The joy of visiting Marrakech is finding yourself somewhere truly exotic. The hustle and bustle of the medina is uncompromising. Dodging donkeys and mopeds while trying to find your way to the next beautiful palace is all part of the fun. Eating kebabs on the Djemma el Fnaa while watching snake charmers and story tellers entertain, is a real “if only they could see me now” experience. But sometimes the quiet haven of a luxury Riad is not quite enough to relax you after several days of sightseeing. So if you find yourself looking for a little peace to recharge your batteries, we recommend a sojourn to the coast, mountains or desert.

Essaouira
Essaouira is a small port on the Atlantic coast, just a two hour drive from Marrakech, but a world away from the hubbub. It’s walled medina offers lovely shopping, spice markets and antiques, in a tranquil setting. There are wonderful Riads to stay in, and excellent restaurants to enjoy. The seafood along the harbour is particularly delicious. French expats have been coming here for decades, and many have second homes here. You can take yoga classes, stroll down the old ramparts, and enjoy some traditional music in the evenings. Our favorite places to stay include the delectable and luxurious palace L’Heure Bleue, and the chic intimate Riad Madada Mogador

The Atlas Mountains
You can see the majestic Atlas Mountains from the rooftops of Marrakech, they’re just a few hours drive from the city and a world away in terms of peace and tranquility. You can hike every day of the year, and explore Berber villages tucked away in beautiful valleys. If you enjoy trekking, Djebel Toubkal, North Africa’s highest peak is in reach, as well as a dozen other peaks. If you just like to rest and breathe some clear mountain air while enjoying traditional Berber hospitality, a few nights at either Kasbah du Toubkal or the magnificent Kasbah Tamadot are just the ticket. Taking a donkey ride or a half day hike, followed by a visit to the hammam is how we like to spend our time.

The Desert
While you can ride a camel in the Palmeraie, just outside of Marrakech, but riding the “ship of the desert” in the Saharan dunes is incomparable. The dunes of the Erg Chebbi in Merzouga are truly awe inspiring and no movie or photo can do justice to the real thing. The color of the sand, the texture and the patterns the wind makes as it blows over, are all utterly mesmerizing. Unfortunately, getting to the dunes from Marrakech requires a long day drive, but it’s a pretty one! We recommend the comfortable Kasbah Tombouctou. Camel rides are optional, but the experience of staying in a Bedouin tent should not be and we like to spend a night under the stars at the luxury camp Erg Chigaga.

Please contact us for more information and check out our Moroccan itineraries to get a taste of what we offer.

In our experience it’s not easy or convenient to use airline miles (or reward points) to get to Africa. Getting an airline to release seats for points on exactly the days that match your safari itinerary is difficult to find. Also, because there are not a lot of direct flights, many of our clients end up stopping over in Europe. The taxes alone, especially via London, will set you back quite some dollars.

Here are some tips that will help you succeed in finding the best value for your money, or miles, to get to Africa:

Book Far in Advance: Begin looking for flights 330 days before you wish to travel, that’s as far in advance as the airlines schedule their flights. Unfortunately, this is not always the time that they allow you to use your points or miles. Airlines like to wait and see how the full fare tickets are selling, before they offer discounts. Make sure that you do not book your flights before you have planned your safari!

Get Familiar With Alliance Agreements: It is much nicer to fly to Africa direct if possible, than endure a layover in Europe or the Middle East. Unfortunately the list of airlines that fly direct is slim from the US. They include Royal Air Moroc, Egypt Air, Delta, United, South African Airways and Ethiopian. Check with the lists of alliance partners to see if one of these airlines will accept your miles, before trying anything else. Star Alliance is one of the largest groups, and includes United/Continental, US Air, South African Airways, Egypt Air and Ethiopian.

Avoid Stopping in Europe if Possible: We used to like European stopovers because it saved our clients a lot of money. But with airport and security taxes going through the roof, a European stop over is not always a good deal anymore, even when using miles. Stopping in Europe also takes an extra day that you could be enjoying on safari instead. So unless you have to stop over, see if you can fly direct to save time and money.

Check out the Middle East options: Emirates has an extensive network in Africa and you can get some great deals on flights to destinations like the Seychelles, Nairobi, Mauritius, Uganda, Johannesburg, Tanzania and more. If you fly to Africa regularly, they have a generous mileage program, although unfortunately they don’t partner with any US airlines as of this time. But they do have truly wonderful service on their flights. We’ve also experienced much more convenient layover times.

Getting “Close” is not Always Good Enough: We have had euphoric clients that managed to use their miles to get to Gaborone, only to find out that they really needed to be in Kasane. Botswana is a big country, and internal flights don’t always come cheap. Booking agents at airlines don’t necessarily have a great grasp of African geography, so you can’t rely on them to know where to fly you. And unfortunately many African airports do not top the list of “best airports to sleep in“! Speak to your African travel specialist and make sure you are booking flights to the exact destination that matches your safari itinerary.

And If all fails … Do what our senior consultant Yvette does. Pay for your flights to Africa with American Express and use the huge amount of points you accrue to save on domestic flights, or give them to friends as gifts!

If you are booking a safari with us, we are happy to offer any advice on flights to Africa, current deals we are aware of, and other useful tips. Contact us!