A trip 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, wander through maze-like medinas and sip the tea of Berbers.
When I stood in front of the Sahara one day, looking at the pulsing, undulating dunes of the desert the dream came true. I rode an camel to that I could gaze upon millions of stars in the night, giggling at the fact that I was where I had always hoped to be with the same stars thousands of miles from home.
Over the course of two months, I travelled throughout the United States with Intrepid Travel’s Best of Morocco tour and consumed a lot of couscous as well as drank my entire body mass in mint tea hiked and soaked in music and the beauty 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 travel Here are some highlights of 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 of stargazing under the stars. It turns out the ride on a camel over one hour isn’t exactly comfortable however, seeing the stunning colors of the desert in close proximity as well as camping with Bedouins and gazing at the stars in a million different ways in the dark without lighting pollution made it worth it. There’s a calming silence in the desert once the wind stops and you get a feeling of calm, simply sitting in the desert and enjoying nature.
Interesting fact about the rain: it fell when I was out in the desert. It was a wild lightning storm that was crazy – one of the strongest I have ever witnessed. The thunder’s roar seemed like a million explosions firing and the lightning transformed evening into daylight. The weather was not as wet, but at 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 We were able to spend a lot of time in the middle, low and upper regions of this range (it’s impossible to avoid). My most memorable experience was when we climbed high into the High Atlas range, climbing for an hour and finally arriving at an unassuming farmhouse, where we stayed for the night with a family from the area (who prepared us the most delicious tagine meal and the best Berber breakfast of the trip).
In the morning and departing late the following day We were able to explore and hike the area around. I am a sucker for hiking, so I was thrilled to truly get out in the nature, explore the riverbeds and even see Mt. Toubkal (North Africa’s most awe-inspiring point) out in the distance. In addition to the camel trek I found this to be my top trip.
3. Food at Cafe Clock
Awarded to me by numerous people, and with restaurants within Marrakesh and Fez the cafe that is influenced by Western culture has earned its fame for their enormous tasty camel burger (which is similar to spicy Shawarma). The food is fantastic and includes a camel burger, green smoothies and the delicious, melt-in-your mouth chicken couscous were so good that I dined there two times.
In the chaotic and chaotic medinas of every city, the cafes are an oasis of peace, that you could recharge, connect to Wi-Fi, or cool down by cooling down with air cooling. They also provide cooking classes and regularly organize events in every area!
4. Finding Yourself Lost in the Medinas
The medinas form the historic cities’ hearths. Morocco They are part residential zone, part shopping center as well as a food market. You’ll find twisted and turning streets, where food, restaurants, shops and even homes are dotted along the streets in structures seeming to be too close, and too old to keep in place for long.
As someone who is prone to lose herself medinas are heaven. I spent many hours in them, taking right turns while doubling back through streets and plazas that looked like familiar, then trying to find my way only to be lost again. It was a maze that I enjoyed attempting to unravel as I sipped tea while eating delicious and fragrant food, and taking in the sights.
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Beware: Fez is a bit risky and dangerous So, don’t go away from the main route. Keep to streets full of people. I’ve had a few close calls with pickpockets as well as possible robbers.
5. Exploring Volubilis
A major trading hub and the most southern settlement during Roman periods, Volubilis is one of the most well-preserved (and the least visited) sites of its kind around the globe. It was awash with tourists, not crowded and open in a way that allows you to get close to the structures, without having to stand hidden behind 10 feet of barriers and being snarled by crowds. The majority of the city remains unexplored and it has a distinctly natural feel to it. I’ve been to lots of Roman ruin sites during my travels, but I like this one most.
6. Seeing Ait Benhaddou
While I didn’t spend much time in the area but the area that is filled with Kasbahs (fortified homes) was quite amazing. It’s an iconic location in the Hollywood fortress of Morocco and was used on Game of Thrones, Gladiator, Lawrence of Arabia, and many more movies. It was the most stunning Ksar (fortified village) I’ve ever seen and that’s probably the reason the reason it’s featured in every movie!
It is an example of what we think an old ksar ought to appear like. I loved walking around the city and climbing up the hill for a panorama.
7. Relaxing on the beach and eating seafood of Essaouira
My top town located in Morocco, Essaouira is located only a few hours far from Marrakesh in the Atlantic coast. It is the most popular beach resort for tourists, particularly Brits. I enjoyed the laid-back vibe of the city and the absence of crowds of touts, the ocean air, and the fresh fish.
Make sure you visit the fantastic market for fish in town, where the fishermen of all sizes are selling their catch of the day. Then, take a look at the tiny fish stalls on the main square. There you can eat fresh seafood that is grilled for a very low price.
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 an ounce of squid. The meal was served with bread, drinks and salad, as well as tea. (We were there for breakfast every day for lunch, and dinners afterwards cost approximately 15 USD.) Visit stalls 5 and 11 for the finest fish!
8. Visitor to Marrakech
Marrakech is everything that I imagined it could be: a modern mixture with Moroccan and international cultures with the largest variety of tasty international cuisine (check for PepeNero to find Italian or Latitude for a mix of Mediterranean and Moroccan) and gorgeous architectural structures in the medina.
While Marrakech did not have the grit or edge of the other cities in the country however, it was by far the most diverse city of the journey.
The chaotic pace revealed the city’s inhabitants who are always moving. The well-known Jemaa el-Fnaa square is truly the chaos everyone talks about as a tens of thousands of people eating at night shopping, eating or getting tattoos of henna listening to storytellers and bands as well as taking in magicians (and snake charmers in the daytime). It’s among the most crowded but intriguing areas to observe people. It’s still awe-inspiring to me the size and how full it was! (Contrast with the less than impressive Saadian Tombs which is a place I would not recommend 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 feeling a little “couscoused to death.” However I did not hesitate to dive into taking in as much as I could — I enjoyed savoring the flavor as well as seeing the diversity of the region and learning to be amazed at how long it took to cook each dish. Tagine (cooked with dates, meat and spices like cumin, turmeric, cinnamon and saffron cooked in a clay pan) was easily my most favorite Moroccan dish.
It is also worth trying also the Berber Omelet, made of egg tomato, onion and herbs. It is prepared in clay frying pan.
10. Drinking Mint Tea
I’ve never had more tea than while in Morocco. In a place in which “having beers” isn’t a norm locals use pots of mint tea. There’s even a method of pouring it. The higher the teapot is, the more flavorful. I could not get enough of the sweet and minty taste and sat in the tea shops and watching soccer alongside the residents. I probably drank one or two cups a day. That stuff is addictive!
11. Receiving The Call to Prayer
Although I’ve visited a few mostly Muslim countries in the past and within Southeast Asia, I’ve never been to the culture of an Arab Muslim country or heard the prayer call. There was something beautiful in the mellowness of the call. And it was a wonderful alarm clock for 5 a.m. People thronging to the mosque dressed 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 arouse my senses however, for all the travel stress this was a country that made me feel out of my comfort zone and felt like I was somewhere completely that was completely different and new. I loved that feeling as well as all the other aspects of Morocco.