



Verified I experienced something unique
I went on a 3-day trip from Ouarzazate to Merzouga desert and back to Ouarzazate. Malika in the Anaam Tours reception was very helpful, presented the journey very well, and spoke English. She gave me the company’s WhatsApp number and kept me updated on when the bus comes, and in case I had further questions I could just write to her. We signed a contract where everything was explained so I felt confident. I can say the customer service was good. Since I was alone I joined to the other group, who started their trip from Marrakech. The driver didn't speak, but he did perfectly what he was meant to do: Drove safely and looked after us when we stopped to visit places. Our stuff inside the bus was in safe hands all the time. When we continued our trip, the driver checked everybody is inside the bus. On the first day we just drove to Gorges Dades, stopped to take some pictures, ate dinner there and slept in hotel. On the second day, we drove to Tinghir and a guide who spoke English jumped into our car and showed us farming and the city itself. He also showed us Gorges Du Todra where we saw magnificent views. We also had lunch there. Then we drove to Merzouga where camels were waiting for us and new guides joined our group. These two young student guys, who spoke several languages, guided us into the desert on camels. They were trustworthy, friendly, funny, and they made our last trip a spectacle. We rode one hour to see a gorgeous sunset! When darkness came we saw nice views in the sky. At first we saw Venus and then stars became visible one by one, and after a while we saw constellations. It was a beautiful end to our little trip! After that we rode to a desert camp where we ate dinner and slept. The camp itself was comfortable and secure, and I would say it was as cozy as a desert camp can be. The next day our driver drove us back to the cities where we started from. I can fully recommend the trip, organized by Anaam Tours.But there is a slight dark side to the trip - a few things I didn't like. The first guide in Tinghir guided us to local carpet shop. We were supposed to drink tea in some place, but the carpet seller who was drinking tea with us was finding out our economic backgrounds, like where we are living now. After we’d had the tea, he started to show carpets to us and asked us to touch them and walk on them and tried to sell them to us. I felt very frustrated and the whole episode was so unnecessary and a waste of everybody's time. The second issue came up in the desert when we came to our desert camp: our group was split up into smaller groups (I was alone in my group), and some other unknown strange men took the camels’ leashes and just walked aside. After the sunset in the darkness they started selling hugely overpriced little pieces to us. For example, they were asking 200 dirhams for a Berber necklace which cost like 10 dirhams in a city market square. I understand tips should be given in Morocco, but not by being pressured to do so privately in the darkness! Honestly I felt a bit like I was dealing with mafia and I didn't want to support this! The young men were doing the job in the desert and the old guys are collecting the tips when the camel journey ends! I felt so uncomfortable. I want to end this review with a little message of my own to the young students who were in the desert with us (One had a white Berber costume and the other had a turban with Brazil’s colors and studied languages in a university) in the very slight hope that one of you is reading this. You guys are doing an absolutely amazing job! It was a very nice trip with you in the desert and I felt relaxed and comfortable. I wish all the best for you guys! And I hope the next time when you meet tourists in Merzouga desert, they will give the tips directly to you, not to anybody else.