Northern Morocco, the kingdom of kif? (page 1 of 5)

My first trip to Morocco dates back to the early 90s.

Four more followed...

I’d never gone further north than Casablanca, Volubilis, or Fez—it was time to fix that!

So I planned a route that would fill in the gaps while revisiting a few places.

This route is pretty classic—if you’re looking for something original, you might want to skip it!

The starting point of the trip: the city of Rabat.

The stops?

Azrou, Fez, Al Hoceïma, Akchour, Tetouan, Tangier, Asilah, and finally Rabat.

Mostly an urban trip, then.

Too much?

We’ll see at the end of the travel journal!

From the moment you board, the journey begins.

Some flights cater to tourists, while others are more for locals and their families.

That was the case with this Lyon-Rabat flight, where we felt pretty much alone as vacationers.

What a contrast with the flight taking off from the gate next door, heading to the Red Sea!

I don’t know why this city doesn’t attract more travelers.

Not yet targeted by influencers?

No matter— the schedule is perfect, the price fits my budget, and I don’t know the city yet!

We land on time at the modest airport in the Moroccan capital and clear it in a flash, even with a suitcase to collect.

It’s worth noting that border police took longer to stamp our passports than baggage handlers did to deliver our precious belongings.

We now head to the counter of the car rental company we chose.

Medloc and Yacout don’t have desks here, and renting one of their vehicles in Rabat cost almost as much as the rental itself...

So we opted for an agency aimed at local customers rather than tourists: Aircar.

The Google reviews are good— fingers crossed!

The employee is friendly, and the formalities are quickly taken care of.

She then walks us to the reserved Sandero, a Dacia with some miles on it— which we personally prefer over nearly new cars.

One more scratch more or less goes unnoticed!

Whereas on a flawless body...

The tank is nearly empty— we’ll have to return it that way.

That’s the company’s usual policy.

Okay! No time to waste filling up!

We leave the airport, take the first roundabout, and— poof— the Romanian car refuses to go any further...

Argh, there’s not a drop of gas left!

We call the provided numbers, and they promise quick assistance.

A police officer soon signals us to move along.

We can’t— we’re out of fuel!

He immediately enlists two gardeners to push the car to a less busy lane...

The agency guys arrive and confirm it’s just an empty tank.

Stay here, we’ll be back in 10 minutes with what you need!

Sure, we’re not going anywhere...

The 10 minutes turn into 20, but our saviors finally return.

A liter in the tank and we’re back on the road?

Let’s hit the gas— we’ve still got quite a few kilometers before reaching Azrou, our first stop!

After a full tank and a good hour on the highway, we’re now on secondary roads.



Night begins to fall, making driving more challenging.

Even though the car fleet has improved significantly since my last visit (the oldest cars are no longer R12s but rather 309s...), pedestrians and animals still use the road just like taxis, trucks, and reckless drivers...

We’re relieved to finally arrive at our destination, a farm guesthouse on the outskirts of Azrou!



We’d ordered dinner via messaging, so all we have to do is sit down to eat.

First tagine, first mint tea, first night of abstinence...



Bon appétit!

First night of abstinence...

If people don’t know you, they might think of something else entirely

It’ll be great to read different impressions about a trip so close to ours, done at exactly the same time. At every stop, we were following each other—sometimes just half a day apart, not even enough time to share a mint tea!

I should start my travel journal in a few days. Good thing, so I can focus on yours

Mint tea?🤪

Did you practice abstinence too?😉

Did you practice abstinence too?[;]

Yeah, except for 3 times. It’s pretty easy to do without while traveling, I find. You’re fed by other pleasures...

Kif...

What a great start! This farm hostel looks nice even without an aperitif ;)

I'm boarding too 🙂.

I'll try to follow along, at least occasionally, from South Africa (no abstinence there 😉). I admit that what holds me back about Morocco is the constant solicitations (probably less than in Egypt!) and the fact that even the smallest service has to be paid for... but maybe my view of the country is wrong .

Hello Agnès, I’ll be following your travel journal with great interest because we’re thinking of going to Morocco next year 😊. It’ll be our first time, except for a weekend in Rabat for our son’s wedding 😄. Our arrival point would be Rabat or Casablanca depending on flights—you don’t mention which airline you took for Lyon-Rabat... EasyJet?

Hi

This farm guesthouse looks nice

So typically Moroccan! 😄

I'm definitely boarding, even if it's starting off badly—I'm not used to abstinence! I've never experienced abstinence while traveling, not even in Marrakech or Oman (alcohol flowed freely once you passed the hotel doors!).

No details on the period or duration—recent, I assume?

I’ll admit that what holds me back about Morocco is the constant solicitations (probably less than in Egypt!) and the fact that even the smallest service has to be paid for...

When I met my current partner, Morocco just felt right. How could I not introduce him to my heart’s country? He’d never been because he had the same prejudices as you 😛 I waited a few years, and to make me happy, he let me plan our first trip there. Since then, we’ve gone back together three times! Morocco is still haunted by its past. Fifteen years ago, Fez and Marrakech were awful! You couldn’t take three steps in the medina without being harassed. A tourist police force was created to ensure travelers’ peace of mind. Sure, sometimes shopkeepers might approach you, but it’s nothing serious. Compared to Egypt or India, they’re small fry! No comparison! In Tangier and Rabat, we had complete peace. In Fez, we ran into two or three fake guides. We got rid of them in seconds. As long as people think you can’t find alcohol and that you’re constantly harassed, Morocco will stay a country that doesn’t suffer from overtourism 😉

Agnès, I think you’ll agree with me Sorry, I didn’t mean to hijack your thread, but I know you’re cool with it 😉

I'm definitely going, even if it's starting off badly—I'm not used to abstinence... I've never experienced abstinence while traveling, not even in Marrakech or Oman (alcohol flowed freely once you passed the hotel doors...)

No details on the timing or duration—recent, I assume?

Well! I can tell you that Moroccans can really hold their liquor... they just don’t show it 😉

Yes, the place was really nice and perfectly captured the local architecture—more chalet-style, inspired by the mountains!

Some hotels in the area even have names that sound more Alpine than Moroccan: Perce Neige, Chamonix... 😄

I picked it for its secluded location outside the city, and Azrou for its climate.

I hope you have an amazing trip to South Africa, Muriel! 🙂

As Kate mentioned, Morocco isn’t (or isn’t anymore, to be more accurate) a nightmare when it comes to solicitations and requests for tips.

A few kids ask for money because some tourists hand it out without thinking about the consequences, but that’s mostly in the remote countryside.

In cities, a handful of official or unofficial guides might hassle you, but they’re not too numerous or pushy.

Shopkeepers only get a little insistent if you step inside, and it’s definitely better to haggle.

Taxis used to be really annoying in touristy cities, but I’m not sure if that’s still the case today (it’s tough to get them to use the meter).

The only thing that wore me out a bit were the self-appointed human parking meters you find everywhere. But they bother Moroccans too...

Nothing like what Franck described in his Egyptian travel journal!

Hi Isabelle,

Great idea to head to Morocco! 😛

I used EasyJet for this flight. For my previous trip, I flew Royal Air Maroc (Lyon-Casa).

Since you’ve already been to Rabat, it might be better to pick Casablanca as your entry point. After all, the two cities aren’t far apart.

I’d also recommend checking out these three travel journals—they showcase a wilder, less urban side of Morocco:

one two three

Your reply and Kate’s reassure me about the topic. I might actually consider the destination now 😉 ... though there are still so many others on my list 😏.

That said, I’m not really sure what a human parking meter attendant does 🤪

Welcome Bruno to a rather dry Morocco...😏

You can find alcohol just about everywhere—you just need to know where to look! And Moroccans aren’t exactly lightweights when it comes to raising a glass. When they drink, they drink a lot...

Establishments run by expats usually aren’t dry, and most Carrefour stores have an alcohol section. For restaurants, AI comes in handy to avoid tedious searches.

There's this guy hanging around a street in his orange vest, asking for money from everyone who parks—even though the spot is free... Supposedly to help with parking and watch the car.

In South Africa, that makes sense given the crime rate, but in Morocco...

It actually reminded me of those car guards in South Africa... where it does make sense, and where it’s not very expensive, either.