Reading suggestions · Morocco

My first trip to Morocco was in the early 90s. Four more followed... I had never been further north than Casablanca, Volubilis, or Fez—it was time to fix that oversight!

Last February, I took an overland trip using "public transport" from France to southern Senegal via Spain, Morocco, Western Sahara, and Mauritania.

The next day, it's pouring rain when we wake up, but after a good breakfast, the rain has calmed down... off to the medersa, which allows for a relatively sheltered visit. We had visited this palace 15 years ago—it’s been renovated since then.

It’s busy today because it’s Sunday and Moroccans, especially from Casablanca, come here to spend the weekend. In town, the café terraces are packed with people having breakfast—msemens (flaky pancakes) spread with kiri and honey. Every café has little stalls on their terrace to cook these delicious pancakes, and we can’t resist buying some for our lunch...

I just got back from a trip to Morocco and I want to share my experience of the few days I spent in the Happy Valley (it’s also called the Ait Bouguemez Valley—same place!) I’d contacted my guide Youssef, whose info I found here on VoyageForum.

Hey fellow travelers,

This isn’t meant to be a full-on travel journal—just a little springtime dip into the Moroccan coast (and maybe a bit more if we hit it off). For our 3rd trip to this country, we set off for 8 days in early June 2025, confident we’d be greeted by non-stop sunshine...

This isn’t about drumming up business for a new professional gig—just sharing my 10-day trip to Marrakech with 10 friends, thanks to some eager VoyageForum members pushing for juicy stories!