We spent a total of 4 nights in Morocco. This was a trip we were particularly looking forward to, not only because we would be visiting another continent, but also experiencing another culture, religion, and scenery different to what we would be seeing throughout Europe. Our first destination was the city of Marrakech, full of souks bursting with aromas, exotic sunsets, a sea of sand castle buildings, and enchanting tiles and colours.
First Stop – Marrakech
How we got there
We booked a direct 1hr 45min flight with Ryanair from Madrid to Marrakech and arrived around 10pm Moroccan time. We recommend flying from Spain to Morocco as it was a cheap, quick and easy option. We also pre-booked an English-speaking driver from the airport to our Riad accommodation through TripAdvisor, rather than tackling any public transport or catching a taxi at 10pm at night.
Where we stayed
Our driver dropped us in one of the many alley ways in Marrakech and walked us to a lone door that was supposedly our Riad. When walking down the alley way you couldn't tell there was accommodation inside, but once we opened the door it was captivating. We were greeted with a friendly smile, a glowing pool, amazing patterns and an open roof to the night sky. We booked our accommodation through Booking.com for a Riad called Riad Challa in the Medina, near the Main Square. Our Riad offered breakfast, a rooftop terrace, our own ensuite and there was even a spa on site for a traditional Moroccan pamper.
You can't go wrong with booking a Riad in Marrakech as you are spoilt for choice on Booking.com, with countless affordable and luxurious Riads, all located in the Medina. Riads are almost like a boutique hotel, with all rooms opening into a centre area, which in our case was the brightly lit pool.
If you have or are planning to visit Marrakech you will notice that the outside of all the buildings are plain, humble and conservative, and everyone's home looks equally the same no matter how much money you have. However, what's on the inside is full of mesmerising colours and designs. This says a lot about their culture and way of life, that we absolutely love.
What we did
Moroccan Souks
We roamed through the souks in the Main Square, but due to it being the time of Ramadan the markets in the Main Square didn't come alive until 7pm. We admired the countless stalls full of brightly coloured spices, lanterns, traditional clothing, henna art, and much more. Dyl haggled his way and bought a traditional Moroccan outfit.
Majorelle Garden
The Majorelle Garden is a luscious green garden that takes you away from the hot, dry desert you are surrounded by. There is a stunning bright blue building in the middle of the garden and a small museum of artwork and history. We strolled through the gardens and stopped for traditional Moroccan food at the café.
La Palmeraie
If you are not heading to the desert, or would like to experience a camel ride, then the La Palmeraie gardens feature hectares of palm trees on a flat barren land where you can ride a camel.
What we ate
We wandered through the Main Square and walked into one of the restaurants and had traditional Moroccan crepes with Chicken Tajine. A pile of thin crepes topped with a spiced chicken cooked in a Tajine.
Getting Around
If you have ever been to Bali or anywhere in South East Asia, you will know that you can haggle a price for a taxi. We got around by taxi for a few Australian dollars each trip.
Second Stop - Agafay Desert
To really enjoy the authentic Morocco, a trip to a desert camp is a must.
How we got there and where we stayed
We booked 2 nights at the Scarabeo Camp through the travel agency Fleewinter. The camp is only a 45-minute drive from Marrakech and located in the stony Agafay Desert. This also makes it easy to visit as a day trip or just for one night. We originally wanted to venture to the iconic Sahara Desert, but due to time, we couldn't make the 2-day trek there and back, so this was the next best thing and it didn't disappoint!
We were greeted on arrival with traditional mint tea (seriously, we couldn't get enough of this stuff!) and some traditional Moroccan pastries and sweets. The camp is filled with glamping tents and an array of mutual areas to relax in, as the tents are very hot during the day. Our tent featured a king bed and ensuite with western toilet and shower.
What we did
The camp is very secluded, so if you want more than just relaxing on the many chairs around the camp, running away from scarabeo beetles, reading a book, playing a game of desert bowls, or meeting new friends around the camp fire there are also many activities on offer at the camp, for an extra price. From camel rides, quad bikes, yoga, massage, star gazing, dune buggy or mountain bike riding, Scarabeo Camp has it all.
As we were there for two nights we decided to do three activities, a camel ride at sunset, a 2-hr quad bike ride and a 1-hr massage. Out of the three our favourite was the quad bike ride. The thrills of speeding over the dunes, seeing panoramic views of the desert, exploring the hidden and ancient villages and even stopping by a lake was hard to beat. It was worth getting our crotches covered in sweat, our bodies covered in orange dirt and our mouth full of dust from smiling the whole time.
What we ate
We enjoyed 2 breakfasts, lunches and dinners for the 2 nights we were there.
Lunches were had outside under one of the tents and included fresh carrot and cucumber juice and your own personal buffet of Moroccan side dishes, whilst admiring the view of the desert.
Dinner was by candle light under the main tent, surrounded by other fellow campers or day trippers. Dinner was a romantic three course meal of soup, a vegetable tajine, a meat tajine, and rice or couscous followed by a traditional Moroccan desert.
Both dinners we had were amazing, and afterwards we would finish each day by one of the fires, chatting to the many other couples and groups from around the world.
Final Note
Well, where do we start with Morocco. It should be a place on everyone's travel list, not just for the amazing food and desert, Morocco is also full of lovely people and delicious mint tea!