I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to visit Morocco for a travel tradeshow and for a fast and furious extra couple of days, see what I could! This was the first time I ever flew out of the country from the east coast and I was really blown away by the amount of time it took to actually get from New York to Morocco. Six hours only! Being a person who has spent their life traveling to Asia (from the west coast) I am accustomed to a 16-hour flight. That said, it did still take quite a bit of time to get from Montana to New York, the ‘hardships’ of living in such a beautiful place.
Me with Desert Camp employees (Rae Brouwer)When I arrived in Casablanca Morocco around noon, I had to go through immigration and transfer to my flight to Marrakesh. I was quite stressed due to the 45 minutes I had to achieve all of this (we all know how this process goes) and certainly got my exercise running from one line to the next. When I finally got to my ‘gate’, I had to board a bus that would take us to the plane. The man standing by the door of the airport told me not to worry, they were tracking every person who was flying to Marrakesh and were going to wait until everyone had arrived before leaving. Wow. When was the last time you heard that in an airport? What a relief this still exists in the world!
Once I landed in Marrakesh, I was met by a very friendly driver who spoke little English but wore a big smile. After collecting my bags we jumped in the van to begin the 1-hour drive from the Marrakesh Airport to Inara Camp, Agafay desert. Upon arrival at the camp, I met with the manager who took me on a tour of the facilities. There are three categories of ‘tents’ all with ensuite bathrooms and semi-permanent structures. A pool, outdoor restaurant, outdoor cafe, and a few other spots to ‘mingle’ could be found on the property. After tea and a tour, I settled into my tent and in a failed attempt to rest in the afternoon heat, found myself at the pool. Why not?
Before dinner time I found myself mounting a dromedary (part of the camel family), something I never really thought about until it was happening. Though I was raised on horses, this was a different ball game. I’m not too fond of riding animals these days due to animal welfare, but these dromedaries seemed well-loved and knew no other life. We went for a 45-minute sunset ride which was a bit intimidating but lovely all the same. Dromedary (camel family) ride? Check.
At dinner, I was welcomed by friendly staff and enjoyed a 5-course meal of local cuisine. My curiosity of ‘behind the scenes’ allowed me some time in the kitchen, where I watched the chef and his staff create delicious tagine dishes (fired roasted stew of meats and vegetables prepared by slow cooking in a shallow earthenware dish).
That night, I enjoyed a beautiful starry sky and a quiet desert breeze.
I spent 2 entire days trying to find my Alaska small boat trip, with no success. Then Erin from Adventure Life gave me 4 choices on the same day I contacted her. She was caring and very efficient. I'm very excited about the cruise she found for me.
Janet Houts
1 day ago
Everything about our Galapagos experience was top-notch. I highly recommend this trip if you like be active. Everyone from the planners to the guides to the crew set us up to experience and soak in everything the Galapagos has to offer. They took care of every detail so we could learn and enjoy.
Luanne
2 days ago
We had an amazing trip. The accommodations of our hotel first 3 nights and the accommodations of the ship were perfect. Our guides were amazing. They went snorkeling with us everyday and took amazing pictures and pointed out various species of fish. On the land adventures, they explained everything about the islands and animals that we were looking for and seeing. They also took amazing photos and videos that they shared with us in a whats app group with the entire ship. This gave us the ability to upload our own video and pictures along with other shipmates so we all got these great photos from everyone. It was a once in a lifetime trip that left us with many amazing memories and very possible we would consider going back.
Kevin Vance
2 days ago
Very willing to help and please!
Jan Ellmer
3 days ago
Our regular rep knows us very well and responds quickly