When most individuals consider Morocco, they consider vigorous souks and the Sahara Desert. That’s actually all I actually related to Morocco earlier than I visited for the primary time.
However what most individuals don’t understand is that Morocco is rather more than simply these two issues – it’s a various nation with seashores and deserts and snow-capped mountains; with chaotic cities but additionally cozy farming villages and opulent palaces.
Morocco is not like wherever else you’ve ever been, and after spending two weeks there on Intrepid Journey’s Morocco Uncovered journey, I spotted that you can most likely journey round Morocco for a month and nonetheless not see all of it.
READ THIS TRAVELER’S REVIEW OF HER MOROCCO TRIP WITH INTREPID
In the event you don’t have a month to spend in Morocco, although (and, let’s be trustworthy, most of us don’t!), my recommendation is to concentrate on only one a part of it. And the simplest method to do that is to decide on between the north and the south of the nation.
Stunning Chefchaouen, within the north
Don’t have any thought what the variations between the north and south of Morocco are? Right here’s a useful information to make your journey planning simpler:
North Morocco
Highlights in Northern Morocco embrace components of the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts, Roman ruins, the Rif Mountains, and several other colourful and historical medinas. The north of Morocco is probably going greener than you’d think about (they develop olives and even wine grapes!), and it’s dwelling to many of the nation’s imperial cities and the historical past that goes together with them.
Main stops on this a part of the nation embrace Casablanca, Rabat, Meknes, the ruins of Volubilis, Fes, and Chefchaouen.
VISIT NORTH MOROCCO ON INTREPID’S 9-DAY NORTH MOROCCO ADVENTURE
The way to know if North Morocco is best for you
A visit to northern Morocco is perhaps for you if…
You wish to go to a mosque in Morocco – Non-Muslims usually are not in a position to enter most mosques in Morocco. However there’s one you CAN go to as a vacationer: the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca. This huge mosque is beautiful, and you’ll take a tour inside to be taught extra about it. I appreciated this glimpse into spiritual life in Morocco.
Exploring Casablanca
You actually like historical past – Northern Morocco is dwelling to a few of the 4 historic capitals of Morocco: Fes, Meknes, and Rabat (which is the present capital). It’s additionally dwelling to historical Roman ruins at Volubilis, and 5 totally different UNESCO World Heritage websites. The medina in Fes (a type of UNESCO websites) will not be solely greater than 1000 years previous, however can also be the biggest medina on the earth with greater than 9,000 totally different streets and alleyways.
Chefchaouen is in your bucket record – Once I was planning my very own journey to Morocco, I knew that I wished to go to Chefchaouen, the “Blue Pearl” tucked into the Rif Mountains. This city’s blue-washed medina is infinitely Instagrammable, and is definitely much more stunning in individual.
READ MORE ABOUT MOROCCO’S BEAUTIFUL BLUE CITY
Intrepid vacationers loving life in Chefchaouen
South Morocco
South Morocco is the Morocco you’ve most likely envisioned: arid mountains and seas of sand dunes and historical kasbahs that appear like big sandcastles. That is the a part of the nation the place you possibly can spend an evening within the Sahara Desert, get to know Berber tradition, and hint the paths of the previous caravan routes.
Main factors of curiosity on this a part of Morocco embrace Marrakech, Ait-Ben-Haddou, the Sahara Desert, the Atlas Mountains, and the coastal city of Essaouira.
VISIT SOUTH MOROCCO ON INTREPID’S 10-DAY SOUTH MOROCCO DISCOVERY
The way to know if South Morocco is best for you
A visit to southern Morocco is perhaps for you if…
You dream of driving a camel into the desert – I’m going to be trustworthy with you: driving a camel is a lot extra awkward than it appears! However it’s an expertise that’s price having, particularly when your camel journey ends at a snug camp deep inside the dunes. My in a single day journey to the Sahara Desert was one of many highlights of my time in Morocco!
A cheeky Sahara selfie
You wish to really feel such as you’ve walked onto a film set – There’s a city in southern Morocco that’s been dubbed “Mollywood” because of the quantity of movies and TV reveals which were shot there through the years. That is the a part of Morocco the place you’ll discover historical fortified cities and dirt brick kasbahs, a few of which have been utilized in movies like “Lawrence of Arabia” and “The Mummy,” and TV reveals like “Sport of Thrones.”
You wish to discover the Excessive Atlas Mountains – In an effort to get to the desert in Morocco, you first should cross the mountains. The Excessive Atlas Mountains are dwelling to golden gorges and conventional Berber villages. It is a excellent place to go for a hike, or get a glimpse of how native individuals reside. My time spent within the Rose Valley on my Morocco Uncovered tour was one other journey spotlight. We stayed in an area guesthouse and went on a morning stroll via fields of native crops that sit on the base of pink mountains.
Atlas Mountain gazing
As you possibly can most likely see, you possibly can’t actually go flawed regardless of which a part of Morocco you go to. There are history-filled cities and beautiful landscapes everywhere in the nation. All of it comes all the way down to which spots converse to you probably the most as a traveler.
In the event you’re like me and may’t presumably select between the 2, I’d let you know to see each the north AND south. That is what I did on my first journey to Morocco with Intrepid Journey and I beloved all of it!
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Prepared to go to stunning Morocco? Try Intrepid’s vary of small group excursions.
Wish to learn extra about Morocco journey? Try these helpful weblog posts:
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(Picture credit from high to backside: Intrepid Journey, Amanda Williams x2, Intrepid Journey, Amanda Williams x2.)