A
day trip to Tangier Morocco
By
Zoë Ouwehand-Reid author of Tarifa
inside out and round about
We
have worked for some long while through one private guide, very knowledgeable,
sollicitous and guaranteed to give you an interesting, hassle-free day.
He adapts his programme to your wishes, which we pass on to him when booking.
If
you absolutely do not want to go to a carpet shop they will not take you
there ….. although I personally tend to think you miss part of the
fun; realize you do NOT have to buy, and regard it as an exhibition of
fine arts! The variety, colours and designs are beautiful. However, realize
you will surely be tempted!
---
Day trip to Tangier Morocco ---
The
guide
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Said - originally from Casablanca - is a qualified guide, a graduate of
the 4 year course at the Tourist Academy in Tangier which was the first
of its kind in the Arab world and attended by students of all nationalities.
He
is very knowledgeable, but does not bombard you with information. He is
polite and considerate, very reliable, quite ‘gentle’, excellent
with children, and very willing and able to discuss Moroccan culture,
tolerance and traditions. He sometimes wears the traditional Moroccan
caftan, at others is in Western dress. ---
Day trip to Tangier Morocco ---
His
normal programme includes an interesting tour to Cap Spartel (the first
lighthouse in Africa) with a short drive down the stunning coast (a camel
ride is an option, a favourite with the children) to the Caves of Hercules
(a typical tourist attraction but a short visit with Said is very interesting)
and then back into town where he takes you to the markets where the Berber
women in their colourful dresses and hats are selling their wares, then
he takes you to the restaurant of your choice, either the fish restaurant,
or a rather more Moroccan environment with music and a belly-dancer (individual
tourists go here, but groups do not). Children particularly enjoy this.
The Moroccan food is good - try the harira soup and then Pastela
(one between two is usually enough). Of course he likes to take you to
a carpet shop, but as we said above, you can opt out.
---
Day trip to Tangier Morocco ---
The
Price
He
asks an all-in price (125 euros p/p) , including ferry and including lunch,
so you are absolved of any doubts re what your day can cost you.
---
Day trip to Tangier Morocco ---
Said
has a mini-bus with driver at his disposal (total 8 persons) waiting for
you in the harbour. The bus is clean and air conditioned. Perhaps the
biggest advantage of working through Said is that he not only meet you
directly off the ferry (so you are not hassled by other so-called guides)
but even more importantly they ‘ease you back on’, which I
can assure you from years of experience is pretty well essential. You
are tired after a long day (with a two or one hour time difference with
Spain) and all the impressions you have absorbed, and if you have no help
it really is a question of the Survival of the Fittest.
---
Day trip to Tangier Morocco ---
When
you get back to Tarifa you are ‘on your own’. It is advisable
to get down the stairs to the exit in good time, and make your way as
speedily as you can across the forecourt to the Customs building ….
otherwise you may find yourselves waiting in a long queue extending out
into the open and if there is a Levante wind this too, can be exhausting.
A recent improvement is that inside the building there are two queues,
one for Europeans and one for non-Europeans.
---
Day trip to Tangier Morocco ---
TO BUY OR NOT TO BUY? That indeed is the question! Neither guide bargains
for you or enters into price discussions but if a shopkeeper really tries
to fleece you they will unobtrusively intercede (in Arabic). Do they get
a commission on the sale? Who knows, and if they do it is not much and
you have probably got a better price anyhow by being with them. See it
all as part of the game.
The art of enjoying your day is to relax and enjoy it, and this you can
do if you take our recommended guide!!! ---
Day trip to Tangier Morocco ---
- 125€
p/p incl. guide, return tickets ferry Tarifa Tangier and lunch.
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Book
your day trip to Tangier with Said - the private guide |
Other Guided
tours
ASILAH
- 1 day incl. private guide and ferry tickets
More about Tangier
Morocco
Tangier
Morocco
A
brief history on Tangier
My
opinion on Tangier
Guided
tours Tangier and Asilah
More
on Morocco
|