Why Morocco? I had been day dreaming about Arabian Nights and the beautiful, mysterious gauzy fabrics and flowing scarves of the desert, when posts of the Sahara slowly started to infiltrate my feed. Why was I suddenly seeing all these posts about Morocco? Can Alexa and our iPhones read our minds now too?? Well, all it took were a few vibrant photos of Morocco on my Insta feed— colorful markets, mountains, desert, camels, beach towns, and a uniquely blue painted city (yes, please!!)— for me to take it as a sign: I must go to Morocco and the Sahara and experience it for myself!
And knowing my parents had visited and loved it, I decided in early 2024 to start planning a trip there for Cisco and I and some friends. Because Morocco is an adventure to share!
First up— What month to go? And for how long? We had been looking for a fall trip, and after a lot of research I found that early October was a perfect time to travel there. Not crazy hot, as the summers in Morocco can be, and not cold yet (the mountains there get snow in the winter months), and it turns out that timing was perfect. We had the most incredible weather throughout our entire trip and were never either too cold or too hot.
It’s usually a rule of mine to try to not go to a country for less than two weeks, so that I can really explore different areas and get a true feel for everything that region is about. And after planning the itinerary, it worked out that 15/16 days was a good amount of time for a tasty variety of Morocco!!
Next choice— Hire a driver or self-drive? Hiring a driver and tour guide in Morocco is extremely popular. And not that expensive. I researched it a bunch. You have someone dedicated to you, who can give you the history of the area and make sure you get from point A to B to C easily and comfortably.
But normally, everywhere I travel (India as the exception), I always opt to self-drive to give us the utmost flexibility. Morocco was no exception. Once we learned the rules of the road— after three cheap traffic tickets (more on that later*), driving ourselves around the country went as smooth as silk! Roads are well paved & safe and people diligently follow the traffic lights and signs.
And it did end up affording us a lot of flexibility— stopping as often as we wanted to jump out and take pictures, and switching up our route a little bit here & there to accommodate seeing some last-minute attractions.
Where to start? We decided to fly in and out of Casablanca, primarily because that was the best flights we found, both for price and travel time.
After reading that Casablanca (other than the famous Mosque) was one of the least interesting places to visit in Morocco, we decided to use it mostly as just an entry-exit hub. We chose not to spend much time here– just enough time to see the Mosque, and one other attraction. (Side note: Sooo glad we flew into here, as passport control was pretty quick, unlike the 3 hour wait lines I had seen & heard about if you fly into Marrakech.)
We decided to get a small Airbnb for the four of us near the Casablanca airport for the night, since our flight landed late, so that we could get our rental car and have a fresh start the next morning for our 4+ hour drive to Essaouira.
SUMMARY OF OUR 16 DAY ITINERARY:
• Fly into Casablanca at night – get rental car, spend one night to get early morning start
• 2 nights Essaouira
• 3 nights Marrakech
• 1 night Skoura
• 2 nights Dades Valley
• 2 nights Sahara Desert Luxury Camp
• 3 nights Fez
• 2 nights Chefchaouen
• last night Casablanca
ESSAOUIRA:
Our first day, we drove 4 hours from Casablanca, past Marrakesh, to the beautiful seaside town of Essaouira. Known as the ‘Windy city of Africa’, the ocean breezes, called Alizée, are present all year round, and definitely made us glad we brought our jean jackets and scarves! It wasn’t cold there, just very windy. Essaouira was also once a popular haven for pirates (actual pirates!! 🏴☠️), because of its perfectly situated location for trade between Europe, Africa, & America. We definitely channeled our inner pirates by taking as many beautiful treasures as we could carry with us, which were all a steal! Lol. It is a small city, and you can easily walk around the old town in a day or two.
We walked along the rampart walls of the city that enclosed the Medina (old town), and kept it protected from outside invaders. We wandered down to the fishing port and beach, which is famous around the world for its windsurfing and kite surfing due to the high winds all year round.
We stayed at the most beautiful, rustic, beachy-chic riad hotel called Riad Kafila. It was quite inexpensive, and was right on the water, giving us the most beautiful views and super yummy breakfasts, from the most stunning open and airy top floor lounge/dining room! There were also sea views from our bedrooms.
The rooms themselves were not huge, but they were comfy, and for the price, it couldn’t be beat. You can park your car in one of the two main parking lots outside of the walls of the old town for about $6USD a night, and from either lot, it’s about a 10 minute walk through the Medina (Old Town) to get to the Riad.
We had an amazing sunset at another beautiful Riad called Salut Maroc that had a stunning rooftop terrace with live music. One of the most colorful and vibrant and interesting places I have seen, and you should put it on your list if you’re ever visiting Essaouira! I had heard that the food was not fantastic and that it was highly overpriced, but the decor and views are incredible, so maybe just plan to get some tea or cocktails there.
Speaking of tea and cocktails, two things to note:
- Mint tea is served everywhere!!!! It is Morocco’s signature drink and you will be offered it as a welcome drink everywhere you go. You can have it unsweetened or sweetened with sugar (yes, please!), and it’s something that all four of us came to absolutely love about our travels through Morocco.
- Because Morocco is a predominantly Muslim country, alcohol is forbidden and is not served in many places. However, many of the newer and more modern Riads, restaurants, and hotels throughout Morocco, especially in the bigger cities, do serve wine and beer. If you want crafted cocktails, you can head to some of the trendy and savvy restaurants and rooftop bars that cater to international guests. We were never once for lack of a spiked bevy when we wanted one. 😉 And you can certainly get that at Salut Maroc!
Before we left the city, we did lots of shopping in the Medina, and we had the most incredible meal, prepared by the chef and owner of ‘Chez Zak’, Zak himself. He grilled us an 8.6 lb lobster 🦞!!! 😳🤯 …Which was the most delicious and succulent lobster I’ve ever had. It’s a tiny hole in the wall entrance to a rather large restaurant, and the night we went, we were one of only two groups of diners there! Total personal service from the owner himself. No alcohol served here, but it is BYOB. If you cannot find it on a google map, ask a local shop. They all know him. 🙂
The other meal we ate in Essaouira, which was also good, was at a dimly lit little restaurant called Le Sirroco, close to our Riad. The restaurant, like many others, and shops in Essaouira, have ‘adopted’ street cats, who have become permanent residents, so don’t be surprised if you see feline dinner pals roaming around everywhere. Essauoira is definitely one of Morocco’s cities of kitties!
The Road to Marrakech:
Driving from Essaouira to Marrakesh, about a 2 hr drive, we found ourselves on the road famous for its goat trees. If you’ve ever seen pictures of a tree in Morocco that looks like it’s growing goats, with dozens of goats in it, it’s an Argan tree. Once all of the Argan nuts fall, and the goats eat the fallen nuts, they used to climb the trees to get the nuts that were still left in the higher branches. Tourists who saw this were flabbergasted, and would constantly stop to take pictures. Goat herders quickly caught on to the appeal of their goat trees, and even once the nuts were gone, they used to place the goats in the trees and capitalize on the wacky sight, by charging passing tourists, who wanted to take photos. Placing goats in the trees has since been outlawed, but you might get lucky and see a goat, naturally climbing a tree to get those higher nuts. We happened to see a small herd of goats, with a younger one up in a tree, grazing. Sooooo cute! We did stop and ask the goat herder if we could pet her goats, and she let me hold one of the babies. Definitely expect to tip anyone in Morocco that you ask to take a photo of or with. This is an important note*
*Driving Tips for Morocco: While the roads are very smooth and well-paved, if you plan to drive yourself around the country, this tip will help you avoid any bumpy moments with law enforcement. We learned from our guide in Marrakech, how to avoid tickets & getting pulled over, after having received 3 tickets already, just from driving to & from Essaouira.
- Do not go a single mile over the speed limit when approaching any towns! You will get many speed limit signs when approaching any town, no matter how tiny. They will go quite rapidly from 100km to 60 to 40. Follow them to a T! At almost every main intersection in every little town, there are local police camped out there. Some are sitting, and some are standing. As you approach the intersection, STOP, no matter what, look at the police officer, and wait for him to wave you through. And don’t forget to smile!! Seriously. Being polite and friendly goes a big way there with law enforcement, and got us 2 out of 3 of our tickets reduced.
- If they do tell you to pull over, and ask for your passport, ID, etc., they may make you get out of the car & follow you to the ticketing table, on the side of the road. They generally charge cash on the spot for a ticket, which was about 300 Dirham, equivalent to $30USD. This is normal. Make sure you smile & apologize and say it is your first time visiting the country and you are not sure of the rules. They asked Cisco where he was from, and asked if it was his first time here, and when he said ‘Yes’, they game him 100 or 200 Dirham back, and said ‘Enjoy Marocco!’. So they are willing to be lenient and reduce the fine, if you show courtesy.
- Always wear your seatbelts! Even in the back seats. We were pulled over the 3rd time, because our friend in the backseat had a faulty seatbelt that wouldn’t close, so she wasn’t wearing it when we went slowly, pausing, through the police intersection. They pulled us over, and charged the fee. This time, they did not give us any Dirham back because our friend snapped a fun photo of the cute cop, who had been very smiley. He did not appreciate that, which leads me to the next tip…
- Do NOT take photos of the police (or anyone) without their express permission. We have found that many people in Morocco do not like that. I got scolded taking a photo of a colorful shopping street, because one of the shop owners was sitting outside his shop, and happened to be caught in the shot. He asked me to delete it. So just be aware.
MARRAKECH!! The city of a thousand colors and wonderful flavors.
Tip— hire an awesome guide, like we did, on your first day in Marrakech. I found our guide— Mohammed Abdani — on Tours By Locals, and he was fantastic! He showed us all the best parts of the old town Medina and gave us the fascinating history. He helped us navigate the souks (craftsman markets), and took us to the best places— the stunning Ben Youssef Madrasa school, and his favorite spots to have tea and a terrific lunch. This classy tea house & garden, called 1112 Marrakech, was an elegant oasis in the center of the chaotic Medina, and we loved it!
The next day on our own, we visited Bahia Palace and the Jewish cemetery and had amazing meals at various rooftop terraces and cafes. HIGHLY RECOMMEND: Cafe De Espices, overlooking the spice market— we had lunch here on the rooftop. I had an amazzzzing curried chicken pita sandwich! Slurp!
Dar Dar Rooftop restaurant for dinner & cocktails (make a resi well in advance for 1/2 hour before sunset. You’ll be happy you did!) The argan sours were a huge hit! And the DJ spun some sweet tunes.
Le Bistro Arabe for live music and a sexy decor & ambiance. Definitely need a reservation here too. It is extremely popular. Was our priciest dining bill, but worth the splurge!
El Fenn rooftop and Kabana rooftop for swanky decor and pricey but tasty cocktails! These have stunning interiors and are worth it to see.
El Bacha Coffee— go before it opens to get your best chance to be seated without a long wait! Or, expect a two hour wait. We went at around 11 AM, put our name on a list, and then returned at 1 PM to be seated. Was it worth it?? Yes! The interior is absolutely gorgeous, and they have a selection of 100+ different coffees, and pastries that are to die for. They also have savory dishes, but we all opted for the sweets. Definitely an experience!!
In Marrakech we stayed in the most beautiful Riad— Palais Riad Lamrani. Incredible room and bathroom (wifi not so great), and I heard that the restaurant was one of the best in town. We actually never ate there because we had reservations at other places, but their breakfasts were always excellent and the pool was a refreshing escape from the heat we experienced the first day in Marrakesh. That was the only day that the weather was actually ‘hot’.
It was also in a terrific location- walking distance to everything, including tons of awesome shops. We all bought some beautiful afghans and some blue head scarves for the Sahara (we were told that is the color that represents the desert). And the shop owner taught us how to properly wrap the scarf around our heads to form the traditional turban (with face covering). This was verrry helpful once we got to the desert. (Tip: Take a video of them wrapping it, as it is actually much more complicated than you would think!)
OUARZAZATE:
We left Marrakesh to head towards the Atlas Mountains. We stopped in Ouarzazate (about a three hour drive from Marrakech), at the beautiful Äit Ben Haddou, where many movies and series were filmed, like Gladiator, the Mummy and Game of Thrones.
We had some tea and a snack at Cafe Mousa, which has the most prefect views of Ait Ben Haddou from across the river, and a lovely staff that served us delicious tea & complimentary cookies. Americans seem to be very exciting to many Moroccans.
We hopped across the river (you can go via bridge or actual stepping stones in the water) and headed up to Khaleesi Terrace for some of the most stunning views. It’s a small cafe run by the owner of the home below. Mustafa, who was very welcoming and kind, showed us his personal home and the weaving school for women that he created under his home. Absolutely beautiful!! If you do not order anything, make sure you leave a tip for visiting the space to take photos.
SKOURA:
We then headed to Skoura to spend one night in one of the most beautiful properties I’ve ever come across, L’Ma Lodge. Totally magical! ✨ The staff, the food!!!, and the grounds were amazing. No other words. Stay there if you can fit it in. There’s a reason it has a near perfect rating. It’s just beyond. Try to get there with enough time to lounge around the grounds and take a dip in the pool & enjoy the sunset before your dinner. You will not regret it!
DADES VALLEY:
After Skoura, we drove through the Valley of the Roses, seeing lots of Kasbahs, including visiting the famous & extremely well-preserved Kasbah Amridil. We then headed to the Dades Valley, where we spent two nights.
We stayed for two nights at the awesome Kasbah Flilou (after two other accommodations canceled on us last minute). And it was the most beautiful & quaint riad with amazing design & service. We lucked out big time! The food was delicious!!! And we felt so well cared for. Excellent service!
We did the super fun Monkey Fingers slot canyon hike, which I think is a must if you are in this area, and in good health (as it is about a 5 mile round trip hike). We had found the start by using maps.me & alltrails app. We did not intend to have a guide, but as we were walking to the hike, a friendly local told us he’d show us where the hike began because it could be a little confusing. He ended up coming with us for the entire 5 mile hike, and we were very glad that he did. There are some sections that require choosing a direction and scrambling up rocks that weren’t so easy, and he helped us climb & navigate, also taking group photos for us throughout. We tipped him at the end when he brought us safely back to our parked car.
After the morning hike, we had another delicious meal (lunch) at the nearby and new Eden Boutique Hotel, where we got a full tour of the stunning & posh grounds & interiors before heading off to the desert. Do not miss a meal (and exploring) at this gem of a place. If you can afford the pricey price tag, consider staying here. It is in a class all its own. And it was created by local brothers from the region, so they definitely pay homage to their roots throughout the design and decor. It’s truly magnificent.
Make sure you drive down to the crazy windy road in the Dallas Valley. It’s in opposite direction from where you will head next, and there’s not much to see past that, but all the tiny towns and Kasbahs on the way are beautiful to see. And the road itself is pretty awesome. there is a restaurant/cafe at the top, so you can have a snack & tea while watching the cars navigate the twists & turns.
And then on the way to the Sahara, we made a short detour to see the Todra Gorge. 200% worth the 15 minute out-of-the-way detour! It was Gorge-ous! 😉 Park on one side of the gorge and walk through. The sheer nature of it is amazing, but there are lots of vendors all along, selling there fabrics and crafts too. And if you’re lucky, you may see a woman sheep herder with her little boy in tow, grazing her flock. It’s fine to take photos, but make sure you always give a tip.
THE SAHARA DESERT:
By far the most magical, and exciting, and most eagerly anticipated portion of this trip to Morocco! The Sahara Desert was breathtaking! There really are no words to describe the feeling of just being in the middle of ‘somewhere’.
We spent two nights in a desert camp outside of Merzouga, called Merzouga Luxury Camp. There are many, many camp options, and they all pretty much offer the same type of experience. There are always about a dozen or so large, luxury tents with bathrooms and hot showers (although ours never quite got too warm). There’s usually a big dining tent, with all three meals included, and various activities and excursions to sign up for and experience (some at an added cost.) There is also entertainment at night, with the Berber workers at the camp playing music around a fire at night, and inviting the guests to join in. A very inclusive and fun experience!
To get to most of these camps, they pick you up from Merzouga, and you can choose to get to the camp via 4 wheel drive (quickest arrival), or about a 1.5 – 2 hour camel ride. We opted to get there quickly by vehicle & do a camel ride the next morning for sunrise. SUPER glad we chose this, as being on a camel for 2 hours is not the most comfortable experience!
While the tents and experience at the camp are luxury, being out on the sand dunes feels so incredibly humbling and primitive. Just watching miles and miles of nothing but sand dunes being shaped and shifted by the whipping wind and the changing sun, was so freaking cool.
We went sandboarding, took heaps of photos at sunset, rode camels at sunrise, took a jeep tour through the desert to visit nomadic tribes and hunt for fossils, and rode fast quad bikes through the middle of nowhere and up to the highest Sand dune. All an experience I will never ever forget. If you ever come to Morocco, do not leave the Sahara desert off of your places that you must visit. It’s magic! 🐪🐪🐪 🌅⛺️✨✨✨
I would definitely recommend staying two nights there and not just one night. One night will severely limit your time to fully appreciate and experience the Sahara in a comfortable way.
On the first day that we arrived, we just had enough time to do a little bit of sand boarding on our own (free of cost- your camp should have boards for you to borrow). And then we spent about two hours on the dunes watching the sun set. Just taking photos of that, for me, was pure magic.
Day two, we got up early for a sunrise camel ride up to the dunes. It’s not too long of a ride, so it’s comfortable. And then more fun photos at the top of a dune for sunrise, with our guide Mustafa who helped us get the shots! Notice our well-wrapped head scarves (thanks to our Marrakech lesson!)
After that & then breakfast in the dining tent, our next guide, Yousef, picked us up for a half-day Jeep tour, which was amazing! (You can request that, and any excursions, right when you arrive at the camp. Nothing needs to be booked ahead of time. Make sure you have cash though, especially for tipping any of your guides!) Yousef was the quintessential Baby Driver, flying expertly over the sand dunes. He took us to see some ruins, a functioning oasis, and to visit a nomadic tribe, where we had tea and some food in one of their tents. And then he took us to hunt for fossils. It was incredibly fun to discover these tiny treasures hidden amongst heaps of rocks. And we got to take them home with us.
We finished the day with an hour guided ATV ride around the secluded dunes, which was definitely a rush of adrenaline, and a highlight of our time in the desert! So fun to feel so free, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by beautiful infinite horizons. Our guide also took some awesome photos of us. My favorite by far is this first photo, where Jaclyn and I oddly look like the six-year-old twin children of Jen & Cisco. 😂🤣
The Road to Fes:
After the Sahara, Cisco drove us all 7 hours to Fes. Bring snacks!
We stopped at the fossil quarry on the way to Arfoud (about 5 miles before the town), where Mohammed treated us like family and was so happy that we purchased some gorgeous fossils from him.
We also pulled over to see the roadside monkeys in Irfane, who were looking for handouts from passing cars.
FES (or FEZ):
In Fes, we stayed at my favorite riad of the entire trip— Riad Semlalia. Every inch was expertly crafted and designed— hand chiseled and carved wood, mosaic tiles and stone. It was amazingly beautiful.
The first morning we woke up there, we took a day tour of the city, where our Tours by Locals guide, Said, showed us the Medina old town. We visited the Jewish quarter, the food markets, and the tanneries. Most impressive were the artisan work spaces, where individual artists painstakingly created, by hand, all of the amazing designs that surrounded us everywhere in the city. The amount of skill, craftsmanship and labor was insane!
We had drinks at the rooftop bar at Palais Faraj, a block away from our hotel. It was the most disappointing experience though. Highly overpriced drinks with no flavor, which we waited about 40 minutes to be served, in a relatively empty bar. But the views from the outside terrace were nice. Lol. You can skip this place.
Still craving a cocktail, with minimal options later into the night, we were directed towards one of the few bars in town still serving alcohol— the British Saloon. A literal ‘red light’ bar, we were surrounded by inebriated tourists & locals, pounding beers by the dozen. I had the worst mojito/cocktail of my life— a mason jar of sour limes and some type of liquid spirit.
But the night turned around, when we found a secret club in back of the British Saloon, sporting wooden carvings of Davy Crockett, old music legends paraphernalia, a lively DJ, lasers, smoke machines, hookahs, and half the younger population of Fez, looking to party. It was completely crazy and unexpected, and we ended up having some terrific french fries, some solo dancing on my part, and a super fun night!
We spent our last night in Fes eating a Ishq, which was recommended by our Riad, and it was fantastic! Stylish decor and very elevated, delicious food, I would highly recommend you eat here!
CHEFCHAOUEN:
After Fez, we headed to the small city of Chefchaouen, which they call the Blue Pearl of Morocco. Most all of the buildings and the streets are painted blue. It’s stunning. There are several theories as to why it’s been painted blue: Influence from the influx of Jewish residents in the 1930’s to represent heaven and God. To represent the color of water to keep the city cool and free of mosquitoes. And lastly, just because they felt it would be attractive to tourists. ✔️ Accomplished. 😍🤩
No matter the reason, it’s a beautiful place to stroll through and take photos.
We stayed at a little guesthouse, called AfraHouse. I booked it because it looked cute and eclectic in a great central location. To say that it was small and quaint though, is an understatement. Although the staff was very friendly and helpful, and their rooftop terrace for breakfast was terrific, it was way too cramped of a space for us for the two nights we stayed. Neither Cisco nor I could open up our small carry-on suitcase in the tiny room, unless we hoisted it onto the bed. There was barely space to walk around the bed.
We managed though, and I have to say that the location couldn’t have been better, smack in the middle of the old town!
And our host, Nizar, was full of wonderful recommendations. He told us two places for dinner— El Cielo & Triana, which we ended up thoroughly enjoying on two separate evenings. And he also took Jen and Jaclyn on a terrific tour of the surrounding mountains and waterfalls our second day there. Cisco and I decided to hang back in the town so that I could take some photos of the beautiful streets.
CASABLANCA:
Our last stop in Morocco was Casablanca. We drove there from Chefchaouen, and stopped in the capital city of Rabat to check out the old Kasbah and have lunch on the ship, Le Dhow. Definitely recommend this little stop, and even spending more time in Rabat, if you are able!
We got to Casablanca just in time to check into our hotel— Melliber Appart Hotel— and walk the two blocks to see the sunset at the Hassan II Mosque, the second largest functioning Mosque in Africa. It was magnificent!! 🤩 I wish we had had more time there to explore all of it.
And of course, we couldn’t leave Casablanca without eating our last meal at the ever-famous Ricks Café. It is not the real location of the Rick’s Cafe from the blockbuster movie, but a tribute restaurant, in the same style & theme. The live music trio that was playing, the drinks, food, and ambiance was the most perfect way to end our beautiful trip. Casablanca— here’s looking at you, kid! 😍
Aloha, Morocco! Until next time…
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