My girlfriend Cindy, whom I have known for 45 years, and I have been talking about wanting to visit Morocco since forever, and we finally made it this year! This beautiful country did not disappoint. It was everything we had hoped it would be and more! We chose to travel with Overseas Adventure Travel as they have a wonderful jam-packed trip which takes you all over the country and includes adventures such as a hot-air balloon ride, visits with a Nomad family, two nights in the Sahara Desert, and spending time and dining with local families to see how they live. 

Cindy and I chose to go a day early so we could rest up and see more of Casablanca than the OAT itinerary planned. We also chose to do the 5-day Northern Morocco pre-trip, which included visiting not only Casablanca, but also the beautiful “Blue City” called Chefchaouen, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Tetouan, and the historical city of Tangier. I have wanted to visit Tangier since I first saw it across the Strait of Gibraltar when I took a day trip to Gibraltar while visiting Spain. 

From Tangier, we took a high-speed train to Rabat, the capital of Morocco, where we met the rest of our group. We enjoyed 1 1/2 days there before heading to Fez, a historical city with a Medina that is home to 600,000 people. I managed to buy a beautiful leather jacket from the tannery we visited. While in Fez, we enjoyed camel burgers for dinner one evening, and we split up into 3 groups and went to a home-hosted dinner another evening. Not unsurprisingly, we had tagine for dinner, which is a Moroccan stew speciality that is named for the pot it is cooked in. Honestly, by the time I finished this trip, I was tired of all forms of tagines- lamb, beef, chicken, vegetable, etc. There was no end to how wide the varieties were.  

  While staying in Fez, we also visited Volubilis and Meknes, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Volubilis is one of the most well-preserved  Roman cities in the world. 

Following our days in Fez, we traveled to Erfoud to spend a night before embarking on our two-day adventure in the Sahara Desert. We traveled across the Middle and High Atlas Mountains to get there and, along the way, stopped to take photos of the Barbary Macaque Monkeys. Our desert experience was a blast and also included a visit with a nomad family, a long camel ride across the desert, cruising the dunes, and cooking lessons. 

We then headed to Quarzazate and reveled in luxury at the beautiful Berbere Palace Hotel. Our two days there were well spent with visits to a Hammam, a museum, a women’s educational center, a Ksar (castle), and Ait Behhaddou, another UNESCO World Heritage Site that is currently seen in the new Odyssey movie as well as Gladiator and Game of Thrones.

After our luxurious stay in Quarzazate, we headed to Marrakesh, again crossing the High Atlas Mountains, this time in 44 mph winds. Marrakesh was wonderful, and like most of the cities before us, we stayed in a beautiful historical Riad in the Medina, also a UNESCO Site. We spent time in the Djamal El Fna, the famous central square, and watched snake charmers, monkeys, musicians, and vendors milling about. We took a horse-drawn caleche through the city and visited two beautiful and famous gardens and the Bahia Palace. Like every place else we have visited, Marrakesh did not disappoint! After several days in Marrakesh, we headed back to where it all started for us, Casablanca, and visited the beautiful Hassan II Mosque before departing the next day for home.