Going to North Africa was going to be a bit of a different trip. I had never been in the Arab world before and Morocco is quite a unique culture. It is a mix of Berber Culture, Arab Culture and French culture. This is why the country attracts so many different people. Here is a good 14 day Morocco Itinerary.

It was one amazing trip filled with food, adventure, people, shopping, and stories. It was quite beautiful, and the people were so kind and down to earth.

Our group in the Sahara Desert.

Let’s start off with best times to go:

Most blogs say the best times to go would be March to May or September to November. These are the times the weather is the best. August is the hottest month in Morocco with temperatures reaching up to 50 degrees Celsius. It is very hot. December and January happen to be in the winter. It is full of colder weather, snow in the Atlas mountains, and some rain.

What to Pack:

Depending on when you are going, the clothing you pack will have to be prepared for that season. We went during the winter of January and it was cold at nights, but during the end of our trip, it was much warmer. We were prepared for it to be freezing. Here is a packing list we use on our travels.

Insurance

When I travel, I try to always bring some insurance for emergencies. World Nomads is my go to for insurance. If you are looking for some good insurance here is a nice link.

 

Things to Know

People often talk about the bad parts of a country. Be wary of people wanting to be your tour guide, as they may want to be paid afterwards. Always ask before you take a photograph. Sometimes in a market area, if there is a show, people may ask for money. Make sure the camels are taken care of before you decide to ride them. Have some fun, and enjoy the people.

Best (local) bus companies are CTM and Supratours.

Lets start the Adventure. Here is our Morocco Itinerary.

Day 1-2: Casablanca

Let me be honest with you, most people do not go to Casablanca. It is of course, the famous place from the movie Casablanca. We are talking about a port city and the largest city in Morocco.

You can land here from Europe or wherever and start your adventure. There is probably one main place you want to visit which is Hassan II Mosque. This Mosque is massive. It is the largest mosque in Africa. We are talking about the third largest Mosque in the whole world.

The outside of the mosque is ginormous with columns, arches, and beautiful stonework. It costs 130dh ($13) for entry into the mosque. When you come inside, you will be divided into groups, depending on your language. There will be a tour guide that will give you a 45-minute to an hour tour. After the mosque, there is not much else to see in Casablanca.

Places to Stay:

Hotel Central

Place to Eat:

Café Squala

  • This place has normal European prices but the food is absolutely amazing. Grab an appetizer, a Tajine, some mint tea and enjoy this first meal of the trip.

After you are done with Casablanca, hop on a bus to Chefchaoen. Bus we took was a CTM bus.

Hassan II mosque in Casablanca Morocco

Day 2-3: Chefchaoen

Chefchaoen is nicknamed the “Blue city.” It used to be a Jewish city and that is the theory of why it is blue. The Jews happened to color their cities blue. The city also has some major Spanish influences since it is so much closer to Spain. It had, at one point, been occupied by Spain, until 1956 when Morocco became independent of France.

Chefchaoen is also famous for having the largest hash farming area in all of Morocco. If you are walking down the streets and smell it, do not worry; it is everywhere. Ironically, hash or marijuana is not legal in Morocco. People will offer you some secretly in the streets.

For being a city full of multiple cultures, it is a quiet town hidden in the mountains. The people are quite nice; the food is a lot cheaper, and it is a great places to stay a while and relax.

The Blue streets of Chefchaoen
Things to do:
One of the great things to do is to hike up to the Spanish Mosque. This is a mosque that sits on a hill overlooking the city. The hike is maybe 20 minutes long.

There happens to be trips out to a waterfall near Chefchaoen as well. You can take an adventure to see this wonderful waterfall. However, since it was winter when we went, we decided not to go.

Places to Eat:

Clock Café

Chefchaoen

Day 4-5: Fes

After spending some more time in Chefchaoen, we caught a bus to Fes. Fes is the second largest city in Morocco. It has the largest medina in the world. This city is known as the culture capital of Morocco. The medina is now home to a UNESCO Site.

The medina is a place you can get lost in. I would advise you to find a good, free walking tour. He or she will help you visit places around the medina.

 We were offered a tour from the Tourism Center that our hostel recommended. It was as everyone warned, a guide that took us to shops to sell us things. That morning was full of stress, bad memories, and anything else related to bad sale pitches. The tour was disastrous. I would research a good walking tour.

A bit about Fes:
Now Fes is a big city. Most tourists stay inside the old city. The old city and the medina are full of shops and shopkeepers. Cars cannot fit down the streets. The shopkeepers are often pushy and want you to buy their products. You will often hear, “Hello”, “Ni hao”, or some sort of greeting to lure you in.

Be able to bargain with the people. Take half off the price (or more), and go somewhere you think is reasonable. If they say no, walk away. They will eventually lower the price or move onto another tourist. If you do not bargain, you will be taken advantage of. I have seen this happen on multiple occasions.

 The city happens to have cheap eats on the streets. There are street vendors that will sell sandwiches, kebabs, or any other food. It is cheap. A chicken kebab sandwich was around 10dh ($1). It is a great price for some delicious food. Of course you can go into a restaurant and pay more.

Where to Stay:
The tannery of Fes
Leaving Fes to Merzouga:
After a long day in Fes, you can take a night bus to Merzouga. The best bus for this trip will be Supratours. Their bus goes straight to Merzouga. If you take CTM, you will go to Rissini and then need to gather some people for a grand taxi ride to Merzouga. Grand Taxi costs around 100-120dh ($10-12 for 6 people)

Day 6-7: Merzouga

Merzouga is where everyone visits the Sahara Desert. There are luxury camps that sit near dunes. You are able to make a reservation, stay at these camps, eat food, do camel rides, and have some fun.

I would book a place before you arrive. If you book with the Luxury Bega Camp, they will have someone come and pick you up in the morning from the bus station.

If you rent a car, the people will give you a location that you can park the vehicle so they can pick you up.

Quite honestly, this was one of the best experiences we had.

Things to do:
  • Take a sunrise and sunset camel ride.
  • Take an excursion around the desert to visit a Berber village, Nomad village, and watch to a local Berber musical performance.
  • Go quad biking/ATV around the dunes
  • Go to the mines
  • Sit and relax in the desert
Camel Riding in Merzouga
Where to Stay:
Glamping in the Sahara Desert

Day 8: Tinghir/ Todra Gorge:

Tinghir is a place with a massive canyon/ gorge. It is set in the Atlas mountains after leaving Merzouga. The gorge is massive and at the end of the road, you can come up to some nomadic villages.

 This trip is good for one day. You can stay closer to the gorge, which will be a grand taxi ride of 8Dh ($0.80) per person, or a private cab ride of 100 dh ($10) to get to the hotel near the gorge. You could stay in Tinghir, but still you would need a taxi ride out to the gorge. It was easier for us to stay near the gorge and grab a taxi to the bus station.

Tordra Gorge

Day 9: Ouarzazate:

Ouarzazate is a special place. It is the town that hosts the Atlas Studios. These studios host some of the sets and filming of several different movies including Gladiator, Ben Hur, Kingdom of Heaven, Lawrence of Arabia, and many more. The studios itself is quite impressive.

There is also a site called Bin Ait Haddou, which is an UNESCO site that was used for several of these films as well.

 If you want, you can grab a grand taxi, and they can take you to both of these sites for around 300dh ($30) for the whole trip and back. We had 3 people, but the grand taxi can fit 6, so grab some friends and split the fee.

Where to Eat:
La Gironde: A great place to eat with such a lovely host. It is tasty, and it has a great price.
Where to Stay:
atlas studios

Day 10-12: Marrakech:

Marrakech is one of our favorite towns. It has a huge medina like Fes, but it also has lots of other alleyways that sell local products too. We found that the hassling was not as bad as Fes, as there were tons of other tourists around. So if you choose to not buy from the first guy, they will not bother you as much, as there were other tourists they can sell it to.

 The city is full of culture and so much to do.

Things to do in Marrakech:
  • Go to a hammam (spa/bath place)
  • Take a walking tour of the city
  • Visit the Bahia Palace
  • Take a full day excursion to the Atlas mountains (We went to Ilil Valley)
  • Hike the tallest mountain in Morocco
  • Enjoy the market area at night time
  • Buy some spices
Where to Eat:
  • El Badjii – cheap good food (150dh for 2 tajines and 1 couscous)
  • Medina side stores for sandwiches (4dh for tuna and olive sandwich)
  • Late night Market for Juice, Tajines, and all sorts of food.
Place to Stay:
Villa Verde – it has live Berber music every night. Great place to stay and close to everything. It is also on a main road so you can be easily picked up.

Day 13-14 Essaouria:

Take a Supratours bus from Marrakech to Essaouria for a day or two to relax and have some beach time. This is multi-cultured city full of Europeans, Arabs, Berbers, and African Blacks. This place is a place to relax and have some fun before an end to your trip.

This town also has some great places to eat seafood. Since it is on the coast, take some time and find a great place to enjoy some fish.

Things to do:
  • Cooking Class
  • Quad Biking (ATV)
  • Horse Back Riding
  • Surfing
  • Relaxing on the beach
Place to eat:
Chez Omar (Seriously some of the cheapest Tajines and food in Morocco) We had a vegetarian couscous for 20dh each. A Chicken Tajine was 25dh.
Where to Stay:
The ocean by Essaouria
The End of the adventure
Morocco is a great trip to put on your list. The people are quite friendly and the food is absolutely delicious. There is so much to explore and the public transportation was super efficient. I hope you enjoyed our 14 day Morocco Itinerary.

You should definitely go to Morocco, have some fun and enjoy being in Africa.

“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.”

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