Stranded Quebec Travelers Turn Morocco Flight Suspension into Mountain Adventure

The ten Quebec travelers had planned their trip to Morocco with the Karavaniers agency. "They left on the afternoon of November 27. When they arrived, we welcomed them by telling them that the border was closed. There were no immediate return flights. Everything was booked within 24 hours and a PCR test was required to return," summarizes Jad Haddad, general manager of Karavaniers. However, the agency claims to have communicated with Royal Air Maroc (RAM), as well as the authorities of the country before departure.

After taking several steps, "we finally found return flights. Four of our clients decided to return. The others chose to do the trip, but we didn’t know if we could find them tickets in the following weeks," the manager confides. As for the six other hikers, they remained in the kingdom to explore the Dadès, the Drâa valley and the Tidri dunes. "It was a type of trip that adapted well. We’re talking about a hike in the mountains and the desert. We sleep in tents or small accommodations. We’re always in our bubble. It’s far from big cruises or buses." Another positive aspect of this trip: the risk of Covid-19 contamination was low.

The Moroccan authorities had meanwhile extended the suspension of flights to and from Morocco until December 31. The Karavaniers agency is looking for return flights again after the end of the trek. "Some airlines had planned repatriation flights to Canada and France. We wrote to the embassy in Morocco and they told us they couldn’t help us. When we found flights, the airline would cancel or change the schedules. We’ve lost count of the flights we’ve bought and that have been canceled along the way," Jad Haddad tells La Tribune.

The travelers were finally able to return home via flights to Paris. "We tried to find the best prices to avoid the horror stories we heard at the start of the pandemic, with tickets at $4,000 or $7,000." According to the boss of Karavaniers, the prices were expensive, but not abusive. "It looks like a last minute price," he adds.