December 2023 - Morrocco
- Sophie
- May 19, 2024
- 4 min read
My family's December 2023 trip was one of my favorites ever! We visited the cities of Casablanca, Chefchauoen, Fes, Merzouga (the Sahara Desert), and Marrakech!
Day 1: First, we arrived in Casablanca, visited the Hassan II Mosque, and went to dinner at Rick's Cafe (the restaurant based on Casablanca the1940s movie).
Day 2: After leaving the iconic Casablanca city, we stopped in Morocco's capital Rabat on the way to our next stop, Chefchauoen. There, we saw the Municipalité de Rabat and one of the country's tallest buildings. At a stop for lunch later in Chefchauoen, we took a tour of the Blue City to see some of the best photo spots!
That night, we saw an amazing sunset over the city, while the moon was coming out.
Day 3: The next morning when we left Chefchauoen, we saw goats in the middle of the road! Then, we went to the ancient, Archaeological Site of Volubilis, then drove the rest of the way to Fes. In Fes, we stayed in an amazing Riad in the middle of the Medina, which was such a cool experience.
Day 4: Tour of the old city! This day, we started by looking at the Mechouar Fes Jdid, built in 1276. Then we continued to walk through the Medina to an old shul, Synagogue Aben Danan. Then, one of my favorite parts of the day, we went to one of the best lookout spots in Fes where you can see all 3 parts of the city, old, new, and New Town, the French part of the city. Next, we went to THE place is Fes where artisan pottery and mosaics are made. The people there were so nice and even gave us little pottery hearts that they put onto their pieces as little designs! Then it was time to see the famous tannery, the Chouara Tannery. It was crazy to see how so much leather is made and what it can be turned into. Our final stop of the day before going back to the hotel for the sunset, we went to an old boarding school to see old, ancient dorm rooms and old architecture. Then, we saw an amazing sunset over the mountains and the medina, one of the most unique sunsets I've seen.
Day 5: On our 7-hour drive to the desert, we stopped in Ben Smime in the High Atlas Mountains where we saw monkeys! They were wild, but very used to people feeding them (which was allowed, there were people there giving out snacks for you to give to the monkeys). They were so sweet and cute! After we left, our next stop was to Guers Tiaallaline. It was a quick but beautiful stop to see the impressive Gorges du Ziz. Our last stop before arriving at the desert was to view Aoufous, a tiny town, from a lookout spot. Then, after all day of driving, we made it to the Erg Chebbi part of the Sahara desert in Merzouga, Morocco. Our "room" or tent was amazing, and basically like a real room. We unpacked and then went straight to the camel ride we had booked. I brought my camera and rode behind my parents and my sister and captured the dunes and yet another one of the most insane sunsets I've ever seen. The camels, the landscape, everything about it was so happy and so so cool to be a part of. Everyone in my family and I agreed that we never wanted it to end. After it did end, however, and right before we went to bed, we just stood there and looked up at the stars. It was one of the clearest nights and I got a picture of it, which is usually impossible.
Day 6: The next morning we had a sunrise walk, and we were lucky because the sunrise was incredible again. It was cold, and a workout to walk up hills of sand, but it was worth it and so fun. The last thing we did before we left the Sahara was sandboarding. This was an activity that you didn't have to book or reserve but they had sandboards for all the guests to borrow whenever. Of course, we chose a big hill and my sister each did it a few times, and I would recommend it if you ever have the chance. Our next stop after we left the desert was Skoura.
Day 7: We spent one night in this cool, little city as a stopping point during the 7-hour drive from the desert to Marrakech.
Day 8: After leaving Skoura, we still had a few hours until we arrived in Marrakech. Our first stop was to Ait Zineb, a small historical town, and then we stopped to take a few photos in Zerkten. Next, we got to see how argan oil is made and try making it with local professionals too! That was in Touama. The last thing we did that day was arrive at the hotel, settle in, and saw the sunset.
Day 9: When we woke up on our ninth day in Morocco it was New Year's Eve! This was one of my favorite days of the trip, starting out with a motorcycle sidecar tour! This was one of the coolest experiences, and I highly recommend it if you go to Morocco. We had the most amazing tour guides and were lucky enough that we went on a day where we got to visit the home of photographer Leila Alaoui and meet Madame Christine Alaoui. Their home is known for art, historical artifacts, and an incredible view of the city on their roof.
Then, we did a food tour in the Jamaa El Fna Square. That is the main square in Marrakech full of shops, activities, and fun. After the square, we went back to the hotel, grabbed our 2024 glasses, and went to the roof of the hotel to ring in the new year.
Day 10: On our final day in Morocco, we went to the Jardin Majorelle, then back to the square and saw a snake charmer, and finally we went to a Moroccan rug shop, saw handmade rugs, and played with the owner's cat. We got dressed up for our final dinner and then boarded our plane the next morning.
Our first-ever trip to Africa was overall, one of my favorite trips ever, and I hope this helped you find some awesome things to do if you ever go to Morocco!
Here are some of my favorite pictures from our trip, and some from my camera:
