Make Your Next Trip Extraordinary
Tips for Optimizing a Trip to Morocco
The author and her family rode all manner of transport in Morocco, from camels to motorcycle sidecars. My family of four (daughter Brook, son-in-law Ryan, and 14-year-old grandson Zeke) celebrated last Thanksgiving in the Atlas Mountains. We chose to go then because Zeke had vacation from school, but it turned out to be a delightful time to visit Morocco. The weather was perfect for an active vacation—high-sixties temps and endless blue skies every day. The only crowds we saw the entire trip filled the narrow alleys of Marrakech’s medina, and I suspect those are jammed 365 days a year.
The trip was so diverse, so exotic, and so appealing that I wondered why I hadn’t gotten to Morocco years ago. Here’s what made our journey spectacular, and a few things I’d do differently next time.
Biggest trip goals: On an 11-day trip, we wanted to see three distinct regions of Morocco: Marrakech, the Sahara, and the Atlas Mountains.
The basic itinerary: We kicked off our Moroccan experience with three nights in Marrakech. From there, we headed to the Sahara, breaking the ten-hour drive with an overnight in Ouarzazate. After two tented nights in the desert, we stopped in Ouarzazate again en route to the Atlas Mountains, where we spent our last three nights. From there it was just 90 minutes to the Marrakesh airport, which meant I rode a mule and a 767 on the very same day.
Biggest trip challenge: There’s no avoiding a lot of drive time in Morocco, but you can parcel it out in manageable chunks. Our travel planner crafted our itinerary so we were never on the road more than five hours a day, and put us in a comfy Mercedes van that had huge windows for taking in the beautiful mountain views. Having Said, our excellent private guide, with us throughout our trip meant we could fill those hours with questions about the land and people of his country.
Getting there: Part of our reason for going now was a newish nonstop flight from my home airport, Newark Liberty—a slick six hours and 45 minutes to Marrakech.
How to defeat jet lag, Moroccan style: On the day we arrived, Brook and I headed to our travel planner’s favorite spa for a traditional Moroccan hammam, a steam room experience where you are washed and exfoliated with black soap. Said told us that Moroccans enjoy a hammam once a week at public baths. After half an hour in the steam room, we had delicious 90-minute massages. It was relaxing and invigorating—and cost half what I’d pay for the massage alone in my hometown.
Seeking serenity: Marrakech’s medina is a lively, even overwhelming place. It’s a happy chaos of motor bikes and the occasional donkey cart threading their way through the crowds. It’s fun to explore the many workshops and kiosks, but all that bustle makes you yearn for a quiet retreat. That’s exactly what Riad L’Orangeraie, an inn in the medina with just seven rooms, gave us. Its two courtyards were a beautiful oasis with handsome tilework and soaring fruit trees, even a swimming pool. The rooms were generous in size and furnished with Moroccan design pieces.
Best eats: Rooftop dining is the way to go in Marrakech’s medina. Curving stairs (sometimes sans bannisters) lead upward to spectacular views. Marrakech is a low-profile city, since no building may be taller than the minaret of the city’s oldest mosque, built in the 12th century, so rooftop views feel endless. We breakfasted on the roof of our riad, and ate dinner at a different rooftop restaurant every night.
It’s all in the timing: Much has been rebuilt from the devastating earthquake that shook Morocco in 2023. Still, around Marrakech we saw a lot of construction in preparation for 2030, when Morocco will host soccer’s (excuse me, football’s) World Cup. Unless you have tickets to a match, I would avoid Morocco in June and July of that year. Before that, though, you can enjoy new hotels and restaurants built to support the games.
Traveler beware: Chef Tarik’s Secret Berber Garden, outside Marrakech, where we had an excellent private cooking class, isn’t a secret anymore. In fact, classes there have become so popular that they’ve increased capacity to host as many as 400 people at a time. Our chef was knowledgeable, bright, and fun, but we could hear music and chatter from a much larger group nearby.
Best surprise: I purposely didn’t look into the facilities at Nick and Bobo’s Camp in the Sahara. This would be my first time seeing sand dune desert, and a pit toilet was not going to stop me. So I was delighted to find electricity and a flush toilet in my tent. Thanks, Bobo and Nick. You could witness sunset and sun-up from the dunes, and sandboard down the sandy slopes.
Trip highlight: Our vacation was so full of great experiences, the peak one varies depending on whom you ask. For my grandson, the highlight was an Atlas Mountains hike to a summit with a hundred-mile view of snow-tipped mountains and verdant valleys. For me, it was riding a camel through the Sahara with nothing in sight to suggest that we weren’t in biblical times.
Most overrated: Okay, I am going to be in big trouble for dissing the favorite Moroccan dish, tagine. But for a vegetarian like me, it means ultra-steamed vegetables, superbly seasoned. I missed the crunch of those veggies—though my friend Mahnaz, who grew up in Tehran, informs me that this is an American preference; the rest of the world likes their vegetables well-cooked. The carnivores in our crew loved their beef, chicken, and lamb tagines, so I figure meat must add a lot of flavor. Moroccans eat tagine a couple of times a week; as tourists, we had it at least once a day. On the flip side, we enjoyed excellent wood-fired pizzas several days at lunch. (And I’m a New Yorker. I know my pizza.)
Most unusual place we stayed: We loved Kasbah du Toubkal, deep in the High Atlas Mountains, but it isn’t the place for everyone. There’s no road to reach the kasbah; your choice is to hike up a rocky hill or ride a mule. For our family of four, we rented the Garden House, a sprawling apartment furnished like a frat house with big leather sofas. Who cares about the decor when there are walls of windows looking out on snow-capped peaks? We ate in, with the kitchen staff delivering a different tagine dinner to our dining room table each night. What a treat. Hoofing it to your inn is not your cup of tea? No worries. Kasbah Tamadot, the glam Richard Branson hotel down the road, is just the ticket for those seeking to max out their stars.
Best takeaway: En route to the desert, we stopped in Tamegroute, where distinctive moss-green pottery is fired with a manganese and copper glaze. I bought matching bowls for serving olives and collecting the pits, which fit neatly into my carry-on. Brook and Ryan went big, buying dinnerware for ten, with a beautiful green and white motif, which they carried home on the plane.
By design: Moroccan hand-crafted housewares are world-famous, and you can see them being made, and even give it a try yourself. In a small Marrakech alley, we spent a morning hammering brass plates, taking home bright golden reminders of our trip. En route from the desert to the mountains, we visited Taznakht, a carpet-weaving center, where we each made a (very) small contribution to a rug in progress on a loom. Colors and patterns are everywhere in Morocco, whether it’s handsome geometric designs incorporated into tilework or intricate hand-painted wooden ceilings. Said told us that one of his travelers was so taken with these offerings that she is returning to Morocco purely to buy furnishings for her new home.
Thank goodness I packed: A flashlight was on the packing list for the desert, where the blackout nights are ripe for star-gazing but not for navigating the dunes. I chose to tuck a headlamp into my suitcase instead, and it was great to have hands-free light.
Wish I hadn’t packed: Shorts. Women visitors to Morocco don’t have to dress as conservatively as in many other Muslim countries, but bare legs are discouraged.
Top trip memory: I will never forget the Moroccan pour. Tea is a thrice-daily ritual (or more) for Moroccans. It’s served in distinctive glasses, sweetened with sugar cubes. But the best part is the pour itself: As the tea flows into the glass, the server raises the pot to impossible heights without spilling a drop. Try it. It ain’t easy.
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