I'm looking for advice on the best way to travel within Morocco. Is hiring a car and driver reasonable? Or is just renting a car they way to go? How far to "Grand Taxis" go?
Any other thoughts on Morocco welcome...
<bluuurgh>
Posted
public transport is very good. trains run on time, are clean and generally not very crowded. ctm busses are high quality, but slightly dearer (and the CTM-busstations are at a differant locations than all other busstations). normal busses vary a lot in levels of comfort, but you do get to see the locals. as for grand taxis, they go as far as you want (i'd guess you could hire a GT for a few weeks, and just have a private car with driver...). i did morroco last summer by train (north morroco) and bus (the south). if you want to see the mountains, you can do several routes by bus (but the only stop to let people in or out), or for the more adventures you can hire a 4x4 to go where taxis and busses can't. this i did from ouazazate (south of the atlas), where there are about 30 agents to chose from; for x days, with or without driver. i would advise to take one with driver as he will know where to go, and how to get there (offroad driving isn't just driving off the road!!!). whatever you do, i advise you take a look south of the mountains: lest tourists, touts, more culture and beautiful scenery. have fun!
<Alina>
Posted
Grand taxis go just about anywhere- we hired one for the whole day to take us sightseeing and wait for us while we hiked for a few hours. I heard of people hiring grand taxis for multi-day trips. It wasn't too expensive- around $12/person for the day? Negotiating prices can be a real pain, though, and you will be far better off if you can speak some Derija or at least French. It also depends somewhat on where you set out from; Marrakesh is a major tourist site and most things were far more expensive there than in Rabat. I hated bargaining but it is necessary. Back to transportation, though, the CTM buses are good, especially for long rides. They have assigned seats, so buying a ticket means you will actually get to sit down. The other buses cost about 1/3 less but odds are high that you will stand. Grand taxis squeeze four people (sometimes 5) in the back and it is quite uncomfortable even for me, and I am scrawny.
