15

Yes!

16

Ryan air to Marakesh take local bus to market and souk this area for backpackers and eat cheap see my report at end of this thread
Montyman Morroco cheap
10 days Marrakesh Camel through desert (Hassi Labid) Atlas mountains Todra and dades gorges finally essouria beach
you'll love it

17

With a break in play caused by unexpected circumstances, we are now back in the hunt, feverish even, for a completed loose plan for a 10-14 jaunt around Morocco...

Day 1. London to Casablanca (Plane)...Casablanca to Marrakesh (Train)
Days 2,3,4 Marrakesh
Days 5/6 Camel tour in Desert

Now we are aiming for only 14-16 days in Morocco. After the camel tour, we desire enjoyment of some of the lovelier, quieter places on the coast...if we headed to Agadir from Marrakesh, can we find some beautiful places and travel easily up the coast towards Rabat??? Then grab a train to Fes...a day or two there, before train to Tangier???

18

montyman, you rode a camel through the Dades Gorge? OMG And 10 days riding a camel would be brutal...you must have an iron butt and legs.
thegutterpoet: add days in Marrakech and Essaouira...skip Agadir. A night in Rabat is a good idea. One night in Tanger is more than enough for me. And it will take at least a full day to get from Marrakech to Merzouga, same to return, plus one or two nights in the desert...would total four days, not two as you list.

19

I stopped overnight Mrrakesh then bus to merzourga and Hassi Labid took camel ride overnight into desert back to Todra and addes gorges did both then onto Essouria and back to Marrakesh for last two nights B&B at my Hotel before local buis bak to airport Marocfan 2 hrs on camel was enough for me and to think I was in awe of El Laurence as he rode ouut of desert into Aqaba, I learnt recently that Peter O'toole had a special saddle made, that later became the blue print for camel saddles for tourists thereafter

20

In fact, Laurence has ridden much more and longer than just to Aquaba (that was only Peter O'Toole) - see Seven pillars of wisdom, exciting book :)

21

With more ideas appearing everyday...and a plan needing concrete, I am asking yet again for advice on a 14 day trip. We may well fly into Marrakesh, wish to spend 3 days there, then..aim for the camel trek in erg chebbi...
also would very much like a 3/4 day period on the coast, perhaps ear essaoiroa...
then make our way up to tangier...
can this be done?

22

follow my route maybe get a cheap deal from Marrakesh for camel ride but I loved Hassi labid hardly anyone there and the place I stayed was really nice and reasonable Essouria was nice ebach place but avoid the GH touts when you arrive head direct with online map to the GH I mentioned it on the sea wall/Ramparts unless tangier is essential must see ?

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Our aim, Montyman, is to take the boat back to Tarifa after spending 14 nights in Morocco...hence Tangier is more an obligation than a burning desire. Then make our way back to the motherland, via Barca and another town or city in Spain...I am peeking at your toure, now just trying to work out the most enjoyable and satisfying use of these 14 nights we aim to use in North Africa. Marrakesh seems certainly our starting point, and all that needs doing now is sorting out a night or so in the desert, some time on the beach and ideally a day or three in Fes. The route to take though, seems tricky to decide upon...Marrakesh looping round to the coast then back then to Mergouza and Erg Chebbi, then desert, then to Fes, then Tangier(for the boat to Spain)...too much work for 14 nights???

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I only had 10 days and loved every bit of it Ali Hotel Marrakesh, was central and very good value, sometimes even the bus rides were the highlight of the trip. From what I heard of the camel ride in er gebbi, I am glad I did the overnight from Hassi Labid. It's funny but when I was there I saw some large EU semi trailers (articulated Lorries for UK speak) and later discovered when seeing a film trailer for some stupid womens TV series (Sex in The City film) I recognised that they had done the trip in the desert from there also, see the clip maybe on You tube. Ouarzazat being a massive and famous studios you stop at on the bus to Errachida and Erfoud to hasi Labid.
then from boumain dades I did it in the same day by shared taxi to Msemri had some lunchthere in freezing cold and snow high in Atlas mountains, but it was an amazing journey I thought the taxi would be returning to Boumaine dades teh same day but nothing was going back and I needed to ehad on Ha! Ha! so I hitch hiked back with a notable VIP Govt official (everyone was saluting him and Cau Tauing to him on the way down )really nice guy with an amazing 4X4 and inboard cinema system worth more than my car in UK on its own lol, back in time to check in at Hotel Bourgo for 80 derhams and great Tajine.
as with Life Its the journey not the destination that's often important
Yep I suppose I should have done the old hippy train marrakesh express and see Bogeys "Play it again Sam" Casablanca, but as with 14 days my 10 was even shorter but I loved every crazy rushed minute of it
click heres the photos to get you going

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Life is the journey, not the destination...SO true.
And pssssst...Rick and Ilsa don't live in Casa anymore so no need to look for them.

26

Since we are looking at grabbing a cheap flight from Seville around 19-21st June, we have chopped our morrocco trip into 4 segments...

Arrive marrakesh June 2nd, stay 3 nights...
5th June begin our journey to the desert for a camel trip, hopefully 2 nights, including traditional meal with locals, sleep under the stars...What is our quickest/easiest way of making such a trip when we are starting in Marrakesh???
Assuming it will take at least a day night if possible??? to reach merzouga, then another 2 nights in the desert...which leads us up to...9th June, when we would like to get to Fes...can we do this easily from Merzouga??? por must we travel back towards marrakesh first??

Arriving in Fes hopefully 9/10th June...spend 3 nights there...13th june head north to the coast, to Al Hoceima..where we can bed down for 3 nights...and then take the ferry to spain on the 16th June...

Does all the above seem reasonable, viable and not too rushed???

27

To reach Merzouga from Marrakech best is to take 2 days for that. It is big distance and you have interesting places to see on the way.
The best for your trip would be to rent a car, you can rent it in Marrakech and leave in Fes. In that way you can explore that route very good. But by bus it is OK too.
You can take it in stage - first Marrakech - Ouarzazate (overnight in Ait BenHaddou), the second Ouarzazate - Tinerhir (Todra Gorge - overnight there). Third day to Erg Chebbi for 2 nights there. Then overnight bus to Fes.

Edited by: khamlia

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..... there are bus routes from the area to Fez not passing through Marrakesh. A CTM from Rissani via Midelt among others, ask locally to find one to suit your time and schedule.

Search (3) this for local office and telephone numbers. http://www.ctm-messagerie.ma/reseau.php

http://looklex.com/morocco/map02.htm

29

But, from Marrakech to Fes via Erg Chebbi is Supratour bus, did you forget it, moroccotraveller :) ?.
Then from Merzouga to Fes is here
CTM is not so much practical in this case. And as I saw, it is not going from Marrakech to Rissani, strange.

Edited by: khamlia