Morocco

General Info

Last visited

March 2019

Food

Tajine and Couscous are present on each menu. Tajine is a large, heavy cooking pot with a conical lid, used to cook lamb (or chicken) stew with vegetables, olives, lemon, garlic and spices. Couscous is a dish consisting of steamed semolina, served with vegetables and meat. Mint tea is consumed everywhere and anytime. It is very tasty and incomparable with our bland tea-bag brew. Moroccans drink tea with sugar, loads of sugar. Freshly pressed orange juice is part of a Moroccan breakfast. Street vendors sell it on Djemaa el-Fna. Alcoholic beverages can be consumed in hotel bars, clubs and upper class restaurants but not in street-cafés and (beer-)gardens where a beer tastes best.

Transport

Petit taxis are used in the cities, you pay from 50 cents to 5 EUR. Less, if the flag is used, more, if you arrive at the airport or at the bus station. Grand taxis are collective taxis which transport people to nearby towns or cities. The Mercedes limousines do not depart as long as they are not full, meaning, the driver and two passengers travel in front and another 4 passengers in the back row. Minibuses are usually travelling the same routes as grand taxis and are a bit cheaper. Supratours operate modern coaches and provide connections between the major cities in Morocco.

Do

...negotiate. Double check the bills. Recount the drawback.
Travel with Supratours where possible. They are fast and reliable.

Don't

...get angry with the touts. It's their job.
...buy a two day travel-pass with the tourist-double decker bus at Marrakech. It's just a heavily overprized commuter between the old and the new town.

Agadir

A modern city at the Atlantic coast. You can even take a swim in November. It is not as windy as in Essaouira. Agadir does not much differ from sea resorts at the Mediterranean.

Atlas

The peaks of the range reach 4000 meters. Jebel Toubkal (4167m) is the highest one and popular with hikers. You can start at Imlil and walk to the refuge on the first day. On the second day you will reach the top in 2.5 to 3 hours and walk all the way down. If you travel alone or do the trek in winter you preferably take a guide. Licensed tour-guides are available at the 'Bureau des Guides' in Imlil.

Essaouira

An old fishing port. Seagulls. A medina encircled by massive city walls. Sunsets. Street cafés. Wind. Beach. Fish. It's the perfect place to be, the perfect place to spend a couple of days. Recommended: Sleep at Riad Nakhla and have breakfast on its roof. Excursion to Sidi Kaouki and enjoy the windy beach. Have a drink of the rooftop terrace of Taros after dinner.

Marrakech

Get lost in its souks. Stay in a riad in the medina. Stroll throuh the medina. Have a mint tea at a street coffee or on the roof top of a restaurant at Djemaa el-Fna. Visit the food stalls of the Grand Place but rather have a delicious tajina at Corner Café, not far from there. Drummers, snake charmers, jugglers, fortune tellers populate the big square every night as they did 1000 years ago, the same procedure every day. After two or three days in this medieval ado, you might change location and spend another day or two in the 'Ville Nouvelle', where the upper middle class live. Have tea at a street coffee and be part of a modern North African metropolis.

Excursions

Marrakech - Mezourga: 3 days, one night in the desert

Many tour operators offer this excursion. It costs between 50 and 150 EUR, depending on your bargaining capabilities. Short for so much to see, but good to get a glance and come back again to spend more time in the region of Ouarzazate, Dadès, Tinghir and Merzouga.

1 Tizzi n'Tichka pass in the Atlas mountains. In spring some peaks are snowcapped.
2 Ait Benhaddou: A Kasbah built from adobe. Movies are filmed on this breathtaking setting.
3 Ouarzazate: A short stop at the Kasbah to take some pictures, that was it. To be mentioned: The glaring light of Noor III, a solar plant tower seems to be as strong as the sun light, visible half an hour before reaching the city from either direction.
4 Dadès Gorge: Reaching this stunning valley after sunset is a pitty. Oases, enchanting rock formations, deep canyons. You need at least 2 days to explore this region.
5 Tinghir: Guided tour through an oasis of alfalfa fields and palm trees, accross the old town, ending at a carpet shop; absolutely worthwhile.
6 Todra Gorge: Cars, busses parked on the paved parking spot inside the canyon remove all of its charm.
7 Merzouga: Reaching the famous sand-dunes right before sunset is a pitty. Camel-ride, climbing the dunes, having a tagine in the camp, sleeping in a tent and rushing back in the other morning. Just too short for such a peculiar place.

On top of Jebel Toubkal (4167m)

The city walls of Essaouira

Camel ride across the Merzouga dunes