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Detailed review of 8 days – Marrakech & Sahara from Nomadic Tours

Last updated on July 14, 2023 by Claire Robinson - this article contains affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I get a small commission (more)

I discovered Marrakesh and Central Morocco via a small group organized tour with Nomadic Tours. Here is my detailed review: itinerary, guide, accomodation, food etc.

Review 8 day Marrakech Sahara - Nomadic Tours

THE TOUR

  • I selected myself and paid entirely for this tour
  • Opinions are my own and based on my experience in October/November 2013
  • Company: Nomadic Tours
  • Tour: 8 Day Marrakech and Sahara​
  • Nomadic tours also runs it for other company so the review is applicable for On the Go Tours - Marrakech and Beyond - 8 Days as well as Oasis Overland - Simply Morocco (8days) Marrakech to marrakech

ITINERARY

I am satisfied with the tour we had, we were able to see a lot of different sceneries from busy Marrakech, to striking valleys and to the impressive sand dunes of the Sahara.

Be aware though that to be able to see so many different sceneries, we have to spend alot of time on the road. I don’t mind because I love just admiring every detail I can through the windows but I know some might find this frustrating on a holiday.

My only frustration about the itinerary is how rushed we were in the desert once the sun was just above the horizon. I was still taking pictures of the camels in the sun and was planning to turn around to take great shots of the dunes with the intensity of the morning sun rays on them but they were already climbing on the camels to move on. This is quite hard to take good pictures on the back of a camel and I would have appreciated 10 more minutes before leaving.

Almost all the places we visited on the tour are described on my Destination guide to Morocco.


TRANSPORTATION

Review Nomadic Tour - minibus

The minibus was in very good condition and the driver was cleaning it very regularly. From what I have seen most tour companies use the same type of minibus. Our driver was quite good, very reasonable and with a soft way of driving.

However, I have to say that the seats were not made at all for people with large body feature. If you want to attach your seatbelt, it gets quite uncomfortable with the buckle stuck on your thighs.

Review Nomadic Tour - minibus inside

The other ‘not so good’ feature of the bus is that the windows are slightly too low to get an excellent view.

We had air conditioning in the minibus and everyone was able to adjust the orientation or close the fan above them. We just had to turn off the air conditioning when climbing up the High Atlas mountains.

So in general, this was positive.


ACCOMODATION

Considering the price of the tour, I was quite satisfied with the hotels. They had a lot of charm. My least favorite was actually the one in Marrakech, but it was OK and only 20 min walk from the square.

Rooms were big enough and beds were OK although sometimes hard and sometimes soft… The only little thing is that some of the hotels do not seem to know that white vinegar can do wonders on shower heads… some of the showers could get the whole bathroom wet…

Here are some examples of the accommodation during our organized small group tour:

Accomodations Nomadic Tours review

In the desert, we had big tents available. All of us decided to take our mattresses out to sleep under the stars. They had also blankets. Do not forget that it can get cold during the night! No showers there. However there were toilets.

Review Nomadic Tour - accomodation in the desert

FOOD AND BEVERAGE

I really enjoyed food during the whole trip: we had different kinds of tajine, couscous, Berber omelet, Berber pizza… and some nice fruits. Breakfast was also great with bread, eggs, crepes and all and sometimes

freshly squeezed juice

… yeah! I was just disappointed with 2 breakfasts but it was because the other ones were so great.

I really enjoyed food during the whole trip: we had different kinds of tajine, couscous, Berber omelet, Berber pizza… and some nice fruits. Breakfast was also great with bread, eggs, crepes and all and sometimes freshy squeez juice.... yeah! I was just disappointed with 2 breakfasts but it was because the other ones were so great.

Food Review - Nomadic Tours Morocco

There were no beverage included. Even bottled water during meals are not included. But we had plenty of stops to purchase water at better price that in the hotel (for shops count 5 – 7 dirhams for 1.5L and at the hotel 10-15 dirhams).

Regarding alcohol, be aware that in a lot of place they do not sell alcohol. And in some hotels (including the one in Marrakech), you are not allowed to drink alcohol in the common parts.


GUIDE

I must admit that during the starting meeting on the Saturday evening during which our guide Mustafa introduced himself and the week ahead, I got a little worried.

But I am happy to report that I have been proven wrong. Mustafa was a very good guide, being with us enough but not too much, very knowledgeable and always focusing on our satisfaction.

I was particularly impressed when he took back our purchases from the cooperative and clarified things with them. Not all guides would have taken the time to do it.

To finish I would like to talk about my tour group.This is one of the reason I love small group tours, you get to meet great people. This time was no exception and it was a great week: a lot of vibrant discussions and a lot of good laughs!

Little note: it seems that the checklist provided by Oasis overland is a general one for several countries and requires mosquitoes nets and vaccination which are not necessary for Morocco.

Nomadic Tour review Morocco - Guide

Any question? Don't hesitate to leave a comment

  

Morocco destination guide travel planning addict

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Dagmara says

    November 3, 2014 at 3:42 PM

    I’m just organizing similar road trip and I’m curious how cold does it get on the desert. I’m going to Morocco on Sunday for 2 weeks.
    I watch weather forecasts but I suspect that the temperature in the desert might be perceived differently.
    How cold was during the night? Around 10 degrees or colder?

    • Claire Robinson says

      November 4, 2014 at 11:25 AM

      Hi Dagmara.
      I am not sure in degrees how cold it was. During my experience, I slept outside of the tent with long pants, a polar vest and 2 of the Berber covers we were given and I was OK the whole night (until the morning humidity). So it must not have been too cold.And with the protection of the tent, it would be even more comfortable.
      Enjoy your trip!

  2. Dagmara says

    November 4, 2014 at 4:05 PM

    Thanks a lot for the response 🙂

  3. DAVED says

    November 20, 2015 at 11:17 PM

    Welcome to morocco, in the new and updated tours information & resource site of the Camel Trekking Excursions company with experience in the sector of tourism, created to offer all you wish during your trip through Morocco and especially during your trip through the desert.
    Whether you are a traveller on an epic journey, looking for a short getaway, or dreaming of a life changing adventure, the new tours offerings were designed to fulfill your unique personal travel dreams and make each journey a memorable experience.

  4. HG says

    October 11, 2018 at 4:16 PM

    This is a very helpful review, thank you. I realize this is 4 years later, but I am looking at all three of these tour companies for a solo trip to Morocco, are you saying they are all operated by the same company, because they all have different dates and seem to have different owners. Thank you again.

    • Claire, the Travel Planning Geek says

      October 12, 2018 at 8:08 PM

      Hi HG
      At the time they were all using the same local guides/providers. We had people on the tour who had booked via all those companies.
      Happy travels!

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