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Before airfares skyrocketed, I booked my family a trip to Morocco. The tickets were $500 and three months later they went up to $1500. It pays to plan ahead! After a lot of research, I found Omar who, for a very reasonable price (most drivers are roughly $100/day, more if they do more than drive), would pick us up and take us all over, including arranging hotels, some meals and many excursions. He was incredible.
We arrived into Casablanca late, messing up our schedule for the day. We had hoped to see the city, but getting to Chefchaouen was more important to us. It was a good decision. Chefchaouen was different than any of the other cities we visited. It was on this first day that we began my travel hack regimen of Pepto Bismol (see my Argentina Post) and we remained healthy the entire trip.
Continuing on to Fes, we stopped at the ancient city of Volubilis, built by the Romans. There is no shade here and it was hot. You will definitely need a hat if you visit like the one I am wearing in front of the House of Venus. You can pay for a guide at the entrance, and we should have in retrospect, but we didn’t think it would be necessary since there are signs throughout. I overheard some of the guides though and found them to be quite informative.
I loved Fes. The old medina was mostly enclosed with a lot of winding, narrow alleys. Make sure to negotiate, starting at about 70% below asking price. You should end at 40-50% below. There was one thing I didn’t bother negotiating: All the pickles and olives. They were so cheap and so delicious.
The tannery is also definitely worth the experience. I actually found the quality of all the products in Fes to be higher than in Marrakech, although prices were slightly higher too. If you can’t wait for your own Moroccan leather poof, you can get one here.
Our last night in Fes we wandered into the Medina to a tiny restaurant that offered an amazing meal. It was here that I tried Moroccan pastilla, which didn’t sound good, but tasted delish. We were nervous to go into the winding tunnels alone, but google maps turned out to be surprisingly accurate.
We were sad to leave Fes but excited for our next adventure: over the Middle Atlas Mountains and into the desert. We passed the ski area that looks like a village in the Alps and stopped soon after to see the Barbary Apes. Visiting the apes is actually a bit of hot topic. On one side, they are entertaining to see and feed. In addition, people make their living providing food to the tourists who feed them. On the other side, the apes eat all day, thus struggling with weight gain and health issues from overeating and have learned to be dependent on the tourist feedings. They are in the middle of the street as you may try to drive past and can be mildly aggressive, although I didn’t find them to be dangerous.
Reaching Merzouga took forever. We did stop halfway, but I wouldn’t do it again. I would rather drive hard and have more time in the desert. What a treat. We decided to stay one night in the desert and a second night at our guide’s bed and breakfast in town, which was a great choice. Riding camels and watching the sunset over the Sahara dunes was incredible and the evening entertainment was fun, although I was told it is the same every night.
Once the sun sets, it is surprisingly cold. The camps provide bedding that is quite warm and comfortable. The minute the sun rises though, it is HOT. We rode ATVs, had tea with a Bedouin family and explored the desert. Not all of the desert is Sahara sand. Part of the desert is covered with fossils, some as large as turtles, that you can gather on your own. However, I suggest stopping to buy the pretty, polished fossils if you have the opportunity. It’s easier than hunting for them and it is another situation where this is the livelihood of people that live nearby and it is nice (and not too expensive) to support their work.
We had been hesitant to stay at our guide’s home, but it was wonderful. He made sure to have all of the food he knew my kids enjoyed and it really felt like we were visiting a friend. He and his wife are Berbers, so it provided an opportunity for us to learn more about their culture. He is still building out his guesthouse to ultimately include an enclosed restaurant and possibly a pool, but it is absolutely sufficient as is. The rooms were clean, the beds were comfortable and the showers were warm.
When we left Merzouga, we headed toward Marrakech, stopping halfway for the night. There are so many places to visit on this route. We stopped in a Berber home to purchase authentic rugs (a much better deal than purchasing in town), we walked in the Dades (pronounced daddys) Valley, visited the Hollywood of Africa and the Valley of One Thousand Kasbahs and stopped for pure argan oil. Argan oil can be easily purchased online, although prices are a little lower at the source..
Before we reached Marrakech, we stopped at Aït Benhaddou, a fortified village that was in the middle of a major trading route and had a prime defensive position, since it has an impressive 360 degree view from the top.
The last part of our drive was along the famous Tizi n’Tichka pass. Luckily I knew about it in advance, so I gave my son dramamine. I didn’t want him to miss out on anything, so I made sure it was the non-drowsy type that you can find here, but is only suitable for a 12 year old or older.
Arriving in Marrakech was a little overwhelming. After the peace of the desert, it was chaotic and high intensity. It was fun. You can’t drive in the Medina, which is where most of the riads are located, so someone has to meet you with a cart to carry your luggage. When you enter the Medina, there are motorcycles zipping by and, at times, crowds of people.
Jemaa el-Fnaa, the main square comes alive at night. There are stalls of food, people selling trinkets and ladies painting henna.
We did see one cute little monkey, but when we stopped to admire him, the owner put him in our arms. However, it seemed like most of the animals came out during the day. If you decide to walk through the square during the day, it would be tough not to have someone attempt to drape a snake around your neck. If we looked in one direction, there were people walking with monkeys and if we looked in the other direction, we saw the snake charmers (another hot topic). It is my understanding that these very dangerous snakes are made harmless by cutting out their teeth or sewing their mouths shut, ultimately starving them to death. Regardless of your feelings, it is hard not to look whether in amusement or incredulity.
We spent a full day exploring Marakech – The Bahia Palace, the Jardin Majorelle and the YSL Museum, plus more shopping in the Medina.
I brought the largest, lightest suitcase I own in order to fit wine, rugs, porcelain, etc. Using this suitcase, I have never had to pay overweight baggage fees. I also use a suitcase scale, just to be safe.
Our final night we went to Al Fassia, one of the most highly rated restaurants in Morocco. It was incredible. For $100 we had a huge meal and were unable to eat everything.
There was so much happening in Morocco, but the one thing that was constant was our guide, Omar. We are so grateful that he was always on time and did his best to make sure we were always comfortable and safe. What an amazing trip for my family!
