Day treks, Camels & Boutique Marrakech

We had a fabulous time! It was the first time we had done a family holiday like this, with such a variety of experiences. The outgoing flight was less than 3 hours yet it was like another world.

Lesley C reviewing Day treks, Camels & Boutique Marrakech on 11 January 2014

Our trekking guide was great, walked at our pace, and taught us a lot about the mountains, we met his family while sheltering from the rain and had tea and cakes.

The accomodation at both Riad Tzarra and the Kasbar near Ilmil were great, staff could not be more helpful, or kind.The only thing we might have asked is that as we were the only guests in Riad Tzarra that after the initial welcoming from the Manager of Riad Da Hanne - was that she had come back during our dinner in the evening just to answer a couple of questions we had (but i think that was due to our actual manager being on holiday).

Food was delicious in both accomodations particulalry at the Berber Guest House. We even asked for a recipe for some of the food to take home with us.

Would definately go away with tourdust again and will reccomend to friends (as it was recommended to us via a friend).

It provided us with a really interesting authentic experience, with the ease of a tour without feeling like you were on a tour. All taxis and guides and arrangements were perfectly on time and perfectly suited to what we wanted. It allowed us to fit so much into a short stay.

Charlotte S reviewing Day treks, Camels & Boutique Marrakech on 27 November 2012

We had a great time thanks, the guide was excellent as was the lunch in the mountains, really good.

The only downside was that unfortunately my wife, who'd been so keen and excited to go, got a stomach bug the Sunday night so wasn't able to come on the trip on Monday. A real shame but otherwise a big success.

mark n reviewing Day treks, Camels & Boutique Marrakech on 28 October 2011

I would definitely recommend this to other travellers.


This trek was the highlight of our trip to Marrakech and couldn't have run smoother.
The pick up from our hotel was on time and the driver was fantastic, making up feel very confident and safe in his driving, along with giving great information about what we were seeing along the way into the Mountains.
Once we arrived our guide was waiting for us and after a chat about how long we wanted to trek for we set off. Again very informative explaining things along the way.
On descent we stopped at the Berber village Imlil and had lunch at the family-run guesthouse Dar Adrar, which was the most delicious food we had eaten during our stay in Marrakech and the greeting and hospitality fantastic.
Afterwards feeling well fed and tired we were driven back to our hotel again by our very competent driver.

I couldn't recommend this trek enough as a little taster and will definitely be going back to take on the longer trek through the Atlas Mountains and Sahara.
Thanks Tourdust!

Emma R reviewing Day treks, Camels & Boutique Marrakech on 12 October 2011

We really enjoyed our trip. The driver arrived at the hotel on time. The
car was very clean and in good condition and most importantly he turned
out to be a very safe driver which is a must in the Atlas Mountains!

The guide once we arrived at the Atlas Mountain was also good and the
food that was prepared for our lunch was really tasty and fresh, a real
treat.

esme a reviewing Day treks, Camels & Boutique Marrakech on 23 June 2011

As you predicted, we didn't have one drop of rain and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and already recommended it to our friends.

So to rate your customer service, it must be 5, and our experience of this trip's rating is also 5.

Thanks again and keep up the good work.

William H reviewing Day treks, Camels & Boutique Marrakech on 03 May 2011

Trip was great and all the arrangements were excellent so thank you for all the help!

Drivers and transfers were all good - on time and very good service on each trip.

Accommodation was lovely - Douar Samra was amazing (weather could have been better but lovely regardless). Riad in Marrakesh was also great!

All in all a great trip and we loved the variety of the mountains, Marrakesh and the coast.

Thanks you once again!

Hardeep S reviewing Boutique Marrakech & Atlas Mountains on 15 April 2024

Dear Lisa
Well, we are back and still buzzing. We have had a marvellous time. The weather helped. We left Manchester in the snow and arrived in Marrakesh at 30 degrees. We were well looked after in the Riad. I'm glad we booked a meal for the first evening - ate it on the roof terrace. We can recommend that. It was delicious. We ate at the Foundouk, as per your recommendation and on the following night we ate at Le Jardin - got lost on the way to it!. We can really recommend Le Jardin.
The following day we went to Majorelle gardens. Fortunately we had looked it up before we travelled because you have to book in advance online only from Jan 2023. We found our own way to the Medera Ben Yousef and Latifa took us to Bahia Palace - both were stunning.
The following morning our lovely taxi driver Mohammond collected us to go to the EcoLodge. Yet another Mohammond made us very welcome. Again we ate well! You were right, the pool was freezing, but I can't sit next to water and not get in. Once you're in you forget how cold it is! I wasn't the only person to try the pool.
Rashid, our guide for our walk collected us. He was brilliant. It was hard work, but worth it. I was determined I would make it. Kevin is fitter than me! The Berber family were lovely. We stopped when we were nearly there to see how rag rugs were made. When we got back Rashid and Mohammond confessed that Mohammond had said to Rashid that he should get us to a road if we got too tired and they would send a taxi (or a mule!) to collect us - or me, but Rashid was sure that I'd be OK. He was right. I think they wondered about these 2 70+ year olds. We can't praise Rashid enough. He had walked over from Imlil in the morning and was going to walk back after he left us.
Thank you so much for putting our holiday together. We never thought it would be 3 years before we went. We are so glad we persevered. We did wonder what we had let ourselves in for as 2 oldies!
Fiona and Kevin

Fiona B reviewing Boutique Marrakech & Atlas Mountains on 21 April 2023

We had a wonderful time! Our transfers (besides a bit of a wait when we arrived) were smooth. The gentleman that drove us to and from the airport also drove us to our hike and he was very nice and helpful, clean car and very accommodating.
Our tour guide on the first day, Mandy, was charming and insightful. It was a slow day in the markets but we appreciated the space and gave us a chance to hear all about the Souks. The gentlemen who was with her was a wealth of knowledge and both did a very nice job!
Our hike was awesome and our guide was great- he even took us to a cool waterfall and took great care of us; lunch in the mountains was delicious!
The hotel was so lovely and the staff was very accommodating and helpful. The food was great and the rooms very comfortable!
I did a good amount of damage in the market (often accused of being Berber;) and truly hope to be back next Spring... maybe a girls trip or perhaps I’ll bring my kiddos!
Thank you for organizing such a nice getaway for my husband and I; we will confidently recommend Tourdust to our friends!!

Jennifer H reviewing Boutique Marrakech & Atlas Mountains on 12 June 2019

The whole holiday start to finish was just fabulous, the accommodation was perfect and to a certain extent stunning at the Dar Hosnia in Marrakech.

The transport, guides and staff at both locations were wonderful with a special mention to the Douar Samra team in Imlill. They were more than a bit special.

The food at both locations was excellent and the ambience and fun we enjoyed in Douar Samra was beyond all expectations.

We made many new friends whom I am sure we will keep in touch with way beyond this holiday.

You put together a perfect package it was much more than just a great holiday it was a richly rewarding experience.

Just finally to say a big thank you to you for organising one of the best trips we have had.

stuart w reviewing Boutique Marrakech & Atlas Mountains on 15 April 2019

Thanks for organising an excellent holiday for us. It's my first time using Tourdust and I've been really impressed and will certainly be recommending you to friends and family. You provided an excellent level of service all the way through, and the bespoke nature of the trip was fantastic whilst being really good value for money.
Key highlights:
- Le Kasbah de Toubkal blew us away - one not to miss!
- The trek was amazing and my kids loved it. The camping was really fun, the food was excellent, and I'd particularly call out our guide Rashid who was fantastic show especially with my kids.
- Riad Adore was outstanding - far exceeding my expectations - it was beautiful and we were very well looked after
- Le Doux Tour was luxurious and a nice relaxing way to end the holiday.
- Logistics were great and our main driver Mustapha was brilliant

If there was one build / thing I would change, it's a very small one but some candles / lanterns to use in the evening whilst camping would have made it easier to stay outside for a bit longer.

Mark D reviewing Boutique Marrakech & Atlas Mountains on 07 June 2016

We had a fantastic time and were very impressed with the smooth organisation throughout, so please pass my thanks on to the team and in particular to Ben who suggested and planned our stay. Waking up on the morning of my 30th in the mountains and hiking up to a waterfall in the snow was certainly the best memory which will stay with us for years!
We felt the riad in Marrakech was wonderful and were very looked after by the hosts. I think we should have perhaps tried to be a bit more organised with sightseeing as it is so hard to navigate the city and a lot of walking. In hindsight a guide would be good even though we never feel we need one being stubborn travellers.
The trek was impressive and Mohammed and Samir were good fun. It was challenging but the right level for us and we really felt it was a great achievement.
Lastly, we both really, really rated Domaine Malika which is hands down the best hotel we have stayed in (I used to stay in plenty of 5 * European and LHW hotels in a previous job? so that's a high praise for us).
We thought we'd been checked into the biggest room in the place and it was just the basic room. The staff were brilliant and the pool/food/décor all wonderful. Next time, we would head straight here, take a day taxi into Marrakech, and then a day or two trek away from the hotel as we loved it so much.

Claire B reviewing Boutique Marrakech & Atlas Mountains on 27 April 2015

The overall service from Tour Dust (Rebecca and you) was fantastic and we couldn’t have asked for more helpful, informed advice. Everything went without a hitch. We liked everywhere we stayed apart from Dar Adrar which was really just a little too basic. The food was excellent but I would have been reluctant to sleep there had we the option. We were also all (other guest included) quite keen on a drink (beer/glass of wine) after a hard day’s walking- it might be worth adding this as an option somewhere given nowhere in Imlil serves it but they’re happy for you to bring? I wouldn’t know where to find it to buy so that wasn’t really an option. Friend also holidaying in the Atlas that week stayed in a hotel elsewhere and were happily served alcohol.
Riad Due was nice and easy to find which is a big plus in the medina but quite dull/too quiet for us for four nights’ stay- it had very little atmosphere but the service was good.
Our guide, Larsan, and mule/muleteer, Hussein, were excellent. Larsan was just the right blend of helpful and informative but not intrusive. Hussein cooked beautifully and the mule was in very good condition which was good to see.
La Pause was great but we weren’t told that they only accepted cash so were caught out when we paid for an extra bottle of wine and a soft drink or two- luckily we just had enough to cover it. Also their check-out is at 10am, rather than11am as our transfer thought so we were left twiddling our thumbs and having to call the Marrakech office.

The advice and service you gave us was significantly better than substantially higher-end travel agents we have used before (and paid through the nose for) and we were generally very impressed so thank you. Your flexibility and responsiveness was really fantastic- well done.

Charlotte M reviewing Boutique Marrakech & Atlas Mountains on 20 November 2014

We would like to thank you for arranging such an enjoyable holiday. The whole trip went extremely well. The accommodation in Marrakech was very central making looking around the city easy. Also the food there was good and it was pleasant to have our meals on the roof top. They were very helpful at telling us where to go to eat etc and I would certainly stay there again if back in the city. The transport arrived when it should and it all worked well. In Imlil we thoroughly enjoyed our stay and sitting on the floor to eat our meals!. The guide to take us on a walk was very good and the lunch provided was also. We arrived at the airport in good time to catch the flight.

It was a lovely break to get away and the whole trip ran as planned. I and the girls would score the holiday 5.

Anne M reviewing Boutique Marrakech & Atlas Mountains on 20 November 2014

We absolutely loved the trip, and will be recommending Tourdust to everyone we know!

We were extremely happy with the accommodation at the Village du Toubkal Hotel and all the arrangements with the guide and the walks worked very well. Everyone we met there, including the guide and the manager of the hotel, were extremely helpful and friendly.

We loved the Riad Tzarra and thought that the standard of the accommodation was superb. All the staff were extremely helpful and friendly - especially the manager Mohamed - and the food was delicious (we had two meals there plus breakfasts - very good value). My only quibble is that I did feel that it was a rather awkward walk to get to it, down some very narrow alleyways. I felt a little concerned about walking there after dark (and certainly wouldn't have been happy doing it on my own), but having said that we didn't experience any problems and would happily go back.

All the arrangements worked like clockwork with drivers, guides etc and I would happily give a rating of 5 out of 5 for the holiday. Hopefully we will be back soon!

Paula J reviewing Boutique Marrakech & Atlas Mountains on 18 June 2014

We have had the most wonderful holiday with you. In concise form, both sets of accommodation get 5/5, pickups etc also 5/5, guide 5/5, and there is little to fault. We would like to visit again,and do a longer trek in the mountains, getting further into them, and staying in tents and villages.

Paul S reviewing Boutique Marrakech & Atlas Mountains on 10 April 2014

We had a wonderful stay at Le Village. We arrived after dark and were welcomed with mint tea and savouries in the dining room with a warm fire before being shown to our rooms. Dinner was superb - delicious soup, beef & fig tagine and fresh fruit salad. Breakfasts were tasty with warm bread and featherlight crepes and our other three dinners were all delicious, with a variety of soups, couscous, tagines and desserts. Dinner was very reasonably priced at 15€ per person.
The convivial surroundings in the dining room meant we soon struck up conversation with the other guests.
Our rooms were comfortable with spectacular views from our terraces. We slept well with an extra blanket. We enjoyed daily hammams after our hikes and also a massage session during our stay.
Noella and the team were very attentive and helpful though discrete. Hussain would serve his delicious breakfasts and dinners at various times according to guest’s wishes.
The arrangements for transfers to and fro to Le Village from Imlil were impeccable. Our English speaking mountain guide Ibrahim was very competent and readily shared his insights of Moroccan culture. The trip to Tin Mal mosque was very interesting and visiting a local souk and Berber craft stalls were also very worthwhile experiences.

Bruce B reviewing Boutique Marrakech & Atlas Mountains on 11 January 2014

5 out of 5 rating on the information provided and overall holiday experience {:0)

All transport came as scheduled and we had a warm welcome at all our accommodation without any issues.

Our guide in the Atlas Mountains (Ibraham) was a very interesting, knowledgeable character and made our hike a most enjoyable experience tailored to our needs. Our chef (Mohammed) made us very tasty meals and hunger was never an issue. The mule was quite an impressive carrying vehicle {:0)

The Dar Hanane Riad was a very welcome respite from the sights and sounds of Marrakech with the veranda being a safe haven for full relaxation. We chose to have dinner at the Riad which had an elegant atmosphere and the best food we had in Marrakech - we would suggest you spend your money on eating their rather than at Le Foundouk

Christina D reviewing Boutique Marrakech & Atlas Mountains on 26 November 2013

We had a very very lovely trip so many thanks for getting it all organized for us.

DAR ADRAR
Lovely comfy hotel with amazing views. Rooms were a good size and the staff were really friendly and welcoming. Food was great too.

DAR ONE
Absolutely gorgeous hotel. Beautiful roof terrace. Rooms were lovely with amazing bath tubs! We ordered a three course meal on the terrace one night and found the prices very reasonable. Best meal of the trip. Nice welcoming staff although it was a shame we couldn't get a key to the hotel at night as I felt bad coming back late as the guard would leave as soon as we returned. Very close to all the sights and square.

TREK
Really really lovely guide (Adil). Beautiful scenery- the walk was lovely although not too challenging... probably could have walked another couple of hours each day. Food was amazing and so so generous. We did feel guilty at times eating in front of them at Ramadan but they invited us to break fast with them too which was really lovely.

Sylvie F reviewing Boutique Marrakech & Atlas Mountains on 01 August 2013

The Imlil accommodation ( Dar Adrar) & food were just right (5/5) although it came as quite a surprise (albeit a pleasant one for us) that the last 10mins of the transfer from airport to accommodation was by foot & luggage by mule.

The guide Lasan and the cook Rashid were both excellent and literally went out of their way, an extra 3 hour walk for them, to help us on our return trip, it having snowed quite alot during the night, and so making the original planned return route difficult. Both 5/5 and Rashid's meals (5/5) produced on a mountainside were better presented, better tasting, and better quantities (too much sometimes) than some of the restaurant meals we subsequently had in Marrakech.

The Riad Dar Hanane was also good with very attentive service (perhaps occasionally over attentive for our tastes) and the overall feel of the Riad was perhaps a little sterile, but again that is a matter of taste; and breakfast quantities were a little spartan (4/5 - a loaf each instead of one to share is all that is needed and to be fair we did not request this at the time - I suspect it would have been granted). Aziz was very genial and, as it turned out, the hand drawn maps by Mohammed were valuable for navigating Marrakech.

The behind the scenes organisation in Morocco appeared faultless (5/5)

The UK bookings advice & service also good.(4.5/5)

Overall we had a very enjoyable break (5/5). Thank you

Richard F reviewing Boutique Marrakech & Atlas Mountains on 11 December 2012

We had a great trek and thought the Atlas mountains were really beautiful. The tour guide and the muleteer were both excellent and would score 5/5 without a doubt. The standard of the food we were served was excellent and probably the best we had on our whole holiday. I couldn't believe the trouble that Samir had gone to on the first day when we arrived for our lunch of freshly prepared food and mint tea.

Christine W reviewing Boutique Marrakech & Atlas Mountains on 05 December 2012

Tourdust has just delivered us a superb 5 day holiday in Morocco. Everything worked smoothly from the planning to the support on the ground. We stayed in 3 different places - each one true to the description on the website. Food that was included in the trip price and the food that we purchased at the Riad was of exceptional quality - fresh produce and huge portions. We were welcomed by the local hosts with generosity. We would not hesitate to recommend this trip to others.

Paul B reviewing Boutique Marrakech & Atlas Mountains on 24 April 2012

I'd be lying if I said our holiday started of in the smoothest of ways (with a phone call telling us that high winds and stormy seas looked set to spoil our week at the surf camp) but it was with this news that the proffesionalism and customer service skills of Tourdust really shone through! Within the hour the guys at TD had arranged to put us up in the most beautiful of Riads (Rhiad Dar Thania) in the busy city of Marrakesh. This Riad proved to be the perfect oasis to escape from the excitment of the city at the end of the day. I'm pleased to say that we did make it to coast eventually where we spent 3 incredible days learning to surf with 'Blue Morroco' a surf school expertly ran by Azhar and Alice in the tiny town of Sidi Kaouki. Azhar's passion for the sport and the ocean is evident in his teaching style and I can honestly say that he and his wife Alice made us feel more like friends rather than guests in their beatiful Berber beach front home. I for one will certainly return to Morroco and Sidi Kaouki in particular in the future and will have no hesitation in using Tourdust to do so. If anyone would like to see photos of our trip please find these in the album named Morroco 2012 on my facebook page at the link below:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.10150606289819288.413565.818599287&type=1

As a final note I would suggest to anyone who plans to go to Morroco that mastering a few basic phrases in french or Arabic would improve their experience. These are by no means essential as nearly everyone in the tourist industry speaks English but I found my basic knowledge of Arabic and my girlfriends ability to speak french certainly came in handy on the odd occasion!

Rob D reviewing Trek, Cook & Surf in Morocco on 29 February 2012

Our Guide was first class on our trek, very knowledgeable and always open to questions and was especially open in terms of background to the villages, the people of Morocco as well as the history of where we were trekking. The food, and Chef who prepared our meals, were delightful as well. The food was always more than enough and in the circumstances (on the side of a mountain pass) was first class and fresh. It really made a difference to have the meals prepared fresh and they were always plentiful. We were worried about the Taxi due to Marrakesh being notoriously difficult to find any location due to the mazey streets but the Taxi picked us up from our hotel dropped us at our Trek, and vise versa, no problem at all, which was a relief and very welcome after 2 days trekking. As far as the the whole experience all we can say is that we both loved it and are planning to use Tourdust again in the near future. The service from the booking process, Taxi Driver, Guide, Cook and anyone else we encountered on our experience was second to none. I cannot recommend Tourdust highly enough.

I would just like to add though it might be nice if you add some info on the website about the villages. What I mean in that is we visited a family in a village that had very little but were kind enough to invite us into our home. We also encountered children in the village. Rather than handing out money like confetti we would of liked to have brought some simple items from home which may have been well received by the children, colouring books, pens or something as simple as balloons, playing cards or something of that nature. Something that is practical rather than tipping being the only currency. I realise that this might not be for all your consumers but as a side note I think it would of made a world of difference to us, we did feel slightly uneasy when visiting the village and the warm reception we recieved that we couldn't offer something back that would of been better than trying to tip someone.

Leighton H reviewing Boutique Marrakech & Atlas Mountains on 12 December 2011

Very impressed with Tourdust right from enquiring about experiences to our departure. Always very helpful and efficient. We went on the cookery course in Marrakesh and recommend it to anyone of any skill level. The hotel was amazing with fantastic kitchen facilities and when we went to the spice market we were taken through all the herbs and spices and all there uses! A great experience all in all!

Anon reviewing Boutique Marrakech & Atlas Mountains on 13 May 2011

An exhilarating two day trek soaking up beautiful scenery in the High Atlas. The guide was excellent, spoke good English and very knowledgable. We had many laughs with him. The picnic up the mountain was a very happy moment... a freshly cooked tagine tastes so good in the mountain air. Highly recommended

Anon reviewing Boutique Marrakech & Atlas Mountains on 11 May 2011

I'd give it a 5. Can't think of improvements. The experience itself was great and the guide/muleteer were both fantastic - friendly and generous guys who obviously knew what they were doing. It was the best experience of my holiday there - both the agency and the guides themselves were helpful, knowledgeable and friendly. So much of the trip exceeded my expectations and I wouldn't hesitate to book again.

Marcus P reviewing Boutique Marrakech & Atlas Mountains on 04 May 2011

We had a wonderful and rewarding time in the Atlas Mountains. We loved the flexibility of the route and pace, which was possible because we had the guide to ourselves. This is definitely something Tour Dust has above the rest. Ali the cook and his trusty mule were also a bonus!

CLARE M reviewing Boutique Marrakech & Atlas Mountains on 18 April 2011

we have just returned tonight from Morocco and would like you to know how much we enjoyed our Atlas Valley Trek. The guides were fantastic and we were very impressed with Atlas - they responded extremely well to a situation which unexpectedly presented itself : Nanette's leg was causing her some pain so our schedule was slightly altered to give a shorter trip on the 2nd day (the anticipated 6 hours of walking was actually more like 8 hours which in the circumstances would have been too much so the 6 hour day which was then provided was preferable).

Just to give you some feedback - the change of plan was in fact a benefit in other ways as we did spend a very cold night in an unheated shelter on our first night and the change meant that we had a delightful night in a guest house in Imlil instead of a second freezing night in unheated lodgings. It might be useful in future in terms of info you give out to your guests at this time of year - winter sleeping bags are required even for an indoor mountain stay as the mountain gites aren't heated although the guest house in Imlil was. We both had adequate sleeping bags but hadn't expected to be quite as cold as we were when we got into them!

Overall this was a great tip and we would definitely use your company again for booking similar holidays in other areas.

Anon reviewing Boutique Marrakech & Atlas Mountains on 10 March 2011

Tourdust made the booking of our 2-day trek in Morocco extremely easy. I called them up first to ask a bit more about the trek that I wanted to do and what kind of equipment we should take with us. These were all answered very quickly and I even got some advice for other parts of our trip in Morocco. The trek itself went exactly as it should have done, we were picked up promptly from our Riad, the guide was extremely knowledgeable and very friendly and the walk itself was off the beaten track and we saw only 2 other travellers during the full two days which was excellent and made for the true walking experience we were looking for, nothing touristy at all - Thank you!

Rebecca H reviewing Boutique Marrakech & Atlas Mountains on 08 March 2011