Sisterhood Womens Travel® Call: 1300-885-255 / Interesting Itineraries for Women.

What a fantastic, special tour our September Exotic Morocco turned out to be.  Beyond all of my expectations.

With eight new girls to add to my list of friends we shared many wonderful times during our tour.  Our tour took us to many intersting and beautiful towns that showcased all that Morocco has to offer as a destination.

From the town of Casablanca where we visited the impressive Grand Mosque Hassan II, it is one of the only mosques that non muslim people can visit!  On to Fes where our initial concerns of being lead down a dinghy, dim lit alleyway were dispelled the minute we entered our beautiful Riad and another world.  A stunning Riad - Le Perle de la Medina was truly a stunning property and a sure highlight to my tour.

Tackling the souks were a challenge especially during Ramadan where there appeared to be many cranky men impatiently waiting for their 6.30pm reprieve.  Haggling for prices was soon introduced to us and it didn't take us long to work out that the 'best price for you, sister' would indeed be the 'dearest' price if you didn't take the challenge and haggle away.

Another highlight of our stay in Fes was the pottery factory which produces some of Morocco's most beautiful pottery and mosaic products.  "Girls can I borrow some more money....."  was the common catchcry that day!

Other cities included the town of Rabat, where we were introduced to our first taste of Moroccan whiskey (aka mint tea), Sipping tea overlooking the beautiful view of the waterfront below, watching a funny 'cat attack', causing lots of hysterics!!

Then onto one of the highlights of the tour - our desert camp stay in the sand dunes of the Sahara.  Unfortunately we had a lady take sick during this time so I stayed with her back at the Kasbah base discussing politics and the world's troubles with our fantastic guide Ahmed.  From all accounts the desert trek was by far a huge highlight and some say the best meal of the tour!

A funny sight was the caravan of camels going off into the distance with one of our girls firmly clutching her Macy's New York bag!   Also another lady on the tour woke up to the beautiful view of camels and sandunes only to find she had slept sideways on her bed, having been taking to her tent in complete darkness the previous night! It wouldn't be until the last night in Morocco that I would get my chance to ride a camel!

Other towns of interest were Tinehir near to one of Morocco's greatest natural wonders the Todra Gorge.  Here we discover that nature can prove a powerful force.  Morocco had received what we would deem some 'light showers' in this particular area over the last few days.  This 'shower' had indeed caused widespread destruction of many bridges along the River and the gorge had become a raging flow within minutes leaving some cars stranded and in danger of being washed away.  A truly amazing sight and apparently a regular occurence.

As I am an avid movie goer my highlight of the tour was a visit to Atlas Movie studios located in the town of Ouarzazate where there are 17 movie production studios, missed Russell Crowe and Leonardo Di Caprio by that much....!  Here we were given a tour of some of the biggest movie sets including Gladiator, Jewel of the Nile, The Mummy and Kuchin.

Our 'Casanova' guide proved a real laugh and with 7 different languages under his belt spoke the language of love quite well making me promise to return to Ouarzazate in 12 months time??  That afternoon we were treated to our first donkey ride and although it was only from 'here to there' away it proved an hilarious trip!  Our accommodation continued to be a vary of beautiful riads, kasbahs and then onto a Sultan's Palace lcoated in Taroundant where silver jewellery is their forte.  Another interesting afternoon weaving our way through souks where the locals go about their everyday business.  One of the girls enjoyed a lovely birhday surprise during our stay with some beautiful flowers all the way from Agadir and some warm thoughts from home!  What a place to spend your birthday - we love you Jimmie!

Next came a highlight from some and a precarious trip for others.  A short - (5hr) drive over the High Atlas Mountains where the windy road is about the width of one and a half cars!!  Surrounded by hgh mountains all around my concerns being that for this sort of trip our next accommodation had better be something special - Well La Rosarie located in the oasis of Ouirgane is a magnificent property perfect for people who really want to immerse themselves in nature and the local area.  Beautiful pools, magical rooms and the sound of running water from the rushing river nearby this was truly heaven.  A great 2 day stay here proved to be very relaxing for some.

Day Two at Ouirgane involved a leisurely hike to the nearby villages and it was here that we were at our most 'cultural'.  Enjoying mint tea with a 'real, true villager' not a tourist setup was a beautiful highlight and really showed true moroccan hospitality.  Even a photo which was a real treat.  Our next 3 days were spent in the wonderful, magical town of Marrakech where snake charmers, tooth pullers and genies helped make the final few days a real treat.  Once again another beautiful riad right near the "The Square" where everything happens.  Time to spend our last dirhams and even borrow a few more!  Nearby ATM's were given a real workout during our stay!

For our flight home, and most of us over the baggage allowance we said goodbye to our two girls travelling onto Spain & Portugal.  Some of the girls enjoyed a city tour of Dubai during our transit which is well worth the money if you can keep your eyes open long enough (2.00am in the morning).

Half way through the flight home you think - Morocco is a million miles away but what a truly magical experience once you get there!