Grand Tour of Morocco - Private Tour

The order of events and sightseeing may vary according to local conditions or for operational purposes. The schedules of the domestic airlines in country are subject to frequent changes. For this reason, we have indicated approximate times only. Your local guide will inform you of any schedule changes as they are informed of them. The driving times listed are point to point and do not include the duration of excursions or stops en route. Some road construction and/or weather conditions may lengthen the driving times. Our intention is to adhere to the day-to-day itinerary as printed; however, order of events and sightseeing may vary according to local conditions.

If booking more than 12 weeks before departure a deposit of €342.20pp will need to be paid at the time of booking with the full amount payable at 12 weeks prior to departure. The deposit applies to adults and children. If you are within 12 weeks of travel then the full balance of the holiday will be payable.

To enter Morocco, your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 3 months after the date you arrive.

It is your responsibility to check your passport validity. If your passport does not meet this requirement, you may face difficulties and you should check with the Moroccan authorities before travelling. Make sure your passport isn’t damaged. Some travellers have been refused entry when travelling on damaged passports. Sources of information include https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice

You can visit Morocco without a visa for up to 90 days for tourism.

We strongly recommend that you and all members of your party are suitably insured as soon as you book your holiday. It is a condition of booking that you must have suitable travel insurance. It is important that you purchase travel insurance that suitably covers your participation in whatever activities you may undertake at the time that you make your booking. To assist you with this, we have arranged travel insurance in partnership with Holiday Extras, including up to a 20% discount, which is given to all Mercury Holidays customers. To arrange your insurance with Holiday Extras, please visit https://www.mercuryholidays.co.uk/info/insurance for more details. Please ensure you provide us with the name of your insurer, policy number and their 24 hour emergency contact number as soon as possible. Mercury Holidays will not be liable for any costs incurred by you due to your failure to take out suitable travel insurance from the date of booking.

It is your responsibility to check any health and vaccination requirements applicable to your booked arrangements. We can only provide general information about this. Health and hygiene facilities and disease risks vary from country to country. You should take health advice about your own needs as early as possible and in good time before your departure. Sources of information include; www.fco.gov.uk, www.travelhealthpro.org.uk, www.hpa.org.uk, your General Practitioner or a specialist clinic.

This tour is accessible to most people with an average level of fitness and normal mobility. It involves full days of sightseeing, often on foot and includes some climbing of stairs and getting on and off coaches, as well as daily long coach journeys. This tour is not suitable for anyone with walking difficulties.

The currency in Morocco is the Moroccan Dirham (DH) and it is a closed currency. This means it is not possible to buy Moroccan money in the UK before you travel. It is important to budget carefully as you should not take any Dirham out of Morocco when you depart. There are foreign exchange offices and cash machines available in most places during your tour. Your tour guide will assist you at the start of your tour with currency exchange. Credit and debit cards are accepted in most hotels and some shops and restaurants; a charge is sometimes added for using them.

As normal practice you may be asked for your credit card details on check-in at the hotel in order to cover any extras incurred during your stay. If you do not have a credit card, you may be asked for a cash deposit. MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted in hotels as well as American Express.

You will need to take some extra money with you to cover any dinners where these are not mentioned in your itinerary and personal purchases, such as souvenirs, extra drinks and snacks. Approximately £600-£800 per person should be sufficient for the duration of your tour.

Tipping is at your discretion. We would recommend approximately 60DH per person per day for the guide and 40DH per person for the driver. This will be collected by your guide at the end of your tour for your convenience. It is asked that you tip in the local currency, please do not give GBP coins as these are difficult to exchange. We also recommend 10 DH for waiter service in restaurants and hotels.

This is a fully escorted tour meaning that you will be met by a local guide in each of the cities that you visit, ensuring that you have first-hand knowledge at all times. For groups of 9 people or less you will have an English-speaking Driver Guide or a Driver and Local/Monument Guides.

Private Tour: If you have booked a private tour then you will be accompanied by a Driver Guide or a Driver and Local Guides. These will be available to you during all scheduled sightseeing. Private Tours can depart on any day of the week depending on flight and train schedules and the opening days of the attractions. They will follow the itinerary as described in the brochure unless you have been advised otherwise and you will still have all the same meals, sightseeing and local excursions included.

Your accommodation is selected for convenience, location, comfort or character, and can range from business hotels to leisure hotels. Hotel accommodation is generally rated as local three to four-star standard, but please note there is no international classification system for hotels, and differences in facilities and quality do exist compared to what you might expect in the UK. All group tours hotels have private bathroom facilities and air-conditioning, where needed. Rest assured that all accommodation used by Mercury Holidays is regularly inspected by our staff and partners to ensure that standards meet your needs.

Breakfast is always western style and served in the hotel each morning. Dinner on your tour (when included) will be taken in local restaurants or at the hotel. A variety of restaurants are visited giving you the chance to experience a range of dishes and flavours.

Please contact Customer Experience for questions about other dietary requirements or allergy information.

It is not recommended to drink the tap water, even in developed countries water may contain unfamiliar elements that can cause upset stomachs. In less developed countries water is not filtered in the same way, so to ensure your comfort and well-being, one bottle of drinking water will be provided on touring days.

There are some dry hotels in Morocco, and some hotels where alcohol can be consumed on the premise (in your room) but must be brought in from outside. Your guide will pre-warn you of this and if anyone in the group would like to purchase drinks before getting to the hotel then we will arrange for you to visit a local shop and get what you need wherever possible.

Ramadan is the most important month in the Muslim Calendar, and it is a time for people to be with their loved ones, self-reflect and renew their faith. During this time Muslims fast from dawn until dusk and abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and chewing gum. If you are a tourist visiting Morocco, you will not be expected to fast. While eating, drinking and smoking is strictly prohibited in public places, hotels will offer meals and non-alcoholic drinks at many of their restaurants and bars. If you wish to consume alcohol during your trip, you may do so in your hotel room during the day, and some bars will be open as normal after sunset. Your guide during your tour will be on hand to give you any additional information that you require.

When you’re relaxing by the hotel pool or sunbathing on the resort beach it’s fine to wear swim wear and beach clothes. However, when out in public during the day, it is advisable to be more covered up to show respect to the local customs. We would recommend that women cover their shoulders and knees and men should wear knee length shorts or trousers when out in public areas.

On your arrival in Marrakech, you will be met by a Tour Guide from our local agent, VM Morocco holding a sign displaying: “Mercury Holidays”. The Mercury Holidays/ VM Morocco representative will show you to your transfer vehicle.

Your national guide will be on hand 24 hours a day in case of emergency. If you need to contact your representative during your stay the details are:

VM Morocco: Amina@vmmorocco.com

Main number: +212 667 133 253

• Sunscreen, insect repellent and hat
• Waterproof, lightweight jacket
• Comfortable walking shoes
• Camera and charger
• A plug adaptor - the electricity in Morocco is 220 V. You will need a 2-round pin plug adapter
• Personal first aid kit containing travel pills, rehydration powder, plasters, stomach settlers, antiseptic creams, aspirin etc