Cost Breakdown ($1,120.00)
- $925.00 excursion cost
- $50.00 round trip train ticket to Madrid
- $80.00 converted to 1000.00 durhams for shopping
- $30.00 airport food, bus stop snacks, and water
- $35.00 culture appropriate clothing (covering legs, chest, and arms)
Packing I packed everything in my REI backpack! For our days in Fes and Meknes, we were instructed to wear conservative clothing. In the desert, we were advised to cover up from the sun but we did not need to be as conservative.
- 1 pair of linens pants (I wish I would have brought 2-3)
- 1 black dress with a slit (I probably wouldn’t bring this again)
- 2 button up tops
- 1 pair of pajamas
- 1 pair of sweatpants
- 1 sweatshirt
- 1 tank top
- 1 swimsuit
- Tennis shoes
- Teva sandals
- Flip flops
- Toothbrush + toothpaste
- Toilet paper (this is a must, the desert campsite ran out and some bus stop restrooms don’t have any)
- Wet wipes (2 days in the desert, sweating without a shower)
- Small towel (used this to clean my face in the desert)
- Sun screen (the desert sun will cook you)
- Deodorant
- Face wash
- Chapstick (the desert is DRY)
- Portable charger (buy a good one, this is a must!)
Tips
- Personally, I would have converted more euros to dirhams because I didn’t realize we were responsible for buying our own water. If I were to go again today, I would bring 70 euros for shopping and 30-40 for water, drinks, and snacks. So in total, I would convert at a minimum of 100 euros.
- Do NOT use your card when shopping, you will spend too much money and it becomes easier to be confused on whether they are asking for 300 dirhams or 300 euros. Use your card for only food and water purchases!
- Make sure to cover up with lightweight clothing in the desert. The Saharan sun is way different from your hometown sun. It will COOK you. So cover up and wear sunscreen, follow the locals lead when it comes to sun protection, they for sure know best.
Journal
10.07.22 Valencia to Fez!
E and I took a train out of Valencia at 7:10am, arriving in Madrid around 9:30am. We had around an hour before needing to meet with the ISA group at the airport so we headed out to grab breakfast and coffee. I ordered a tostada con tomates. It was so good and definitely settled my nerves about traveling.
At the Madrid airport, our supervisor handed us Moroccan entry documents and our boarding passes. Then, it was time for check-in, security, passport check, and finding our gate. On the way to our gate, we stopped at starbucks to get pumpkin spice lattes. ISA Valencia had 12 students on this excursion and we were all able to spend time together and bond! The flight from Madrid to Tangiers was super short and a lovely nap.
Immediately upon arrival our passports were stamped and we boarded a bus to Fez. The bus ride was 5-6 hours. Everyone was exhausted from having traveled all day, so we all slept on the bus. Luckily the seats weren’t super uncomfortable and we all got to sit next to our favorite bus ride buddies!
Once in Fez, we were given our hotel keys to throw our stuff in the rooms and then return downstairs for a buffet dinner. We stayed at Menzeh Zalagh, it was a lovely 4 star hotel! The dinner was yummy, everyone loved the pasta so it seemed like the hotel had to constantly refill it! This was where we realized we were responsible for purchasing water, luckily we had been given our dirhams five minutes early but the hotel didn’t have enough change for everyone to break the big bills so I ended up paying for the water. Everyone was exhausted from traveling but we were still able to socialize with other ISA groups from different cities, before heading off to bed.
10.08.22 Exploring Fez!
Today was an all day tour of the Medina of Fez, so we started off with an early buffet breakfast. The fruit was super fresh and the eggs were good! Then we hopped on a bus to take us to the Medina, with our first stop being at a rug shop. The women who create these rugs spend years on them, so they were beautiful to look at. The men working there, though, were extremely forceful to all the girls in our group trying to convince us to spend hundreds to thousands on rugs. I think ISA should have warned us about how forceful these men are with women but I also think that we shouldn’t have been taken somewhere that was so expensive without being told these rug prices were NOT in dirhams.
Next we headed to a leather shop attached to a tannery. It was super cool to see the process but once again the men trying to sell the leather products wouldn’t take no for an answer and were following the girls around constantly. A warning about the culture and prices from ISA would have been nice. We also went to a jewelry store and a fabric shop with a loom. Both were very beautiful and interesting to see. I ended up purchasing a bracelet (15 euros) and a scarf (15 euros) to cover my head in the desert.
For lunch, which was included in the program cost, we stopped at a restaurant in Medina that served authentic Moroccan food. It was delicious and we all ate until we could barely move. Immediately following lunch, we went to a spice and herb shop. They sold medicinal spices, saffron, lotion, scrubs, sprays, and soaps. Once everyone finished with their purchases, we got back on the bus. We went to a ceramic making and decorating shop, we were able to observe the entire process from mud to clay to spinning to glazing to decorating to selling.
We finally returned to the hotel after a very long and somewhat stressful day. Immediately, a bunch of people ran to the pool and hopped in. It was fun to swim around but we all needed to shower one last time before heading into the desert, so it was a short little swim. Once everyone was all clean, we headed down for the hotel dinner buffet and it hit the spot since we were all exhausted. This night was when we all stocked up on water for the desert. I bought 3 (1.5 L) water bottles for two nights in the desert, and ran out before the second night….
10.09.22 Fez to Sahara Desert (Merzouga)
We woke up super early for breakfast and boarded the buses to take us on the 7-8 hour drive to the Saharan Desert. Everyone either slept or listened to music during the bus ride. It wasn’t a crazy drive, but our group was all able to sit together and talk a little. We stopped for lunch near the Ziz Oasis, it was a delicious traditional Moroccan buffet. It was an amazing little bus break and lunch time. Immediately following our meal, we hopped right back on the buses to finish our trip to Erfoud.
Upon our arrival in Erfoud, all 150 ISA students hopped into SUVs to watch the sunset over the desert and then head to our camp in the desert. Sunset was beautiful but extremely quick. Once it was gone, it was gone. We all hopped back in the 4×4 SUVs and drove to camp. Dinner was delicious, especially for being cooked in the middle of the desert. After dinner, it was dance party time. We had a live band playing music for us and then one of our friends played guitar so we all danced and laughed the night away.
Sleeping in the tents wasn’t horrible, they are actually comfortable. BUT, you will be coated in sand after two nights and days in the desert. During the night I was too scared to pee and other people around me were so we all tossed and turned for at least 3 hours. The funniest part was that as soon as the first person got up and came back, we all got up and went to the bathroom shack.
10.10.22 Camel Day!
Our group woke up early to watch the sunrise and then all eat breakfast together. For breakfast there was a form of Moroccan pancakes(?). They were delicious with honey and strawberry jam. The coffee at camp was also amazing, I think everyone has three cups before getting on the camels!
We started seeing the camels arrive so we all went over to take pictures and pet the camels. Some were not super happy to be there, but the camel I picked out to ride was just like one of my dogs back home. Acts stoich and disinterested but fully expects all the pets. I named my camel, Monsieur Glen. I loved him with my whole heart. We rode to a huge dune and hopped off to climb the dune in order to take in the views of the Sahara Desert. After resting for a bit, we headed to a town to walk through it prior to returning to camp. We walked 2 miles through this town and the desert before arriving at the lunch tent. Lunch was good, but the nap after was even better.
After lunch, the group split in half, with some going on an extra cost tour and others staying at camp to nap and then go explore the desert. I chose to remain in order to rest and then hike around the desert. Our group went out to find a big dune and then some sand boraded while the rest of us sat and watched.
We returned back to camp for dinner and then immediately headed back out to the dunes to watch the stars and all spend time together. Then it was time for bed because we had another early morning with a long two travel days ahead of us.
10.11.22 Sahara to Meknes
Breakfast was the same as yesterday but still so delicious. Then we all loaded up in the 4x4s to meet up with our buses to start our trek to Meknes. This bus ride was about 6 hours, I think. Halfway through, we stopped for lunch at a hotel. This lunch was not included and cost 11 euros for a buffet and one drink. It was a nice little refresh before hopping back on the bus in the rain. It had rained so much during our lunch that there was a mudslide crossing the road so we had to stop for 10 minutes to wait for it to calm down so we could pass. It was crazy fast.
The rest of the day was spent on the bus, arriving at the hotel, and everyone showering the gallons of sand stuck to our bodies. The shower was amazing and made everyone immediately smell 80 times better. We had a 3 course meal at the hotel, I could only eat two of the courses because desert was a cheesecake looking thing. After dinner, we all headed up to our friends’ room to celebrate the birthday of another friend. We all went to sleep at 2:00am before waking up again at 4:30am to go eat breakfast and board the bus for Tangiers.
10.12.22 Meknes to Valencia
The group flying from Tangiers to Madrid had to wake up at 4:30am for breakfast 4:45am followed by our 5:00am bus departure. Of course everyone slept during our bus ride, no idea how long it was, I slept through it so hard. The airport and flight were uneventful. However, E and I were the only ones who did not buy the 7:00pm return ticket, instead we ate dinner and rested in the train station until 9:00pm. We finally got home at 11:45pm and immediately passed out.
Final Thoughts : This trip was amazing, truly once in a lifetime. There were things ISA could have done better on or advised us properly. I don’t know the detailed cost breakdown, so I am unsure if it was worth its full cost. BUT, this was once in a lifetime and I do not regret going one bit.
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