Marrakech to Merzouga 3 days Desert Tour

Stop your research and book with AST!! Best trip ever!!

If you’re reading this, stop your research for a tour in Morocco and book with AST. We had the most incredible trip using their services - everything was even better than we imagined. My partner and I planned the trip a two months in advance with Lachen. From our first message, to our last, he has been nothing but honest and organized. We had a tight schedule and needed to adjust the itinerary, Lachen made sure we did it in a way that made sense and met all of our needs. He was extremely responsive, and answered every question we had before arriving. Once we landed, we met our tour guide right in time- his name is Yassin. If you’re looking for a knowledge, fun, relaxed, accommodating and organized private tour guide, I strongly suggest requesting Yassin. He helped in so many more ways than we could imagine. From being a safe and cautious driver, to helping us translate with locals. Yassin was so much FUN, and he brought the best energy to our trip. He went above and beyond the expectations of a normal tour guide and was even open to sharing and teaching us about his culture. He never rushed us when we wanted a bit of free time, and made sure we always arrived on time to our activities. Yassin quickly became our friend, and we are so grateful we forever have a connection with him now. He really emphasized the importance of community and really showed us what it meant to give from the heart. We loved the scenic trip from Marrakech to Merzouga. We broke the drive up into two days, and enjoyed the trip down. All our questions were answered along the way, and we learned so much about the region and culture. All our accommodations were incredible, homey yet elevated. It truly felt like we had private riads- with the attention given to specially family members and guests. When we reached the desert, we enjoyed the camel trek in and got to practice our Spanish with two other groups at the camp. We ate fresh food, danced and played the drums, and enjoyed the dunes with some sandboarding. The tents were pretty hot, so we ended up sleeping outside, and we felt very safe. Early the next morning, the entire crew accommodated our flight at 7am - which was a two hour drive away. A few of the workers at our camp arranged for a 3am pick up in a 4x4 - and before we knew it we were on another unexpected adventure surfing the dunes back to the main town! It was too much fun!! We made it to the airport exactly as planned and said our goodbyes. Lachen, thank you for all the work you did to prepare the trip. Yassin, thank you again for everything you did to bring magic and care and fun to our adventure. I researched extensively for different private tour options and AST had the highest reviews. I can confidently say, they deserve each and every one of them. This was the PERFECT trip, so do not hesitate spending a bit more to get the quality and care your trip deserves. You will not regret it!!!

via Tripadvisor

Spectacular trip

We had the trip of a lifetime. Our guide Jamal was incredible, he taught and showed us so much and answered all our many questions. I would recommend this trip to everyone I know, it was simply epic. The accommodation in the mountains and desert were lovely, and everyone we met along the way was accommodating and kind. We played drums and danced in the desert, and sat talking to the hosts of the camp late under the stars, whilst they taught us the local words for various things. We felt really immersed in the culture, even stopping for lunch made by our guide’s friend and their family, which felt really special. We also were taken to a home in the mountains where women created beautiful handmade rugs so that we could learn about the authentic process for this, and were treated with mint tea whilst we were there. We were offered to purchase the rugs but never felt obliged to, which was nice. However, my biggest regret of the trip was actually not buying one of the rugs there because they were incredible, beautiful and reasonably priced. We learnt a huge amount throughout the trip and saw the most breathtaking scenery and sites. We were worried about the trip only being 3 days and the amount of driving that was required but Jamal made sure we were comfortable and entertained the entire time- we were never bored. Before the trip I was also worried about the treatment of the camels but when we were on the ride our guide for that section knew all their names, ages, and told us about what they ate and where they lived, etc. so that reassured me. Thank you for such a wonderful experience!

via Tripadvisor

Cancelled despite receiving confirmation from Trip Advisor

The operator cancelled without informing me first, or wanted to me to pay double for a “private tour”

Response from the operator: Thank you for sharing your feedback with us. We would like to clarify that on our TripAdvisor page, it is clearly mentioned that for shared tours, a minimum number of 4 people is required, and if the minimum number is not met, the tour will be canceled unless you opt for a private tour. We apologize if this information was not made clear to you during the booking process. On April 13, 2023, at 07:49 PM, we informed you that a private tour was available but at a higher cost, and unfortunately, it did not meet your budget requirements, as per your response on April 15, 2023, at 05:44 PM. Please note that we reserve the right to cancel the tour, and we have refunded you in full. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the cancellation and want to assure you that we always strive to provide the best possible service. Once again, we apologize for any miscommunication or inconvenience caused during your booking process. April 13, 2023, at 07:49 PM: Hello Lilian, I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to update you on the status of your tour. As of now, no one else has joined the tour yet. However, I want to assure you that the private tour is guaranteed to take place as scheduled if you accept to upgrade. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are always available to assist you and make your trip as smooth as possible. Thank you for choosing us as your travel partner. We look forward to welcoming you soon. April 15, 2023, at 05:44 PM: That option is far too expensive for me. When do you cut off the tour, in case other people sign up to the same tour?

via Tripadvisor

Amazing experience to the Merzouga desert and back

I had a fantastic experience with my tour to Merzouga and back. I picked this company specifically for the values. (no forced shopping, authentic experience, very well put together tour, small group..) It absolutely lived up to my expectations. I feel like I experienced so much of Morocco in just a few days. The lodgings were amazing and for me definitely on the luxery side! Also the camels seemed very well treated! All in all I feel like we got extremely good value for our money. A big part of why the tour was so great was for sure our tour guide Jamal. He was very friendly, happy to answer any questions we had about Morocco and the culture (and I had a lot of questions), and went out of his way the give us a nice experience: He made sure to find some authentic lunch places (like with a Amazir family) instead of touristy ones (which is not easy during Ramadan), picked up some snacks on the way that we talked about before, and as soon as I took out my phone to take pictures out the window of the car, he would make a stop so I could take some good ones. All in all I could not rate my tour any higher and highly recommend it!

via Tripadvisor

Absolutely worth the money if you want an authentic, individual experience!

We were looking for something else than the usual 80$ trips which are offered everywhere. With Authentic Sahara Tours we got even more than expected. We did a private tour with Omar who picked us up as a stranger and left us two days later as a friend <3 It's so worth it to spend more money if you want a really authentic experience. We had plenty of time to talk about culture with Omar, a super comfortable and clean car (which is important as the time spent driving is long), we could arrange the time at the sights as we felt like and had two amazing nights during our trip. We would definitely choose this option again!

via Tripadvisor