10 Days in Morocco (North Africa)

In the last few years, Morocco has become a very popular exotic destination. It had been on my list for my annual birthday trip, and 2018 was the year it happened. My friend and I who share the same birthday month have been traveling together for the last few years. He is more of a daredevil than I am but pushes me out of my comfort zone which has been a good thing! (sometimes lol). Since he offered to drive in Morocco, rather than doing a tour, we opted for a road trip. My personal recommendation, if on your own, opt for a tour. While Morocco is indeed a beautiful and exotic location, please see below for some tips before you book your trip (with me 😉) Please scroll all the way down for pictures.

Tips and Hints:

• Best time to visit- April and May or September to November, the country's shoulder seasons. (we visited mid-Nov. We did encounter a lot of rain-temps were cool)

• Driving is not for the faint of heart! Drivers, especially in Casablanca, can be very aggressive.

• Traveling from City to City can take quite a bit of time, so that needs to be built in when building the itinerary

• DO NOT TALK to anyone who approaches you in the markets. Scammers are everywhere. Since I’m originally from India, I’m very familiar with this and was wary of people who approached us.

• If you would like to do a city tour, coordinate with the hotel. They will put you in touch with legitimate people and prices are reasonable.

• Haggling is a must

• Keep change handy for tips. They are expected quite widely.

• Try and dress as low key as possible. You might not completely blend in but will attract less attraction as a “tourist”.

• Morocco is a Muslim country, so women especially should dress more conservatively. Since I was with a male, I was very rarely approached. Alcohol is not always easily available publicly. Marrakech and Tangier are a bit more westernized and tended to have a few more bars.

• The “medina” is the center of all the cities and the “happening” place. For the most part, they are accessible only by foot.

• Tagine is the main Moroccan dish, mainly lamb and chicken. Unless you dine at more a westernized restaurant, this is likely going to be your main meal everywhere you go.

• Handicrafts by the Berber people are very popular along with Argan oil (especially by the Atlas mountains)

Things we missed:

• Essaouira-this is a popular beach town located two hours west of Marrakech, where scenes of the third season of A Game of Thrones were filmed. It’s a nice getaway if you have extra time.

• Cedar forest monkeys-while not as widely known, this area is known for monkeys (Barbary apes) and is becoming a popular tourist destination.

• Ouzoud Falls is the collective name for several tall waterfalls that empty into the El-Abid River gorge. This popular tourist destination is located near the Moyen Atlas village of Tanaghmeilt, in the province of Azilal, 150 km northeast of Marrakech

• Morocco desert tour-this is widely popular for most tourists. However, you lose nearly 2 whole days traveling for one night in the desert. Additionally, ensure that the tour you pick is actually going to the Sahara Desert. A lot of tours use that term loosely.

Day 1

Casablanca-after a very grueling journey due to weather issues, we arrived in Casablanca. Most popularly known for the romantic Humphrey Bogart movie, the thought of visiting Casablanca evokes images of romance and nostalgia. Modern-day Casablanca is a bustling port and has a mix of modern and Moroccan architecture.

The top attraction is the Hassan II mosque. It is the largest mosque in Africa and the 5th largest in the world. Its minaret is the world's tallest minaret at 210 meters. While we got to visit it and view it from the outside, we did not get the opportunity to take a tour of the inside. Tours need to be made in advance, and at certain times, and the scheduling did not work for us.

We continued to explore the City for part of the day before we headed to Marrakesh

Days 2 & 3

Arriving in Marrakech on Sat evening, we headed out to dinner and then an early night since we were exhausted and wanted to rest up for a full day of sightseeing.

Sun was a full day of exploring Marrakech. Marrakech has a very different vibe from Casablanca. Much more westernized, and more of a tourist spot. However, I enjoyed it tremendously.

Two of the most popular attractions are the Koutoubia Mosque and the Bahia palace which is what we started our day with. Subsequent to that we walked around the markets and the medina.

Unless provided by the hotel, DO NOT follow anybody to the leather tanneries. As noted above, your best bet is to just say NO to everybody or ignore them. The tanneries themselves are not really worth a visit.

On Mon a rainy day, we ventured to the Atlas Mountains. If you enjoy the outdoors and hiking, this is a good trip. Even though you can drive there, it’s advised to go with a day tour. We booked a private one through the hotel for a fairly reasonable price of $90 per person.

Note: we later found out that did not include the guide to take you up, and that was an additional $15 per person. A guide is not necessarily required, but with my talent for falling, I was grateful for him.

En route, we stopped at a couple of shops that showcased Berber handicrafts especially carpets. The first shop was very pricey, but in the second place, my friend was able to get a very nice carpet for a decent price. We stopped off in the little town about 20 minutes from the falls for lunch before meeting with the guide and heading to the falls. Bring some cash with you for the walk up and down. There are a number of shops with some unique items which might be of interest. While they do take credit cards, the signal is very spotty, and it was amusing to see some of the lengths they would go to try and get a signal.

Days 4 &5

Next stop-Fes. After nearly 7 hours of traveling, we arrived in Fes. This is one of the most conservative cities in Morocco. Fes is a northeastern Moroccan city often referred to as the country’s cultural capital. It’s primarily known for its Fes El Bali walled medina, with medieval Marinid architecture, vibrant souks, and old-world atmosphere. The medina is home to religious schools such as the 14th-century Bou Inania and Al Attarine, both decorated with elaborate cedar carvings and ornate tile work.

At the recommendation of the riad we were staying at, we opted for a ½ day tour guided walking tour the next day of the souks and the historical sites which was $25 for the 2 of us. This was actually very interesting, and being that we were with a guide, we weren’t harassed by people. Some of the top tourist attractions in Fes are:

Blue Gate- The towering entryway with its mosaic tiles is the most iconic portal to the old medina, Fes el-Bali, the world’s largest surviving medieval city and urban car-free zone. The blue on the side that greets new visitors represents the color of the city of Fes, which is famous for its pottery, painted with elegant cobalt blue designs. The reverse side, which faces the medina, is green—the color of Islam.

Madrasas-education buildings. The exquisitely decorated Medersa el-Attarine (also known as Attarine Madrasa) is located on the edge of the spice and perfume market in the fascinating medina of Fez, Morocco. Its proximity to the spice and perfume market gave rise to Medersa el-Attarine’s Arabic name.

Quaraouiyine Mosque is home to the University of Al-Quaraouiyine. Founded in 859, it is believed to be the world’s oldest continuously functioning university and remains a vitally important center of Islamic learning. The mosque is also one of the largest centers of worship in Africa and can accommodate up to 20,000 people during prayer time. The mosque and the university are out of bounds for non-Muslims.

Royal palace-not part of the tour, but part of our exploration. Fes’ Royal Palace, or the Dar el-Makhzen, unfortunately, is not open to the public, but the outside is still worth a visit. The 7 golden gates that mark the entrance to the palace can only leave you imagining how grand it is inside. These famous, beautiful brass doors with matching knockers are covered with intricate patterns and grace the covers of many Morocco travel books. (if you look at my pics one of them is in front of these iconic doors)

Days 6 &7

We headed out to Chefchaouen on Thursday. It was a stopover to Tangier and a nice way to break up the journey. Chefchaouen is known for the striking, blue-washed buildings of its old town and makes for great pictures! One popular theory is that the blue keeps mosquitos away.

Leather and weaving workshops line its steep cobbled lanes. In the shady main square of Place Outa el Hammam is the red-walled Kasbah, a 15th-century fortress and dungeon, and Chefchouen Ethnographic Museum. Because of its location, we had damp and chilly weather with some rain.

It’s not a very big City, so we explored the markets and medina on our own and had a meal at a local eatery. While there are options for hiking, with our limited time and the weather, we did not get an opportunity to partake in those activities.

Days 8 & 9

Onward to Tangier. My friend was very keen on visiting Tangier, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the City. Guarding the Strait of Gibraltar, Tangier has for centuries been Europes's gateway to Africa. Its blend of cultures and influences is unique in Morocco – for much of its history it wasn't even governed by Morocco. Many artists and eccentrics have been known to live here including Jim Morrison and Keith Richards.

We stayed about 15 minutes outside of the main City, but the hotel was gorgeous with sea views and on-site restaurants. We also received complementary ATV rides the next day to the beach which was a nice surprise.

It was only a 2-hour drive from Chefchaouen to Tangier, so we still had a good part of the day to explore. After getting a ride via the hotel shuttle to downtown we headed to the medina to start exploring. We did kind of got talked into a walking tour by very “legitimate” looking tour guide and learned much about the City and the different areas with quite an entertaining guide. Hint: ask the price before you start! We know we overpaid for what we got.

The next day after our morning ATV rides, we ventured out driving. Some of the key sightseeing places we visited were:

Caves of Hercules-Caverns where Hercules allegedly rested during his labors, with an opening in the shape of Africa.

Cape Spartel- is a peninsula in Morocco about 1,000 feet above sea level at the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, 12 km West of Tangier. Below the cape are the Caves of Hercules

Parc Perdicaris-on the road from Tangier to the lighthouse at Cap Spartel, in the middle of the forest of Rmilat, is the Parc Perdicaris, which covers 165 acres of woodland. We stumbled upon this, and it had some of the most beautiful views.

After a very full day of sightseeing, we headed back and then to dinner at one of the many restaurants along the main road.

Day 10

We got back on the road back to Casablanca. Due to a series of unexpected events it took us longer than expected until we finally checked in to the hotel. Our last night we walked around for the last time and had a quiet night as we prepared for our flight home the next day.

My final thoughts-Morocco was a unique experience especially if you are looking for different, gritty and a look at the other side of the world with some amazing architecture!