First impressions from Morocco

arrakech is the gateway to the desert , as far as we are concerned , since the tour we decided to do , our goal was in the desert Merzouga. To reach it there are several solutions , depending on the requirements of logistics , economic and time (usually tours are 3 days 2 nights but there are also 4 days 3 nights).In the city , needless to say , the agencies that organize trips abound. Before leaving we had tried to book through some website specializing in these tours but forget it , the prices quadruple , leave everything to bargain on the spot, all the days start caravans of buses and jeeps, there is always an empty seat !We have arranged through the riad where we stayed in Marrakech ( www.amour -de- riad.com - contact@amour-de-riad.com ) who have thought about the booking and payment on our behalf , leaving us the free day to explore the city .The four most common ways to get to the desert are the jeep , the van to share ( usually 14/16 persons), public transportation or a rental car.Our choice fell on the shared bus and at the end we were very pleased . The reasons that have made us to favor the latter choice were different : we have excluded in the first instance by public transport because having never been to Morocco , we wanted to at least have a rough idea of what it could be interesting in Marrakech and Merzouga, which is impossible with public transport stop directly in Ouarzazate for the night and in the morning to share the desert. At the same time we have excluded the jeep because of the cost ( about 300 euro per person) which in our opinion not worth the scenarios in which we would have seen during the journey ( remembering also the route Casablanca - Marrakech) . The cost for the tour we chose was 75 Euros per person, including transportation, 2 dinners , 2 breakfasts , one night in the hotel ( good level ) , overnight at tented camp in the desert and walk with the camel in the Sahara excluding lunches and any gratuities to guides in our case ( and i highly recommend it to all those who want to do a similar tour ) we decided not to go back to Marrakech on the third day but to stay to enjoy Merzouga and the dunes of the Sahara and then take the night bus in the direction of Fes.The route of the tour organized touched more or less all the places of interest , namely:Tizi -n- Tichka - Ait Benhaddou - Ouarzazate - Skoura - Roses valley - Dades Valley / Gorges - Tenghir - Todra Gorges - Tinjdad - Erfoud before arriving to Merzouga.I admit that none of these places particularly impressed me , the only one that could be worthy of note is Ait Benhaddou but with the fact that he was set several Hollywood blockbusters now is so fake and tailored to tourists as to be almost unpleasant, as less to the atmosphere . The natural beauty such as the Todra Gorges , the Roses Valley, the Dades Valley and the Dades Gorges could be amazing but having seen this year is the Himalayas that the Gorge du Verdon ... there is no comparison and are therefore not able to leave open-mouthed as it were many of my fellow travelers. Ouarzazate , unlike the previous ones, instead by ' a feeling of genuine Berber cittа although I admit to not having had enough time to visit it. The open mouth instead you leave the Sahara , from afar , when you begin to glimpse at even the first few kilometers enormous dunes , you realize that you'll compare yourself to something really big .Arrived in Merzouga , as in any self-respecting organized tour , set of clothes by Berbers are waiting with the camels for our short tour in the desert waiting for the sunset. Dinner and overnight in tents in the cold , I do not dwell on the details , imagine Valtur but only one village in the desert , that's all . I remain convinced , however, that it is the first time you visit the country , is the best solution . Wake up at 6 in the morning to see the sunrise in the desert , a great breakfast and greet the group return to Marrakech , we head to foot in the opposite direction, the dunes of the Sahara are waiting for us !More photos taken during the trip , here