Traveling to a foreign country can be exciting yet intimidating, especially with a country like Morocco. Morocco has many areas located off the main roads that can easily turn visitors around. There are also various cities, with their old medinas, tourist shops and less than savory sections.
An online guide or travel guidebook from can certainly help you plan your trip to Morocco, however, you may want to hire a guide in Morocco to have a more authentic experience beyond the pages of a book. Hiring a guide requires you to trust the person that will be leading you through the country, and that can be a bit nerve racking for some people, especially considering how much money it may cost you to take your trip in the first place. The tips below are meant to help you hire the best guide for your Morocco tour so that you can travel without any stress.
• It is best to have your guide already lined up before your trip. This way you know you've secured a guide and you've had enough time to research reviews and background information before you arrive in Morocco.
• The best option is to search for a tour company. A tour company with a reputation and track record of being trustworthy is better than hiring an anonymous guide on the street. A tour company will set up your entire itinerary or at least the part you feel you need the tour guide for. In other words, if you want to trek the High Atlas Mountains, a tour company will create your trip and have a guide at the ready to leave Marrakesh.
• If you want to wait to hire a tour guide until you arrive in Morocco or find you need one once you arrive, seek out either the city tourist center or your hotel's front desk. Many of the upscale hotels in Moroccan cities offer tour desks that will call a tour company for you or refer you to a person they trust.
• If you do not speak the local language, Arabic, Berber or French ask the tour company to provide you with someone with whom you can communicate. This is another reason that tour companies will work best rather than finding a person by other means.
• Keep in mind that a hired tour guide does not have to be just for trekking in the High Atlas Mountains or other out-of-the-way locations. You can hire a tour guide for in-city tours of historical places and the medinas. You may even want to think about taking a tour of the Imperial cities with a group, which will allow you to see more than one area of Morocco.
When you hire a tour guide consider where you want to go and what places you want to see. You'll need to make sure the tour company you hire will go to these places, whether it through a package tour or day trip option. The best experience you can have with a hired tour guide is the tour that takes you places of interest for you. Your tour guide will also provide you with the necessary tour equipment such as camping gear, should you need it.
Sam Mitchell is a freelance writer for Journey Beyond Travel, a tour company in Morocco that specializes in Morocco trekking excursions and other cultural itineraries. For more information on planning your Morocco holiday, visit Journey Beyond Travel's Morocco travel guide.
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