#2 morocco roadtrip
We were lucky enough to spend several weeks roadtripping around Morocco earlier this year, and it’s only now with time away from work that I’ve got round to editing all the photos I took. Morocco has some incredible landscapes, from beach to mountains to deserts, and traveling by car meant we were able to see the landscape changing hour by hour. We wanted somewhere that felt like a world apart but wasn’t too far away, and this trip definitely delivered on this and got us a bit off the beaten track.
Marrakech
That said, perhaps unsurprisingly, Marrakech was my favourite city of the trip. While there are certainly parts that are touristy, it felt so dynamic and in some ways fresher than other stops we made. It definitely lived up to its reputation as a hub for design and creativity.
Fes & the Sahara
In all honesty I found Fes quite overwhelming - the medina is not for the fainthearted and the souks are much more intense than Marrakech. We had great views from our riad and did see some great sights, but it sometimes felt like ticking things off a list while trying not to get lost in the (very narrow) alleyways or sold something. The drive from Fes to the Sahara is long but for me the dunes were worth it and not an experience I’ll forget easily.
Atlas Mountains, Skoura, Ouarzazate, Valley of the Roses
It takes several days with multiple stop offs to get from the Sahara through the oases and over the Atlas Mountains to Marrakech. Some of the stops feel like well-worn traveler routes and the views from the road are incredible, including ancient villages, ksars and kasbahs.
Casablanca, Meknes, Volubilis, Cedar Forests
We didn’t spend much time in Casablanca but it’s worth a stop if only to see the mosque jutting out into the Atlantic - while it’s relatively newly built, it’s one of very few that non-Muslims can enter to appreciate the architecture and design in the interior. From here, our journey started on the road to Fes, stopping at a few sights recommended by our guide including the ancient city of Meknes (which is now the country’s main wine region), Roman ruins at Volubilis, and the cedar forests outside Fes which are home to wild Barbary macaque monkeys.
Hotel Highlight: Riad 72, Marrakech
A blend of Moroccan and Milanese design touches, our favourite accommodation of the trip was this riad in Marrakech’s medina. For us, the combination of design, service, and price point edged it out above everywhere else we stayed, and it was well located for exploring with easy access to both the medina and Gueliz. As expected in Morocco, it also had an amazing hammam on site and a rooftop bar with views of the city and beyond.
