Our family decided to go to Morocco this summer for 2 weeks to tour the country, visit the Sahara, and see the Atlas and Reef mountains. We are a family... read more of six and our kids’ ages range from 24 to 14. I tried to plan for the trip on my own and reserve hotels, adventures, and stays over the internet. After a long search, I did not know exactly what I was doing, and I was not satisfied with my results. I consulted a Moroccan friend who connected me with Mohammad from Yamina Tours. The least impression that I can share about our experience with Yamina Tours is “Amazing”. Mohammad crafted a full 12-day excursion in Morocco from the time we landed to the time we departed. I negotiated few changes, and they accommodated all our requests. The whole price was also amazing as we were still during COVID19, and tourism was slow in Morocco (and all over the world).

Sallam was waiting for us in Marrakesh airport with his air-conditioned van. He dropped us off at our Riad (traditional hotel) in downtown Marrakesh just in front of the Souk (largest traditional market in the city). They had already arranged for all our guided tours. That same evening, a tour guide picked us up from the Riad and toured us through the market and the main landmarks of the city. We spent the next day in the city cruising through local shops and restaurants

In the morning, Sallam picked us up to start our 3-day Sahara trip. We went through astonishing scenic views through a whole day trip, venturing through the Atlas Mountains where we visited the old city of Ait Ben Haddou, passed through Daddes Valley, and visited the rose oil manufacturing plant. We spent the night in a Riad in a village on the way then proceeded with our trip to visit the famous Moroccan Canyons, Toudgha Gorges, where we could not help but wade into the small river that is going through it.

Two hours before sunset, we arrived at Merzouga where the caravan was waiting for us. Each one was able to ride his/her own camel and we had a true camel-ride trip through the dunes of the Sahara till we reached our camping site. After dinner we pulled our mattresses out of the tents, and we all slept under the sky. I was dreaming of this night to count the stars. Unfortunately, it was a full moon, and we were able to see only the brightest. The moon was amazing though! We had another camel ride back to the city where we started our trip to the city of Fes. This was very long and exhausting trip. We had to stop few times to rest and eat.

We spent a wonderful couple of days in Fes. We visited several ancient places including an original clay factory for mosaic and pottery. After the demonstration, our kids had the chance to make pottery (in the old-fashioned way) and we were able to buy souvenirs. We walked through to Al-Qarawiyyin, the oldest university of the world. Next day we visited Meknes, another ancient city, then headed north towards Chefchaouen, the mountain city. On our way we visited the large roman ruins, the more than 2000-year-old city of Volubilis.

From the blue city, we proceeded to visit Tangier on the Mediterranean Sea where we spent a half day on the beach, then to Rabbat, the capital of Morocco, and ended in Casablanca where we headed back home.

We don’t have the words to describe how much we were impressed by the hospitality of everyone who took care of us during this trip, from Sallam our driver and personal companion through the trip, Ouleid in Daddes valley, Mustafa and Mohammed in the Sahara Desert, Ezzidein in Fes, and so on. This was a trip of a lifetime.

  I was amazed that the guides from YaminaTours were able to show me places I didn't know existed in my own country, even though I am a Moroccan tripper and... read more I thouth I'd seen it all before.

The staff, from the tour guides, to the bus drivers, to the partners with which they collaborate are all very kind and helpful. They would do their best to accomodate travelers. I was really moved by the kindness of these people, with whom I kept in touch since then.

Last but not least, the places where we slept and the buses used for transportation were very clean and felt safe.

  I went on a 10 day tour of Morocco with Abdel. He is AMAZING! I highly recommend seeing Morocco with Abdel.
He was very knowledgeable about the culture the... read more history and the customs. He had great connections with merchants and was able to show us wonderful hand made products at even better prices. I was able to get the softest Jilaba in Morocco and a beautiful leather jacket.
Abdel took us through the Sahara on camel back to star gaze. We walked the streets and markets of Fes. We enjoyed the buzzing culture of Marrakesh. With Abdel, we were always taken care of and he made my group feel like an extension of his family!
P.S. Abdel loves food so we had the best meals and recommendations the entire trip! Bon-appetit.

  Had one of the most amazing experiences of my life. The guides from Yamina Tours were wonderful. I felt so safe and protected with these guides. They made sure that... read more all of us on this tour were well taken care of. They seemed to know the best places to go and made sure that all of us had a wonderful experience. It was nice to relax and know that they would get us to the different locations. Morocco is a truly exciting and fascinating country. The people were gracious and welcoming. I hope I get the opportunity to go back and I will use Yamina Tours and highly recommend them to everyone.

  Top item: the Riad Fes (in the city of Fes). Majestic!!
Surprise near the end: the day trip to Mogador/Essouira on the coast.

YAMINA Tours helped... read more us plan an excellent 10 day trip in Morocco this summer (July 2022)

The touring vehicle was new/clean/well air-conditioned.
More importantly, the driver/guide (Sallam) was professional, knowledgeable and ceaselessly helpful.
We ate well.
We had plenty of flexibility in the schedule.
There were ZERO mishaps.
I would strongly recommend YAMINA/Sallam (and Morocco) to you.

J. Thomas

  I am amazed by the hospitality. I didn’t have to worry about a thing and it was such a stress free trip. I had the best time with my friends... read more and Morocco is such a beautiful place to be.

  Thanks to Yamina Tours for a fantastic 15 days in Morocco! Our itinerary was ambitious - to visit all the major cities and see as much of the country... read more as possible, and Yamina worked with us to pull it off.

We were extremely fortunate to have the best Tour Manager imaginable in Mr. Sallam El Hasnaoui, who was our senior guide and driver for the entire 15 day trip. He was also our primary source of information about all things Moroccan and Berber (Amazir) history and culture. Sallam took excellent care of us and was not only able to keep us on schedule but also to squeeze in several sites on the road that were not on our original itinerary.

Yamina reserved comfortable Riads in the old cities or medinas in each place we stayed: Rabat, Tangier, Chefchaouen, Fes, Dades Valley, Marrakech and Essaouira. On the way from Fes to the Dades Valley, we also had an exciting camel ride and spent one beautiful starry night at a luxury desert camp near Merzouga that we will not soon forget. All the riads provided filling and delicious breakfasts. For most lunches and dinners, we were left to explore local restaurants, which suited us just fine.

One memorable evening, Yamina organized a cooking class in Chefchaouen for us with the lovely Fadoua who, assisted by her husband Abdessamad and their two boys, taught us a thing or two about preparing a chicken, green olive and preserved lemon tajine and Moroccan salads. We had some of the best Moroccan cuisine of the tour in Fadoua and Abdessamad's home, and were very grateful for the experience.

In most of the cities and historic sites we visited, Yamina arranged for very knowledgeable guides who provided an incredible amount of information about Moroccan history, architecture and culture. We were particularly interested in learning about the history of Morocco’s Jewish population and appreciated visiting the old Jewish quarters or mellahs in each city and some of the remaining synagogues. Standout guides were Mustapha in Tangier, Lahcen in Fes, another Mustapha in Meknes, Mohamed in Marrakech and Abdellah in Essaouira.

Our sincere thanks to all of our guides, riad teams and our friend Sallam, who so proudly showed us his Morocco, and to Abdelhafid, our tour manager here in the US, who planned the trip with us and made it happen in record time. We do not normally book tours, preferring to make our own arrangements and figure things out once in a country. However, Yamina Tours did such a wonderful job of organizing this trip and taking the burden of researching and managing it off of our shoulders that we will definitely do this again.

Thank you Yamina Tours for making this a trip we will never forget!

  I was very happy with the customer service. The tour organizers really listened to my concerns especially as an older lady with limited mobility and dietary restrictions.... read more I felt very safe even when walking around the souk. Thank you for a wonderful trip.