Travelling to Morocco has been a long-term dream of mine since I remember. I’ve always had a desire to ride on a camel, explore the desert, walk through medinas that resemble mazes, and sip coffee with Berbers.
When I stood in front of the Sahara one day, looking at the unending, pulsing dunes that dotted the desert, my dream was realized. I rode on a camel to that I could gaze upon millions of stars in the night, and was giddy with the realization that I was now where I had always hoped to be under the same skies thousands of miles from home.
In the span of two weeks I travelled across the country in Intrepid Travel’s Best of Morocco tour and devoured couscous for dinner and drank my mass in mint tea hiked and took in all the sounds and sights of Morocco.
Morocco was an unforgettable and rewarding trip. It is a shivering experience that shook your senses and has a lot of unexpected experiences. For those looking for compelling reasons to visit Here are some highlights from my trip
1. Camel trekking through the Sahara
While I’d love to still ride the ancient camel caravans, which ran from Morocco to Egypt I decided to stay one night in the dark under the stars. It turns out that taking a ride with a camel in one hour isn’t exactly comfortable but the breathtaking hue of the desert in close proximity and camping with Bedouins and looking at the stars in a million different ways without any lights made it worth it. There’s a calming silence in the desert after the wind stops and you experience a wonderful feeling of calm, simply sitting in the desert and enjoying nature.
A fun fact is that it rained during the time I was out in the desert. It was a wild insane lightning storm one of the most intense that I have ever witnessed. The thunder’s roar was like a million bombs being fired and the lightning transformed evening into daylight. The weather was not as wet, however that night the sky opened for a moment to unleash all her anger. Surreal.
2. Hiking in the Atlas Mountains
It’s a beautiful area. Atlas Mountains cover most of Morocco and we were able to spend a lot of time in the middle, low and the high regions of the mountain range (it’s difficult to avoid). My personal favorite was the time we hiked through high into the High Atlas range, climbing for about an hour before reaching an unassuming farmhouse, which we stayed in for the night with a family from the area (who prepared us the most delicious tagine meal and the best Berber Omelets of our trip).
Early departure and late departure the following day we were able to explore and hike the area around. I’m a fan of hiking, so I was thrilled to truly get out in the nature, explore rivers, and look out over Mt. Toubkal (North Africa’s tallest point) out in the distance. Alongside the camel trek I found this to be my top trip.
3. Dining at Cafe Clock
Awarded to me by numerous people and having restaurants within Marrakesh and Fez the cafe that is influenced by Western culture is known for its huge tasty camel burger (which is similar to spicy Shawarma). The food is delicious and includes a camel burger, green smoothies and the melt-in-your-mouth cheesy chicken couscou were so delicious that I went back there two times.
In the chaotic and chaotic medinas of every city, the cafes are an oasis of peace, that you could recharge, access Wi-Fi, or cool down by cooling down with air cooling. They also provide cooking classes and organize regular events at every place!
4. Finding Yourself Lost in the Medinas
The medinas are the historical heart of every city in Morocco Part residential zone, part shopping center and part food market. You’ll find twisted and turning streets, where food, restaurants, shops and even homes have a presence in the streets, in structures seeming to be too close, and too old to keep in place for long.
For someone who likes to wander around medinas are heaven. I spent many hours in them, turning right and doubling back, strolling through streets and plazas which looked familiar, then trying to find my way but then getting lost again. It was a maze I enjoyed trying to figure it out while sipping tea while eating delicious and fragrant food, and taking in the sights.
Beware: Fez is a bit risky and dangerous therefore, do not venture far from the route. Stay on streets that are full of people. There were a few close calls with pickpockets as well as possible robbers.
5. Exploring Volubilis
A major center of trade and the largest settlement in southern Roman time, Volubilis is one of the most well-preserved (and the least visited) sites of its kind around the globe. It is a place that was not crowded with tourists, not crowded and open in a way that allows you to get close and observe the structures without having to go hidden behind 10 feet of barriers and being snarled by crowds. The majority of the city is unexplored and it has a distinctly natural feel to it. I’ve visited a number of Roman ruin sites during my travels, but I like this one most.
6. Seeing Ait Benhaddou
Although I didn’t spend much time in the area but the area that is filled with Kasbahs (fortified homes) was quite awe-inspiring. It’s an iconic location in the Hollywood fortress of Morocco and was included as a backdrop in Game of Thrones, Gladiator, Lawrence of Arabia, and many other films. It was the most stunning village (fortified village) I’ve seen and that’s probably the reason the reason why it’s featured in every film!
It is an example of what we think the old ksar must appear like. I was awed by the bustle of the streets and climbing up the hill for a panorama.
7. Savouring the Seafood and Beach of Essaouira
My top cities within Morocco, Essaouira is located only a few hours of Marrakesh in the Atlantic coast. It’s an extremely popular beach destination for tourists, specifically Brits. I enjoyed the laid-back urban vibe with no crowds of touts, the ocean air, and of course the fresh fish.
Visit the fantastic market for fish in town, which is where every small fisherman are selling their catch of the day. Then, take a look at the fish stalls that are small in the main square , where you can eat fresh seafood, which is cooked at a low cost.
My companions along with me “splurged” to eat a dinner here. For 75 USD The four of us shared an entire lobster and eight tiger prawns. two fish that weigh more than a kilo, as well as half one kilo of squid. It was all served with bread, beverages and salad, as well as tea. (We had lunch there daily for lunch, and dinners afterwards cost around 15 USD.) Visit stalls 5 and 11 for the finest fish!
8. Visitor to Marrakech
Marrakech has everything I hoped it could be: a modern mixture with Moroccan and international culture , with the largest variety of international cuisine (check for PepeNero to find Italian as well as Latitude to get a mix of Mediterranean and Moroccan) and gorgeous architectural structures in the medina.
Although Marrakech was not as grit-free and edge of the other cities It was nevertheless the most diverse city of the journey.
The chaotic pace revealed an entire city with people constantly in motion. The well-known Jemaa el-Fnaa square is truly the chaos everyone talks about with tens of thousands people in the evening eating and shopping and getting tattoos with henna, listening to storytellers and bands and admiring magicians (and snake charmers during the daytime). It’s among the most crowded but intriguing areas to observe people. It’s still amazing to me the size and how full it was! (Contrast with the less than impressive Saadian Tombs which is a place I prefer to avoid because they’re boring The grounds are tiny and overall, it was boring.)
9. Food and Drinking Lots of Couscous and Tagine
At the end of my two weeks in Morocco I was “couscoused to death.” However I did not hesitate to dive into taking in as much as I could — I enjoyed savoring the flavor and observing the variety of regional cuisine and coming to appreciate the time it took to cook each dish. Tagine (cooked with dates, meat as well as turmeric, cumin cinnamon and saffron in a clay pan) was easily my most loved Moroccan dish.
It is also worth trying also the Berber Omelet, made from egg tomatoes, onions, and herbs. It is made in a clay frying pan.
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10. Drinking Mint Tea
I’ve never had a better cup of tea than while in Morocco. In a place in which “having drinking a drink” is not the norm locals use pots of mint tea. There’s even a technique to pouring it. The higher the teapot is, the more delicious. I could not resist the sweet and minty taste and sat in the tea shops, watching football with my fellow locals. I probably drank one or two cups a day. It’s addictive!
11. Receiving Prayer Call to Prayer
Although I’ve visited a few mostly Muslim countries in the past and throughout Southeast Asia, I’ve never been to the culture of an Arab Muslim country or heard the prayer call. There was something magical about the sound of the prayer, and it was a wonderful alarm clock for 5 a.m. The sight of people thronging the mosque in white prayer attire was an unforgettable cultural moment that I couldn’t resist to take note of.
Morocco is an amazing destination. Sometimes, it was difficult, stressful, and chaotic and overwhelmed my senses however, for all the travel stress it was a place where I felt completely out of my comfort zone and felt like I was somewhere completely unique and different. I was enthralled by that feeling, as well as every other aspect of Morocco.