This guide shares everything you need to know about booking a private tour in Morocco and a review of the locally-owned operator, Morocco Countryside Tours.
One aspect to consider when planning a trip to Morocco is booking an organized private tour. As a nation that predominantly speaks Arabic, having a local guide can help with language barriers.
Not only that, but a knowledgeable guide can offer cultural insight, authentic travel tips, and more. And with a private tour, you’re free from having to stress about making plans and coordinating transportation, one of our biggest reasons for going the tour route.
If you’re trying to decide whether or not booking a private Morocco tour is right for you, here’s a rundown of everything you should know, a summary of the best private Morocco tour companies, and my review of our experience with Morocco Countryside Tours.
»Read more: 25 Need to Know Travel Tips for Morocco
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6 Best Private Morocco Tour Companies
1. Morocco Countryside Tours
Morocco Countryside Tours is a locally owned tour company offering flexible and customizable itineraries that cater to your desires. The company will pick you up at any airport and take you to where you wish to go, pending availability. We traveled with Morocco Countryside and enjoyed it (review below).
2. Intrepid
Intrepid is a big name in the tour game and is a trustworthy company for those who prioritize experience and an established brand. Intrepid offers set tours to Morocco as well as private, customizable tours for those who want the private experience.
3. Authentic Morocco
Authentic Morocco offers private, luxury tours that are customized by what you want and desire. They have great reviews on TripAdvisor and are priced around $180-$400+ per day depending on your wants. They offer more of a boutique, bespoke experience.
4. Nomadic Tours
Nomadic Tours offers a variety of set Morocco itineraries at very affordable rates, with more extended tours like their 12-day coming around $1,000. Nomadic Tours offers the option to buy into organized group tours at discounted rates or book a private group with just you and your loved ones.
5. Solo Female Traveler Network
The Solo Female Travelers Network is a women-only tour group that is great for solo travelers seeking a chance to meet other like-minded folks and explore Morocco. It’s not wholly private, but is a small group specifically designed for solo travelers who may not be up for a private tour on their own.
6. Positively Morocco
I wanted to shout out another Morocco private tour that is often recommended in a Facebook group that I’m apart of for U.S. military families living in Germany, which is Positively Morocco! Positively is another small, locally-owned tour operator that offers private itineraries around the country at affordable rates.
»Read more: 20 Best Souvenirs from Morocco You’ll Love
Morocco Package Tours Pros and Cons
Before you book an organized tour, there are some general pros and cons to consider. Not every point applies to every company but it is worth considering as a possibility when choosing the best for you.
Morocco Organized Tour Pros
- No need to spend the time to research, plan, and make bookings
- Choose from already-established Morocco itineraries and feel at ease that someone with experience will take you to the top destinations.
- Meet others or enjoy a private experience with your own group.
- No need to worry about driving and worrying about transport around Morocco
- Enjoy the presence of an experienced tour guide to help you navigate cultural differences.
Morocco Organized Tours Cons
- Private tours are undoubtedly an additional expense.
- You may need to travel on a designated schedule that may not be possible to change while on the ground.
- Some tours operate on set, inflexible dates.
- Not all tour operators are private, which means you may be stuck traveling with people you don’t like
- Sometimes, you’re at the mercy of your tour guide, taking you to certain restaurants and places you may not otherwise choose for yourself.
Private Morocco Tour Cost
A private tour in Morocco can range from $30-$100 for a day trip to $500-$900+ for a week.
For something longer, like an 11 day Morocco tour, tours can range from $1,000 to $6,000 depending on what’s included, accommodation preferences, private vs group, etc.
The higher prices are only worth it for an all-inclusive experience or if you prefer boutique touches.
But know that, as a whole, Morocco is largely quite affordable, so anything more than $2,000 is likely overpriced unless it checks all the boxes of things important to you.
»Read more: Best Long Haul Flight Essentials For Your Carry On
Overview of Morocco Countryside Tours
Who is Morocco Countryside Tours?
Morocco Countryside Tours is a family-owned and operated local business. The company is small and has six different-sized cars and vans to accommodate various private group sizes.
Some groups may have both a driver and a guide, but we had a guide that also drove us.
You can see more on their website, Facebook and Instagram.
What Their Tour Package Included
- WiFi in the car
- All transfers, including to and from the airport
- Private driver and guides
- Accommodations
- Some planned activities like a camel ride, sand boarding, and walking tours
- Breakfast at the hotel every day
- A handful of other meals included
- Choice of standard hotels (2-3 star) or upgraded hotels (3-4 star) for an additional fee
What Their Package Didn’t Include
- Entrance fees to local attractions
- Most meals outside of dinner & drinks
- Tips for hotel staff and guides
- Flights
Morocco Countryside Tours Reviews
TripAdvisor is an excellent place to read up on the reviews of others regarding Morocco Countryside Tours.
Here are two reviews from others on TripAdvisor, one positive and one negative.
Positive Review of Morocco Countryside Tours
Critical Review of Morocco Countryside Tours
My Morocco Countryside Tours Review
Our Morocco Tour Itinerary
Our tour with Morocco Countryside Tours was 12 days, including two travel days, so it was really ten full days of travel.
Our tour was an ultimate loop hitting some of Morocco’s major destinations.
It included Tangier, Chefchaouen, Volubilis, Fes, Erg Chebbi Sahara Desert, Todra Gorge, Dades Valley, Aït Benhaddou, and Marrakech.
We originally had a planned stop in Essaouira but decided to skip it for more free time in Marrakech because we’d spent so much time in the car already at that point.
Other major Morocco destinations we skipped (because of time) included Casablanca, Rabat, and Ouzoud Waterfalls.
»Read more: The Ultimate 10 Day Morocco Itinerary
Morocco Countryside Tours Pricing
To give you an idea of the cost as well as what accommodations to expect, here’s what we were quoted throughout our planning process.
A note: We changed plans a bit before settling on our final itinerary, so the prices reflect two slightly different tour offerings (one for 9 nights with 5 people, the other for 10 nights with 4 people).
9 nights, 5 people, standard hotels: €800 per person
- 1 night at Riad Dar Assilah in Chefchaouen
- 2 nights at Hotel Riad Ahlam in Fes
- 2 nights at the desert camp, where you will have a private tent with an ensuite bathroom in Erg Chebbi
- 1 night at Hotel Ksar Sultan in Dades Valley
- 3 nights at Riad Maialou in Marrakech
10 nights, 4 people, upgraded hotels: €1,200 per person
- 2 nights at Dar Echchaouen Maison d’hôtes & Riad in Chefchaouen
- 2 nights at Ryad Mabrouka in Fes
- 2 nights at the desert camp, where you will have a private tent with an ensuite bathroom in Erg Chebbi
- 1 night at Hotel Xaluca Dades in Dades valley
- 3 nights at Riad Les Remparts De La Kasbah (originally quoted Riad Nesma Suites and Spa but sold out) in Marrakech
- 3 nights at Riad Les Remparts De La Kasbah (originally quoted Riad Nesma suites and Spa but sold out) in Marrakech
Morocco Countryside tours offers discounted pricing for every person added to the group itinerary.
Also: We added at the last minute an additional night in Tangier, about 2.5 weeks before we were set to arrive, which Morocco Countryside accepted and accommodated gracefully.
They booked us a 1 night stay at Marina Bay Hotel in Tangier, which added $70 per person.
Tour Payment
We could pay in person once we arrived with cash in euros, dollars, or Moroccan dirhams. We could also pay the total amount via PayPal or credit card with a 5% processing fee.
Tour Deposit, Terms, and Cancellation Policy
Our deposit was $50 per person to secure our dates, which we paid via PayPal.
Morocco Countryside has a favorable cancellation policy, allowing cancellation up to 14 days before the first day of the trip. Those who cancel before that time receive their deposit back, and those who don’t don’t.
Tour Guide Tipping Etiquette in Morocco
We tipped a few dollars each for our daily guides who were with us for only a few hours, or usually $5 (50 MAD) per couple.
At the end of our private 11-day tour with our driver and guide, we tipped about 10% of the entire cost of our trip, or about $10 per day per person, which is considered generous. Although our guide was also our driver, I felt it was fair.
Most folks and tour companies online recommend a range of $3-$5 per day per person, or 30–50 dirhams. You can read more about tipping Morocco here.
What I Liked About Morocco Countryside Tours
Here are the things I liked and appreciated about Morocco Countryside Tours.
Fully Customizable + Freedom to Change Plans on the Fly
Compared to bigger companies that offer organized Morocco Package Tours, the tours at Morocco Countryside were fully customizable because it was just us (my partner and another couple) and not us joining a larger group.
Having the best of both worlds, someone else doing the bulk of the planning, and us having some say was clutch.
Could Choose Our Dates + Fully Private Tour
Morocco Countryside Tours offers fully private tours, so you won’t have to deal with potentially annoying strangers. A private group also means that with flexible things, you don’t have to contend with unwanted opinions.
As a private tour, we were free to choose our specific dates. However, I recommend booking well in advance to secure your dates, as it depends on availability.
We began communicating with Morocco Countryside in February, finalizing most details in March for a trip that started at the end of August through Labor Day weekend.
Knowledgeable and Kind Local Driver/Guide
Since the company is locally owned and operated, the guides and drivers are also locals! Having a Moroccan guide allowed us to gain deeper insight into the country’s culture and current events.
It didn’t hurt that our guide, Muhammad, was super fun! He made our trip enjoyable and extra special, bringing us home for tea at his parent’s home and joining us for a relaxing swim in the desert.
Support a Local Company and Local Guides
Unlike big names like Intrepid or TBA Escapes, booking with Morocco Countryside Tours meant supporting local Moroccans, which was a big pro for me.
Nice Accommodations
Morocco Countryside did a great job choosing our accommodations. We decided to go for the upgraded hotels and luxury desert camp, which added €200 per person for our 11 day trip.
What I Didn’t Like About Morocco Countryside Tours
Here are some key things I didn’t like about our tour.
Long Walking Tours
One thing I didn’t realize was part of our itinerary was long walking tours in every big city we visited. As much as these can be a nice way to get to know the city, it would’ve been nice to have the walking tour be 1-1.5 hours max, not 4+ hours, and then the rest of the time to explore the city on our own.
We didn’t realize that our entire “free” day in Fes for example, would be dominated by having to follow along a local tour guide who then made us stop and eat at his friend’s establishments and preferred landmarks.
If you want that guided experience or are nervous about exploring the cities alone, you may appreciate this.
However if you’re like me and enjoy being on your own, this is something worth discussing with them before booking.
Crammed Car
When planning our trip with Morocco Countryside Tours, it had been communicated that we would explore the county in a van. To be fair, that was when we were initially planning to be a group of five, which then dropped to four.
However, we road-tripped the entire country in an SUV with three adults side-by-side in the back seat. It wasn’t the most comfortable experience, especially with the expectation of a more spacious van. If that expectation had been set up front, I think we would’ve been more receptive.
Restaurants
Another con was the lack of say in restaurant choice. I understand there aren’t many choices for where to stop and eat when driving through rural areas.
But, in cities like Fes and Marrakech, I would’ve appreciated more freedom in choosing the restaurant to eat at versus being sat by the guide and told where we were having lunch.
If you care about where you’re eating while traveling, I recommend speaking up and coming prepared with some desired places and communicating that with local guides. That’s something I wish I had done.
Do I recommend Morocco Countryside Tours?
Overall, I really liked our experience with Morocco Countryside Tours. Besides the cons I listed above, we absolutely loved our tour guide, Muhammad, and his dedication to making us feel comfortable and have fun.
The company did a great job choosing accommodations for us, and the itinerary was everything we wanted (long walking tours and drives, which were unavoidable, aside).
You also can’t beat the price point for what you get, the private aspect, and the fact that it’s a local, family-owned company we supported.