Morocco 2007

Postscript

As we were staying on in Morocco, I can't really report on the return to Ceuta and the ferry crossing back to Spain. We did hear later that things did not go particularly smoothly, some people, it seems, felt that it was done in too much of a rush. Also the ferry crossing was a rough one, apparently some vehicles were not properly secured and one or two motorhomes were damaged.

So what did we think of the Tour?

Ray, Hassan, and the truck

Ray would be the first to agree that he is not, and does not want to be, a slick, professional tour manager, indeed this type of tour does not lend itself to that type of operation, however it has to be said that his laid back approach did not suit everyone. Ray decides the tour route, the daily breaks and the overnight stops and apart from that there are no 'laid on' activities, with a few exceptions such as at Erg Chebbi. Of course Ray is on hand at all times and will help with any requests that tour members may have, to organise visits etc. Personally, we were very happy with the arrangements and got on well with Ray and Hassan. There is no doubt that they are both very experienced, knowledgeable and competent, and I know that Ray dealt with crises in the background without the rest of the tour members being aware of what was going on.

Having been motohoming for around 30 years we were a bit apprehensive about joining an organised tour, we have always 'done our own thing', and travelling in convoy did not really appeal. However the package on offer in fact turned out to suit us very well, and certainly introduced us to places that we probably wouldn't have visited on our own. The convoy system takes a bit of getting used to, but actually works reasonably well, on many routes we were strung out over several miles, only joining up where necessary such as navigating through towns or cities.

We had a great time touring with Desert Detours, had a lot of fun, made some good friends, and went to some wonderful places. I hope this account has given you an insight into what Ray offers. It's certainly possible to travel Morocco independently, we did so for another 6 weeks after leaving the tour, but for anyone nervous about visiting Morocco for the first time, Desert Detours provides a good introduction to the country, with the reassurance that if anything does go wrong you have the backup of a very experienced team that has been operating for 27 years.

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