20 PICTURES THAT WILL INSPIRE YOU TO VISIT MOROCCO

Morocco was one of the first few countries we traveled to when we started backpacking in 2016, and for sure it was the most exotic destination for us. We spent about a month total in Morocco traveling from the big cites, through the mountains to more off the beaten path places. We truly enjoyed our time in Morocco and we can’t wait to go back one day. We hope that these 20 photos will inspire you to visit Morocco. 

Why visit Morocco?

Morocco is a country with a deep culture, a mix of African, Middle Eastern and some European influence. Although Morocco is located only 13km from Europe, it’s culture and environment is totally different.  It’s unique in its ways and has withstood invaders throughout history. To some extent being in Morocco feels like stepping back in time, especially when visiting the old cities like Marrakesh or Fez, where the same buildings have been there for centuries.

Many tourists travel to Morocco because they want to experience the “authentic” culture, and perhaps a bit of mystery, and that is exactly why we decided to travel there too.

Morocco offers many unique experiences that you won’t find anywhere else. During the day you can walk through the markets tasting exotic spices and food, shopping for hand woven rugs, and at night you will sleep in a beautiful riad. A riad is a house with a garden and or central courtyard inside. These homes are often very quiet inside unlike the street just outside the wall. The temperatures are also much cooler than outside on the street. No A/C needed, riads are engineered for hot climates. You can find riads to stay in throughout Morocco, and they are usually chique and trendy. If you are visiting Morocco in the summer, make sure the riad you are staying in has a pool!

Morocco cuisine is absolutely delicious. Tajine, a stew cooked with meat or vegetables, is a staple dish at every Moroccan house, and restaurant. If you get tired of Tajine you can also try some French food, which is very popular in Morocco. Another common food item is the mint tea, which locals call “Moroccan Whiskey”. This tea is often served sweetened with lots of sugar, but you can ask for no sugar, and its tasty and refreshing especially on hot days. The mint tea is offered as a welcome drink at hotels, and even street vendors will invite you for a cup of tea before they conduct any business with you. You never refuse the tea., even if  you have already drank several cups that day.

You should also try visiting a hammam, while you are in Morocco. Hammam’s are pubic bathhouses, separate for women and men, where you can relax and get a body scrub. Many local homes don’t have showers or baths, so instead people go to the hamman to bathe. It’s a popular place for the local women to socialize, since they don’t socialize in public cafes or restaurants like men do.

You can easily relax spending your time in large cities like Marrakesh or if you like adventure, you can hike in the mountains like the Atlas Mountains or Rif. Of course, the biggest reason why tourists come to Morocco is to visit the Sahara desert. Riding on a dromedary and sleeping under the stars on the desert will make you feel like you are in some kind of fairytale movie. There is nothing more romantic than watching the sun set on the Sahara.

 Need help packing for Morocco?

Women’s Packing Essentials for Morocco

(This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.)

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

A trip to the Sahara desert

A camel trip is probably one of the main reasons why you should visit Morocco. Camel trekking and an overnight stay, combined with stargazing in the Sahara desert will leave you with one of the most memorable experiences of your life and perhaps with some painful blisters on your butt too. Here is what you need to know before you go.

Where are the camels?

Most of the camel trips start in Merzouga. Depending on your itinerary, most likely you will be traveling to Merzouga from Marrachesch. There are plenty of travel agencies that can arrange the camel trip for you from Marrakech, but if you want to save money, we recommend that you take a CTM bus from the city. The bus ride is about 8h-10h,  but is very comfortable. If you have the time you can also stop in Todra Gorge for a night or two and do some trekking there and continue on to Merzouga from there.

First of all these animals are not camels. They actually are call a dromedary. The difference is that the dromedary have one hump, unlike camels, which have two lovely humps.  

Trekking

The most surprising thing about out camel ride was that all the camels are tide together by a rope and they walk in line following a guide. If you have never been on a horse and you are afraid, this is probably great news for you. For those who expect a more wild ride you might be a bit disappointed in the ride itself. The ride was fairly comfortable, but we were happy to get down after 2-3 h. 

What NOT to wear on a dromedary (camel) trip?

There is just one very important piece of clothing that you should NEVER  wear on a dromedary/camel trip. It's a thong. OMG, don't ever make the same mistake, unless you want to experience blisters in places that you never thought you could get.

Have you heard of the phenomenon called sahara butt? probably not. It's when you wear clothes that rub in the crevices of your body e.g your butt. Yeah, just don't wear any clothes that will crunch up in you butt. We are going to leave this here but trust us!!

How to avoid the sahara butt?

1. Wear comfortable underwear and don't wear any clothes that will crunch up (in you butt).

2. Wear long pants, your legs won't chafe !! 

3. Loose clothes are great! You won't sweat and it will protect you from the sun plus you will be comfortable. 

Also Important:  Do not forget your sunglasses, head scarf, sunblock and SPF lipstick!

I wore a traditional Berber dress called Gandora

Night at the Desert

After a few hours of trekking you will arrive to your camp. You will be fed, with most likely Tagine, and if you are lucky enough you might be entertained with traditional berber music. Berber people have an amazing culture and spirit. 

Tipsy Gypsies Tip:  We recommend that you bring some liquor to the desert. Berber people like alcohol, and as long as you share your goods with them, they will too.

Berber people were traditionally nomads. Don't assume that the nomadic lifestyle and simple life make these people ignorant . Both of our guides were smart students who spoke fluently in at least 4 languages. They were also are humble and very talented musicians They told us they didn't like big cities and decided to live a simple life and follow their passion, music.

Tipsy Gypsies Tip:  We talked with our guides and asked them for some funny stories from the desert. They told us that sometimes tourists get too drunk and behave rude. Some tourist decide to wander off the camp to the dunes and can't find their way back. Drunk tourist might be only 5 minutes away from the camp, but the dunes all look very similar. The guides are always vigilant and they know where you are and will rescue you (after some time) of course. So unless you know how to guide yourself with the starts, you might have to spend some lonely hours rethinking your behavior and actions. We think that is a fair lesson.

Sunrise

You can't miss the sunrise in the desert. It's spectacular! If you only stay one night you will most likely head back to the hotel early in the morning. You will eat breakfast at the hotel and you can use the shower and pool for couple of hours. 

Saying goodbye to this view was hard, but we will be back for more!!

Meet the Ganoua tribe

On your way out from Merzouga we stopped by Khamlia village. Khamilia village is inhabited by the Ganoua or Gnawa people, who originally were slaves from Africa.  Nowdays, the Gnawa people are shepherds and dromedary/camel herders and their music is world famous. At the village we experienced the traditional music and dance of the Ganoua tribe performed by a group called "Groupe des Bamabras" . They were truly amazing and welcoming. If you want to learn more about their history check out www.khamlia.com

Get Tipsy on: Mahia

Morocco is a Muslim country and Muslim's don't drink. You probably have heard that line many times. Well, it ain't true. In fact, Morocco has really good alcohol, but you have to know where and what to look for. Moroccans are also discreet about their drinking. You don't ever see drunk and loud Moroccans laying on the street harassing people. If you saw anybody in Morocco like that, it was probably us.

The Tipsy Gypsies would like to introduce you to the strongest and the most potent drink in Morocco called Mahia. Mahia is basically a moonshine made from figs or dates. Since Mahia is a moonshine, the best version (or possibly the worst) is the home made stuff. Yeah!! 

The taste of Mahia can vary greatly. Since it's homemade, there are no "quality" checks. The Tipsy Gypsies drank some Mahia that was smooth and almost liquorish in taste but we also drank some nasty shit that tasted like rocket fuel. So it all depends on who you get it from. The only guarantee is that you will get very drunk and hopefully you wont die.

Where to find Mahia?

The most common scam in Morocco is when people on the street pretend to help you find whatever you are looking for. In Marrakesh these guys are yelling to the tourist : "Hey, the Big Square is this way". They are referring to Jemaa el Fna, which is the biggest and most touristy square in Marrakesh, surrounded by the souks. Btw, these guys are always lying and trying to confuse you and of course get money. Don't ever ask these people for help. 

We wish there was a legit service that would point out where to find Mahia. We would pay for that service because finding Mahia is like looking for Waldo. But don't get discouraged!! You know that you want to get shit faced, and you just have to work for it. Plus, finding Mahia can be a fun and a crazy adventure (story coming soon in our blog ).

The tips below on how to find Mahia, are completely free of charge. We know how it is to be a desperate drunk in Morocco:

1. If you are visiting big cities like Marrakesh or Fez, you will most likely be staying in a riad. A riad is basically a small hotel or B&B. They are very cool, and you should not miss out on this experience. Anyway, we recommend that you become friendly with your riad manager/host or the hotel concierge. After a day or two of playing buddies it should be safe to ask them if they can help you to get some Mahia. In our experience, the host will be more than happy to make the proper arrangements and before you know it, there will be somebody knocking on the door with with a bottle of home brewed Mahia. The first and the best we found was from basically a Marakkaesh drug dealer. Since Mahia is a street or homemade alcohol, which always involves some risk, you want to make sure the source you are getting it from is good. We felt confident that the contact from our riad was solid.

2. Another option is to buy Mahia from the store. We know you guys are probably thinking that we are idiots for buying alcohol from street dealers. Yes we are, but the reality is that finding a liquor store in the city is harder that finding Mahia. Plus, the store brand that we got was very sweet and wasn't the best Mahia we've had. Look for the big supermarket "Carefur". They sell every liquor that you can imagine. 

3. Cost. 

As always, in Morocco you gotta haggle for everything. We got our first 1/2 of a liter for 70 dirham (about $7-8). The guys wanted to sell it first for 200 dirham.

In the mountains, the price was 130 dirham ($13) for 1.5 liter after lots of negotiating. So that was even a better price but tasted terrible! Regardless, it got the job done and many parties were had.