2 Days 1 Night To Zagora Desert From Marrakech

Long days but fun

Good aside from the fact that it’s not door to door as advertised but the workers in the desert were amazing

via Viator

DESERT EXPERIENCE WAS INCREDIBLE! Drivers not do much

This tour was difficult to rate, because there were two parts: the drivers and everything at the desert itself. CONS: The first driver who picked me up from my Riad to bring me to the main van, was rude and not helpful at all and started my experience off horribly. The second driver, who turned out to be our main driver for the entire trip back-and-forth, was pleasant for most of the trip, however, the entire van of 18 people talked about how we were left in the dark because the driver did not speak any of our languages, and we never knew what was going on. My biggest complaint about the driver was that he dropped me off a far distance from my Riad, but told me that it was right there. It was not right there at all. Not only was it a 10 minute walk down seven twists and turns of tiny streets with all of my stuff, my GPS did not work in that area and I got lost. Then I got harassed and extorted by some locals who showed me the way. All because my driver did not care where he dropped me off. Also, yes, the van has A/C, but everyone complained and all three vans in both directions that we were hot and sweating on the bus because they did not keep the air-conditioning on, most of the time it was off or on low. It’s a very long drive, and with minimal AC made for an unpleasant drive. PROS: Ben Haddou and the lunch there were AMAZING! And literally everything from the time that the driver takes you to the desert. The Berber people met us with the camels and walked us to the camp. I had a private tent, and it was absolutely perfect. We were greeted with Moroccan, mint tea, and fruits and nuts upon our arrival. After we got a little settled, they had prepared the most delicious Morrocan dinner for us, including several tangine dishes. Afterward we sat around the fire with the music, and it was a great experience. In the morning we got up early to watch the sun rise in the desert. Followed by a full breakfast and a ride back to the fans by Camel. THE BERBERS AND LITERAL EVERY SINGLE PERSON AT THR CAMP Made this one of the best experiences of my entire vacation!

Response from the operator: Good day, First of all, thank you for leaving us your precious comment, it's really very rewarding to have informed us about the details that you experienced during this experience, it's true on "D" day, you were our only one. customer and we were unable to send our own vehicle, and we entrusted you to another transporter, we forwarded your complaint to him and he apologized for the behavior of his driver, moreover that is the reason for which we offers the same service on private minibus , but relatively too expensive for some participants, which is why this shared group trip may have bad returns sometimes; Thank you again and we will promise to improve this anomaly as soon as possible.

via Tripadvisor

Not so luxury

Transport services only stop/rest at friends pit stops so to push sales. Camel ride too long must be cut back to 30min its too long for the discomfort. The luxury camp we had no shower water, it was dripping rather. And day 2 mornings are too rushed… and too much shouting

via Tripadvisor

Unforgettable desert trip

Not sure it was with this provider - but I suspect they're all the same. We took a 2 day trip from Marrakech leaving at around 7.30am from our Riad in the Medina. We stopped at various points to take pictures, get coffee, go to the loo and we had lovely views in the Atlas mounatins. In the afternoon we visited Ait ben haddou which was well worth it. At Zagora we then rode camels for 1.5h to get to the Berber camp, where we had a lovely tajine and a wonderful evening experience. However, trying to sleep in the tents (at least without the door open) was nigh impossible because it was so hot. After a camel ride back (30 mins or so) we then drove to Ouarzazate for a visit and ultimately got back to Marrakech around 7pm. The driver was superb and the overall experience amazing. Walking on sand dunes in the Sahara on a camel is a once in a lifetime experience! The only annoying thing with all of these trips is that they take you to places where locals do a hard sell on you to buy stuff...

via Tripadvisor

If you can stomach the journey to the desert, you will have a great time… but the journey to the desert is terrible!!

I know… this will read as ‘a Karen story’ but… just wanted to warn you!! Take the trip, it is worth it, but… First advice: make sure you upgrade to the tent with private bathrooms! These tents are in a separate group and you get a bigger variation of food, drinks are included, bigger tents etc… Second advice: if the driver of the van tells you ‘no airco, open Windows’ : don’t believe him! He has airco, but they typically do not like to use it, which results in him being comfortable because he has a ventilator in front and the passengers being overheated because the wind is just hot… ours made us sit in the overheated van for the entire trip, and after we realised the airco was working, he turned it on for the last hour or so… it made all of us really mad…. The stay in itself was what I was expecting, nice people at the tents, great food, good accommodation Third advice: the drive takes 10 hours, not 6! Be prepared for that. It will make you less frustrated… i am sure! There is a lot of construction work going on on the roads, which slows down traffic. Our driver tried to make up for the lost time and drove like crazy!! He nearly got us killed, at least 5 times. People got sick in the bus due to his driving style. People got upset and started crying… not the best experience… Final advice: go for it! Make sure to force yourself up the dune in the morning to see the sun rise! It is calming and beautiful! But, this view is only possible if you book with viator (normal tents and luxury tents). If you book ‘on the streets of Marrakesh’ you will be placed in the tents on the other side of the street (no dunes in sight, no bathroom facilities, no water etc…) so pay the 5€ extra for the normal tent with viator of you want to do this… And upgrade to the better tents if you do not want to share a bathroom. Overall: the journey was terrible, but the stay at the tent was as they promised and really nice!

Response from the operator: First of all thank you for giving us the time and leaving us your opinion on this desert tour, and for information the trip is already predefined for 8 hours and not 6 hours, you may have missed it at time of booking, and the fact that you did 10 hours you lived yourself that there is a construction site throughout the "Tiz In Tichka" pass, we apologize so much because the driver you had did not was not up to par, but promise to avoid some bad behavior from our part.

via Viator