I am a Secondary School teacher and part-time College Professor with a desire for a personalized Moroccan tour. I contacted several guides and touring companies before choosing Youssef, from Desert-Trips, who was able to offer a brilliant travel itinerary with a personal guide. The guide met me in Rabat and we took the first road trip to the Prehistoric Stone Circle at Mzoura. Mzoura is off the beaten track and notterribly accessible without the help of a wily and multilingual guide. Having avehicle take you there is preferred since many taxis do not want to risk the rugged sandy trail. Youssef's guide was also most helpful in dealing with the guardian of the site ensuring a smooth visit. Secondly, on the agenda was a trip through the Atlas Mountains: from Rabat to Meknes, Asrou, Errachidia, Erfoud to Hassi Labiad. Again, the trip went smoothly and a comfortable hotel room and delicious meal awaited my arrival at Auberge Riad Aicha. The following day, I enjoyed a visit to Khamlia to hear the Gnoua singers ( a group of Sub-Saharans who were brought by caravan to Moroccoas slaves and now sing of their experiences); a visit to Tifart Lake; lunch anda swim at Hotel Yasmina which was followed by a two-day, one-night camel trek through the Erg Chebbi Dunes. While in the desert area, I was treated to a tripto Rissani's souk and the nearby Kasbahs. Thirdly, a trip back through the Atlas Mountains to Marrakesh was planned. I was amazed by the impeccable timing and planning that ensured that places likethe Todra Gorge, Ait Ben Haddou and Dades Gorge were reached at the best timesto ensure optimum viewing. Only a professional could have such attention todetail. I spent two nights at a Dades Gorge hotel arranged by Youssef atDesert-Trips. Fourthly, we took a day trip to Moulay Idriss and Volubilis. Again, theguide provided was most knowledgeable on both sites and the excursion was most pleasurable. A pushy local guide tried to take over at Volubilis, but he did not have the English language skills of my guide, and once again I was certain that I had made the right choice in relying on Desert-Trips. So impressed with the services of Youssef at Desert-Trips, I have resolved to arrange a Secondary School trip to Morocco. Youssef is definitely a person that I could entrust to provide very pleasant and educational tour to a group of students and chaperons. In my experience, his knowledge of the area and attention to details are second-to-none. A very warm thank you, Youssef!
Marrie 'Canada'
Marrie 'Canada'
We travelled around Morocco with my good friends fromLisbon in January 2008. After Indiana-Jones-type-of-trip through Atlas mountainsto south Peter had arranged a meeting with a guy called 'Youssef' who was there totake us to the desert. We met him in the city nearby from where he guided us tohis home in village close to sand dunes
.After having a good night sleep and eating traditional local food in his Guesthouse and looking a bit around the village next morning,we were going to the desert – yeah!
With 8 camels we couldn't wait to start our journey indesert. Soon we could enjoy million dollar view all around us with shadows ofour crew on the sand – that was something to remember!youssef has got few camps in desert and after some hours wearrived in one of them – there were tents and fire place in the middle, hiddenbetween the sand dunes.. great!!But there was no time to waste, as fast as everybody couldclimb we ran up to the hill to enjoy the view.Evening passed by talking, eating local food,playing drums next to the fire and listening interesting stories fromthat funny guy Youssef. That was quite different from usual touristtrips, I think. I've never been to any :)
Even if we had tents some of us decided to sleep outside,under the clear sky full of stars.After waking up we had our morning exercises (running upto the highest hill to watch the sunrise) and as a result poured out many kilosof sand from our shoes, had breakfast and soon we started going back to thevillage.
As our time was limited we had a shower and lunch in Youssef's Guesthouse and had to move forward.But I'm confident that one day we will be hitting the roads to desert.
Thank You Youssef!
Ranno (from Estonia)
.After having a good night sleep and eating traditional local food in his Guesthouse and looking a bit around the village next morning,we were going to the desert – yeah!
With 8 camels we couldn't wait to start our journey indesert. Soon we could enjoy million dollar view all around us with shadows ofour crew on the sand – that was something to remember!youssef has got few camps in desert and after some hours wearrived in one of them – there were tents and fire place in the middle, hiddenbetween the sand dunes.. great!!But there was no time to waste, as fast as everybody couldclimb we ran up to the hill to enjoy the view.Evening passed by talking, eating local food,playing drums next to the fire and listening interesting stories fromthat funny guy Youssef. That was quite different from usual touristtrips, I think. I've never been to any :)
Even if we had tents some of us decided to sleep outside,under the clear sky full of stars.After waking up we had our morning exercises (running upto the highest hill to watch the sunrise) and as a result poured out many kilosof sand from our shoes, had breakfast and soon we started going back to thevillage.
As our time was limited we had a shower and lunch in Youssef's Guesthouse and had to move forward.But I'm confident that one day we will be hitting the roads to desert.
Thank You Youssef!
Ranno (from Estonia)
I read about Youssef and his desert treks on the Trip Advisor forums and after a number of very helpful email exchanges (he gave some excellent advise with how to spend my time in Morocco) I decided to bite the bullet and make a booking - esp. at the bargain price of 40E. I met The Guide in the morning of the trek in the town of Er-Rachidia - he's not too hard to spot with his Berber outfit! We then made our way, via some shared taxi's, to Erg Chebbi where we rested and waited for the heat to die down a little. We had a chance to check out the area including the little Oasis and a souvenir shop/restaurant near by.
We set off on the trek at around 5PM on a well behaved Camel - it was my first ever time on one and the ride out wasn't as bad as I thought it might have been. After an hours treks and travelling across some beautiful dunes we reached our camp and dismounted. The desert sand is fantastically fine - something I've never experienced in any of the beaches I have been on. After some messing about on the sand and just taking in the views we had a very tasty dinner with one of the best tagines I had on my holiday. We spent the night telling jokes and trying to sing some Berber songs. I was looking forward to the sunset but alas the clouds were against me, but the night sky with it's billions of sparkling stars more than made up for it…I had never seen a shooting star before that night and what a sight!
Having slept out side of the tent I got up just before sunrise, but was let down again by a cloudy sky - I was really forward to it but it wasn't to be. After a simple breakfast we got back on the camel (and now the saddle sore had kicked in) and made our way back to the town. All in all I was very happy both with the trek and also with my guide Youssef for being most helpful, kind and humorous.
"
"Atif from London"
Morocco Map; Merzouga Map; Kasbah Ait Ben Hadou, Amerdhil, Telouat, Mzoura, Erg Chebbi things To Do,
Trips From Marrakesh, Overnight Camel Trek, Luxury tents , Standard tents, Family home stay, Sandboarding
Desert Shopping. Merzouga Hostel, Auberges.
Trips From Marrakesh, Overnight Camel Trek, Luxury tents , Standard tents, Family home stay, Sandboarding
Desert Shopping. Merzouga Hostel, Auberges.
Desert Trips B.P. 106 Rissani • 52450 Pv Errachidia Morocco info@desert-trips.com www.desert-trips.com +212 671 100 026
Naturally Indigo - Marrakesh via El desierto- Desert-Trips.com © 2010
I'm lucky to have travelled many places in the world but I have to say the Morocco was really one of the most amazing countries that I have ever visited. From the big cities of Casablanca and Marrakesh through the Atlas Mountains and out to the Sahara. It's a hugely diverse country filled with wonderful people and sights. Youssef planned a splendid holiday for a group of friends that I was with. He doesn't set his daily schedule in stone so it makes for a relaxing vacation with changes to the schedule should you wish to see or do other things. It also means that there is time to enjoy the day and not feel like you're racing from one sight to another. We would go to small towns and stay at very lovely little hotels serving amazing meals. It would be very hard to do this type of trip without Youssef's help. I wouldn't hesitate in recommending this company should you want to plan a wonderful holiday in Morocco.
Laurie Reynolds, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Laurie Reynolds, Vancouver, BC, Canada
As my fellow adventurers and I nailed down our trip to Sahara, we start looking for desert tour in Morocco. We came across some website and have emailed a couple sources for comparison. Upon six or seven returned emails, we feel most comfortable to go with Desert-Trips.
One big reason we decided to go with Youssef is that he provided us a very detail itinerary. After reading the description, we begin to have a sense of what to expect in the desert.
Secondly, we are happy about his fast response and reasonable price. It looks to me they are the most reliable and know what they are doing.
We gave Desert Trips a try and they failed to disappoint. Our trip turns out perfect!
We have the BEST time in the desert. Our driver Moha is a very sweet guy. He speaks good English and is very considerable. One of my friends has motion sickness. He makes sure she feels good all the time. With him, we couldn’t ask for more!
Our camel tour guide in the desert, another sweet guy. He ensures us a great night with delicious dinner and authentic music. It’s a lot of fun riding the camel with him in the dark as he taught us a song in Arabic.
I would recommend Youssef and his crew to every one of my friend who would like to visit Sahara. Unbeatable service, Thanks a million!!!
Sahara is a definite highlight of our trip. Without your help, it would never feel as Great!
- Betty from NYC
One big reason we decided to go with Youssef is that he provided us a very detail itinerary. After reading the description, we begin to have a sense of what to expect in the desert.
Secondly, we are happy about his fast response and reasonable price. It looks to me they are the most reliable and know what they are doing.
We gave Desert Trips a try and they failed to disappoint. Our trip turns out perfect!
We have the BEST time in the desert. Our driver Moha is a very sweet guy. He speaks good English and is very considerable. One of my friends has motion sickness. He makes sure she feels good all the time. With him, we couldn’t ask for more!
Our camel tour guide in the desert, another sweet guy. He ensures us a great night with delicious dinner and authentic music. It’s a lot of fun riding the camel with him in the dark as he taught us a song in Arabic.
I would recommend Youssef and his crew to every one of my friend who would like to visit Sahara. Unbeatable service, Thanks a million!!!
Sahara is a definite highlight of our trip. Without your help, it would never feel as Great!
- Betty from NYC
