One of the most wonderful places we suggest is the dune of the Erg Chebbi (near Merzouga), known as the great pink dunes or the door of the Sahara.
This place is ideal if you want to recharge your batteries and meditate in close contact with nature. The site also releases a great amount of energy, and you will get to meet Berber and Tuareg people, listen to traditional music and wander around the oases.
Morocco is a big country, varied in both traditions and food, so here are some places we would like to share with you.
Casablanca, a youthful and dynamic city, it concentrates almost 60% of the country’s economical activities. With a population close to 4 million, Casa is North Africa’s biggest city and the 4th in Africa. There is little tourism and the city is totally dedicated to business. It recalls the big cities of the West, and the modernity of its architecture contrasts with the extreme poverty of some areas. Casablanca’s town centre conceals some wonders: exceptional buildings dating back to the 30’s stun the stroller, the old medina offers a web of alleys that stands out against the modern part of town. The Hassan II Mosque is the biggest in North Africa and one of the most splendid for its excessive size and luxury. Casablanca is globalization Made in Morocco.
The Erg Chebbi is an excellent tourist spot: its magnificent landscape with impressive dunes changes color according to daylight. It’s a miniature Sahara definitely worth the trip. You can even camp in the dunes if the weather allows it. The Erg Chebbi tour will make you enjoy this big heap of sand 27 km long and 7 km large. But be aware, you risk being drowned by a wave of tourists particularly at sunset.
Fes is heir to the Andalusian culture and is the cradle of the former Sharif Empire. The city is divided in three parts: the new town (of no great interest), the middle-town, built in the 13th century by the Merinides, and the old town. Travelers must lose themselves in the medina, stop by the museum Dar-Batha, a museum of popular art, and the Medersa Bou-Inania, the Coranic school, or the Qaraouiyin Mosque, founded in the 9th century. The Nejjarine Wood Arts and Crafts Museum also deserves a visit. Also, Fes is located nearby the Tazzeka national park, a must.
The imperial city called the ìPearl of the Southî will captivate you, but you must also know how to approach it and be imbued with its atmosphere. The great square of Jemaa-el-Fna alone, with its night and day hustle-bustle, is worth the trip. But people come especially for the colorful and lively souks, unquestionably the richest ones, the most diverse, the most fascinating.
A thousand little crafts thrive side by side in an astonishing atmosphere. Tourism, so often criticized, has greatly favored the rediscovery of handicraft. Marrakech is also a fascinating architectural ensemble, increasingly safeguarded in the Medina, with its superb Mosques and remarkable palaces that cast a spell on the traveler with their unforgettable charm. Marrakech is also the door to South Morocco. Its atmosphere, colors and climate remind you that the desert isn’t far. Nonetheless, it has a flourishing vegetation; in fact, the public parks, the gardens and fruit trees planted along the main arteries have always been perceived by the Moroccans as a challenge to drought.This imperial city appears as a gem set in the natural landscape of the surrounding High Atlas mountains.
The city of Meknes, one of the four imperial cities, is part of the UNESCO World Heritage list. Its green minarets and monumental gates of Bab-Jema-en-Nouar and Bab-Mansour bear witness to this. The ancient imperial city hosts the magnificent mausoleum of Mulay Ismaïl with its wonderful painted cedar wood ceilings. The museum of Dar Jamai, in the Medina is also worth the detour. It is located in a splendid residence dating back to 1882. Meknes is smaller than the neighboring Fez and invites the stroller to walk around its alleys and discover its marvels.
If you’re yearning for cooler climates in the heat of the Erg Chebbi, stop by Merzouga, a small village adjacent to a refreshing palm grove with a spring that allows agriculture to develop. Merzouga is an interesting stop.
Ouarzazate is commonly considered as the Berber Hollywood: the beauty of its nature and the quality of the light has attracted several film producers. Located at the convergence of the Dra and Dades valleys, the city is a mandatory stopover to reach the South of Morocco. There is a beautiful Kasbah that belonged to Pasha El Glawi. The town centre however, has not much to offer.
Rabat is the political capital of Morocco. Unlike neighboring Casablanca, the city is cleaner and airy and its climate is very agreeable; temperatures never reach below 0° C in the winter and never exceed 30° C in the summer. You will be able to contemplate the over 5 km long city walls that bestow a special touch to Rabat. The Medina is also a nice walk to take. Other interesting sites; the Kasbah of the Oudayas, the necropolis of Chellah, the Money museum.
The last important village of South-West Morocco, Rissani is the historical cradle of the Alawi dynasty. It’s also the biggest souk of the Tafilalet region. Despite its many touts and sellers of all kinds hunting down tourists, Rissani doesn’t lack charm.
