Morocco is definitely one of my favourite countries so far! I’ve been here during my studies, a lustrum trip of the study association I was privileged to manage at the time. As future anthropologists, it was all about culture, the locals, and a lot of knowledge exchange. I won’t bother you with our visits to local organizations, but I definitely have a nice list of activities that really shouldn’t be missed during your Morocco trip!

1. A night in the desert

Spending the night in the desert was probably the activity we were all looking forward to immensely and it also met all our expectations! This is such a unique experience on every level. We went out on camels. That’s an experience, haha. I had a terrible bruise on my leg during the rest of the trip. It’s a very shaky ride on an animal and there’s a wooden scaffolding with a handle at the front, so I kept bumping my leg against it the entire trip.

Anyway, nowadays I wouldn’t recommend a camel tour, because I now know that most camels are not really lovingly cared for. I would rather opt for a quad tour! Or you can board a Jeep. Furthermore, an overnight like this is really not just cosy kumbaya singing around a campfire. This is the tour we did. 

This night is in my top 5 favourite travel experiences for many reasons!

Coziness, good food and tea

Moroccan food is delicious! Of course, meals are included in your trip to the desert because you can’t just go to a restaurant or supermarket by yourself. Indulge in a meal cooked by locals and a hefty batch of Moroccan mint tea. We had a lovely evening of music, chats, dancing, and laughter.

3. Marrakesh, the city of 1001 nights

Marrakesh is Morocco’s most touristic city, and you can tell that from everything. It has everything you expect from the country, so you can spend days wandering around static palaces, a maze of small streets in the Medina and souks and endless amounts of shops full of colourful local products. In the evening, plop down on the giant terrace in Jemaa El Fnaa square and choose from the many stalls selling food and drinks to enjoy the hustle and entertainment.

A beautiful city, but due to the high tourist numbers, also a city where you will be bothered considerably by street vendors and where you have to watch out for scams. Don’t let anyone show you the way, and watch your belongings!

Ho(s)tels in Morocco are an experience in itself and in Marrakesh, there is a huge choice for very little money. We stayed in several hostels and I can definitely recommend them:

• Hostel with swimming pool in the living room, do I need to say more?
• Boho hostel, one of the few hostels without dazzling colours for a little more peace and quiet.
• Atmospheric typical Moroccan mosaic hostel.

4. A hike through the Atlas mountains

I feel that few people know what beautiful nature you can find in Morocco. It’s definitely not just desert and oppressive heat. You can also find the Atlas Mountains here, which are definitely worth a visit! The best starting point is the cute little village of Imlil. Here you can get yourself some snacks for the road in the small supermarket and then you can either set off on your own or with a guide. The hostel we stayed in, close to Imlil, had the best mountain views and incredibly friendly, helpful staff. There are several hiking routes, including a 4-hour hike to Mount Toubkal, North Africa’s highest mountain.

You can also choose to go on a trekking trip. This could be a short trek of 2 days, but also of several days where you sleep in the mountains for during the trip.

By the way, you can also book a day tour to the Atlas Mountains from Marrakesh. For this you’ll be picked up and dropped off at your hostel in Marrakech.

5. Fez and the tannery

Fez is a good alternative if you’re looking for something with the same charm as Marrakesh, but a little less touristy. It’s not quiet, but definitely less crowded than Marrakech. Marrakesh was a bit intense in our opinion. Unfortunately, we haven’t been to Fez ourselves, but I understand from other travellers that it is just a bit quieter.

Here again, you’ll quickly lose your way in a maze of pretty streets past beautiful buildings. A must in Fez is a visit to the tannery. Here you’ll see how they clean and colour leather by hand. Just keep in mind that it stinks like hell! If you have a weak stomach, it’s better to keep your distance. But it is an extraordinary sight of an ancient craft.

Hostel suggestions:

• This fantastic, atmospheric hostel with so many details you could spend days looking at it. Or enjoy the city views on the roof terrace.
• Do you like having your own room? This small-scale hostel has cheap single rooms, in addition to dorm rooms.
• Or stay at this spacious hostel with a gigantic roof terrace with, again, city views.

6. A blue oasis

One of the biggest attractions in Morocco is definitely the beautiful, idyllic blue city of Chefchaouen. When viewed from one of the viewpoints on the surrounding mountains, you’ll see an oasis of blue. Literally, the whole town is blue and is sometimes called the smurf village. Walk through a maze of blue streets, decorated with all kinds of artsy decorations and plants. Because it’s so touristic, you often have to pay to take a photo in many places around town. However, these are only small amounts and go to the locals. And you keep a nice memory!

Of course, you will spend the night in a blue ho(s)tel, some suggestions:

• This blue hostel is exactly how you would expect a building in this town to look like. Beautifully built, completely blue but still incredibly atmospheric, full of Moroccan details.
• I would book this hostel just for the lovely hanging chairs on the roof terrace alone.
• This hostel is just a little less blue, but has beautiful typical Moroccan touches that make it very atmospheric.