Discovering Morocco on a private 4x4 tour has becomevery popular in the last few years. When one thinks of Morocco, endless saffron dunes, hard- bargain colorful souks or Casablanca(the city andthe movie) come to mind. Ultimately, everyone is aware they will go through a culture shock. Above all, it is overwhelming – in ways both uplifting and unsettling. And although the last decade has seen the opening of Starbucks, Zara or Pizza Hut, this remains a much more difficultculture to understand that the one on the other side of the Mediterranean.Naturally, you don’t have to book a private tour – you can simply join a group tour or rent a car –it is, after all, a less costly option. Is it worth the extra cost to get a knowledgeable driver and a spotless modern air conditioned 4x4 that can take on steep gorges and towering desert dunes ?And someone to introduce or rather initiate you in the ways of an exotic and impenetrable culture? We think it is. But we are biased - we’ve been organizing private tours of Morocco for quite a while now. So, we’ve decided to ask other people about it. Travel agents, travel bloggers, full time travelers and hotel managers have agreed to offer their view on the topic. These are 8 good reasons why we ( and them) think you need to explore Morocco with a private tour:

1. Off- the- beaten track experience

Lonely Planetor Trip Advisor may be good starting points when it comes to selecting the sites and activities while on a Morocco trip. After all, the dunes close to Zagora can be reached by bus or rent a car and there is where many a travel agency camp their guests. While the majestic dunes of Erg Chigaga, where the Sahara really starts, lie a two hour off- track drive away.But,before you get to the dunes, what about leaving the tarmac and fall under the palm trees in the nearby palm grove, this immense green serpent undulating between the beige barren ridges? Learn how the locals deviate water through century- old irrigation systems and khetaras?Whereon Friday afternoon, when the prayer is over, the caid spreads a carpet on the grass and the villagers present their queries ?In a country where tarmac covers more and more routes, the true immersion often commences where tarmac ends. How would you feel returning home having missed on all this ?As Patricia Homison, a veteran traveler and ‘Me and He Travel ‘ blogger puts it: ‘A private tour gives you the advantage of an insider's perspective of the real Morocco and a exposure to people and places that would be difficult, if not impossible to find on your own. Our private tour totally accommodated our tastes, preferences and values and it was such a fabulous experience, we went back six months later to do even more.’

2. Tailor- made itinerary all the way

Your Morocco journey will be private and customized based on your schedule, budget, and interests.After due exchange of emails, a day- to- day itinerary is provided with daily sites and activities included. But here is where the difference between good and excellent lies. Careful day to day planning is good but spontaneous on- the- go changes are even better. Suppose that one morning you’re too lazy for the Atlas Mountains trek you had planned and just want to reach the Sahara early so you can mooch about in the dunes the whole afternoon. Or perhaps the eco lodge where you just spent the night has made such an impression on you with the previous evening’s dinner that you suddenly feel like booking an impromptu Moroccan cooking class.Deborah Thompson, Co-Founder &Editor-in-Chief at New Jetsetters agrees: ‘We love being able to change the itinerary at a moment's notice - a spectacular temple needs more time for appreciation? No problem, because there is no group agenda written in stone to adhere to. Want to linger another hour at the incredible waterfall? That's fine!’


3. Local authentic boutique accommodation…

What makes Morocco great with the intrepid traveler is the number of design- yet- organic family run, cozy accommodations. The riads of Marrakech, the refurbished kasbahs of the Draa valley andthe eco lodges on the fringes of the Sahara are but a few examples. Most of them offer great cuisine with ingredients coming from their own organic back yard. The owners will often join you for coffee over breakfast and share insider tips on what there is to do and see in the area. Woke up too late to have breakfast? Arrived too late to have dinner? There’s no such thing here. We asked Paul Goetz, general manager of a chic retreat in the Atlas Mountains, why his guests prefer staying at Domaine de Malika rather than choose one of the chain hotels: ‘When my guests arrive for the first time, we already know them a bit from our previous correspondence and I love to see them display a wide smile when I call them by their first names. Very often our guests leave saying they found the perfect ambience because they felt a bit like home, while surrounded by a caring staff that cater to their each and every need, without ever being intrusive’. So then, why have a buffet dinner you could have anywhere else in the world ?Stay at a Sofitel or Marriot ?And then, what tour operator or all inclusive travel agency will offer this intimate, cozy kind of accommodation? Large volumes of guests cannot be accommodated in Riads, eco lodges or kasbahs with at best a dozen rooms and locally sourced home- made meals. That’s where a private Morocco tour agency with staff constantly travelling across Morocco anonymously testing new out- of- ordinary properties makes a difference.

…that you have time to enjoy.

But there is no point in carefully selecting the best hotels available in Morocco if you don’t have the time to enjoy them. A good agency will carefully plan and arrange for the right balance between the time spent inside the vehicle, visiting sites and enjoying the properties’ facilities. Why stay at the arresting Azalai Desert Lodge set on the edge of Zagora’s palm grove, if you arrive late at night just in time for dinner or leave next morning right after breakfast? It would be a pity not to spend some time around their exquisite library packed with livres des voyages. Or go on a bicycle ride in the surrounding palm grove. Plunge in the inviting pool whether it is February or June.

Sun Trails
50 Operation Agdal Issil
40000
Marrakech
MOROCCO
[email protected]
+212 (0) 648 819 837
+212 (0) 666 915 384

Luxury Morocco Tours And Travels. Sun-Trails.com is the best tour operator in Morocco, offer tailor made private tours at affordable prices. Our itinerary includes camel ride, crossing the Atlas Mountains, trekking in Dades Gorges and much more. Visit our website for more information about 4x4 MOROCCO TOURS. at http://www.sun-trails.com/