Morocco in a wheelchair, travelling by myself, can it be done? Well the answer to that is definitely yes, thanks to an amazing company who specialise in trips for disabled people – Morocco Accessible Travel Consultants which is run by Erik and Jeremy who live in Fes.
In April this year I spent 14 days on a cultural tour starting and ending in Casablanca, and doing a rough square shaped drive through the country. Erik/Jeremy were great to deal with, were professional and had excellent equipment enabling me to go to places that would have otherwise been inaccessible.
All aspects of the tour were superb - communication, itinerary, vehicle, driver, hotels (all of which had a wheelchair friendly bathroom with a roll in shower, even the desert tent!).
I travelled through Casablanca, Fes, Volubilis (Roman ruins), Sahara Desert camp, Marrakech, Ait Ben Haddou (8th century old Kasbah), crossed the Atlas Mountains, and Essaouira (a picturesque fishing port).
The trip involved a lot of driving but was never boring as the scenery constantly changed and every day I saw amazing things, particularly people going about their lives in ways vastly different from life here in NZ.
In the countryside there are more donkeys/mules used for transport than cars. There are even donkey parking areas in towns!
Two days were spent in a Berber tent in the beautifully sculpted Sahara Desert where I got to ride a camel through the dunes to watch the sunset. The guys have a specially adapted seat on the camel that allows a disabled person to ride it. How cool is that!
lso, in Ait Ben Haddou they used a Jolette wheelchair (has one big wheel and is pushed/pulled by two helpers) so that I could weave through the fascinating alleys of the Kasbah.
Morocco is an extremely interesting and exciting country to visit with bustling souqs and spice markets in the medinas, medieval city centres, stunning desert and mountain scenery, lovely seaside towns, and everyday life so very different from ours.
I highly recommend Morocco Accessible Travel Consultants for an easy and thoroughly enjoyable and unforgettable tour.
