Salaam Aleikum! We had arrived in Casablanca – the bustling business hub of Morocco.
Arriving on Sunday, most places were closed so we used this arrival day to unwind and rest before our 10 day tour around the country with Geckos Adventures.
Day one began in Casablanca and had us visiting the fourth biggest mosque in the world – the Hassan II Mosque.
On a guided tour we learned more than 6,000 craftsmen joined forces to build this beauty in 1993 and the cost went well into the $1B + price tag. It’s one of the few mosques in Morocco foreigners are allowed to enter.
That afternoon we took a local train (or what we can only describe as a travelling sauna 😥) to Meknes. Here we took a taxi to the whitewashed village of Moulay Idriss, one of Morocco’s most important holy pilgrimage sites.
Here we were treated to a home stay with the best Tagine of the entire trip, and a walking tour of the city, stopping along the way to witness a stunning Moroccan sunset.
The next morning we took a drive through the beautiful rolling hills to Volubilis for a guided tour of the epic Roman ruins which are more than 2000 years old.
After exploring the ancient site we drove back to Meknes where we met our local guide for a tour. We visited the Medina and an old grainery before enjoying an unusual lunch – a camel burger!
After lunch we were back on the Sauna Express heading for Fes – the spiritual and cultural heart of Morocco.
We spent our first afternoon here finding a feed and enjoying some evening drinks with our tour friends.
Our first full day in Fes had us taking a tour of the city, from the old Medina which is a maze of windy, narrow roads, to the Medersa ou Inania, a ceramic factory and stinky tannery where they dye leather.
It was a shopaholic’s dream and we were tempted by the beautiful paintings, carpets, clothes and leather products more than once.
The next day we were off to Midelt – originally built as a base for nearby mining, we stopped here overnight on our way to the Sahara Desert.
We left behind the Sauna Express and swapped it for a mini bus as we drove south through different terrains. Midelt landscape was beautiful and we hiked to a nearby canyon and local village to admire the countryside.
After a nice night with our group by the much enjoyed pool (temperatures were regularly exceeding 45 degrees!) we were off to Mergouza for our Sahara adventure.
Along the way we stopped to see some spectacular views at the Gorges du Ziz and the 500 year old ruins of the Ksar of Meski.
Finally it was time for our camel ride in the Sahara desert, the highlight of the trip!
This time it was all aboard the Camel Express as our group enjoyed spectacular views of the mountainous sand dunes and the thrill of riding these stunning creatures on our way to a private desert camp.
As the sun came down, a storm rolled in and we witnessed not only sunshine in the Sahara, but a sand storm followed by cool rain.
By early evening it cleared and we enjoyed a fun night sleeping under the stars.
The next morning we rose early, hopped back on our camel and rode back to the resort, stopping to watch the sunrise over the Sahara. It was the most beautiful and surreal moment of our trip so far.
After a good shower and breakfast, we were back in the bus heading for Todra – a small but beautiful town in a valley where cliffs rise over 1000 metres.
We enjoyed a walk through the canyon that afternoon and a quiet night to catch up on the excitement of the past two days.
Our next stop had us arriving at “The Hollywood of Morocco” – also known as the medieval mud-brick town of Ait Benhaddou, which has featured in many films and television series including Gladiator and Game of Thrones.
We took a walking tour of the old Kasbah where we visited a local home and enjoyed stunning views from the top of the hill, before visiting a local market.
Back on the bus for the last time the next morning, we were on our way to Marrakech. The windy roads through the Atlas mountain weren’t too enjoyable, but the stunning views quickly made up for it.
Arriving in Marrakech we took an orientation walk around the old Medina, which took us to the 18th century Palais Bahia, Saadian tombs and the main medina square where you can find snake charmers, fortune tellers and souvineers galore!
Our last day in Marrakech we visited the famous Majorelle Garden before cooling off by the hotel pool. We spent our last night in the Medina soaking up the party atmosphere and enjoying a sunset dinner on a nice rooftop restaurant with our new friends.
Morocco was truly a magical experience, only made better by the people we spent it with.
Next stop for the Wild Reids – Portugal!
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