This New Year's Eve was a special one. I did not spend it at home with my friends as usual, but instead we decided to celebrate it this time on a road trip in Morocco.
Well... As we found out later, celebrating it was not much as New Year's eve is not celebrated in this Muslim country, but nevertheless we had a great week in this wonderful, impressive country. Here my travelogue.
The itinerary
We only had one week to explore Morocco, which definitely is much too short for this huge country. We flew to Casablanca, rented a big car for 5 people and drove along the coast to Essaouira, then continued to the city of Taroudannt. Next stop was Ait-Ben-Haddou, a city which was setting for numeros famous movies and counts as a UNESCO world heritage site. Along spectacular landscapes, we continued to Marrakech, where we celebrated New Year's eve. The last day, we spent in Casablanca from where we flew back to Switzerland.
This tour was a lot of driving, but totally worth it. For the next time in Morocco, I would definitely stay more days, at least 2 or 3 weeks. There is sooo much more to see and do!
We had a comfortable flight to Casablanca (around 3 hours from Basel, Switzerland) and it was easy to get our rental car. We started our trip heading south. This took some hours and was quite nerve-racking at the end, as it became darker and darker and light on the vehicles didn't seem to be a matter of course. So we had to struggle not only with curvy roads but also with numerous horse-drawn carriages, bicycles and people at the roadside, which only became visible when they almost stuck to the car.
Ah yes, and then there were also such vehicles, which were illuminated, but it was better to keep your distance to them:
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| A transporter full of hay. Better not come too close! |
We were all happy when we reached our beautiful Riad near Essaouira.
After a great breakfast with hot, highly sugared (!!) mint tea and steaming tajines, we continued our journey and stopped at the coast. What a great view!
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| The first camels we spotted! Wohoo! |
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| At the souk (bazar) in Essaouira |
Our next stop was Taroudannt, which took us several hours. But along the way we were surprised by another highlight of the trip: The goats on the Argan trees! Those goats climb high up in the trees to eat the fruits of the Argan trees. And you won't find just one goat in the trees, it seemed to us that they have quite a party up there, they were at least 10!
In Taroudannt, we had the chance to meet parking attendant Smail who showed us around the city. We enjoyed walking along the impressive city wall, to explore the Souk and to observe a snake charmer.
We had booked all accommodation for Morocco via Air B'n'B (except in Casablanca). Also in Taroudannt we were lucky with the accommodation and could move into our own riad, a dreamlike house with pool and great view. What a pity that we could only spend one night there.
The journey continued towards Ait-Ben-Haddou and we passed through impressive landscapes.
Shortly before dusk we reached Ait-Ben-Haddou, an impressive and very photogenic city made out of clay, which belongs to the UNESCO world cultural heritage and was the setting for various films and series like Game of Thrones or Gladiator. Even though the place is quite touristic, it impressed me very much!
After Ait-Ben-Haddou, Marrakesh was our next destination. The way there over the Atlas Mountains was again quite spectacular and I guess we were all a bit disappointed that we didn't have time for a hike in the mountains, that would certainly be a fantastic experience!
After the quiet, wide landscapes we had experienced, Marrakech was a cultural shock. To us it seemed hectic and exhausting, a city that did not smell of spices but mainly of exhaust fumes. Luckily, we could change our first impressions again after exploring the city also known as "ochre city" and "pearl of the south". Here are some impressions of Marrakech.
Once we understood how to haggle properly, how to find your way around the winding old town and how not to be run over by horse-drawn carriages or mopeds, we started to like the city.
On new year's eve, we expected that there would be a big party at the main square Jemaa El Fna. So we stood on the square with some other tourists shortly before midnight. The locals seemed to go about their normal business. And so there was neither a countdown nor too much cheering when the clock showed 00:00. A very unspectacular new year's eve that just got lost in the normal hustle and bustle of Marrakech.
Of course we also took our time for the sights in Marrakech. For example we visited the Bahia Palace or the Saadian graves. Of course we did not miss a visit in a Hamam.
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| Bahia palace |
In Marrakech you should not miss the "Jardin Majorelle", a large garden and villa created by the artist Jacques Majorelle and bought by the designer Yves Saint Laurent in 1980. The complex is really worth seeing! But make sure you arrive there at 9 for your tickets, it is very touristy and if you're late prepare yourself to wait 2 h in the line for the tickets.
Unfortunately the program of our road trip was so dense that it was not enough for a detour into the desert. Nevertheless a short ride on a dromedary was not to be missed. The excursion was of course quite touristic. Next time I would like to have more time for it and dive into the desert properly and for several days.
The last dinner in Marrakech we enjoyed on the roof terrace of "L'Mida" restaurant, from where we had a great view over the city. The restaurant is highly recommendable, the cuisine with a mix of classic Moroccan and modern cuisine just great and the staff fantastic.
After 3 days in Marrakesh, our journey slowly came to an end. The last stage of our journey was Casablanca. As we still had half a day left, we decided to visit the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca. The trip to downtown Casablanca was an experience itself, the visit of the mosque very worthwhile. We took part in a public tour and were fascinated by the third largest mosque in the world (after Mecca and Medina), which was completed in 1993 and cost about 1 billion USD. The location directly at the Atlantic Ocean is wonderful. And where else can you visit a mosque with a retractable roof?
This Morocco roadtrip was a great experience. Morocco is a very interesting country - the different culture, the fantastic landscapes, the great food just to name a few arguments. One week was much too short to experience it all, but gave me a good inspiration for further trips. Who knows, maybe I will book a camel trekking in the desert soon? Let's see what the new year brings!
Happy new year to you all! And to many more travels in the new year!
