Marrakesh can feel overwhelming, especially if it’s your first time in: Africa, a country with a State run religion, or a country with a bargaining culture. For us, it was all three.

So we reached out to a tour company, With Locals, for assistance. With Locals specializes in connecting visitors with local guides for interesting and unique travel experiences. All tours are private, no flags or audio guides, and the local always asks what you’re interested in and will change the official itinerary to accommodate your preferences — and especially nice aspect that we took advantage of on both tours we did.

Our first tour was Treasures of Marrakech: Souks and Artisans Tour with Ouidad. It was about 3 hours of utter delight. Ouidad shepherded us through the streets and maze of the Souk and Medina with authority and charm. She was funny and respectful and unerringly took us to all of the artisans still producing ancient crafts using traditional techniques. She watched out for our safety — from wheeled vehicles more than thieves — and was a perfect ambassador between our naivety and the respectable artists we met. We had questions about being a woman in a Muslim country and she was frank about what Morocco is doing well and how future reforms were being discussed. We were shown woodworkers, creating sinuous shapes both abstract and functional (and really regret not getting that carved bowl.) An ancient man played a sitar-like instrument and sang Berber songs. We watched the stoking of e fire warming a hamman and heard how he was the last of his family line; there was no one who would keep doing this job when he stopped. Slipping through stacks of wood drying for the fire, we came to an eatery where two men were pulling a man-high clay pot out of a firepit in preparation for the coming lunch crowd. A man whittled cedar pieces into ornaments with his feet (yes, really) and insisted we take one as a gift. We drank mint tea as a wealth of rugs in a hundred varieties were unfurled before us by a beautifully tall man while another told us the meanings of the patterns. A leather shoemaker laughed at my interest and gracefully turned to a woman almost drooling over what she saw. We walked all over the central “old town” and ended in a tiny alley where locals were having their lunches prepared at tiny counters full of grilled fish, flavored ices, fresh baked breads, and mountains of fresh fruit and vegetables. It was a perfect place to put together a picnic.

The next day we were taken by private car all around on the Highlights & Hidden Gems of Marrakech by Hassan. We’d seen some of the typical sites on our tour the previous day, so he created a much more eclectic visit than typical. This was a day of stories, of places where we saw the community ties the locals have with one another. Peeking through a window of a saint’s tomb, famous for his ability to bring fertility to married women, we saw several women sleeping on piles of rugs, asking for his blessing on their wombs. Stepping though an unassuming doorway, we found ourselves in the courtyard of a mosque, just finishing its midday service. Along one wall men, thin and ill-dressed, were waiting patiently. As the service finished, people streamed out, most into a kitchen across the courtyard but some to the waiting men. Within minutes, it was clear that the men were being given water and basic medical treatment while waiting for the huge platters of couscous and other foodstuffs coming out of the kitchen . . . and from people in the surrounding community. Hassan explained that this happened every Friday after the midday service, that Islam has a strong culture of charity and assistance. It was moving to see people who themselves had little giving to those who had less. Hassan was friendly, knowledgeable and informative as he explained everything as we went, telling us about the history of the city and important people and why things were built as they were. He was enthusiastic and passionate about the history and architecture of Marrakesh, patiently answering our questions.

We would 100% book with WithLocals again in future travels.