We booked a multi-day Morocco tour through TourRadar with Morhara Morocco Tours — and what followed was one of the most colourful, chaotic, and genuinely magical trips we've ever done. A medina that swallowed us whole, a drive through the Atlas Mountains that took our breath away (partly the scenery, partly the altitude), a women's argan oil co-op that we're still talking about, and a night in the Sahara under more stars than we knew existed. This is our honest account. In Nicola's words. 😄
Jump to
A quick jump-to for the destinations below — plus our full Marrakech city guide if you want a city-focused deep dive rather than the full trip story.
Night one — the Grand Mogador Menara
Ryanair from Dublin, about three and a half hours, and suddenly you're somewhere that feels like another planet entirely. The airport is fine — straightforward enough — but the second you step outside, Morocco hits you all at once. The heat, the colour, the noise, the smell of spices on the air. I stood there for a full minute just taking it in.
We stayed our first night at the Grand Mogador Menara — right near the medina — and it was the perfect base to land in. Beautiful tiling, a rooftop pool I immediately claimed as my personal property, and the kind of breakfast spread that makes you want to cancel the rest of the day and just stay put.
That evening we wandered towards Jemaa el-Fnaa square and I nearly had a heart attack. Snake charmers, orange juice stalls, acrobats, food smoke billowing everywhere, a hundred people trying to sell you something — it's absolutely chaotic and I absolutely loved it. My advice: just say yes to the mint tea. It's offered everywhere and it is genuinely one of the best things you'll put in your mouth. 🍵
We got slightly lost trying to find our way back through the medina. By "slightly" I mean completely. The lanes all look the same and Google Maps gives up entirely after about three turns. We eventually found our way out by following a cat. He seemed confident. It worked. 😂
💡 Nicola's top tip for Marrakech
Book a guided walking tour before you do anything else. We did ours with Ali from Get Marrakech and it completely changed how we saw the city. Without a guide, the medina will eat you alive — with one, it's the most fascinating place you'll ever walk through.
With Ali from Get Marrakech
We did Ali's walking tour the morning before our main tour began and honestly, it should be the first thing anyone does in Marrakech. Ali knows absolutely everything — the history of the medina, the souks (there's one for leather, one for spices, one for lanterns, one for everything you didn't know you needed), the tanneries that Padraig found fascinating and I found extraordinarily smelly, the hidden riads behind doors you'd never think to open.
He also showed us where to eat, what to order, and — crucially — how to haggle without embarrassing yourself. Apparently standing there with your mouth open saying "how much?!" is not a negotiating strategy. Bring cash, by the way — card machines are rare in the souks and you'll want to be buying things. Lots of things. We bought a rug. We don't regret the rug.
The other thing Ali pointed out: alcohol is very hard to find in Morocco outside of hotels. We're not big drinkers so it didn't bother us, but if you're expecting to find a pub on every corner like at home — you won't. Plan accordingly. 🍵
Disclosure: Affiliate link below — we may earn a small commission if you book.
Day 2 — picked up by our guide and heading south
Our guide picked us up from the hotel the next morning and we were off. The drive out of Marrakech takes you through the city fringes and then suddenly — mountains. Enormous ones. The High Atlas range rose up in front of us and I genuinely gasped out loud, which Padraig found very funny.
The Tizi n'Tichka pass is something else entirely. We wound our way up through hairpin bends with views dropping away on both sides — Berber villages perched impossibly on cliff faces, terraced fields carved into the hillsides, the whole landscape completely unlike anything at home. I kept thinking it looked like a film set.
Speaking of film sets — we stopped at Aït Benhaddou, the ancient ksar that was used in Gladiator, Game of Thrones, and about fifteen other things you've definitely seen. Standing there looking up at it, I kept going "wait, THIS is where they filmed THAT bit!" The whole place is UNESCO World Heritage listed and it deserves every bit of it. Genuinely jaw-dropping.
One thing nobody warned us about: the altitude. The pass sits at over 2,000 metres and if you're not used to it, you'll feel it. I had a bit of a headache for a few hours — nothing serious, but drink plenty of water, take it easy, and don't be surprised if you feel a bit wobbly. It passes. 🏔️
One of the most unexpectedly moving stops on the whole trip
I'll be honest, when our guide said we were stopping at an argan oil co-operative, I thought it was going to be a tourist trap. A little shop with overpriced products and a demo for the cameras. I was completely wrong.
The women's co-op at Aguelmouss employs local Berber women who crack the argan nuts by hand — a skill passed down through generations — and produce the oil themselves. Our guide explained what it meant for these women to have their own income, their own independence. I nearly cried, and I'm not a crier.
We watched them work, learned about the process, and then — yes, fine — I bought quite a lot of things from the shop. Face oil, cooking oil, some kind of hair treatment I'm still not sure how to use. Worth every dirham. Bring cash here too — this is exactly where you want to spend it. 🫒
The moment the whole trip was building towards
Right. I'm going to try and describe this properly, but I already know I'm going to fail, so bear with me.
We arrived at the edge of the dunes as the sun was getting low. The sand was this deep, warm orange colour and the dunes went on and on and on in every direction. We climbed onto our camels — which is a more athletic undertaking than it looks, and my camel had a very specific opinion about the pace he was willing to travel at — and set off into the desert.
The camp was a collection of Berber tents arranged around a fire pit. We had dinner there as darkness fell — tagine, obviously, which is the correct answer to every meal in Morocco as far as I'm concerned — and then the fire died down a bit and someone turned the stars on.
I have never in my life seen a sky like that. Not even close. No light pollution, no clouds, just an absolute carpet of stars from horizon to horizon. Padraig went quiet for a long time, which is how I know something has properly got to him. We sat there for about two hours just looking up. 🌌
One practical note: the Sahara gets cold at night. Like, properly cold. I was in a jumper, a jacket AND wrapped in a blanket and still a bit chilly. Don't make the mistake of packing only for the daytime heat.
The return — and final thoughts on Morocco's people
The drive back to Marrakech retraces some of the route and you see things differently on the way home — slower, more settled in yourself. We stopped for lunch at a riad restaurant in a little town I couldn't find on a map if you paid me, and had the best harira soup of the whole trip.
Something I want to say properly, because it's the thing I keep coming back to when I think about Morocco: the people are extraordinary. I don't mean that in a vague, tourist-brochure way. I mean genuinely — everywhere we went, we were welcomed. Conversations started out of nowhere. Tea was offered constantly. Our guide went out of his way, every single day, to make sure we understood not just what we were looking at, but why it mattered.
There's a warmth to Morocco that surprised us both. We arrived a bit nervous — first time in North Africa, lots of unknowns — and we left wishing we'd booked another week. That, I think, is the best review I can give any destination. 🧡
The honest bits most reviews gloss over
Card machines are scarce in the souks, markets and smaller restaurants. Get dirhams before you go or at the airport on arrival. You'll want them.
Outside of hotels, alcohol is extremely hard to find. Morocco runs on mint tea and it's excellent — but manage your expectations if you're a pint-after-dinner person.
The medinas are cobbled, uneven and relentless. Comfortable, broken-in shoes are not optional. We learned this on day two and our feet reminded us about it for a week.
Spring (March–May) is perfect — warm, not brutal. Summer temperatures can hit 45°C in Marrakech. Go in the heat of summer and you'll spend the whole trip indoors.
The Atlas Mountains pass sits above 2,000m. Headaches, dizziness and fatigue are common. Drink water, eat, take it slow. It passes but it catches people out.
Pack a warm layer specifically for the Sahara camp. It cools dramatically once the sun drops and you'll be outside for a long time staring at stars. You'll thank yourself.
The medina will absolutely swallow you. Google Maps gives up. A local guide turns the chaos into something you can actually understand and enjoy. Non-negotiable.
The first price in any souk is not the real price. Negotiating is part of the culture — enjoy it, be friendly about it, and don't take it too seriously.
We filmed the whole trip — every stage from Dublin airport to the Sahara desert camp and back. Watch them all below, grouped by destination.
Common questions
The tours we actually booked
You've now seen what the trip was actually like for us — Marrakech, the Atlas Mountains, the co-operatives, the Sahara and everything in between. If you'd like to follow a similar route, these are the two tours we personally booked and would recommend.
Disclosure: Both are affiliate links. If you book through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend tours we've actually done ourselves.
Whether you want the full multi-day experience including the Sahara, or just a brilliant few days exploring Marrakech properly — both tours are through TourRadar and both come with our genuine, personal recommendation.
Affiliate disclosure: if you book through our links, we may earn a small commission at no cost to you. We only recommend tours we have done ourselves and would happily book again.