From the Tamazight Land to the Merzouga Dunes – Morocco

For our first post-COVID trip outside Europe, we’ve chosen a North African destination: Morocco.

I’ve already visited this country four times, but my partner has never set foot there.

Since we both prefer wide-open spaces over even imperial cities, our itinerary will focus on nature and villages.

Starting point: Casablanca, easily accessible with a direct flight from Lyon.

Our ride: a Dacia Logan, perfect for navigating roads turned into Swiss cheese by corruption and the weather.

Stops: Demnate, Aït Ben Haddou, the Dadès Gorges, N'Kob, Zagora, the Todhra Gorges, the Merzouga dunes, Tinejdad, Agoudal, Lake Bin El Ouidane, the Vallée Heureuse, the Ouzoud waterfalls, and finally El Jadida.

Season: November, when there’s no tourist pressure. Sure, it can be chilly, but what peace and quiet!

You can find the details of our journey beyond the Rif here.

Happy reading!

And if you have any questions or comments, don’t hesitate!

Why choose Morocco?

- Spectacular landscapes that are easily accessible

- A generally very friendly welcome along the way

- A completely different vibe just 2-3 hours by plane

- Delicious cuisine

- Charming accommodation options

- Fairly affordable prices

The downsides of the Kingdom:

- Some Moroccans can be annoying or clingy, especially kids in remote villages because tourists before you had the bad idea of giving them money and candy.

- The spoiling of certain places. Merzouga doesn’t look like much anymore—a desert overcrowded with quads, 4x4s, and buggies...

- The hypocrisy of Moroccan society where everything is allowed as long as the neighbor doesn’t know... Tourists may sometimes struggle to enjoy beers and wines that are locally produced and consumed by Moroccans themselves...

Hi Agnès, Two trips to Morocco, and apart from Ait Ben Haddou, I’ve never heard of the rest. You’ve really piqued my curiosity, so I’m happily jumping on board (especially since I’m not much of a city person either 😄). Looking forward to the next part!

Hi Christelle,

You can find the detailed story in the link. 😊

For the locations, it’s a mix of mountains and desert.

Morocco is a diverse country—ocean, mountains, desert, cities, villages, hiking, kite surfing, climbing, skiing... 😛

It opens the door to so many trips!

You’ll also find two other travel journals about this destination on my Myatlas page. Maybe some other places just as unknown to you.

Honestly, Morocco is the closest country to the Canary Islands for discovering landscapes you won’t find in Europe. And the vibe is amazing, especially when it comes to food. 😄

Sorry, I hadn’t seen the link. I’ll have to check out your prolific MyAtlas page, yes—but I’m a bit busy at the moment 😅. I waited 25 years of traveling before going to Morocco, which didn’t really appeal to me: I was afraid of tourist crowds and the harassment that sometimes comes with them. And I absolutely fell in love during our first trip: Ouarzazate, Taroudant, Tafraoute, Agadir, and Essaouira. But the Bordeaux–Ouarzazate route no longer exists 😮‍💨. Last year, we discovered Fes, Chefchaouen, Tangier, Larache, and Meknes—but it was in the middle of winter, and I caught a nasty pneumonia that lasted weeks and kind of ruined my enjoyment 😷. Still, we’ll definitely go back, and your travel journals will give me tons of inspiration 🌟. See you soon, Agnès

But the Bordeaux-Ouarzazate line no longer exists 😅.

A Bordeaux-Marrakech flight and then the domestic route Marrakech-Errachidia (1-hour flight for around 30 €) with Ryanair could get you to the south ;)

I waited 25 years of traveling before going to Morocco, which didn’t really appeal to me—afraid of tourist hordes and the harassment that sometimes comes with it.

And I’m sure you’ve realized by now that those were just myths? Tourist crowds are rare in Morocco, and as for harassment, they’re total amateurs compared to Indians!

True, Kate, no tourist hordes in Morocco... especially in January 😄. And for harassment, we’d just flash our brightest smile and best sense of humor, and we were never bothered for more than a minute. As for "Indian harassers," after 7 trips there across 7 different states, I’ve hardly ever run into them, and I still don’t get why—especially since I hear about them so much. Maybe it’s because we only visit "rural India" and avoid big cities. I might also think it’s because my husband is built like a tank 😆, except I’ve often wandered around alone there without ever being bothered either. Oh well, a mystery 🤔! Have a great day

fear of tourist hordes and the harassment that sometimes comes with them

Yes, Morocco has a bad reputation. Sometimes it’s justified, but usually it’s way off the mark.

The only place where I thought, "What am I doing here?" was Moulay Idriss. Between the guy following you to sell you weed and the one who insisted on charging an imaginary toll of x dirhams, we turned right back around. Didn’t spend a thing there!

The kids were also really clingy in Agoudal.

Okay, 2 bad moments in 5 trips—let’s just say it’s not so bad!

I don’t know the north (above Fez) or the south (below Sidi Ifni, roughly).

November and May are also good months to have some peace! And the temperatures are usually pleasant. Well, south of Fez anyway...

when it comes to harassment, they’re small fry compared to Indians!

Egypt was the worst. Afterwards, I went back often after terrorist attacks. With prey being scarce, the predators got pushier.

Indians are more odd than harassing, in my opinion. It’s not the vendors who are the most oppressive, but especially those who rarely see tourists...

With vendors, I don’t listen and just keep walking. If you give them an inch of attention, they’ll hook you and you’re done for!

Why choose Morocco?

- Spectacular landscapes that are easily accessible

- A generally very friendly welcome along the way

- A very exotic country just 2-3 hours by plane

- Delicious cuisine

- Charming accommodation options

- Rather affordable prices

The downsides of the Kingdom:

- Some Moroccans can be annoying and clingy, especially children in remote villages because tourists who came before you had the very bad idea of giving them money and candy.

- The degradation of certain places. Merzouga doesn’t look like much anymore—a desert overcrowded with quads, 4x4s, and other buggies...

- The hypocrisy of Moroccan society, where everything is allowed as long as the neighbor doesn’t know... Tourists may sometimes struggle to enjoy beers and wines that are locally produced and consumed by Moroccans themselves...

Hello, I’m also back from September 17 to October 15, covering the entire south of the Atlas! Same observations—breathtaking landscapes after the rains near Merzouga! But a lot of damage around Tata and Amtoudi! The roads are nice and access is getting easier! A mostly wonderful welcome in the small, remote villages of the Atlas. No crowds in the south, so driving is peaceful! Thousands of unfinished concrete buildings—so ugly, what a shame! And of course, for me (though not surprised), all the women and girls are veiled! The hypocrisy—I’d rather not talk about it, it really pisses me off! And still, enormous corruption! But hey! Thanks for your amazing travel journal! Francia

Hi there!

Glad your last trip had its ups and downs but you still enjoyed it! 🙂