The beach town of Essaouria on the west coast of Morocco is a lovely laid-back and exotic city. I recently visited as a day-trip from a week in Marrakesh.After the 3-hr drive from Marrakesh in the morning, we arrived in Essaouria. We enjoyed stopping along…Read More

The beach town of Essaouria on the west coast of Morocco is a lovely laid-back and exotic city. I recently visited as a day-trip from a week in Marrakesh.

After the 3-hr drive from Marrakesh in the morning, we arrived in Essaouria. We enjoyed stopping along the long drive for a mint tea at a "rest-stop" type restaurant, as well as checking out the fields of Argon trees which only grow in this area of the world. *Goats also love to eat the argon fruit and will climb into the branches to dine...but watch out for the trees by the road filled with goats, as many tourists stop to take photos and are quickly approached by men who have chained the goats in the trees to ask for money for the photos when cars stop.

We arrived just before lunch to the beach area of Essaouria, and took some time to check out the shore. The beach is quite wide and open for many people to spread out a towel. There's a mix of apparel, from women in covered more traditional garb, to many people in swimsuits. A few beach areas are available with private beach "clubs" where you can pay for a chair/umbrella for the day and use the restrooms and changing areas - similar to the European style beaches.

There is a strand of restaurants lining the shore, which are all moderate priced, offer a nice view, and basic seafood and pizza dishes. We had pizza (one of the only times enjoying this in Morocco), and then headed the kilometer away towards the walled historic part of the city. The city is definitely beautiful with a chic and welcoming sort of rugged. It was a nice break from chaotic Marrakesh and offered a bit more of a laid-back vibe.

Take some time to wander the alleys and check out the souks. Vendors hear don't seem as pushy and prices are better as well. Walk along the waterfront dock area to watch the sunset, or check the fisherman coming in from sea.

For some activities just outside the city, you can take horse or camel rides on the beach or check out the crumbling fort just outside town where many in the hippie culture of the 60s and 70s came to see, including Jimi Hendrix, Cat Stevens, and Bob Marley (which you'll see photos and flags of everywhere).

Definitely worth a stop (and stay) if you're traveling through Morocco. Especially if you need a break from the other cities, take a couple days to wind down in Essaouria.Close

Close to the entrance of the Musee de Marrakech is a herbalist's shop. If you stand with the entrance to the museum behind you and look directly away from the museum, the herbalist is in the row of shops ahead of you and to the…Read More

Close to the entrance of the Musee de Marrakech is a herbalist's shop. If you stand with the entrance to the museum behind you and look directly away from the museum, the herbalist is in the row of shops ahead of you and to the left. We've been there before on an organised tour and recognised the place. Since the weather was dull and cold and we had time to spare before heading to the bus station, we decided to go inside and be entertained. A good Moroccan herbalist shop is visual feast of magical potions and ingredients and if you can accept up front that there's absolutely no way you'll get out without buying something – usually something you don't need or really want – then it's well worth a visit.

Outside the shop were large sacks of brightly coloured dried flowers and sacks of what looked like moss. "Must be magic moss" I thought to myself as the herbalist in his white coat urged us in. We told him that we'd been before but our companions were on their first visit and asked if he could do his performance and so he led us into their large display room. The room is equipped with lots of long wooden benches with upholstered tops. On our first visit we'd been part of a party of around 20 people and had filled the room. I couldn't help feeling sad that tourist times were hard and he could only get the four of us in at a time. We wandered around looking at the jars stacked five layers high around the room, some filled with recognisable things – bits of rock, twigs, seed pods, herbs and spices and such like – others with things we rather hoped we didn't recognise – dried lizards, snake skins, shells and bits of fur.

The herbalist started his sales pitch, introducing is to the culinary spice blends and taking us through a range of beauty potions and home cures. My sister suffers with cold sores and he had something for that, her girlfriend with backpain for which he of course had lots of ideas. He showed up the small pots of saffron and how to tell that it was real. He extolled the virtues and miraculous powers of Morocco's special oil – argan oil – explaining the difference between the argan for massage and the oil for culinary use. Get them wrong and use the massage oil on your salad and it's an unintended cure for constipation (or at least that's a nice way of putting it). Various soaps were wafted under our noses and I was surprised to discover my sister has a love of jasmine scented soap which was something rather more 'elderly' than I'd expected.

The herbalist called in his young assistant to demonstrate how wonderful one of his massage potions was. One by one the guy gave us each a back massage so good we could have curled up and gone to sleep in the shop. My sister's girlfriend mentioned her back problem and he found exactly the spot to relieve the pain. We ladies were allowed to keep our tops on (thankfully) but he insisted my husband take his shirt off so he could really get stuck into the massage. It's an excellent way to sell massage oil that hasn't been out of the suitcase since we got back and to lull shoppers into a stupor of happy carefree thoughts that mean they don't seem to care that they've just been sold lots of stuff that they'll get home and wonder why they bought.

We were fairly disciplined because we knew what we want before we went. We have a couple of friends who we knew would want saffron and know that Moroccan is some of the best saffron in the world. We bought the massage oil of course – who doesn't. But mostly I just wanted to stock up on bags of the 30 spice mix for couscous and tagines and the simpler spice mix to use with fish. We'd run through the bags we'd bough several years earlier and were happy to stock up. I was surprised at how much my sister managed to buy but reassured afterwards that she hadn't felt pressured, had only bought what she knew she had a use for or had a person in mind to give it to. The credit cards came out and four happy and well massaged tourists oozed out of the door, goody bags in hand and headed off to their next attraction, more relaxed and less stressed than when they'd gone in.

Yes we tipped the massage guy, just in case you are interested. We knew it would be expected and would be asked for if we didn't so we went into it with our eyes open.Close

One of my favourite places in Morocco is the lovely little coastal town of Essaouira. It's got a laid back hippy vibe that has long endeared it to visitors. They say Bob Marley loved it and there are lots of tall tales about famous people…Read More

One of my favourite places in Morocco is the lovely little coastal town of Essaouira. It's got a laid back hippy vibe that has long endeared it to visitors. They say Bob Marley loved it and there are lots of tall tales about famous people having a wild time there but mostly it's just a very relaxed and lovely place to be, especially after the slightly oppressive centre of Marrakech. Perhaps I should have booked longer - I think the rest of the group would have preferred it - but my planning said we'd leave early on the second day and return late on the third. It didn't go quite to plan.

Our Riad in Marrakech kindly offered to send someone to get bus tickets for us but that didn't work out because it was Sunday and they said the booking office was closed. We had briefly considered taking a taxi to the coast but nobody would come anywhere close to a sensible price and I didn't want to pay silly money just for a short trip. Hence hubby was up early to take a cab to the station to book for the 10.30 am bus. He returned looking a bit down in the mouth because he couldn't get earlier than the 5 pm bus. Somewhat annoyingly, he'd only been able to book the bus out to Marrakech and not back again - it would seem that actually planning both ways is beyond the capability of the Supratours bus company. We knew he'd done his best and that no earlier planning would have made any difference.

Supratours run their buses from in front of the railway station which might lead you to think "Why not take the train?" and that's not a stupid question. However, the trains in Morocco end at Marrakech after coming south from the Mediterranean coast. There is no train to Essaouira or points West of Marrakech.

We whiled away the day and took a taxi out to the station at about 4 pm. The bus tickets are sold from a counter inside the pleasant, modern station and there's a cafe with an attractive outdoor terrace where you can have a non-alcholic drink and wait for your bus. When the buses are ready, a staff member with a clipboard ticks off the numbered tickets after you deposit your bags in the luggage hold. It seemed that only about half the tickets had numbers on them which led to a bit of shuffling around once the bus was filled but it was all done in good humour. In both directions there were no spare seats.

The Supratours buses are modern, extremely clean and of excellent quality although on the right side of the bus the leg room is not great. On the way out to the coast we had left hand seats with plenty of space and on the way back our shorter companions swapped so we had more space. There is an advantage in travelling with little people!

The bus left Marrakech nearly half an hour late, crawled slowly through the suburbs where building projects are throwing up spacious and attractive homes that surely offer a lot more amenities than those in the old part of the town. We briefly drove along a toll motorway before joining the main road to Essaouira which runs in pretty much a straight line all the way. After little more than an hour, the bus pulled up at a 'tea and pee' stop to offload the passengers and dither around for about 20 minutes. It felt like we'd barely started the journey before it was time for a stop.

The bus got back to business and bounced along a surprisingly springy road all the way to the coast. The views are interesting for a while - the fields are flat as pancakes and it's quite fun to check out the agricultural methods. Row upon row of olive trees sit with small earth bunds around their base to help catch the rain water. Little did we realise just how ineffective they would prove to be the next day.

We arrived just after 8 pm at the bus stand just outside the city walls. Porters with blue trolleys wait to escort visitors to their hotels. We should probably have just grabbed one when we got off the bus but instead we set off with thoughts of 'maybe we'll find it, maybe we won't'. Not surprisingly we didn't.

Next day at 8 am my husband was back to the bus stand to get our return tickets. He'd got his fingers burned by the change of plans the day before and was determined to get the bus he wanted for our return. He bought 4 tickets for the 6 o'clock bus and brought them back to our hotel. At 5.30 pm we were back to get the bus, waiting in the glorious sunshine for our departure. The loading routine was the same as before - put bags in the hold, line up and get ticked off on the loading sheet by the lady with the clipboard.

The first half hour or so of the journey was uneventful. That's a polite way of saying that I was actually asleep so I have no idea what was happening. I awoke to look out of the window and see a massive dark cloud ahead of us which ended in a vertical wall of black. Thinking "That doesn't look good", I wasn't surprised when it started to rain a few minutes later. And then it got harder. It started to hail and the road ahead of us sat inches deep in hail stones. This all seemed quite exciting and entertaining until we realised that the water was standing more than a foot deep on some parts of the road. My sister pointed to the fields beside us where the red-brown soil was bubbling up like boiling mud and then flowing across.

The driver pulled over at the 'tea and pee' stop and asked everyone to be back within fifteen minutes. I think most of us spent that time watching the vehicles creeping through the two giant pools of water either side of the cafe. Amazingly nobody got stuck in the middle although a few of the tail-gaters got dangerously close to the people ahead of them. Cyclists were riding through with water above the pedals and the centres of their wheels, unable to see the road beneath them. As you'd expect a few jokers went much to fast creating their own personal tsunamis. The locals were excited and a gentleman near us said he'd been doing the journey for over 20 years and had never seen anything like it.

Amazingly, despite crawling through the puddles, we made it back to Marrakech almost to time - probably because the stop had been a bit shorter than normal. Sadly I think the farmers whose fields we'd passed probably lost most of their recently planted seedlings as everything was washed away. We saw walls knocked down by the water and a power station narrowly missed because it stood just a few inches higher than the surrounding land. The power of water should never be underestimated and if no route already exists, the water will make its own.

~ A few more practical matters~

Supratours works out of three hubs - Marrakech, Fez and Asila. From Marrakech you can go south to eleven destinations including Agadir, south west to Essouira or east to places like Ouzarzate, Zagora and Merzouga. They also run international services to Spain, France and Italy.

We were only able to buy from the departing station in each case but there are numerous booking agents listed on the Supratours website so if you can't face getting up stupidly early to go to the station, it might be worth contacting one of them. Alternatively if you are staying in Marrakech before you take the bus it's worth asking your hotel or riad to help get tickets for you. The fares are very good - we paid just 70 dirhams (approx £5) each way.

For more information see www.supratours.ma
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We arrived at the Casablanca airport in the afternoon following a very loud Easyjet flight from Europe. The airport was small but modern, passport control was efficient and customs not a problem. Unfortunately we arrived about ten minutes too late for the hourly…Read More

We arrived at the Casablanca airport in the afternoon following a very loud Easyjet flight from Europe. The airport was small but modern, passport control was efficient and customs not a problem. Unfortunately we arrived about ten minutes too late for the hourly train from the airport to the Casa Voyageurs train station in the city. Unwilling to pay $30+ for a taxi, we bought our tickets (about $4 one-way) and waited. When the train finally arrived we were among the first to board, a good thing as it filled up fast. The ride to Casa Voyageurs was about 45 minutes, through some less-than-scenic terrain, a lot of slum housing dotting the landscape, along with the ubiquitous sheep.
The train station itself was likewise small but modern and the cab drivers were all lined up to harass and rip off the tourists. In a week in Morocco, we encountered two petit cab drivers who used the meter, the others just named their price (always hugely inflated), some were willing to negotiate, others not. Be sure to get this out of the way before getting in the cab if you can, otherwise you’re in for an unpleasant argument at your destination. Seatbelts were also non-existant, but the feeling that death was imminent did ebb somewhat over time.
When we arrived at our hotel we were told that the hotel was overbooked and had no room for us. We were then given a printout voucher and put into another cab by the bellhop and sent away. The cabbie dropped us off in the middle of a six lane intersection, and pointed us in the direction we were supposed to go in. No one had seen fit to tell us the name of the new hotel. A couple blocks later we were in the lobby of a new hotel, which thankfully had a room for us. By the time that we got all of this out of the way afternoon was giving way to evening and we didn’t have a lot of time to explore. We set out in another petit cab for the Hassan II Mosque, the crown jewel of the city, or so we’d read.
It turned out to be one of the prettiest places we saw on the whole of our trip. Our late arrival meant that we missed the daily tours, but we were just in time to watch the sunset over the water. Truly a stunning sight. The mosque itself was amazing. Absolutely huge and gorgeous architectural details. Truly an imposing sight and a must-see in Casablanca. We wandered down to the sidewalks below and sampled some snails from a vendor serving up big bowls in a salty tumeric-infused broth. A culinary experience.
We then hopped into another cab and found a recommended restaurant where we enjoyed our first Moroccan meal. After dinner it was pouring rain and we nixed any further exploration, as it was it took the better part of half an hour to hail a cab back to the hotel. Casablanca is huge and sprawling and can be completely overwhelming, especially on introduction. Especially coming from the orderliness of Western Europe, the culture shock can be bracing. That’s what we came for though, and my only regret is that we didn’t have more time to experience more. We really did not have the opportunity to do the huge metropolis any sense of justice, a task that I imagine would take quite a bit of both time and fortitude.

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There are some countries that fill me with a sense of culinary expectation so much that my mouth is almost watering before I get off the plane. Sadly Morocco is not one of those countries. I don't eat meat and haven't done so for over…Read More

There are some countries that fill me with a sense of culinary expectation so much that my mouth is almost watering before I get off the plane. Sadly Morocco is not one of those countries. I don't eat meat and haven't done so for over 20 years and the local approach to that is one of acceptance - "OK, she doesn't want meat, we won't force her" which is a step or two better than you'll find in China where it seems to be "The woman is crazy, let's sneak some dead animals into her food when she's looking the other way". Whilst nobody will treat you like you're crazy for choosing not to eat meat, they won't go out of their way to tempt or delight your taste buds. Instead they just give you exactly the same as everyone else but minus the meat. This mostly means that you'll get a lot of over-cooked potatoes and carrots and so much bland couscous that you'll never want to see the stuff again.

I do eat fish and seafood – but unless you are out at the coast I'd suggest to exercise some caution especially when the weather is hot. Don't go crazy as a bit of canned tuna on your pizza or in your sandwich is unlikely to do you any harm but anything that's not frozen or tinned could give your guts a workout that they might not want.

Meat eaters will most likely find that the Morrocan system of slow cooking in a clay tajine makes delicious and juicy meals out of what look to me like the cheap cuts. Certainly the rest of our party seemed more than happy with the available food. Lamb and chicken are the most typical meats and you'll never see pork and beef is rare.

Every must-do list for Marrakech will tell you to eat kebabs in the Jemaa el Fna square after dark. Most likely they'll also tell you to keep a close hand on your wallet to avoid pickpockets and to steer clear of the snake charmers, monkey handlers and transvestite belly dancers unless you want to be asked rather aggressively for money. I've not eaten in the square since there's not a lot of choice that's not meat-based but mostly because I find the place too crowded and intimidating. I do however love to stop and buy fresh orange juice each time I pass through. The colourful juice sellers stalls are lined up around the edge of the square and 4 dirhams (about 30p) will buy you a glass of the juiciest, sweetest, most tangy 'straight from the orange' juice you'll find anywhere. The same juice in a sit down cafe in central Marrakech will cost around 15-25 dirhams but still be excellent.

Bottled water is easily available and I've not heard of anyone getting fake or refilled water bottles. On the square the juice stalls sell a large bottle for 10 dirhams (about 80 pence) or two small bottles for a similar price. Small shops in the medina will be cheaper and a bottle of water will cost you 10 to 30 dirhams in a restaurant – with the higher prices in the swankier places.

The square and the souks are also filled with stalls selling dried fruits and nuts at good prices. The stall holders will wave apricots or dates at you as you pass and there's no obligation to buy. Nut and sesame seed brittles are often available and are sold by weight and I had an outstanding mille feuille slice off a hand cart for just 2 dirhams which I only bought because I wanted to take a picture of the cakes.

The souks and the central old town district have a lot of small restaurants of the wipe-down table and wipe-down menu type and these offer great value with couscous and tajines from around 30 Dirham (£2.50). You might want to take care to avoid salads or uncooked vegetables but tajines and couscous are generally well cooked. Meat on skewers is cheap and very widely available. If you're sick of the local food which is mostly very bland and tends to be the same whether you go to a cheap dive or a swanky restaurant, you'll also find in Marrakech plenty of pizza and pasta restaurants and in the new town there are lots of very classy European-style restaurants.

If you are staying in a riad or hotel that's not so central you may have less choice open to you locally and in the area around our first riad we were unable to find any restaurants or snack bars at all. You may want to consider eating dinner early before you go back to your accommodation rather than hunting around the labyrinthine streets looking for food later in the evening.

Most riads and all hotels will offer food but with the riads it's best to order earlier in the day if you want to eat that same evening. Many places only have a few rooms and won't have a lot of food in the kitchen if they're not expecting you to eat there. On our first evening we had a pleasant and well cooked meal at our riad but we'd ordered it before we left England.

Breakfasts are large but rather basic. In the three places where we stayed we always received bread, juice and excellent coffee as well as jams and hunny, occasionally a fried egg and often the local thick pancakes or a strange fried pastry whose name I never learned. Cake was also often served for breakfast but don't expect a bit UK or US style hot breakfast. Many riads now offer cookery courses for their guests though it's beyond me why anyone would want to learn to cook such dull food.

Vegetarians should take particular note of the delightful Earth Cafe to the south east of the Jemaa el Fna. It was the first vegetarian/vegan restaurant in the city and I've not heard of any others anywhere else. If you have various food allergies, I'd suggest to take care and consider getting translations done of what your needs are. We travelled around Libya last year with a lady who was a gluten-intollerant vegan and had a laminated card with translations of what she could and couldn't eat.

Food is mostly inexpensive and filling although some of the restaurants in your guidebook may prove to be very expensive. Alcohol is almost always expensive and is not always easy to find. On a previous visit during the holy month of Ramadan, we just decided not to even bother trying to find alcohol although some of the people with us got very good at tracking down international hotel chains where they could buy at vastly inflated prices. If you like to drink spirits, I'd suggest to use your duty free allowance from your home country and fly in with a couple of half litre bottles of your favourite tipple.
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The day that we left for Essaouira was the Feast of the Ram for the Muslims. This meant that there were no transportation going to Fez, which was our original destination. We had to change our plans and go to Essaouira instead.…Read More

The day that we left for Essaouira was the Feast of the Ram for the Muslims. This meant that there were no transportation going to Fez, which was our original destination. We had to change our plans and go to Essaouira instead.

We asked the Riad Zahana, our hostel, if they can arrange transportation for us to go to Essaouira on the day of the Feast. It was already eleven in the evening and we have yet to have confirmation if there was a van we can ride. It was not until the next day late in the morning that we have a van. We were informed that we can have the van the whole day, so despite it being late in the morning, we thought we could stay until around seven in Essaouira so it would be okay.

The van left Marrakesh at 11AM. It was a slow drive, which we assumed was due to an old driver. He was quite genial though so we didn't mind it much.

It was almost 2PM when we finally reached the coastal area. The houses started becoming white and blue instead of the usual red and brown color of clay.

The beach was a welcome sight, especially with the sky dotted with colorful kites carrying people. Essaouira, it seems, is quite famous for its strong winds which was perfect for kite surfing and windsurfing. The colorful sails and kites brought color to the horizon. But for most of us, the sound of the waves and the blue of the sea was a welcome sight after several days of the red City and the brown desert.

Our first stop was supposed to be lunch but all of us were just entranced by the beauty of Essaouira. It was reminiscent of a Greek Island, with many houses colored blue and white and made of stone. The waves crashed against the rock formations. The gulls flew in great numbers. It was the perfect backdrop for group pictures, so the camwhoring ensued. Our hungry stomachs forgotten.

The initial joy of seeing Essaouira was dampened by our driver who insisted that we leave at 4PM which would have given us only a couple hours in the city, including having our meal. Since we have already paid, he could just leave us in case we did not show up. We haggled for 6PM but he was adamant. We ended up bargaining for 4.30PM. Neither he nor we were happy with this set up. He did receive 1600 dirhams for his service so we felt it unfair that he had to dictate to us our time. We tried to set that aside for a while and decided to have our lunch.

Lunch was definitely welcome. Not only because we were already hungry but because it was our chance to break our daily staple of tajine and couscous with some other meal. Essaouira, since it was by the coast, is known for its fresh fish. And fresh fish was something everyone was looking forward to have.

I don't remember how much we had to pay. It was a little bit more expensive than our usual fare of tagine and couscous but it was quite worth it. We had a several kinds of fishes, some squid, lots of bread and fries and marrocain salad plus soft drinks. The meal was certainly good and welcome.

Our time was running out. It was a choice of seeing the town itself or the harbor. All of us decided to visit the harbor. The view was spectacular. Small blue boats were all over the place. Ships crowded each other as they were docked in the harbor. It was definitely a photographer's dream.

The wind was blowing strong and the drizzle was starting to come down. It seemed that our driver will be having his way after all.

There harbor was chaos, every thing seemed to be at random, but it looked quite beautiful that way. Anchors, nets, ropes and all sorts of things you find in boats were scattered all over the area.
Kittens and gulls were all over the place. Some of them feasting on fish heads. Some were just lazing around.

We would have wanted to stay longer but our time was almost up. There was no chance to see the rest of the town anymore. But from what we saw of Essaouira we definitely would have wanted to see more.
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Going to Essaouira is another long trip away from Marrakesh, but not quite as long as the ten hour trip to the desert. This one only takes a couple of hours.What is interesting about the road to Essaouira is that it looks more like…Read More

Going to Essaouira is another long trip away from Marrakesh, but not quite as long as the ten hour trip to the desert. This one only takes a couple of hours.

What is interesting about the road to Essaouira is that it looks more like its going to the desert that actually going to the coast. The panorama from either side of the road is quite flat with just the occasional house to spot the view. In other words, it can get boring. However, as you near the coast, the houses begin to transition from the typical clayish red abodes to the white and blue of the sea similar to the kinds of homes one can see in a Greek island. One guidebook says, if you start seeing the blue and white houses then you have come to the area of Essaouira. Another sign is when the road becomes hilly and spattered with Argan trees.

We had a short stop in a female cooperative about 45 minutes away from Essaouira. We were initially welcomed by a cute dog on top of the wall. Afterwards, we were greeted by two cooperative members. One was able to speak Spanish, who entertained our Colombian friend. The other one spoke English who in turn gave the tour to the rest of the group.

They explained what argan was and what are the products that can be made with it. Argan is similar to an almond nut with a shell that is hard to crack. Women in the cooperative would try to extract oil from the argan nut by crushing it with a grinding machine. To extract a kilo of oil would require six days work! We saw the actual hand-cranked grinder they used for the argan. It was clear that it took a lot of effort and muscle power to get the job done. The remaining paste were utilized for other beauty products and food products.

The show room for the argan products was quite quaint. The floor was littered with argan shells, quite similar to pistachio shells. It added to the spice of the place. The shelves were neatly lined with various argan products, most in beautifully designed packaging.

Our guide showed us the different uses of argan. They were able to make oil which can be used for salads. It can also be used to make a sweet paste similar to peanut butter. It was sooooo good especially with bread. We were able to sample both the oil and the peanut butter.

They also showed us various beauty products they were able to make with the oil. There were soaps, facial moisturizer and lotions. The prices ranged from 100 dirhams up. It is a bit more expensive than regular beauty products but we had to remember how much effort it took for the women to make it. At the same time, it is for the good cause of providing women in the community livelihood.

There were other products being sold as well, including slippers, bags and cloths. It was their argan products that they consider to be their primary product though.

My friends and I had a wonderful time looking through the stuff they were selling. Three of us bought something. I wanted to get a small bottle of argan oil and peanut butter, but I was running low on my budget unfortunately.

This was actually a stop we really enjoyed. Being students of social development, it was fascinating to see actual development work taking place even if we were on vacation. :)

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Another treat of the camel-riding tour was the chance to sleep in the desert overnight. This was something I never thought I would get to do in my entire life. I dreamed of doing it but actually doing was just exciting.After our 45-minute…Read More

Another treat of the camel-riding tour was the chance to sleep in the desert overnight. This was something I never thought I would get to do in my entire life. I dreamed of doing it but actually doing was just exciting.

After our 45-minute camel ride, we went down to an area with several pitched tents. The Berber tents were not your typical camping tent which just fits two to six people. It can probably fit around 20 people comfortably. They provided us with thin foam mats, thick woolly blankets and pillows so you can consider it comfortable camping. There were other smaller black tents that can fit up to six people but most of us chose to stay in the bigger tent.

The inside was beautiful as it was lined with a green and red square pattern with a diamond design in the middle -- typical of Berber culture. The colors actually made it look a bit like Christmas tent.

There were two tables in the tent where we were to have our dinner. We were served tajine au mouton and bread partnered with Moroccan mint tea. Instead of individual tajine plates, our food was served in one big tajine which can serve ten people. It actually made it more fun for our group of eight. We just speared the bits we like with our forks. The mint tea was sweeter than the usual but still tasted good.

The Berber guide that served our food was very friendly and accommodating. He spoke English well enough so we were able to communicate some jokes with him. He actually started the jokes with us and offered more food if we liked more. Except there was just too much already.

After dinner a few of us decided to take a walk in the desert. The sky was peppered with stars. The entire dome was filled with glittering light, Orion aiming his bow at the Great Bear. Occasionally we would catch a falling star.

The nights were cold during November. The jacket I wore was not enough so I had to lug around the blanket provided. Dunes scattered all over, like giant sandy snakes sleeping. The sand was cool and the air was chilly but I can not helped but be captivated by the beauty around me.

After a while, we heard the sound of drums from a distance. We noticed it was coming from one of the tents. We decided to follow it. Inside we saw our Berber friends playing tunes on gallon drums. The music was upbeat and enjoyable. Some of the guests were dancing to the beat. It seemed that they could play all night until some of the guests decided to sleep already.

One of the downside sleeping in the desert was... no comfort rooms. We had to answer the 'call of nature' in between the dunes. Some of my friends had to walk a long way just to be sure that no people would come while they do their thing.

It was also a good thing that we brought our own water because there was too little available. We used our mineral water to brush our teeth and wash our faces.

I could hardly keep track of time in the desert. We just slept after the merrymaking.

The next morning I woke up earlier than the rest. I saw a glint of light at the entrance of the tent. I decided to go out and check out the sun rise. I made it in time. There was light but the sun has not yet risen.

The desert was beautiful in the early morning. The sand was tinged with pink and purple. The sky had only wisps of clouds and it had the blue of the morning. As the sun rose, the pink and purple tinge got stronger then eventually faded. It was simply beautiful.

We had a great breakfast to go with the morning. We had bread and pancakes together with syrup and camel butter. Of course, there was the staple of mint tea. It was a perfect moment... having breakfast as the sun warmed the morning.

This was definitely the highlight of my trip. One that deserves to be shared and told.

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While the ten-hour journey to Zagora from Marrakesh was exciting, it was the camel ride that our gang was waiting for. Many of us have not seen or touched a camel before, so the long trip just made us anticipate the experience more.…Read More

While the ten-hour journey to Zagora from Marrakesh was exciting, it was the camel ride that our gang was waiting for. Many of us have not seen or touched a camel before, so the long trip just made us anticipate the experience more.

When we finally arrived, it was already dark since it was already autumn. The days are much shorter. We could then barely see the camels we were to ride nor the road we were to trek. Nevertheless, we rode on our camels, choosing on the basis of whatever is available. I did hear from a friend who had a camel experience before that these creatures happened to be irritable and nasty animals. On the contrary, those in our caravan had a quiet and serene demeanor. They were docile and just followed the Berber guides wherever they were being led.

I think I may have had the worse ride among our caravan. I was not able to properly lodge myself onto the camel, and the pants I wore had a thin material. I could actually feel my fanny scraping against whatever it was I was sitting on. It was difficult to adjust my position while on top of the camel because I could hardly see those around me.

I still did enjoy the ride and just imagined myself to be one of the Arabian nights in the stories, albeit one of those rookie thieves. Our Berber guides led our caravan through the desert. It was less then an hour ride going to our tents. Having been in a van for ten hours, we were more than happy to have had a short trip.

I think most of us were a bit disappointed how the camel ride turned out to be. The next morning, however, was a different story.

The next day, after we had our meal, we immediately set off back to our van so we can set off to Marrakesh. It was a beautiful morning, with wisps of clouds in the sky and a cool air about us. We can finally see our camels! They had this silly grin on their faces, probably thinking "silly tourists!"

I chose a tan camel for my ride this time (I think I had a darker camel during the night trip). I was also able to position myself properly. No chafing of the fanny for me anymore. The ride went smoothly. We saw the dunes spread out on either side of us, glistening pinkish then to goldish in the early morning sun. As we drew nearer and nearer the roads, there were more date trees in our line of sight. Homes made of mud, lime and hay also stood near the dates. Some old houses were already destroyed with just a bit of their foundation as evidence that homes existed on those sites previously. Black and white birds flew by us, landing on the date trees, peering at us curiously.

The caravan was in high spirits. We joked around and talked about what we saw. We took pictures, talked to our camels and patted then on their heads.

The whole trip took less than an hour. We all felt sorry when we saw the highway appear before us and our van arriving so soon. The camels gently knelt down so we could go down. We took some final photos, bid our Berber guides goodbye and gave them a generous tip then proceeded to our van for another long ride back home.

Thinking about it, we realized that the three day camel tour would have been perfect. One entire day spent riding on camel would have been just enough (maybe even too much). Not only do we get to ride the camel longer, we also get to see more of the desert. Nonetheless, we were quite happy to we pushed through with our camel ride. It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience for us.


To get tours for camel rides (as well as other experiences), coordinate with your hostels. Our hostel, Riad Medina Zahara, did a good job planning this trip for us for a good price. We paid 600 dirhams which was definitely worth the experience!Close

Marrakesh can get a bit warm during the day, so one can get a bit parched in the throat. You can't really trust tap water in a desert country, can you? So how do you deal with thirst the Moroccan way? Why…Read More

Marrakesh can get a bit warm during the day, so one can get a bit parched in the throat. You can't really trust tap water in a desert country, can you? So how do you deal with thirst the Moroccan way? Why with fresh orange juice, of course!

Djeema El Fna, the main square in Marrakesh, has fresh orange juice carts all over. Locals and tourists alike can enjoy their Vitamin C overload as they make their way from one part of the square to another.

The carts look more inviting with the oranges lining the counters. It looks attractive and lively and definitely projects well in photos. The juice is served on glasses (yey! environmentally-friendly!), but you may also opt for plastic cups if you prefer to take it to go.

One has to keep a sharp eye on the price of the orange juice though. Our first few nights, we were already rejoicing with our four dirham OJ, only to discover that one of the farther carts only sells it for three dirhams! One of my companions got her first glass for ten dirhams even. Though during Islamic holidays, when most of the carts are closed, those open really do sell it for ten. One may also opt for grapefruit juice which costs for 15 dirhams.

Restaurants also serve fresh orange juice between 10-15 dirhams. It balances well with the strong flavor of the tajine.

So forget the soft drinks and sugared juices in the mean time and take advantage of cheap orange juice of Morocco!

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