Abercrombie & Kent says its Spain and Morocco by Private Jet tour, an intimate itinerary capped at a dozen guests, routinely ranks in its three most popular trips each year. The exclusive experiences and access are big reasons why.
I was able to get a taste of that experience recently, when I was invited on a shortened version of the tour with A&K, joined by a handful of fellow journalists and content creators.
Over the course of five days, our group was immersed in Moorish culture, zipping from Granada to Morocco.
This experience onboard an Embraer Legacy 600 or similar-size plane is in sharp contrast to private-jet trips A&K offers in its custom-configured Boeing 757.
Those journeys, which whisk 50 guests around the world to multiple continents on expedition journeys, often approach $200,000 per person, while the itinerary I sampled is priced at $47,495.
A deeper dive
These small-jet journeys are more regionally focused than A&K's around-the-world trips, making them especially enticing for travelers who want to spend time immersing themselves in a destination, said public relations director Janice Yu.
"The smaller group size also opens access to boutique accommodations and experiences that cannot easily accommodate larger groups," she said.
The inside of a tent at Abercrombie & Kent's luxury desert camp in the Sahara. Photo Credit: Brinley Hineman
On the Spain and Morocco itinerary, guests will enjoy accommodations at the Hotel Palacio de Santa Paula in Granada, Palais Faraj Suites & Spa in Fez, Mandarin Oriental Marrakech and Hotel Alfonso XIII in Seville.
Our group stayed at the Hotel Palacio, where we began our journey. In the past, the property had served as both a Catholic monastery and a Moorish home.
Desert digs
The most memorable stay, however, was our Sahara Desert camp experience in Morocco. Among the sand dunes and beneath a night sky of countless twinkling stars, we camped in our private oasis in the remote desert.
Brinley Hineman at A&K's Private Desert Camp in Morocco. Photo Credit: Brinley Hineman
"The A&K Private Desert Camp affords a desert sunset experience unrivaled anywhere in the world," the tour operator says on its website.
Guests reach the desert camp on camelback after an off-roading experience through the desert. The bumpy vehicle ride immediately immersed me in my surroundings on a day I would spend off the grid -- well, not completely: I still had cellphone service -- and energized me for the adventure ahead.
After roaring through the desert, a herd of camels and their owners awaited us. We would reach the camp, off in the distance, after a 30-minute camel caravan.
Riding a camel in the Sahara was the part I was most excited about. And after the exhilarating ride perched seven feet above the sand, we arrived at the camp, which A&K constructs before each group arrives.
After guests leave, the camp is deconstructed, disappearing without a trace, like a mirage among the dunes.
It's quite a job to construct the camp, especially one with electricity and flushable toilets. One camp worker said it takes up to three hours to assemble just one tent. We had eight, plus our dining venue, lounge space and employee lodging. Our group was amazed by all the work that went into creating our experience.
A&K's ethos
Yu said that meticulous attention to detail is central to A&K's ethos, as are the organic moments like watching the sun dip behind the dunes and sitting around a roaring fire to ward off the chill of the desert.
A camel caravan in the Sahara, headed to the A&K desert camp. Photo Credit: Brinley Hineman
"The logistics behind these journeys are incredibly orchestrated, especially when coordinating private air, remote locations and seamless transitions, but the intention is for guests never to feel the mechanics behind it," she said.
"Because so much is handled behind the scenes, guests are free to be fully present in the experience, which often creates the feeling of spontaneity even when the operation itself is extremely precise."