Hi fellow TourRadar forum users,
I would consider myself a bit of a seasoned traveller, where I have been to a few destinations that might not be on everyone’s bucket list. Therefore, I wanted to share my thoughts about my experiences in a few key destinations that have taken a piece of my heart.
Today I have decided to share my travel stories of Morocco - a land that has such a diverse landscape, history and political and religious views that I think everyone should visit once in their lifetime.
I travelled there in a small group, roughly 16 days, with an operator called Intrepid Travel. The group consisted of around 16 people and was all roughly in their mid to late 20s, coming from England, France, Switzerland and other European communities.
Travelling from Vienna, my friend and I had to take a flight to Venice before departing for Casablanca. The airport in Casablanca is very small, you can make it to the train within 20 min after disembarking from the plane, however, we just arrived to the train as it was leaving so had to wait a fair few minutes before the next. This is when we noticed that Morocco was much more green landscapes, livelier and “civilised” than we had thought - don’t get me wrong - I myself come from South Africa and know what it can be like working and living in a country that has so much potential - but we all have these thoughts when we travel! This gave us enough time to exchange some euros for their local currency Dirham, thinking we would need this during our travels - spoiler alert, a lot of the restaurants and shops actually take card.
We were then able to board our train to the city to Casablanca where our journey of this beautiful country actually stared:
Before I make this post too long, I wanted to share some bullet points of the best (and worst") things about travelling to Morocco:
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CASSABLANCA: Of all the places we visited in our 16 days, this was the one I would recommend last to visit. As two female travellers, we experienced our first “looks” and whistles from locals while walking through the old Medina and the older city. To be honest, for us, the only thing worth seeing was the Hasan Mosque and the rest can be viewed with better experiences in other areas of the destination. I would recommend this being a one-day-only stop. -
MOULAY IDRIS: this small city is not far from Meknes , a place that many want to visit and a wonder on its own. However many do not travel to Moulay Idris, which sits on a hill and has amazing views. Just outside of the city, you come across Roman ruins - a highlight of the area.
CHEFCHAOUEN: This is arguably the most famous city in Morocco, where many tourists visit. I would advise that you travel here in groups, as some areas are more rough around the edges; however, the inner city makes it all worth it. The city is also on a hill, and you can walk up to the mosque and have a great view of the city. Locals here are very friendly, do not hassle you and food is delicious. You can experience the a very local hammam here, but beware! The ladies who did this in our group laughed while advising the roughness of the experience.
FES: Fes has the oldest Medina, where you can get very easily list. Here, if you decide to travel on your own to the city, you will for sure get lost in the maze of small walkways and long hallways. Here you can see the royal palace, but also notice a lot more of the divide between the local people. This is a very rich historic city and is very worth travelling to.
DESSERT CAMP / MERZOUGA: This was one of the longest day of travel for us , it was pouring down with rain and the 6 hour drive turned into an 11 hour one where we were stuck in endless traffic due to the rain sweeping cars away. The journey was so worth it, we got to see a rainbow in a desert, experience the much needed rain which has not happened n 8 years and sing & dance with the locals before getting up early and riding the camels that are very well treated - highly highly recommend and was the best day of the entire trip!
DADES VALLEY: a location that many miss in their journey through this kingdom, but a stop that’s worth it. Here I experience a “deja vu” moment where I was transported back into my home country, South Africa, with the landscapes being so alike. We went on a bit of a hike here, and it’s a climber’s and hiker’s dream.
AIT BENHADDOU / HIGH ATLAS MOUNTAINS: I am going to skip slightly over these destinations as they are stopovers to not make the trek to Marrakesh as long, but things to note. The locals here are very welcoming, though the children do tend to beg and run after you for some food. The landscapes change so much from rocky to mountain and from green to snow during the trip. Here are a few pictures:
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MARRAKESH: The city that most or all adventurists will go through, either to experience the local Medina, or just as a quick stopover before their flight home. Here you will find the “snake charmers” and monkeys in the middle of the medina - I always had to look away and pass quickly, as I could not take the cruelty of the monkeys in tutus on chains and the snakes being “charmed” with many tourists around. This city is for sure not one for the faint of heart, as you will be shouted at, leered at, harassed and get lost. This city is so big, with most of your time spent in the Souk. I recommend downloading the app “Maps me” as Google Maps does not work: Locals will scam you into showing you out if you even look lost. You will need a few days to experience the entire Souk, and keep some luggage space, as they have great items!This was our last stop, before flying home and was maybe the city we would experience again, though it does take a lot of energy to navigate the city.
TAGHAZOUT / ESSAOUIRA: My travel partner and I decided to take the surfing extension that Intrepid offered and went on our first surfing lessons. I for sure will not be trying that again, but highly recommend as the instructors know their stuff. The town of Tgahazout is very touristic, the most tourists were seen in this small town while Essaouira is for sure a place I would have liked to see a few more days if I could change anything as its local charm, souk and restaurants were much more interesting to us than Marrakesh.
Now that I have advised about the experiences, here are a few TIPS & TRICKS I learned during my 16-day travel.
- Always carry multiple layers. We travelled in March and were cold during the evening and nights
- Carry some cash for the Souk and local shops, but most restaurants in the big city will take card - there are ATMs in all big cities
- Budget more than you think! We were clueless about the costs in Morocco and can tell you we budgeted way less than what we actually spent, but it was so worth it!
- Carry a scarf and long sleeves with you to visit the mosques and holy places, men also need to cover their knees just as women
- The daily prayer will ring multiple times a day even at 5am in the morning so bring some ear plugs
- Do not wear “revealing” clothing, as locals will stare at you
- I would always recommend travelling in a group as the experience is so much immersive
I hope this gave you some ideas on how amazing the destination is to travel to, and if you have any questions, I will be responding to those in the comments 
