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Morocco - Coast, Mountains, Deserts and King Cities

23 days exploring a fascinating diverse country

By Beyond All Maps - Portraits of our Planet by Thorsten Mehret

May 31^st, 2020

Motivation

Morocco was a long time favourite on my bucket list. Not only do I love the Moorish architecture and interior design elements such as the beautiful lanterns. I do also adore the food, which is often prepared in the Tajine, an earthenware pot. A couple of years ago, I had already planned a ten-days stay. Working on the itinerary, I found myself overwhelmed by the many places I wanted to visit and came to the conclusion that I needed to spend a minimum of three weeks to cover most of them.

Short Facts

Population: around 36 m
Size: 711,000 skm
Capital: Rabat
Biggest City: Casablanca
Main Languages: Arabic, Berber
Foreign Languages: with French (preferable) and even English you can do, especially in the more touristic places.
Currency: Moroccan Dirham (MAD), 1 EUR = 10,5 MAD (01/2020)

Morocco - Coast, Mountains, Deserts and King Cities

Itinerary

Morroco is a large country and has plenty to offer. Even with three weeks time, we had to make some concessions. Instead of all King Cities (Marrakech, Rabat, Meknes and Fez) we focused on the most famous ones, Marrakesh and Fez. The cities are all connected by a reliable railway which I can recommend. The rest of the country is best explored with a rental car. Outside the somewhat chaotic big cities, driving is a breeze. Traffic is low and all relevant roads are surfaced.

3N - Marrakech (the red city) - Riad Alnadine*
3N - Fez (the white city) - Riad Dar Dalia*
3N - Chefchaouen (blue city in the green Riff Mountains) - Chez Aziz*
1N - Azrou (snow and berber monkeys) - La Perle D'ifrane*
2N - Merzouga and Erg Chebbi (overnight in the desert) - Chez Youssef*
1N - Dades Gorge - Dar Ahlam Dades*
1N - Äit Ben Haddou (Hollywood’s dream clay village) - Fibule Dor*
1N - Zagora (52 day to Timbuktu) - Riad Dar Sofian*
3N - Tafraout (Pearl of the Antiatlas) - Maison Tigmi Ozro*
1N - Imsouane (surfers paradise) - Dar Zitoun
3N - Essaouria (relaxt city on the coast) - Chems Bleu*

Note: * indicate affiliated links, where I receive a small tribute if you book via this link. This has no impact on your overnight price. I have researched all the accommodation by myself, have fully payed them myself and experienced them myself. If I recommend them, then this is with my total conviction. I'm just curious how the concept of affiliated links works and therefore wanted to test it here.

Marrakech

The red city as it's nicknamed due to the many reddish coloured houses is probably the most famous of all the Moroccan cities. As most highlights are in or close to the Medina, we decided to book a Riad right in the atmospheric old quarter. After some research I booked the Riad Alnadine* which I can wholeheartedly recommend, not only for the great location, the beautiful interior design and great breakfast on the roof terrace, but also for the fantastic hosts Nadine and Alain. They gave us plenty of tips and even organised our train tickets.

Djemaa-el-Fna is a UNESCO sight since 2001. It's full of life with snake charmers, storytellers, dance groups, henna ladies, juice-, fruit- and of course divers food-booths.

So be careful not to find yourself suddenly with a snake around the neck, a monkey on your shoulder or a lady snatching your hand for a henna tattoo before you can says something. Of course you will be asked for some contribution to this event, same for pictures.

As in many cities in the hot climate belt, life starts again, after a long lunch break, in the late afternoon and goes well into the night. Especially Djemaa-el-Fna and the surrounding area becomes busy at this time. A great place to soak up the atmosphere is Le grand balcon du café glacier. Order a mint tea and enjoy.

Doors in Marrakesh

Food and Drink

To learn more about Moroccan food, beyond the classical tajine which you can get everywhere, we take part in an evening food tour. We meet Ben our guide at 18:00 and, while exploring the Medina, make several stops to try Moroccan Donuts (yummy), bread with special spices, figs, salted chickpea and beans, vegetable couscous, sheep head (tastes better than it sounds), snails (not my favourite) and a special beef tajine (cooks for three hours). We drink mint tea, thyme tea, absinth tea, a tea with galgant, pepper, cinnamon (very spicy), and finally an avocado-almond-date shake (too sweet for my taste). Filled up and happy, we "roll" home at 22:00. Unfortunately, I can't remember the company we booked with, but I can definitely recommend a food tour in Marrakech.

By the way, our favourite shake is Avocado-Orange. Try it.

I've heard and read a lot about the souks and the extremely persistent sellers in Marrakesh. I expected the worst and I'm surprised that it is by far not as bad as expected. Of course, it's hard to look around quietly in a shop without being immediately targeted by the shopkeepers and bargaining is expected and a must, but we never had an unpleasant experience. I've heard that the authorities took actions against too aggressive shopkeepers, obviously it has helped.

The Bahia palace, dating back to 1867, is a huge complex of 8,000 sqm with countless artfully designed rooms and beautiful courtyards. Go early, as it's one of Marrakesh's highlights and can get very full.

The Minaret of the Koutoubia Mosque, dating from the 12th century, is a famous landmark not only for Marrakesh but the whole country.

We walk to the remains of the El Badii Palace, dating back to the 16th century. The garden is full of orange trees and the walls seem to be a popular nesting place for the storks. It's quite nice to walk around here, although the entrance fee of 7 € is a bit steep, but this is the case for all landmarks in Marrakesh nowadays.

The Jardin Majorelle is a bit outside the Medina. We take a taxi in the early morning to avoid the crowds and the long queue for the ticket, as this is a very popular place in Marrakech. The Villa Oasis, adjoining the garden, was built by the painter Jacques Majorelle. In1980, it became the home of Yves Saint Laurent (YSL). The garden opens every day at 8:00 and is really worth a visit. It's not so big, but it wants to be discovered, so take your time and go early. When we left at 10:00 it got already very busy.

Cats in Marrakesh

Fez

After a relaxed train ride of 6.5 hours, we arrive in Fez and take a taxi to our Riad Dar Dalia* . Of course I've seen pictures before of the riad but once there, we are blown away. Geoffroy, the French owner, has renovated and decorated the riad beautifully in the Andalusian and Arabic style and now it almost looks like a luxurious castle and we feel like royals. It's amazing how much effort Geoffroy put into the smallest details.

From the roof terrace, we enjoy a fantastic view, with a cup of mint tea.

Chez Rachid, a recommendation from our host Geoffrey, becomes our favourite places for eating. The staff is friendly, the food really good and reasonably priced, and the location is perfect for people watching. While in Fez, trying a pigeon pastille is a must. It's an interesting combination, like a meat and vegetable filled sweet pastry. Although I'm typically not the biggest fan of this combination, it tastes really good.

The Medina of Fez consists of a myriad of small alleyways , so narrow that even Maps.me is sometimes confused. Fortunately, motorised vehicles are not permitted in the Medina and therefore walking around is a much more pleasant and relaxed experience than in Marrakesh. Fez is also more conservative than Marrakesh. Almost all women wear a head scarf and we regular hear the term "In-sha'allah" (so god will).

We take a guide for half a day (400 MAD) to show us around in the Medina and to find some spots we want to visit like the tanneries. Afterwards, we stroll around by ourselves in the maze. Getting lost is part of the fun, as every corner offers something new.

Fez is famous for its many small handicraft stalls.

The souqs in the medina are full of small stalls. Some are more common, like the ones for nuts and dried fruits and especially dates. Others are more exotic even for Moroccan standards, like the camel butcher which in the case below is easy to identify.

Want to try a camel burger? Cafe clock is the place to go. A travellers favourite in Fez.

Finding the famous tanneries in the medina is not so easy, as they are located in a courtyard and the streets around are especially narrow. But a suddenly increased density of tourist groups, navigating their way trough the maze and then queuing up for entrance to leather shops are a good indicator that you have reached the tanneries. The best view you can get from the leather shop balconies. A smart marketing move. Entrance is for free, including some explanations and mint leaves that in front of the nose help against the stench from below. It's fascinating to see how the leather is treated the same way as hundreds of years ago. The leather gets soaked for ten days, then hair and wool rests are removed with the help of pigeon excrements (ammoniac), and finally its dyed. A tough job.

Of course we find ourselves involved in some sales discussion for diverse leather goods afterwards in the showrooms. I read good and bad reviews about the prices and the quality here, so one should at least have an idea about realistic prices before. As we show no intention to buy something, and the huge asian tour groups seem to be a much better target, we are released after a short while and to my surprise even my offered tip for the explanations at the balcony is not accepted: "No thank you, but this is part of our business".

Btw, a good time for pictures is around 10 o'clock. Before, parts of the tanneries are in the dark shadows and later the light gets too harsh.

Karim, our guide, brings us to an inconspicuous small shop, which sells beautiful refurbished wooden doors, trunks, etc. We follow the narrow staircase up to the top of the building for a fantastic view over Fez. This is one of the moments we are glad that we have taken a tour guide. No chance to find such a place by yourself.

Build in 1325 and still in use until the beginning of the 20th century, Medersa Atterine is one of the most impressive historical building in Fez. It's a busy place and there is a steady coming and going of tourist. But from time to time (between groups) it gets almost empty. So worth to wait a bit to have this stunning place for your own.

Beautiful gates

Volubilis - Roman Traces

In the morning, we take over our car from Hertz, which I have booked in advance (Citroen Cactus, 600 € for 2.5 weeks). Our plan for today is to drive to Chefchaouen with a short detour to Volubilis, the most famous archaeologic Roman site in Morocco. Especially the mosaics are very impressive. Unfortunately the weather is not good today, and in a constant drizzle we make our way to Chefchaouen, along olive groves, cactuses, sheep and goat flocks, people on donkeys, weed fields and rather shabby villages.

Chefchaouen - Blue City in the Rif Mountains

Chefchaouen is a lovely village in a beautiful surrounding area. Especially the blue painted houses are very attractive. There are several theories about the blue color, but the most likely one is that the color is just as a way to attract tourists, starting back in the 1970s.

Well, it worked, as Chefchaouen nowadays is very busy with tourists. Nevertheless, wandering around the blue alleyways without a clear target, having a mint tea or coffee from time to time to watch the scene around and exploring the different offers in the many little boutique shops might sound touristy, but honestly it's a dammed charming place for doing so.

Btw, Chefchaouen is also a great place for watching people dressing up in the brightest colours possible to pose in every imaginable (and unimaginable) way in the blue alleyways.

It's cold and rainy during our three days in Chefchaouen, so we skip our plans for some hiking in the area and make ourselves warm and comfortable.

Not only the blue, but also other bright colors used as contrast give Chefchaouen its special charm.

Many beautiful blue doors.

Cats are all around!

Only a few times during our stay the suns comes out to blaze the area in stunning light. What a wonderful area!

Once the day, tourists and the hustle and bustle are gone, the quiet blue alleyways, lit by the lanterns, appear in a completely different very special atmosphere. I love walking around in the dark, quite a contrast.

Day Trip to Tetouan

Looking for better weather, we make a day trip along the Mediterranean coast to Tetouan to visit the white medina there. On the way, we stop in Oued Laou. Thousands of parking lots along the beach front indicate a busy beach town during the season. But now, beside some lonely dogs and chicken on the beachroad, everything is empty and the whole city looks dull and desolate like in one on those end time movies. At least, after some search, we find an open coffeeshop for a break.

Not as spectacular as Chefchaouen, the white Medina in Tetouan is still worth a visit, especially for the souk, which is quite large and and an authentic experience.

THE BERBER MONKEYS FROM AZROU

On our way from the green Rif Mountains to the desert area around Merzouga, we stop overnight in Azrou. Located at 1,250 m, the area is a popular ski destination in winter time, and in the surrounding woods we can still see some snow pockets. The area is also famous for its Barbary macaques which live here and can be easily spotted around Cedre Gouraud, drawn by the tourist activity.

LANDSCAPE FROM AZROU TO MERZOUGA

The change of landscapes from the green forest area towards Merzouga is dramatic and makes the long drive a real joy. But beware of the speed limits. The long straigth roads are very tempting for speeding, but the police is checking speed frequently. Honestly, I have never seen more mobile radar controls on roads than in Morocco. Fortunately, we are warned often ahead by other road users and are happy when we are able to return the favour to others on the way.

One time, I was stopped and had to pay (around 15 €) as I have overlooked the 60 km/h speed limit and was driving 79 km/h. What I can say is that the police was friendly but strict (no bargaining). They even pointed out the sign for me on the road and I got an official ticket and payment receipt. Very correct - but according to some travel sources not always the norm.

Merzouga - Erg Chebbi

After a long day, we finally arrive in Merzouga and are greeted with a mint tea by Youssef. After some Internet research, I booked two nights with him. The first night in his neat guesthouse, and another night in the dunes, including a camel ride. The whole business in Merzouga is about different kinds of tours into the dunes including overnight stays.

Erg Chebbi is a dune area 28 kmlong and 5-7 km wide. Some of the dunes are 150 m high. A huge sandbox. As the dunes start right at the door steps of the town, we make a stroll into the dunes in the late afternoon light. Of course, so close to the city don't expect to be alone.

As our overnight desert tour starts in later afternoon, we have some time to explore the area. Youssef recommends us to visit Lac Dayet Srij in the morning to watch the flamingos. Unfortunately, they are shy and far away from the shore - contrary to a camel flock which visits us on its way.

We also visit nearby Rissani for its animal market, which is quite an event.

While in Merzouga a visit at Restaurant Nora is a must to try the Berber Pizza. A popular place for tourists and locals.

We start our overnight tour, together with another couple from Germany, at 5 pm, with a 1.5h camel ride across the dunes to the other side of the Erg, where we watch the sunset. Afterwards, a 4 WD brings us to our Beduin overnight camp.

Youssef basic camp used to be in the dunes for many years, but for some time now more and more luxurious camps have been set up in the dunes in a totally unregulated way in order to take care for Chinese tourists especially, whose number has risen significantly since they don't need a visa anymore to enter Morocco. Now the government is forcing everyone out of the dunes to start again in a more regulated way.

Youssef informed us that instead we can stay with a local nomadic Berber family just outside the dunes, which we happily do.

Our overnight camp with a local nomad Berber family consists of two classical Berber tents, two small shacks and a pit toilet hut some meters away. When there are no guests, the tents are normally used by the family. A half woven carpet is waiting to be finished in on of the tents.

Usually, the families out here are taking care of their animals, mostly goats, sheep and chicken. However we wonder how this works, as the land here looks very dry, without any green. But we assume they bring their animals to greener areas during the day.

Unfortunately, communication is difficult as our hosts only speak the Berber language and we rarely see the women, as she mostly stay in the shack.

At least we manage to find out more about this curious animal skin, swinging in the wind. Yoghurt is the answer to our question, which we understand. So we assume it's a storage for milk which becomes yoghurt over time due to the steady movement and heat during the day. Well, now in the morning it's really cold and we enjoy our hot tea and the sunrise before we are picked up and brought back into town.

On our way back, we drive around the Erg. On the way we see dozens of the newly established luxurious tourist camps. According to Youssef, they will all have to move out of the Erg, but I wonder if this is really going to happen.

On the Way from Merzouga to Dades

Today is a long driving day. Again the landscape is more interesting as expected in this dry area. Close to Tinghir, we make a short detour into the Todra Gorge. We are shocked by the crowds of tourists and peddlers. It's even hard to find a parking lot. After a 20 min stroll between the high narrow walls - I'm not even in the mood to take pictures! - we make our way back.

Dades Gorge

In the afternoon, we arrive at our accommodation in the Dades Gorge, Dar Ahlam Dades*. We arrange a guide for tomorrow to hike with us to the monkey fingers, then I drive further into the gorge, while Melanie prefers a shower and some rest.

The glow of the red walls in the afternoon light is stunning. The area is equally beautiful, if not more than the Todra Gorge, but without the hordes of tourists. I have a stop at the Cafe Timzzillite Chez Mohamed to enjoy the panoramic view, then I drive further until the gorge becomes wider. I pass some small villages on the way, everyone greets me friendly. The red rocks, the green fields and trees and yellow bushes create a fascination colorful scenery. Only when the surfaced road becomes a gravel road I decide to turn around and drive back to our guesthouse.

Together with Ibrahim, the younger brother of Mohamed, the hotel owner, we start in the morning our hike to the Monkey Fingers. Ibrahim is quite smart and entertaining. First, we walk trough lush gardens with cottonwood, fig and almond trees and some wheat fields between. Plenty of frogs croak in the river, no wonder that we see so many storks in the area. Plenty of food for them.

After the garden area, we follow a gorge with fascinating rock formations until....

...we finally reach a viewpoint and the rock formation called monkey fingers. And indeed with some imagination, the name is well chosen.

After 2.5 hours, we are back at the car. A nice hike and worth the 250 MAD for a guide, especially together with Ibrahim.

On the way to Äit Ben Haddou

We pass a couple of smaller villages on the way. The area is famous for its roses and plenty of shops offer all kind of rose products.

A Kasbah is a kind of fortress. It generally has high walls and was a place for the local leader to live and a defence when a city was under attack. Kasbah Amridil in Skoura is a good example in a pretty location and open to visit. Entering the Kasbah is a bit bizarre, as there are two entries next to each others claiming to be the principal or official entry. The Kasbah was owned by a family, but since a dispute they splitted up the Kasbah. We visit the left side, as according to our guidebook the visits are similar but you have to pay two times an entrance fee.

Äit Ben Haddou

When Hollywood is searching for an ancient Arabic village, this fascinating Ksar with its earthen clay architecture is often the first choice. More than 20 movies like Jesus from Nazareth (1977), The Jewel of the Nile (1985), Kundun (1997), The Mummy (1999), Gladiator (2000), Kingdom of Heaven (2005), Babel (2006) and Prince of Persia (2010) were filmed here. It’s a World Heritage Site since 1987. Most locals live in the new city close by, but since the Ksar got a power connection, some families moved over again.

We enjoy the most beautiful view from the guesthouse Fibule d'Or*, which I had chosen after some research. Not luxurious, but considering the reasonable price, probably one of the best deals in the area.

On the Way to Zagora

A short detour from the N9, right after Agdz lies the Kasbah de Caids, a nice stop on the way, especially as we get a private tour by the owner who has been restoring the complex for 15 years, transferring it into a charming guesthouse.

For lunch, we stop at a nice looking restaurant to order a Berber omelette and a "Jus Bitrave". Sometimes we like to try things out, and we wonder what kind of fruit Bitrave might be. As our languages are not compatible, our waiter cannot help. So we learn it the hard way: Bitrave is beetroot. Yuck! I promise myself no more food experiments today. A least the Berber omelette is delicious.

Zagora

Zagora is the last bigger city in the south before the desert in Algeria and was an important stop on the caravan trade route in the past. It's said, that the best dates in Morocco come from here.

In Zagora, we stay in the Riad da Sofian, the most luxurious riad on our stay, with a beautiful pool and setting. As there is not much to see in town, the perfect place to relax.

The "52 days to Timbuktu" sign was a famous landmark in Zagora, unfortunately it was replaced. Nowadays, many fake versions can be found around, the one said to be the official replacement for the original can be found here.

A Long Day to Tafraoute

We start early, as today is our longest driving day with around 420 km. It took me quite some research until I could find out that the whole N12 desert road is nowadays completely paved. A few years ago, the road was only recommended with a 4WD. It's a long and rather boring road in an arid area with not much to see one the way until we reach the more mountainous area of the Anti Atlas in which Tafraoute is located. What runs me crazy are the many 60 km/h speed limits without obvious reasons on an absolutely straight road with no traffic. The different warning signs on the way are another mystery, as we wonder where the traffic should come from. Nevertheless, after our recent experience with the many speed controls, even in lonely areas, I'm careful and it takes me a while until I start adjusting my speed a bit. Fortunately, this time without problems.

A Long Day to Tafraoute

Tafraoute and Surrounding Area

Tafraoute, also known as the pearl of the Anti Atlas, is surrounded by a beautiful landscape with many longer hiking opportunities. We stay at a small guesthouse with a lovely host. The lady that runs the Maison Tigmi Ozro* gives us many recommendations for the area. By the way, just next door there is the tiny restaurant "Chez Nadia", run by a local family with fantastic authentic food. Highly recommended.

OK, art sometimes is questionable and not everyone will like the blue rocks. But without a doubt they look very special in this environment. Some years ago, an artist did this rock painting with almost 20 tons of paint. Since then, locals refresh the colours from time to time, as the rocks have become a tourist hot spot in the area. We enjoy the walk here, although it gets hot quite quickly. So go early, especially in summer time.

Another nice half-day trip in this area is Ait Mansour. A very scenic road leads trough a huge palm grove in a valley.

Our lovely host in the hotel recommends us to visit Tagdicht, a small, quiet village in the Ameln valley located up in the mountains in beautiful scenery. A very steep road (not for the fainthearted) brings us there, and the views on the way are indeed spectacular. There is not much to do, but we walk a bit around in the village, greeted everywhere by the friendly locals, before we return the same way.

On the Way to the Coast

Imsouane

Insouame is a little charming fishing village that in the last years became more and more popular with the surfer community. We stay in a beautiful villa called Dar Zitoun by Olo. A bit pricier than our usual accommodation, but the rooms, the garden and the perfect view over the village and the surf spots is worth every cent. Unfortunately, the property is not for rent anymore (in May 2020), so I cannot set a link to it.

Essaouira

A two-hours drive brings us to Essaouira, a beautiful fishing city at the seaside. Due to a cold current in the sea and the steady wind, the weather even in summertime is said to be bearable here. It's the most charming and relaxed city on our trip, definitely worth a stay for a couple of days, just to enjoy the atmosphere. We love to stroll around without a clear target. Every corner brings new interesting impressions. Essaouira is famous for its art scene, accordingly many ateliers are waiting to get discovered. Also the shopkeepers are far less pushy than in Marrakesh or Fez. It's a joy to do some holiday shopping here.

Did I already mention that I love the old doors in Morocco? Essaouira is no exception.

Even the cats look more relaxed in Essaouira, compared to other cities.

Essauoira is a shopping paradise.

There are many places to buy Argan oil products in the city. Quality and prices can vary quite a bit. By accident, we stumble over a rather inconspicuous small shop in a quiet corner, obviously mostly frequented by locals. The friendly owner speaks some English and lets us try several products. Our favourite is the Berber Nutella (amlou), which we had before in two guesthouses. It's a mix of Argan oil, honey and almonds and tastes heavenly. We order several glasses for tomorrow, as they are freshly prepared. The prices are very reasonable, considering that Argan oil of good quality is generally pricy. The tiny shop is hard to find, its in the Rue Baghada Nr.3, but you can try to call: 06 73930241.

Essaouira is full of nice charming restaurants and coffee shops. Our favourite restaurant is the Miyame. The fish filet in orange butter is so delicious that I have to eat it the next day again. Book ahead, it's a tiny and busy place.

Essaouira has not many special highlights to offer, it's a highlight in itself. Nevertheless, a must do place to visit is the busy harbour area. Although tourism becomes more and more important, the town still has a huge working fishing harbour with lots of things to see.

Final Verdict

Morocco is an incredibly versatile country, which offers plenty to see and to experience, with many different exiting photo opportunities. Even with our 23 days, we had to made quite some compromises what to visit and I could have filled up the itinerary easily by another 14 days, without getting bored. Some hiking in the Atlas region would have been nice for example. In this regard, it's one of my favourite countries in the world.

I especially liked that it's so easy to explore by a rental car and pre-booked accommodation , which is my favourite way due to the flexibility. Also the price/value relation is on a good level, especially considering European standards.