Outstanding FAM Trip

As a travel agent, I had the opportunity to participate with other agents for an amazing expedition to Morocco to experience the destination for myself. I feel like I have an overall better understanding of the unique characteristics, activities, cuisine, and accommodations of having visited the exciting country of Morocco. Let me share some of those experiences that I was fortunate to participate in under the leadership and expertise of Bren Mientka, the owner of Cherg Expeditions. I arrived a day ahead of the group and stayed an extra pre-night stay at the beautiful Le Casablanca Hotel. She recommended having a Hammam Spa experience, which I did at the beautiful Spa at the hotel. For 3 hours I was pampered with this unique Moroccan spa treatment. On day two I met my fellow travelers, along with our incredibly knowledgeable tour guide, Abdel who accompanied us on our daily journey, and away we went on our great adventure. In Rabat we visited a royal fort surrounded by formal Andalusian gardens overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, followed by the Roman ruins of Voulibilis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Our first accommodation at the exquisite Palais Amani awaited our arrival. The next day we traveled to Fes and wandered around one of the largest preserved medieval sites and lively souks in the world, Fez El Bali. We also visited a traditional Moroccan tile (jelliz) factory as well as the city’s distinctive and colorful tanneries. After a relaxing rest in our riad that evening, we wondered what our next day’s adventures would be. This full day was one of my favorites! First a visit to Er Rachidia for a couscous presentation, the staple of Moroccan cuisine, followed by local music and traditional couscous lunch. We continued to Merzouga where we met our cameleers who guided us with a camel caravan and escorted us to to our Orient Luxury Desert Camp for the evening. Mid-way we got off our camel, which I named Lulu, and watched the sunset descend for another day over the Saharan desert. An elegant dinner was served to us in a tent followed by traditional Saharan music around the campsite. The next morning, the sunrise over the Saharan dunes was truly mesmerizing. Our landscape changed to the lush palm oasis on our way to visit the Jewish quarter of Tinghir. Marrakech was our next exciting city to explore after visiting the stunning Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah, another UNESCO World Heritage site. Thank goodness we had our outstanding tour guide, Abdel, to keep us from getting lost within the many merchant stands and food stalls within the wandering streets. Many treasures awaited our purchases. In Djemma el Fna, an open incredible world of native theater: cobras dancing to flutes, fortune tellers, musicians, story tellers intertwined us in a unique Moroccan experience. The next morning we traveled to the Atlantic seaside village of Essaouira, with a stop along the way to visit an Argan Oil factory, observing the goats skillfully pruning the Argan trees perched in the branches. During our last day in Casablanca, we visited the Hassan II Mosque, the second largest Mosque in the world and one of the few mosques open to non-Muslims.

With many incredible memories etched in my mind, it was with regret that I boarded my international flight the final day of my Moroccan adventure. I truly feel like I have an overall better understanding of the amazing exotic destination of Morocco, warm and welcoming people, and can confidentially recommend Bren to my future clients. After seeing Bren aiming for perfection along the way, aiming to please at every aspect of the tour, I’m confident that she would take great care of my clients. She also provided us with a culinary extravaganza to appreciate the cuisine of the country, varied with choices that appealed to our palate! The accommodations were all unique each evening, from fine hotels, the luxury tent camp, to remote accommodations, each an adventure.

Morocco definitely needs to be added to the “Bucket list” of worldwide destinations.