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.
Let’s start off with best times to go:
What to Pack:
Insurance
Things to Know
Best (local) bus companies are CTM and Supratours.
Lets start the Adventure. Here is our Morocco Itinerary.
Day 1-2: Casablanca
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:
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.
Day 2-3: Chefchaoen
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.
Things to do:
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
Day 4-5: Fes
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:
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:
Leaving Fes to Merzouga:
Day 6-7: Merzouga
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
Where to Stay:
Day 8: Tinghir/ Todra Gorge:
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.
Day 9: Ouarzazate:
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:
Where to Stay:
Day 10-12: Marrakech:
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:
Day 13-14 Essaouria:
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:
Where to Stay:
The End of the adventure
You should definitely go to Morocco, have some fun and enjoy being in Africa.
