How a Barbaro day runs
· 2 min read · Barbaro Tours of Morocco
Riad pickups on foot, early starts for the desert, pre-dawn balloon runs and Casablanca arrivals, from pickup to drop-off.
A Barbaro day starts with two details: the name of your hotel or riad and a mobile number. With those, the driver finds you.
The riad door
Many riads in the Marrakech medina sit on pedestrian lanes where no vehicle fits. The driver parks at the nearest gate or car park and comes in on foot to meet you, or agrees a nearby meeting point with you. On shared day trips the vehicle collects from several hotels, and the ones furthest out are collected last.
The vehicle
The fleet is 22 vehicles in four classes: 17-seat minibus, 15-seat minibus, 7-seat vehicle and 4×4. The company owns them and employs the drivers, so the person at the wheel works for the company you booked with. The fleet and licences page lists the classes.
“Our vehicles are new and modern. Our drivers are flexible with customers.”
The hours
Start times belong to the trip. Pickup times, earliest first:
| Leaves | Trip | Book |
|---|---|---|
| Around 7am on day one | Shared 3 Days 2 Nights Merzouga Camel Trek from Marrakech Hotel or riad pickup in Marrakech · Booked on this site | Book |
| Around 7am | Legends of the Atlas: Ait Ben Haddou & Tizi n’Tichka Day Trip Hotel or riad pickup in Marrakech · Marrakech Excursion Shop | Book |
| Around 8am from Marrakech | Daily Shared Tour: Essaouira Coastal Walk from Marrakech Hotel or riad pickup in Marrakech · Marrakech Excursion Shop | Book |
| Late afternoon, around 3 to 4pm | Agafay Desert Dinner & Berber Show from Marrakech Hotel or riad pickup in Marrakech · Agafay Visit | Book |
Seven of the journeys, among them the imperial cities tour, begin at Casablanca airport. You are met at arrivals, and the reception is timed around your flight. Most of these journeys send your driver or resident tour manager with a name board; each journey page says who meets you.
The long road
The Merzouga trip runs three days and two nights and leaves Marrakech around 7am on day one. It crosses the High Atlas by the Tizi n'Tichka pass, at 2,260 metres. The route: Marrakech, Ait Ben Haddou, Ouarzazate, Dades Valley, Merzouga. The dunes are roughly 560 km from Marrakech, spread over the loop.
Long driving days are part of reaching the dunes without skipping the High Atlas.
Dawn and dusk
Balloon mornings start in the dark. Pickup comes before first light so you reach the launch field while the balloon is inflated, and every flight is weather permitting. Agafay evenings run the other way. The vehicle leaves Marrakech in the afternoon for the stone desert, approximately 40 km and 45 to 60 minutes away in normal traffic, and brings you back after dinner.
Drop-off
A day trip ends where it began, at your hotel or riad or the nearest point the vehicle can reach. The journeys that start at Casablanca airport finish in Marrakech, with a transfer to the airport or your next hotel. You stay with the same team from the first pickup to the last drop-off. If anything changes on the day, the office is on WhatsApp at +212 611 983 567.
