Morocco Vacation Planning
This summer we took the ultimate vacation… 10 days in Morocco. It was everything I ever imagined and more! I’ve had so many friends and family members ask me, “What made you choose Morocco?”, “Where did you go?”, “What cities did you visit?”, “What was the best part?”… well, have no fear, I have answers! This week, I’m going to dive in to our itinerary, how I picked the places we stayed, and give you a glimpse of our planning efforts, and our time in Morocco. Stay tuned… I’ll be digging in to the details in some upcoming posts, but for now, here’s you’re 10,000 foot view of where we went during our time there!
Where are you going?
Let’s start with the basics – Morocco is located in northern Africa, it’s bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and Algeria to the east. It has everything you could want in a country from beaches, to mountains and desert (spoiler alert: yes, we rode camels in the desert!). It’s a country filled with beautiful landscapes and wonderful, kind, beautiful people. Throughout the country there’s hints of European influence, traditional Berber style, features of Arabic descent, and aspects of sub-Saharan African culture. All of these peoples and cultures come together to give a very unique feel everywhere you go in Morocco.
Okay… so where did you go?
Our trip was a mix of relaxation and adventure! We wanted to make sure we got good restful breaks, but we’re not the type to just sit around all day. I built our itinerary around this theory “start with rest, end with rest, and make everything in-between memorable!”. Morocco is the type of country that you can go and spend a few days in one city, or a month traveling and seeing all the different sights, sounds, and eats. There’s a little bit of everything in this country serving as the exit of Europe and the entry point of Africa. It has characteristics distinctly European, but also features aspects that could only be found in tribal lands. With a landscape varying from costal to desert and everything in-between, it’s a country rich in culture and filled with wonderful, endearing people.
Our itinerary
TANGIER
2 nights
FES
2 nights
MERZOUGA
1 night
TINGHIR
1 night
SKOURA
1 night
MARRAKESH
2 nights
We flew in and out of Casablanca but spent zero time exploring. It’s a “newer” city, and nothing there was on our “Must See” list.
Tangier and Marrakesh were our “restful” cities. We stayed at amazing places (more on that coming), and we were able to relax, read, and enjoy each other. Neither city has a ton to see or do (I know people would disagree, but we didn’t love Marrakesh), so it’s important to pick a riad/house that looks inviting and comfortable.
In between we visited Fes, the High Atlas Mountains, and the Sahara/gateway to the Sahara. Fes is a city unlike any I’ve ever seen. It’s rich in history, has fabulous food, and is worth a trip all on its own. We will definitely be going back to Fes. We left there saying “I can’t wait to show my kids Fes one day!” If you’re wanting to go to Morocco, but can only stay a short time, go to Fes.
After Fes, we visited the High Atlas and the Sahara regions. There is no place on earth that is similar to these two spots. The desert was everything we wanted it to be, and everything between was more than we could have ever expected.
At the end of the trip we really felt like we had seen a bulk of Morocco, but also knew we could come back and see something totally new. My goal is to break-down each portion of the trip and share our experiences and resources. Morocco is a place that a lot of people go, however when planning our trip, I didn’t find a ton of helpful resources. I’m hoping to provide those resources, and encourage you to go and visit this beautiful country.
Stay tuned for more on our Moroccan adventure! Keep scrolling to see a map of our adventure. Click to expand!
