Written by Natalie
Reflecting on our time in Morocco, I cannot tell you my favorite part—I loved it all! From camping in the Sahara to hiking the High Atlas mountains to exploring the ancient city of Ait-Ben-Haddou, everyday was a new adventure.
FYI: This post is based on a trip taken in early January
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Sahara Desert
On our trip, I felt the most alive while in the Sahara Desert. Here, we watched the sunset over an endless horizon, raced on the sand dunes until we literally fell over and sang our hearts out around a campfire with new friends.
Ait-Ben-Haddou
In the small town of Ait-Ben-Haddou, Sam celebrated his 30th birthday with a very special homemade cake—a rarity since Moroccan dessert typically only consists of fresh fruit. Likewise, running under a sky full of only stars (no street lights) and seeing the sunrise over the Kasbah (fortified village where Game of Thrones and many movies have been filmed) are both experiences we will not soon forget.
Essaouira
In the dreamy seaside city of Essaouira, we enjoyed the warm sunshine, ate fresh seafood and found our favorite hole-in-the-wall spot to order the traditional Moroccan dish of tagine.
Aroumd
Another highlight of our trip was hiking into and staying in the traditional Berber village of Aroumd, tucked away in the breath-taking High Atlas mountains. Living like a local for a night here was quite humbling and an experience like no other.
Marrakech
In Marrakech, we got lost in the shops of the old Medina and learned from locals about traditional Moroccan aliment remedies.
Other Moroccan Highlights
Some other highlights of our trip included the views while driving through the countryside, the goats climbing in the Argan trees, the Moroccan mint tea served at most meals, the delicious traditional Moroccan cuisine and the unique colorful decor everywhere we stayed.
I am also now proficient in 8 Arabic terms/phrases and am having heaps of fun with that. Speaking of heaps, on this trip, we met some really stellar people from all over the world, particularly Australia and the UK, that we feel very lucky to now call friends. We couldn’t have asked for better travel companions and conversations. Also, our guide, Omar, deserves a huge shoutout for making this trip one to remember for a lifetime.
Overall, our Morocco trip was a great experience that surpassed all of our expectations. I would highly recommend traveling here, keeping in mind the magic of Morocco really lies beyond Marrakech. The kindness of the people and beauty of the county will not disappoint you.
We explored Morocco with Intrepid and highly recommend using this company. Their sustainable small group tour travel model is one we fully support. Intrepid offers many different Morocco tour options and the one we took was South Morocco Discovery trip. Explore trips offered by Intrepid using this link!
For more information on our Morocco trip, see our Top 3 Morocco Experiences and
Hamman Bath: Not Your Average Bath posts.
We hope this post inspires you to take your own trip to Morocco. You will not regret it and it will truly be the trip of a lifetime.
And remember, Always Have A Trip Planned!
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