Guarded Car Parking in center Marrakesh, next to the Koutoubia mosque 5 minutes from Djemaa el Fna Square, Morocco

This is a nice place where you can leave your car as long as you want. Prices are fixed on a big board so no surprises like in so many other places in Marrakesh. Price for full day and night is 36 Dirhams, around 3.5 Euros. This time while I’m in town, the car is staying there for almost 3 weeks now and no problem. There’s a 24hours guard looking for the cars.

Printable file: Map Marrakesh

Massage Marrakech, Relaxing Massage with Argan Oil in Marrakech Morocco

I’m already in Marrakech for a few days now and today I decided to try one of the well known massage houses. Here in Marrakech there are many massage houses and hammams, all open recently as is now seen as a profitable business where tourists both women and men like to mix both culture and well being and healthy stuff.

In Kennaria street right here in the medina there are lots of massage houses but this one has been getting my attention. Jut the other day I went there to check out the facilities, prices and the different offers they have. I got interested.

Although just a few day I had another massage in the Riad I’m staying, Riad 107 - riad marrakech, where I payed 150DH ( +- 15EUROS ), today I offered myself a one hour relax massage 380DH ( +- 38EUROS ). This very nice massage made with argan oil which hydrates the skin very well. Argania Spinosa is extracted from the fruits in the southwest of Morocco, and it’s unique in the world, only exists here in the calcareous semi-desertic regions near Agadir.

So there I was ready to be relaxed and it worked. I enjoyed it a lot and this amazing beautiful “mulata” girl knew what she was doing. I got foot massage, leg massage, belly massage, back massage, shoulders massage and neck massage. Also a bit in the head and face which felt really great as I spend too much time reading in front of the pc this was great. I think that in a few day I’ll try the Thai massage or the Duo massage with 2 girls at the same time.

Rêves des Sens
Un voyage multisensorielle - Massage Solo ou Duo - Hamam et Massage
Rêves des sens, 146 Rue Kenaria “medina”
Telefone: 00212.1209.5915
contact@revesdesens.com
www.revesdessens.com

4×4 Morocco Travel: Atlas and Sahara Desert 4 days Tour

As I moved to Morocco recently and due to work reasons I now have to explore the country a lot, and, be with my clients to make photos and new itineraries around the country in their 4wd.

My last trip was 4 days with ” Marrakech Expedition 4×4” from my friend Ali whom along with his brother started this transport agency specialized in the southern part of Morocco. We went away for 4 days where I had the opportunity to talk, discuss and interact with them while traveling in their tour, and more or less the trip goes like this:

Atlas and Sahara Desert 4 days Tour.:

Day 1: Marrakech - Telouet – Ouarzazate = 200 Km total with 32 Km off-road
Day 2: Ouarzazate - Skoura Oasis - Kelaa Mgouna - Boumalne - Todra Gorges - Tinjdad -Touroug - Erfoud – Merzouga = 350 Km Total with 35 off-road
Day 3: Merzouga - Rissani - Alnif - Tazarine - Nkob - Draa Valley - Zagora = 360 Km Total with 90 Km off-road
Day 4: Zagora - Ouarzazate - Marrakesh = 350 Km Total

Everyday you mixed a bit of off-road as we were driving a nice 4wd Toyota Land Cruiser, and we pass from the big city of Marrakech to the other side of the Atlas Mountains arriving in Ouarzazate. Next day we went to Oasis Skoura to enjoy the nice palm groves and small little oasis in the middle of the palm trees. Omar was quite a friend as we left Ali in his office in Ouarzazate. Now both of us continued the trip south to Merzouga but passing the most beautiful canyons in Morocco: Gorges du Todra. We got to the desert to enjoy the Sun Set in the dunes. We made a lot of photos and are now sleeping in this nice hotel in the dunes of Erg Chebbi. There’s a chance to choose from sleeping on the hotel and take a camel trekking excursion into the dunes and overnight in a traditional nomad tend. The next day we headed to Zagora making the ancient Sahara track between Merzouga and Zagora. This is an extreme travel as the landscapes are pure and untouched, the real thing is here, this is the Sahara. We got to Zagora by the end of the afternoon. And that was it we now drove from Zagora all the way in the Draa Valley lunching in Ouarzazate with Ali who came to join us in a small nice restaurant near his office. We got to Marrakech around 6pm. Nice trip.

On this picture above, we stopped in Gorges du Todra to have a small snack and there were some donkeys in the river. Very nice place.If by chance you want to travel to Morocco and try this tour out please check their website at: 4×4 Morocco

Berber Village of Imilchil, High Atlas Morocco

This is a small Berber Amazigh village in the middle of the High-Atlas Mountains center of Morocco. This village is located 2119m altitude and helds an annual marriage festival in mid September. Imilchil has great attractions nearby, the great lakes Isli and Tislit. Imilchil continues the road to Gorges du Todra, thru the mountains passing Agoudal, Toumliline, Tizi-Tirherhouzine Pass at 2700m, Ait Hani and Tamtettoucht.

Imilchil is surrounded by fascinating mountains, potato and wheat plantations. Food, at its best due to the organic produce planted all around the village.

More Photos and Information about Imilchil here:

Photos Imilchil

Imilchil

Hotel Imilchil

Photos Atlas Mountains

High Atlas Morocco

Village Morocco

Imilchil Morocco

Hotel Atlas Morocco

Photos Imilchil

Border Mauritania - Senegal, Rosso, Corrupt Police, Visas and Passports

This is well known to be the worst place to enter Senegal. From all border passages, the border here in Rosso is quite messy and full of corrupt police officers in both sides, Mauritania and Senegal.

Coming from Mauritanian Rosso, you have to make all your documents signed from the head chief police, and remember not to give your passport to the wrong guy, it can just disappear. give your passport when 2 people police men are with you, follow them even if they say you can’t pass, this way you can always follow them and when someone blocks your entry say loudly they have your passports to stamp! this way everyone will know reducing the probabilities of getting your passport robbed and being ripped of for it to appear again.

At Least Do This: after Mauritanian formalities you have to get a boat to Senegalese Rosso which will cost you 1500UM for a vehicle and plus 500UM for each passenger.

On the Senegalese side things get worst eve. If you heard people talking about corrupt police force but never saw them in action, here is the perfect place to meet them face to face. open your eyes and open your hears baby, cos you’re going to give money away…

for entrance policeman that stamps your passport will ask you for money…doesn’t exists in other entrances to Senegal like in Diamba or south in the Gambian border.

Police will tell you how the customs are closed and you have to stay there 2 days without passing unless you give double to costume staff. Don’t give your passport away to the men that are in the border telling you they will take care f everything for you just for an exchange of money, you can do it by yourself.
Alternative: IF YOU COME WITH A VEHICLE OLDER THAN 4 YEARS YOU WILL NOT PASS INTO SENEGAL! you need carnet de passage…

For more information on Mauritania:

http://mauritaniatraveldiaries.wordpress.com

Medina District street restaurants, Dakar Restaurants Avenue Faidherbe, West Africa, Senegal

Medina District street restaurants, Dakar Restaurants Avenue Faidherbe, West Africa, Senegal

Restaurant Name: Medina street restaurants-Dakar

You can eat on these street tables near the Medina district. This is located after the Avenue Faidherbe.
At lunch time this seems to be full of people as it should be a fast and cheap way of eating almost home made food.

Favorite Dish: You can easily and fast eat sandwiches with salad inside, you can eat rice, corn, and some meat that I didn’t eat.

hum… as you can notice this is a very nice luxury restaurant, the type of restaurants you can go back to your hotel and head directly to the toilet. I don’t really thing this is a clean place, actually maybe 100% to get sick. Somehow I didn’t. Lucky me. The sandwiches were tasty anyway…

This is full of Senegalese people as it’s a cheap and fast way of eating. It’s strategic position gets people that come from the northern part to the city center on foot. hey have to pass here while going to the center.

Auberge de Charme - Ksar Sania - Merzouga - Morocco

Françoise, your host, welcomes you to pass unbelievable holidays on her «Auberge de Charme.»Auberge de Charme - Ksar Sania» is a special Auberge located right in front of the big dune of Erg Chebbi that provides fine service with superb quality accommodations right in the dunes of Merzouga.

This Hotel settles in a little Oasis on the bottom of the big dune of Merzouga, the Grand Erg – The Erg Chebbi- Sahara. The big dune of Merzouga rises up to 150m high and it shares with visitor’s excellent energy and amazing sceneries
The French management of Françoise, created in Ksar Sania an unbelievable Auberge where an excellent “décor de bon goût” and fine quality accommodations gets comfort in Sahara to its best. Its neo-traditional decoration and chosen background music indeed makes a different ambiance from what the Sahara is use to. «Charme» and Sahara all together.

Rates:

Rooms+AC
Single 500DHS
Double 350DHS p/person
Triple 305DHS p/person
Luxury Room 2 people 400DHS p/person
Suite (room+salon) 2 people 450DHS p/person

Standard rooms
Single 400DHS p/person
Double 300DHS p/person
Triple 270DHS p/person
Family room (4 people) 250DHS p/person*

Half-board accommodation in Nomad Tent: 175DHS p/person
Bivouac: Excursion with camel, diner, sleep and breakfast: 300DHS p/person
Camel circuit: 50DHS p/hour
QUAD or VTT renting: price depending of the duration
4×4 renting: 1000DHS for vehicle p/day

www.merzougahotels.com/auberge-de-charme-ksar-sania-merzouga.html

www.ksarsaniahotelmerzouga.com