Africa

North along the coast from Essaouira, past the interesting town of Safi, lies the coastal bastion of El Jadida. While it is free of all but a few tourists for most of the year, in July and August the town transforms into a bustling holiday haven popular with Moroccan families mainly from Casablanca and Rabat. Their most compelling reason to visit is the UNESCO-listed 16th-century Cité Portugaise at the Fortress of Mazagan, the Grand Mosque, Church of the Assumption, and the Portuguese Cistern. About 16 km north of the old city, on a good stretch of beach, is the recently [MORE...]

Located directly west of Marrakech, the town of Essaouira is easily reached by public bus. As you approach Essaouira you will feel the light cool coastal breeze, referred to as the alizee, or taros in the local Berber language. The alizee blows for much of the year so the wide and long beaches here are more suitable for sandblasting than for sun tanning.  Known as the “Wind City of Africa”, the strong winds keep away the hordes of beach lovers from Europe but attract plenty of windsurfers and kitesurfers between April and November. The wide beach is ideal for ball [MORE...]

Marrakech is one of those places you will either love or hate. Either way, you should explore everything this city has to offer and you could stay here for a few weeks! For most people the name Marrakech brings up memories of popular movies. Think “The Mummy”, “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, “Prince of Persia”, and many more. These movies have unquestionably made Marrakech famous for its bustling copper and leather souks, its villains, snake charmers, street performances, mint-tea-sipping tourists, and many more. It is hard to describe Marrakech. In fact, once you arrive in [MORE...]

North of Ouarzazate in the southern foothills of the High Atlas, lies one of Morocco’s nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Welcome to the 17th-century Ksar of Ait-Benhaddou which has served as the locale for many films including Indiana Jones, Babel, Lawrence of Arabia, Jesus of Nazareth (for which much of Aït Benhaddou was rebuilt), Jewel of the Nile, and Gladiator. A “ksar” is a small collection of adobe buildings normally surrounded by high walls as is typical of a traditional Saharan community. The surrounding defensive walls are reinforced by corner towers which rise [MORE...]

About 130 km southwest of Gorges du Dadès lies the town of Ouarzazate, which can aptly be described as the “Door of the Desert”. Less than 20 km southwest of Ouarzazate is the lush palm garden village of “Oasis de Fint”.  This date-palm oasis is home to a few unique villages that still maintain a different mix of cultural life unique in the region. Part African, part Berber. The rough unpaved road leading from Ouarzazate to Fint Oasis is barren and desolate, typical terrain of the Small Atlas Mountains. From a distance, the verdant date palm groves around the oasis are [MORE...]

Visitors come from afar to drive on one of the world’s most incredible roads. Described by some as “one of the more dangerous roads in the world”, its beautiful setting far outweighs its danger. Gorges du Dadès offers stunning scenery and is aptly referred to as “the road of a thousand kasbahs”. The spectacular drive winds through peaceful desert landscapes, quaint villages and palm groves along this stretch of the Dades Valley, located between the High Atlas Mountains to the north and the Small Atlas Mountains to the south. Tens of kasbahs line the road alongside the palm [MORE...]

About 20 km north of Gorges du Todgha, the winding well-maintained asphalt road leads to the small Berber village of Tamtattouchte. En route, look out for the small whitewashed marabout (pilgrimage chapel dedicated to a local saint) on the right side of the road. Tamtattouchte is a drab village located at the foot of the High Atlas Mountains. Further north from here the road winds through spectacular mountain scenery. The older buildings in the village are adobe-made, while the newer places are mostly constructed from cement. Once you start meeting the locals at Tamtattouchte, [MORE...]

Written as Todgha Gorge or Todra Gorge, and locally known as Les gorges du Todgha or Vallée du Todgha, this incredible canyon is located in the southeastern part of the High Atlas Mountains, about 5 km north of the oasis town of Tinghir. Within a few minutes’ drive north of Tinghir, past palm groves and Berber villages, the landscape starts changing from a lush oasis to a parched canyon along the valley of Wadi Todgha. You will know you have arrived when you see the massive walls of pink and grey rock closing in along the road as if you are being sucked in by mother earth! [MORE...]