10 Cities in Morocco in 12 days

Here’s a song I played while putting this photo journal and I guess it sets the mood for these Morocco pics, so, I guess you can listen to them too while scrolling through these pictures?

I will just say every inch of Morocco is so different. In one day, you can see jungles, mountains, snow, rain, and a sandstorm. There is more to Morocco that I didn’t get to capture because they are still lying in my GoPro haha. One thing though is that Morocco is congested by tourists but I’ll definitely come back one day. The food is great. And the people, oh the people, they are so nice and free.

Also FYI, I have more than one mom jeans!

Day 1 – 2

First stop: Casablanca.

We were only in Casablanca for 2 hours because we arrived from the airport there so we didn’t stop anywhere but the Grand Mosque. I wish though I took pictures of the lifestyle and people there. Casablanca’s Morocco’s commercial hub and port city. This is where the embassies and international companies are situated so Casablanca is where many expats live in Morocco. If you fancy outdoor cafes and beach runs, Casablanca is really where you want to be in North Africa. The lifestyle is laid back, people are fashionable, and best part is trams and subways run everyday.

Stop 2: Rabat

Most people think Casablanca is Morocco’s capital city but it’s Rabat. Though Rabat is only home to ~600,000 people (Casablanca with 5.1 Million), it’s the city that rests along the Atlantic Ocean. It’s known for its Islamic and French colonial heritage. This is also the town I ate snail for the first time.

Stop 3: Volubilis

A UNESCO World Heritage Center also known as the ruins of Volubilis; a Berber and Roman city in the city of Meknes.

The ruins were devastated by an earthquake in the 18th century

Day 2-3

Chefchaeoun [Shef/shaw/wun]; also known as the Blue city.

A city in the Rif Mountains. It sucks we missed the snow by just about a few days. Chefchaouen wasn’t as magical as I thought it would be or maybe because it was really filled with tourists- it is beautiful though. All the houses were painted in blue & white. Every year, the town throws a painting festival where all the citizens repaint their houses blue and whoever decides not to paint their house blue do not get their electricity bill covered by the government. Funny. Also, Chefchaouen is where you’ll find a lot of marijuana because the Rif Mountains is where all of Morocco’s cannabis production are found.

This is how blue the town actually is (without filters)

Day 3-Day 5

Fez

Fez is where the art and magic happens. It is known as Morocco’s cultural capital. This is where all the art is. It’s filled with vibrant souks and is famous for the capital of leather making and home to religious schools from the 14th century. Spices. The people. Medinas. Carpets. Fez was my favorite.

Natural Dyes extracted from nature for the making of leather. On this same rooftop is where National Geographic filmed their episode on Moroccan leathers.

Simple Mosaic tiles.

Day 5-7

On our way to Merzouga (Sahara Desert), we stopped in area with tall trees and snow. Were we really near the Sahara Desert? It’s incredible the differences Morocco has all around.

I mean no one told us we’d pass by a cold town on our way to the Sahara Desert- look at his crocs!

Merzouga & the Sahara Desert

1300ft below sea level, Merzouga is a small town in the Sahara Desert by the Algerian boarder. This is where we stayed in luxurious desert tents/camps with a bathroom & bed and rode a camel to watch the sunset over the Sahara Desert. The weathers were so extreme with over 30 degrees celcius in the day and 5 degrees celcius during the night.

Beautiful people from Portugal whom we ate lunch with in the Sahara Desert.

The Sahara Desert is also home to many Kenyans who immigrated during the 1800s. We watched them play their traditional music.

Day 7-8: Dadès Gorges

A series of wadi rugged gorges carved out by the Dadès river in Morocco. The river originates in the High Atlas range of the Atlas mountains.

A little North African Oasis in the midst of the desert and valleys.

Small world when we bumped into Izza’s family. It’s funny because I’ve only heard of her through social media and friends who’ve stayed at her house when going to TAISM so who woulda thought we’d meet in Morocco? Third Culture Kid story right there.

Day 8-11: Marrakech & Eassouira

First we made our way to Marrakech (Morocco’s economic center and most popular city) and slept a night there to make our way to Essaouira (port city in the Atlantic Coast across Italy) to go back and end our trip in Marrakech.

Moroccans call their goats as monkeys. They literally climb up the trees that it becomes a tourist attraction and people stop in the middle of the highway just to capture a picture of a goat on a tree.

Essaouira

After Fez, Essaouira was my favorite. I wish we stayed longer. Essaouira gave me a 80s feel. Crepe stands, vintage art galleries, old bookshops, you name it. Essaouira was my kind of place. Essaouira is the kind of place you want to solo travel to in Morocco after a breakup or a tragedy. You can write at a coffee shop to rethink your whole life or walk along the beach and end up meeting people who came to Essaouira for the same sole purpose or to find themselves.

It was a shame we were in Essaouira for only a day but there is so many things to do, see, and buy there. This town too, was filled with blue and white. You can ride a horse or rent a quad bike along the beach. Try their amazing crepes. Go to a seafood stall. Enter an art gallery. Buy Morocco’s famous designed plates and cups for only €5.00. Talk to their people, walk around the whole town, do everything!!

These sea food shack filled along the whole beach. Just remember that whenever you pass one, they will persuade you to eat in their restaurant and give you whatever you want. Then you might see that the next shack has lobsters that this one doesn’t so you leave to the next one but their price is higher. So, where?

Marrakech

Morocco’s most popular tourist destination; also known as the red city. It is a former imperial city in western Morocco and home to mosques, palaces and gardens. The medina (old town) is packed with souks (marketplaces) that sell traditional textiles, pottery, food and jewelry. EVERYTHING actually.

It’s really true when they say Marrakech is filled with cats. These kittens are all along the streets of Marrakech.

Marrakech was also home to a large population of Jewish people. They used to have a wall that divided them between the Muslims and that was their town.

Our riad

Marrakech is known for people asking for money when their pictures are taken so tourists are encouraged to stay on a rooftop to take pictures of the vibrance of Marrakech. This was one of the reasons I didn’t get that many pictures of Marrakech’s busy medina.

It’s all about the details in Morocco.

Marrakech nights

Day 12: Cassablanca

We go back to Cassablanca to go home. Home? Where to?

All thanks to our tour guide and driver Ali for showing us Morocco.

NIKON D80 © All photos by Arantxa Infra, Rizky Infra, Yessy Setiorini, and Morry Infra.