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

morocoo my best travel

Given the many changes to the program we are left to land in Casablanca after the city has little of interest to offer , our program provides for Marrakech as the first leg of the trip . When you arrive at the airport the first thing we change a bit ' dinars ( there is an ATM right after the exit, do not stop lenders from changes in currency ) and take the train from Casa Port (the train station to ' inside the airport ) leads us to Casa Voyager ( 40dh ) from where the train our direction Marrakech ( 90 dh ) .While waiting for the train to Marrakech begin to assoporare tastes of Moroccan cuisine : a sandwich with vegetables and lamb kofte (15 dh ) from a small kiosk just outside the station car park , great ! We also bought a sim -card Moroccan, there are 2 shops that sell within Voyager House , 80 cost with a prepaid traffic dh 220 dh ( more than enough to cover the 2 -week stay ) . At 12.50 the train , if you can , avoid it completely , about 3 hours in the middle of nowhere , no nice view or glimpse to admire, a path very insignificant and too crowded during rush hour , you fly direct Marrekech if you have chance .Shortly before 17 arrive at the destination , and here begins our real journey . Tired and haggard for the sleepless nights and the subsequent unnecessary travel by train is not even haggle for a taxi so that we pin 60 dh ( the metа are a figure more than enough to get you in Djemaa el- Fna )Once in the square , follow the signs that we have to come to our Riad , in the end it's much easier than you think, everyone is very friendly and helpful in giving information , it is important to be firm on the fact that you do not need a guide!The Riad we chose Amour de Riad ( www.amour -de- riad.com - contact@amour-de-riad.com ) 200 meters from Djemaa el- Fna square in a narrow alley very quiet, although the affordable price there are definitely cheaper. The atmosphere is very nice and clean , the staff courteous and always ready but the rooms are very small and at first it did not impress us , then instead , living them in practice only at night to sleep , will not prove so bad.The whole life of Marrakech revolves around the main square and the souks , I personally think that this aspect is too intrusive, simply by reducing the city to a large market. Craft shops and traders occupy almost the whole part of the medina noteworthy , leaving few spaces in common life scenes which , however, are found in contexts outside but much more dilapidated or, on the contrary, in modern environments super little have to deal with Morocco that is imagined to be a tourist .On a side note in all this is worth the Djemaa el- Fna square that from 17 onwards starts to come alive with stalls , jugglers , street performers , snake charmers and every kind of attraction imaginable . Obviously there are kiosks with food for all tastes and for all budgets : the inevitable tajine with fried fish, from soups to snails , from tea to candy .We had dinner 2 times the square, the first at booth 120 , with an excellent fish fry (70 dh per person ), the second one we jumped on the soup (very similar to our own pasta and beans) that seems to go to the greater of premises, even for the fraction of the cost ( 3 dh soup , 3 dh for mint tea and 3 dh for cakes that accompany it, then a full dinner for less than 1 euro ) . Avoid enjoy the square terraces for tourists as suggested by the guides, the real fun is in the plaza to be stopped to convince you to dine, negotiate prices , explain that to the nth stops you that you have already eaten 3 times and that for that evening can 'be enough . Always with a smile otherwise you will come out well from Marrakech .Given the short time available we have not made ​​specific goals to visit in Marrakech cittа also because it is mainly a place to live than to visit. We dropped the Medersa Ali Ben Youssef ( 60dh ) and for the crush of tourists is because not too convinced , we visited the Majorelle gardens after the many enthusiastic comments read on Trip Advisor ( do not do it , dh 50 and 1 hour of time are not never spent worse) , we visited outside the Koutoubia Mosque and the adjacent Cyber ​​Park ( a great place to relax between plants and fountains with free wi-fi ) and finally the tanneries Berber with the inevitable passage of the shop where you can also do not buy anything but just a tip of 20dh for the cooperative workers of the skin.The idea that I have done on Marrakech is not yet well defined : it is probably the best gateway for this country , it makes you fall slowly in the climate that you wait without stravolgerti and leaving all the amenities and services that a European city can and give this to me does not ' go crazy , I think he left too much to the folk field so as to be often false and constructed . The biggest problem is that this type of folklore appeals to many tourists who seek him specifically , just get out of the souk or from Djemaa el- Fna to realize that no one goes beyond those boundaries so that the premises , whenever they saw us , showed us the way to return to the streets believing we got lost . On the positive side concerns , without doubt , the kindness of a part of the population that has nothing to gain by helping you , in giving directions or suggest something, just do it for the fun of it ( people have followed for tens of meters making sure that we follow the right guidance and correcting one otherwise ) , taste almost lost to us here . Like it or not though, Marrakech, is a must do when you visit the country the first time.

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