How to Choose a Morocco Tour Company: 12 Questions to Ask Before You Book
Most problems on a Morocco tour can be spotted before you book, if you ask the right questions. These are the twelve that matter, and what good answers sound like.
Most problems on a Morocco tour can be spotted before you book, if you ask the right questions. These are the twelve that matter, and what good answers sound like.
Search for a Morocco tour and you will find hundreds of companies offering what look like the same itineraries at very different prices. Some of those differences are real value; others are things left out of the price that you only discover on the road. The good news is that almost every common problem — a shared minibus you thought was private, a desert camp that was not what the photos showed, a surprise bill for entry fees — can be caught before you pay anything, by asking a few direct questions.
Here are the twelve we would ask in your place. We have added our own answers at the end, so you can hold us to the same standard.
“Small group” and “private” are not the same thing. Ask directly whether anyone outside your party will be in the vehicle at any point, including transfers. The difference matters — see private vs group tours.
Ask for a written list. The usual grey areas are entry fees, lunches, licensed site guides, the camel ride and drinks at the camp. A cheap price with a long “not included” list can end up costing more.
Ask for the camp’s name or at least its standard: shared or private tent, real beds, private bathroom or shared facilities. Photos of a luxury tent on a standard-camp price are a classic mismatch. Our camp comparison explains what each level means.
A good company tells you the hours on the road, not just the kilometres. Marrakech to Merzouga is a long day in either direction, and an itinerary that squeezes it into less than three days is mostly time in a car — which is why our 4-day private Sahara tour from Marrakech spreads the round trip over four days. Our guide to planning Marrakech to the Sahara shows realistic timings.
Your hotel, your riad, the airport, or a meeting point? Riads in the medina are often reached on foot, so ask how the pick-up works in practice.
You will spend days with this person. Ask which languages they speak well enough for a real conversation, not just directions.
Guided visits inside the medinas of cities such as Fes and Marrakech are the job of licensed local guides. Ask whether one is included or can be arranged, and at what price.
Visits to carpet shops, argan cooperatives and pottery workshops can be interesting. They should never be compulsory. Ask whether they are on the plan and say if you would rather not.
A reasonable deposit secures the booking; paying everything months in advance to a company you cannot verify is a risk. Ask how much is due now, when the rest is due, and in what form.
Ask for the cancellation terms in writing before you pay. Flexible dates matter more than people expect.
For private tours the per-person price usually falls as the group grows. Make sure you are comparing like with like.
Testimonials on the company’s own site are not enough. Look for the company on Google and TripAdvisor and read the recent reviews, including the critical ones and how the company replied.
We are a Marrakech-based agency, and these are our answers to the same list:
Ask us anything on this list before you book. And if a fixed itinerary does not fit, tell us your dates and we will build one that does.
Check independent reviews on Google and TripAdvisor, ask for a written list of what is included, and make sure you can reach a real person before you pay. Reliable companies answer specific questions clearly.
A partial deposit is normal to secure a booking. At My Morocco Tours the deposit is 15% of the total, capped at 600 euros, and the rest is paid on arrival.
For multi-day tours and the high seasons of spring and autumn, booking in advance secures the vehicle, driver and camp you want. Day trips can often be booked a few days ahead.
At minimum: transport, the driver, accommodation, the desert camp and the camel ride. Ask specifically about meals, entry fees and site guides, which vary between companies.
