Are Kasbah Trails tours private, or do we join a group?

Every Kasbah Trails itinerary is 100% private — just you, your travel companions, and a dedicated driver-guide in your own vehicle. There are no strangers added to your group and no fixed departure dates to work around.

Can you customize an itinerary, or do we have to book one exactly as listed?

Every trip on this site is a starting point. Tell us your dates, pace and interests on WhatsApp or through the form below, and we'll adjust the route, swap in extra nights, or build something from scratch around what you actually want to see.

What's included in the price of a private Morocco tour?

Standard inclusions are a private air-conditioned vehicle with fuel and tolls, an English-speaking driver-guide for the whole trip, accommodation in riads, kasbahs and a desert camp, the Erg Chebbi camel trek, daily breakfast, local guides in the imperial cities, and all local taxes. International flights, most lunches and dinners, entrance fees, tips and travel insurance are not included.

How much does a private Sahara desert tour cost?

Pricing depends on group size, season, and the level of riad or kasbah you choose, since every trip is quoted individually rather than sold at a fixed group rate. Message us on WhatsApp with your dates and traveller count for an exact quote — there's no obligation to book.

Is Morocco safe to visit, and is a guide necessary for the Sahara?

Morocco is a well-established, welcoming destination for private travel, and the desert routes we run — through Ouarzazate, the gorges and Merzouga — are on paved and well-travelled roads. A local driver-guide isn't strictly required to enter the country, but it makes the long mountain and desert legs far easier, and it's how a camel trek and desert camp get arranged properly rather than booked blind.

When's the best time of year for a Sahara desert tour?

Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) give the most comfortable temperatures for both the High Atlas passes and the dunes. Summer is workable but hot in the desert by midday; winter nights in the Sahara and the mountains can be cold, so pack layers if travelling between November and February.

Which cities can a tour start and end in?

Most itineraries start or end in Marrakech, Fes, Casablanca or Tangier — wherever your flight lands. Filter the tours by city to see what's available, or ask us to build a route between two different cities if you don't see the combination you need.

Travel guide · 6 min read

Best Moroccan Food to Try on a Private Tour (Beyond Tagine)

Written by the Kasbah Trails team

Published July 2, 2026

A minaret framed by a stone archway in Rabat, Morocco's capital

Tagine gets all the international attention, and it deserves some of it — the slow-cooked stew really is that good when done properly — but [Moroccan cuisine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moroccan_cuisine) is far more varied than the one dish most visitors arrive already knowing by name.

Beyond tagine: what else to order

Pastilla — a savoury-sweet pigeon or chicken pie, its crisp pastry dusted with cinnamon and sugar, a Fes specialty that sounds like it shouldn't work and absolutely does
Harira — the tomato-and-lentil soup that traditionally breaks the fast during Ramadan, thickened with flour or egg and worth ordering year-round, not just in season
Msemen — a flaky, square pan-fried flatbread, folded in layers and usually eaten for breakfast with honey or cheese melted into the still-warm dough
Mechoui — slow-roasted whole lamb, cooked for hours until it falls off the bone, a celebratory dish worth actively seeking out rather than expecting on a standard restaurant menu

Street food worth trying

Jemaa el-Fnaa's food stalls in Marrakech are the obvious start — grilled meats sizzling over open coals, snail soup ladled from huge steaming pots, fresh orange juice pressed to order for less than the price of a bottled drink back home — but smaller towns along the desert routes often have equally good, far less crowded roadside stops that your driver-guide will already know and steer you toward.

Regional differences worth knowing

Fes is generally considered the country's culinary capital, home to the most refined versions of pastilla and the kind of elaborate, hours-long slow-cooked dishes that built the city's reputation. Coastal towns like Essaouira lean heavily on grilled fresh fish, caught that same morning and cooked simply. The south, closer to the Sahara, favours heartier, simpler cooking built around what actually keeps well in a hot, dry climate.

Mint tea, properly done

Poured from a height that creates a thin layer of foam on top, sweetened generously with fresh mint and sugar, and offered constantly as a gesture of hospitality wherever you stop — refusing a first glass is mildly impolite, though nobody will push a second on you. It's less a drink than a small daily ritual, and one of the more consistent, reliable pleasures across every region of the country, from a roadside stall to a riad's rooftop terrace.