Marrakech: Camel Ride in Palmeraie & Traditional Spa with Pickup

4.93

(128 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect from a camel ride so close to Marrakech. I always pictured camels somewhere deep in the desert, not just outside the city. But our driver picked us up right at the hotel (on time, which felt like a small miracle), and soon we were winding through traffic out toward the Palmeraie — all those palms looking kind of wild against the dusty sky.

The camels themselves looked almost bored when we arrived. Our guide, Youssef, handed me this long blue scarf and helped wrap it around my head — he said it was for sun and dust but I think it was also just for fun. Mounting the camel was… well, awkward at first (I nearly slid off sideways), but Youssef just grinned and said everyone does that. The ride itself was slow and sort of hypnotic — you get into this gentle sway after a while. We passed some small Berber villages; kids waved at us and one woman offered us mint tea in these tiny glasses that steamed up my sunglasses. The air smelled like earth and eucalyptus.

Afterwards, we swapped dust for steam at a hammam nearby. I’d never done the whole black soap scrub before — it’s rougher than I expected but you feel lighter afterwards, like your skin can actually breathe again. The massage with argan oil almost put me to sleep (I might have snored? No one said anything). Walking back out into the late afternoon light, I felt sort of new — or maybe just really clean and sleepy. Either way, I still think about that quiet moment sipping tea under the palms.