Reflection on Booking a Private Tour in Morocco
Should you book a private tour in Morocco? Booking a full tour is not my travel style. I like the freedom of doing our own thing. And, I want to get the most for our money! Considering a private tour was actually a bit daunting:
- Do we need this nice of a hotel?
- Is their itinerary active enough for our energetic family?
Can I save money booking everything myself? (YES!)
However, this was our first trip to a very different part of the world and we absolutely wanted to get the most out of it. Experience the culture. Understand the history. Indulge our senses. And, do a lot in just one week. You can do this with keen planning — or, maybe it is time to let go of the reins and have someone else do the planning this time.
If you have never splurged for a private tour before, Morocco may just be the place to do it. We were completely taken care of and felt very safe along the way! For more detailed itinerary information read my posts: A Great Morocco Road Trip: Marrakesh to Fes and Morocco Planning Tips.
These are my honest opinions and recommendations — I do not receive any compensation or discounts during our travel. This story does include some affiliate links for which I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please click the links to support my blog.
Private tour pricing
Our private tour with Sun Trails was $985 per person and included everything except for airfare, additional tips, one extra outing, and some meals. This totaled an additional $600, excluding our flights and some souvenirs. We could have spent more for nicer accommodations or different excursions, or less by changing our itinerary or going on a group tour with another agency. Note: If your budget allows, consider paying a little more for an upgrade if your itinerary includes the Basic Tents in Erg Chebbi.
Extra benefits of a full tour
Why not save some money and do this on your own? My biggest hang-up was — what if we hit inclement weather crossing the High Atlas Mountains? This is a real concern in the winter! A local driver knows alternate routes. That one reason is what pushed me to book the full private tour. However, after experiencing a week from Marrakesh to Fes here are some other very important considerations:
- A driver will keep you on schedule! It is easy to underestimate the travel time and overestimate how long you can stay places.
- Take a break from the driving. After going up, down, and around those roads I enjoyed looking out the window and handing the wheel over to someone who is experienced driving the route.
- We were not hassled. At all.
Awesome family time
An impetus for our love of travel is how it deepens family bonds. In addition to our transit from place to place, each locally-guided tour was also just our family. Meals too! It was so special to experience a new country and culture in this way versus a group of folks with different interests and needs.
It is nice to have someone looking out for you
Treasured family memories were made even richer through the relationship with our driver, Majid. You will learn a lot through discussions during the long drives — a nice way to pass the time and gain a deeper insight into Moroccan history and culture.
Getting gritty: My oldest son had an allergic reaction that needed his EpiPen. We accidentally only brought one on this trip. Big mistake. Our driver brought us to a pharmacy for more medication and our local Fes tour guide made sure he was comfortable while we toured some of the sites. My son was still not feeling well so she called upon a good friend to walk him back to our riad. We were at ease as they walked away because we trusted our tour company and their guides.
Local advice in a new environment
It is fun to get lost in the medina, but it turns a little stressful when you are late for dinner. Two local 10-year-old boys offered guidance. I really do not think they were expecting anything, but we ended up giving them a couple of dollars in change.
We shared this story with our driver, Majid. He strongly reminded us that this was a bad practice and the boys should not have accepted the money. He suggested giving them snacks instead. NOT MONEY. Even a small amount of change can purchase drugs. Good advice from a local.
"Yes" to booking a full private tour for your Morocco adventures
Booking a full private tour with a reputable company certainly makes for easier trip planning. Additionally, we felt safe in a new and different country — my red hair and fair-skinned blue-eyed guys were not going to blend in too easily in Morocco. We paid a premium for traveling this way, but we kept our accommodations moderate to offset some of that cost. Enjoy!
Visited in January 2020
Noted prices are subject to change.
