free breakfast. It had a comfortable and safe feel. Even had a pool! 
Day 2: We headed into the Sahara Desert. We had a few stops for lunch and to check out the Todgha Gorge. We walked through local towns and checked out family business of Moroccan Rugs. They opened us with open arms and served us tea. Once we arrived in the desert - the moment we all had been waiting for finally happened! We got on our camels and headed into the Desert. It was SPECTACULAR! It honestly was like it wasn't even real. I can't begin to tell you. The pictures show nothing. Literally nothing. Through all of our bumps getting there and what happened after, I would do it all again for this moment in the desert. I could've cried it was so spectacular. We had the opportunity to sleep in tents and eat our dinner and have a campfire in the desert and wake up and ride our camels to a taller peak to watch the sunrise. 
Day 3: Our drive home was long. We made lots of stops for food and toilet but it was mostly driving back into Marrakesh. 

Tour Details: 
Name/Booking: Marrakech to Merzouga 3-Day Desert Safari
Price: $372.96 (we paid for an upgrade to have AC in our room) - $186.48 per person
Inclusions: hotel pick up and drop off at the start and end of tour, 2 breakfasts, 2 dinners, hotel night, all local guides (except 1st), tent night, etc.
Recommended: 1000000% honestly, if you go to Morocco and DON'T see the desert.... you're wasting your time! 

Food Tips!

Honestly I was really worried about the food in Morocco. I am a pretty picky eater and I can't have seafood, beef, pork (really any meat but chicken/turkey), and spices. I can truly say the food was delicious. They had amazing vegetarian options and large selections. Only time I disliked my meal was when I ordered spaghetti. Huge mistake. Every meal is served with bread and fruit afterwards. Tagine is their typical dish and it's so good. Its basically rice, potatoes, vegetables and then a meat. But the way its cooked and served is so unique and delicious! I wouldn't eat the street meat personally though. It hangs outside for days. 

When we went

We were there at the beginning/middle of September. The weather was gorgeous. It was really hot during the days 35-45 degrees (we found peak heat was around 3-5). Mornings and nights were cooler around 16 degrees but the wind made it feel colder then it actually was. As for tourists, we didn't really notice because we were always on the move. We never felt like it was overcrowded on our tour. Downtown Marrakesh on the other hand..... very busy but not a lot of tourists. I would recommend September to go for sure. 

general tips/tricks

  • if you're able to, bring your own headscarf > its much cheaper to just go to fabric land and cut a piece of fabric out yourself > no it's not "their" material but it does the same job -- also headscarves aren't mandatory. Brodie and one of the other guys just wore a ballcap. 

  • Carry a lot of cash with you. They don't have a lot of ATM's and they charge a lot more to charge you with visa (if they even accept card...)

  • Ask for smaller bills. Locals get pissed if you hand them high bills because they're harder to break. 

  • They'll accept euros as well

  • Bring LOTS of water

  • Bring toilet roll > most of their toilets are disgusting and don't have toilet paper (let alone toilet SEATS) - also you have to pay for them. 3 dirham is typical.

  • Don't give money or food or anything to the kids. They leave school because it's easier to scam tourists to give them money

  • What you wear doesn't OVERLY matter but please just be respectful. I saw a few people wearing short shorts, belly out and a crop top. This is disrespectful to their culture. You should cover your shoulders and legs. I wore shorts one day and I felt a bit out of place. Stomach and cleavage should be covered at all times. 

  • When bartering with locals, never give your price. Let them tell you the price. Otherwise you lose all chances of a deal. Once you have a price offer them 1/3 of it. Never go over 1/2 of it. They still make profit off 1/3. 

  • If you have bad anxiety and like "luxury" or hell even "comfort" don't go to Morocco. It isn't anything like Canada, America, Europe or even South Africa. Its poor. Its dirty. It's busy. 

  • Taxi's will rip you off. Take them as little as possible. Locals told me its the biggest scam in Morocco. 

  • I honestly could go on and on but I'd prefer you to ask questions! 

Final thoughts

I went into this trip thinking Spain would be the least favourite but I ended up LOVING Barcelona. I honestly adored so much about it. It was so easy navigate and enjoy my stay and not stress. So much hidden beauty and history. 
Would I recommend going? 
Absolutely!
Would I go back? 
I saw everything I needed to see, so I can't see myself really going back. But I would if it was free! 
Cost Breakdown:

Hotel: We spent $80 on the first hotel and $18 on the spare room (:P)
Food: You should do around 150 dirham a day - I think we spent around 600 for the 2 of us total
Tours/Tickets: $400 
Transportation: We spent 570 dirham. Which is WAY too much. You should only spend max 200-300 dirham. 
Total Cost:
We Spent: Roughly $700 ($350 a person)  

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