I was lucky enough to travel across Morocco a couple of months ago and all I can say is that I was stunned by the beauty of this country. Everywhere I would turn my head was such a sensory overload.
Casablanca
Travelling with my partner, we started our trip from Casablanca. Casablanca is a big bustling city and is Morocco’s main financial hub. I would highly recommend visiting the Hassan II Mosque and truly the photos don’t do justice to its size; this is the largest mosque in Africa and the third largest in the world. Whilst walking around the city, make sure you look high up as all of these beautiful art deco buildings are not to be missed. In Casablanca we also had our first of many fresh mint tea which tastes and smells amazing.
Fes
Next stop was Fes and whilst the weather wasn’t on our side due to the non stop rain, this didn’t discourage us from enjoying the beauties of this city. The medina of Fes (the old walled part of the city) is incredible and whilst we were worried that we would get very easily lost as the medinas are almost like labyrinth shaped, google maps was actually helpful and allowed us to navigate around (you can get a free sim card from the airport and top it up to stay online – we paid around £10 for 5GB). Make sure you step aside when you hear someone shouting “balak, balak” otherwise you are probably going to be run over a cart or a donkey. Fes is also famous for its leather tanneries which are like big watercolour palettes. Interesting fact is that there is a strong ammonia smell in the tanneries due to the pigeon poop used as softening agent and you are usually handed over a sprig of fresh mint to help with the smell.
Sahara desert
The highlight of the trip was definitely the Sahara desert. The scenery is spectacular due to the seemingly never ending dunes and the continuously changing shadows. If you have the chance, make sure to watch both the sunrise and the sunset as the change in the direction of the light creates all kinds of different shadow shapes.
Marrakech
Our final stop was Marrakech. From the moment you arrive in Marrakech you can sense that this is a cosmopolitan city. The medina is bigger compared to Fes and in cases busier. There are endless shops of straw bags, copper lampshades, spices and scarves (I couldn’t resist and bought an indigo blue scarf myself).
When in Morocco, staying in a riad is a must. Riads are the traditional townhouses whose main characteristic is that they are built around a central courtyard. There are so many options ranging from budget prices to five star boutique hotels. Also Jardin Majorelle (garden in french) has over the years become a main tourist attraction. This is a garden built and owned by Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) and has become world famous for its design, indigo blue paint used across the buildings and variety of plants (YSL was asking from his friends to bring seeds from all around the world). Make sure you book a ticket a day in advance or you might have to queue up to an hour depending on the day.
Morocco is such a beautiful and diverse country full of beauty for everyone to discover. We visited during autumn time which was pleasantly cool but also rainy in the northern part of the country. I have already missed Morocco and I would go back any time.
