We weren’t sure whether travelling to Morocco during Ramadan would be a good idea, so we we decided to start our 1-week trip on the last day of Ramadan, which meant we also experienced the 3-day celebrations of Eid al-Fitr that mark the end of the month of fasting in Morocco.
Itinerary
Day 1: Travel from Tangier to Chefchaouen
We arrived at Tangier airport around midday and I was surprised how calm and organised everything was, much different from the chaotic madness I remember when I visited Morocco on a day trip from Spain many years ago! Not sure if everyone was saving energy because they were fasting, but overall, everything seemed very relaxed.
We took a taxi (petit taxi) to the bus station (100 dirhams, about 15 AUD), which was surprisingly easy and the price was fixed as per the notice board at the taxi stand. Ok the bus station didn't seem that relaxed anymore and everyone seemed impatient to get somewhere (the last day of Ramadan might be a busy time as many people are travelling to see their family for the end-of-Ramadan celebrations, Eid-al Fitr.)
After standing in a chaotic queue to buy bus tickets, we were not able to get a ticket to Chefchaouen (there were no more direct buses for that day), so we got a ticket to Tetouan (about a 1.5hr bus ride) where we were supposed to change buses and buy another ticket to continue the journey to Chefchaouen. Getting on the bus was interesting as there was no queue, but everyone started pushing to get on as soon as the bus arrived. Everyone got a seat, so not sure why there was so much fuss. Anyways, when we got to Tetouan, we learned that all the tickets to Chefhcaouen that day were sold out, so we went for option B, which I had researched was to take a collective taxi (grand taxi). Although we don't speak Arabic or French and most people didn't speak English, everyone seemed to be very friendly and eager to help us, and many people in Northern Morocco also speak a bit of Spanish.
There was a lot of tension at the grand taxi stand. I had heard of people getting cranky during Ramadan, but didn't expect to experience it straight away! We witnessed two verbal fights within the span of 10 minutes, one of which we were kind of the cause of!
Although we were technically the next in the non-existent queue, when the taxi to Chefchaouen arrived, some ladies started pushing and getting into the taxi quickly, so it was impossible for us to get a seat. Another guy who was waiting got angry and told them to get off so that we could get our seats. Why we didn't want to be the cause of a quarrel, we though that was rather kind! The rest of the 1-hr and a bit journey was quite uneventful as we shared the taxi with a Moroccan family travelling to Chefchaouen. We couldn't really communicate with them, but one of the girls helped us get another group taxi to our hotel once we arrived in Chefchaouen.
We weren't expecting to be able to find any food during the day as it was still Ramadan, and we were right. All restaurants and cafes were closed and while it's ok for foreigners and non-muslims to eat, I felt kind of bad for everyone else around me. I ended up not drinking any water all afternoon and got a headache from dehydration (and it wasn't even that hot...). I really wouldn't want to participate in Ramadan fasting all day! When we got to Chefchaouen, we found a few tourist restaurants that were open, and one of them even offered gluten-free bread (the only restaurant offering GF bread that we came across during our one week in Morocco!) Bilmos Restaurant
Day 2: Chefchaouen
Although Ramadan had ended, it was almost just as difficult to find food on the first day of Eid-Al-Fitr celebration as it is also a public holiday and most locals are spending time with their family. We had booked to do a cooking class at 3pm, but just as we were getting ready for our meeting point, the host messaged us asking whether we could postpone because there is a 'little problem' (aka Eid party in the kitchen we were supposed to use for the cooking class!). Sadly, we missed out on the cooking class, but found another restaurant that was open (but only with limited meal options). Check out my blog post on my gluten-free Morocco experience for a more detailed foodie guide.
We spent the rest of the day getting lost in the narrow streets and alleys of the Chefchaouen medina (ancient walled city) and it being a public holiday was actually a perfect opportunity to take photos of the streets without shops and market stalls blocking the view! The atmosphere was also very different, with people enjoying their day off, kids playing on the streets and everyone wearing festive outfits.
Day 3: Casablanca
We set off early this morning to take the bus from CTM bus station to Casablanca. We were able to buy the tickets online for 185 MAD each (about 28AUD), and the journey took around 6 hours, with a short stop in Rabat.
We then spent the afternoon/evening and the following morning exploring Casablanca, the white city. While many travel bloggers advise against visiting Casablanca, we actually enjoyed being in a less touristy place and seeing what life is like in a large, modern, Moroccan city.
Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca
We took the tram to get around the city centre and then walked towards Hassan II Mosque to see a beautiful sunset. The mosque was built on the coast in a truly spectacular spot and many locals were enjoying their walk along the seaside, with plenty of food vendors selling local snacks. Hassan II Mosque is the second largest mosque in Africa (after ) and it was built in 1993, although it looks ancient due to its traditional Andalusian style.
Day 4: Casablanca- Marrakesh
After a morning walk around the city, we took the train to Marrakesh. We were not able to buy the tickets online, so we stopped by the train station the day before and purchased 2nd class tickets for 132 MAD each (about 20 AUD). The train ride was comfortable, although there was no air-con and about half-way through the journey, the landscape changed dramatically and it suddenly became really hot. After all, the further south we go, the closer to the Sahara desert!
Day 5: Marrakesh
We spent the day getting lost in the old medina's little alleys (in fact, it is impossible NOT to get lost!) until it got too hot to be outside and then we chilled in our lovely air-conditioned riad (a traditional Moroccan house/hotel with a courtyard). It's only April and the temperature soared above 30°C, so I can't imagine what Marrakesh would be like in the middle of summer.
In the afternoon, I went to a Moroccan hammam bath house for a traditional body scrub and a massage. The body scrub is an old ritual meant to cleanse the body and the mind and consists of relaxing in a private tiled steam room (there is no actual bath) followed by vigorous scrubbing with eucalyptus black soap. I found it very hard to relax and the ritual wasn't exactly enjoyable, but I was amazed at the amount of dead skin that came off! Lucky I booked a massage afterwards, so I was finally able to relax!
Marrakesh
Day 6: Agafay Desert & Atlas Mountains
On our last full day in Marrakesh, we decided to join a tour to explore the nearby Agafay desert and the town of Imlil in the Atlas mountains. It was nice to see a bit of countryside and also get out of the scorching hot Marrakesh. Imlil is a mountain town popular with local visitors as it offers clear fresh air and much more bearable temperatures than Marrakesh. Locals like to set up picnic tables near the river, or sit at the waterfall cafe- something I had never seen anywhere else! They were selling fresh orange juice and espresso coffee, powered by the waterfall itself!
Imlil, in the Atlas mountains
Day 7: depart Marrakesh
We had a final walk through the medina this morning and indulged on a delicious avocado and dates smoothie and the traditional Moroccan mint tea. When it started getting too hot again, we retreated back to our riad, finished packing and headed to the airport to catch our flight.
Although we only had one week in Morocco, I feel like we had good introduction to the country, seeing very diverse cities and landscapes. I had expected that travelling around Morocco would
be a bit difficult (because of the language barrier), but it wasn't! It was easy to catch public transport and people were very friendly and always willing to help.
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