When is the Best Time to Visit Morocco?

An important part of planning your vacation is making sure you know what to expect, weather wise, in your destination. 

Morocco is very similar in size and geography to California, and yet there are times of the year that, depending on your purpose for traveling, you'll get a higher "Ahhhh!" factor.

If your goal is to visit the desert, then July and August are not ideal times to plan your trip. The daytime temperatures are in the hundreds, and you'll probably see a host of creepy crawly creatures that you might not want to encounter. July and August are also very hot in Marrakesh, which is a landlocked city that gets dusty and very dry.

However, this time of year is quite nice on the coast, in Essaouiera and Agadir, so if your interest is surfing, windsurfing or parasailing, this is a great time to go!

Many of the cultural festivals happen in May and June, so if you want to include some excellent music or theater events in your tour, check out the Morocco National Tourist Site and plan your trip around the festival of your choice. The weather at this time of year is hot - but not unbearably hot - and dry during the day, and cool at night.

March and April are a nice to to visit because people are happy that the rainy season is ending and they can put away their layers. The blossoms are on the trees, the air is fresh and the orange juice is fresh and bursting with flavor. It's similar in October/November... when the days lose the intensity of the summer heat, and the nights cool down.

During winter - December/January/February - it's rainy season in Morocco. It's more grey and cloudy than other times of the year, and there's a definite chill in the air. The higher end hotels and riads have heating, but if you're going on the cheap, don't expect heat in your room.

The beauty of traveling in the winter is that there are fewer tourists, and if you're a skiier, Toubkal in the Ourika Valley (40 minutes out of Marrakesh) is an excellent destination. There is also golfing in Marrakesh during the winter, in fact it's become the winter practice- and playground for many world-class golfers.

Whatever your reason for traveling, Marrakesh-Voyage.com would be honored to help you design an unforgettable, customized, private guided journey.

Bislaama! 

A Trekking Journey in the Sahara Desert with Overnight Camping Under the Stars

It sounds like a dream.... riding a camel into the sunset over the ochre dunes, led by a Saharoui guide, until you reach an oasis where food is cooked in the sand and rhythm of African drums beat late into the night. 

Whether you arrive on a full moon, when the dunes are as bright as day, or on a new moon, when the stars light up the sky like diamonds, your arrival at the nomad encampment will be a moment that you remember for the rest of your life. Your camel train departs from the edge of the sand and travels into the labyrinth of dunes, on a well-trodden pathway that only your guide can decipher. The rhythmic sway of the camel will lull you into a trance as you breathe in the astounding beauty of the desert around you, with its ever-shifting curves and valleys.

The expansive sky around you is like a balm for the soul. The smile on your face and glee in your heart as you trod through the sand in the darkening sky settles in; you will continue to find amazement and absolute joy as you journey to your encampment. Upon arrival, you are greeted with the customary cup of mint tea, and shown to your tent, with its surprisingly comfortable beds! After a quick rest, explore the dunes while your dinner is being cooked. If you plan ahead, you can spend the next day in a dune buggy, or surfing the tallest dunes.

A delicious desert dinner will be served - tagine, with Berber bread, baked in the sand. Musicians will enchant you with ancient songs of desert life. Before you lie down, make sure to stargaze, as you will never see the sky as brilliant as it is in the desert.... with no light pollution, no sound pollution, just the wind and the sand and the neverending sky. The silence of the desert will lull you to sleep and your dreams will be enchanted.

In the morning, share breakfast and meet some of the other travelers who have intersected with your desert journey, before reconnecting with your camel and trekking back to the edge of the desert - refreshed, uplifted, enchanted and inspired.

Marrakesh Voyage LLC offers private, customized tours of Morocco. Visit our website to learn how you can create your dream journey in the exotic Kingdom of Morocco, including a camel trek in the Sahara. 

Is it Safe to Travel in Morocco?

Tourism is the Primary Industry in Morocco. 

When tourism rates drop, the whole country suffers. To this end, Moroccans appreciate and welcome tourists who come and spend money in their country.... whether you're a backpacker or traveling on a five-star golf retreat. In Morocco, you will find a country of gracious, hospitable people.

Tourists are absolutely vital to the Moroccan economy. 

In the past decade, Islamic extremists have tried to create a foothold in Morocco, but they have only found loose sand, as most Moroccans are in fact very moderate and do not mix politics and religion. Morocco is a highly international country, being a part of Africa and a close cousin to Europe. Most Moroccan families have relations living abroad, and therefore have a perspective that transcends borders. They are a peace-loving people who want to share their rich heritage and landscape with all who come to visit. 

Morocco is becoming a popular destination for retirees, as the cost of living is very low and the quality of life is very high. All cities in Morocco have conveniences of the Western World, and it's possible to live quite simply and elegantly. Marrakesh is becoming known as the winter playground of Jetsetters as it's dotted with gorgeous golf courses, fantastic restaurants and world-class nightclubs.

It's not a well-known fact, but Morocco was the very first country to recognize the United States and offer friendship, back in the 1700's. The relationship between the US and Morocco is highly stable. The current King of Morocco has been influenced by the time he spent living in the US. He has instituted many progressive policies to create a more democratic Moroccan society, and has relationships with all living presidents.

When you travel in Morocco, you will find that many Moroccans speak at least a little English, and will welcome any opportunity to practice and learn more.

Marrakesh Voyage LLC offers private, customized tours of Morocco with a private car and driver/tour guide whose job it is to make sure your travels are perfectly enjoyable and safe. Come visit our website and let us help you build a dream trip to the Exotic Kingdom of Morocco! 

Can I Take a Culinary Tour of Morocco?

If you've ever wanted to take a "vacation with a purpose" then perhaps a culinary tour of Morocco is in your future!

Instead of just enjoying the varied epicurian delights available to you, come and learn how to cook some delectable Moroccan dishes while you enjoy touring around the country with our gracious, polite and educated team of tour leaders.

While visiting Fez, Rabat, Marrakesh, the High Atlas Mountains and Essaouira, you'll be taken on shopping and sightseeing excursions, during which you'll have a chance to shop for the most fresh ingredients - highly prized saffron, and cumin, and local meats and seafood. Later in the day, while enjoying some delicious Moroccan wine, our chefs will walk you through the process of making vegetable couscous, beef tagine, lamb kebabs, and chicken or seafood bastilla (a sweet/savory pie enjoyed as a main course).

Then of course you will enjoy your creations for dinner that night! You can be as involved as you like in the process; if you feel that you just want to watch, that's perfectly fine. Or, if you want to stand side-by-side with the chef, that's fine too. We encourage our clients to videotape the process for future reference.

If you're interested in a private culinary tour for yourself and friends or family or even a corporate tour to Morocco, we would be honored to help you build the trip of your dreams. As inspiration, come take a look at our prepared Morocco Culinary Tour, then imagine how you can change it to suit your own desires!

At Marrakesh-Voyage LLC, our specialty is customized, private tours. We've been in business since 1998 and have helped thousands of people enjoy their discovery of the Kingdom of Morocco.

The Mystical, Ancient City of Essaouira

If ever there existed a mystical city, it would be Essaouira, Morocco. 

A coastal city south of Casablanca, Essaouira (a UNESCO site) has been inhabited for thousands of years by a revolving door of occupiers, including the Phonecians, Berbers, Carthinians, Romans, Arabs, Portuguese and French. It has a sheltered deep-water port which has made it a valuable entrance point into North Africa from Europe and the Mediterranean. It became the major port in Morocco beginning in the 1700s, and was the meeting point for caravans traveling from sub-Saharan Africa with ships from Europe, West Africa and the Americas.

During the Portuguese occupation, Essaouira was dubbed Mogador due to a Muslim saint (Sidi Mogdoul) who is buried there, and is sometimes referred to as Mogador today. 

It continues to be a major fishing port, and boasts an iconic fortress. Fame came to Essouira when it was visited by Jimi Hendrix, Cat Stevens, and Paul Bowles, and it was used by Orson Welles for the filming of Othello. The arts - especially music - are very much in evidence, as it is home to the hugely popular Festival of Gnawa Music that takes place every June, as well as many other cultural festivals.

Essaouira was home to most of Morocco's Jewish population before Israel become a nation, and there still exists a Jewish "Mellah" or neighborhood. There is an ancient Souk where you can purchase just about anything your heart desires, as well as a wide variety of restaurants, cafes and bars. Essaouira, a highly international city, elicits the wisdom of the ages with a modern heart and a uniquely Moroccan soul. 

Marrakesh Voyage LLC includes a stay in Essaouira in most of its pre-planned itineraries. Enjoy a cooking class, where you are guided to the local market to hand-pick your own seafood for preparation. The hotels are stunning, the people are gracious and the food is divine! There are wind-surfing lessons, and camel rides on the beach. It is also one of the few places on Earth where you can purchase Argon oil, a highly-prized nut oil used in cooking as well as beauty products, direct from the factory.

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Our team of experienced travel professionals at Marrakesh Voyage would be delighted to help you design a private, guided journey in the Kingdom of Morocco. 

 

Morocco as Foodie Paradise

If food is your great pleasure, then a universe of delights awaits you as you journey around the ancient Kingdom of Morocco.

From the simplest Tagine (delicious stew served in an earthen pot called a tagine) enjoyed at a stop on the road, to the most elaborate Bastilla (an elegant savory pie, traditionally made for celebrations) served in an ancient Arabian Palace, Morocco offers unparalleled eating opportunities.

When you combine Morocco's world-class hospitality and architectural splendor with the plethora of earthy, old-world sights, sounds and tastes, you experience an extraordinary sensation every time you take a bite. Tinged with French je ne sais quoi, Spanish Romance and the Heart of Portugal, the cuisine of Morocco is delectable in it's infinite variations.

Enjoy the Sea Like the Locals: When you visit one of the coastal towns - especially Essaouiera - you can pick out your own fish, fresh off the boat as the fishermen come in with their catch. They'll wrap it up and you can bring it to any number of little restaurants where the chef will cook it up for you and serve it fresh with salad, bread and olives. MWA! What a treat! Any guide can help you accomplish this.

The latest craze, and rightly so, is Culinary Vacations where travelers enjoy time in different cities and learn to cook a variety of Moroccan dishes - for example tagine with beef and prunes, fish couscous, chicken bastilla - and also enjoy the experience of shopping at the ancient markets for the ripest, freshest produce. It's an immensely enjoyable experiencing that includes learning, socializing, sightseeing, drinking lots of wine and of course eating the delicious dishes that are prepared!

In addition to a wide variety of customized journies, Marrakesh Voyage offers Culinary Vacations for its clients, all of whom have the freedom to customize their private, chaufferred trip to their own needs and desires. If you're interested in one cooking lesson, or a complete culinary journey, we can help you create the perfect itinerary.

No trip to Morocco is complete without at least one meal at the famous Jma El Fna Square in Marrakesh. During the day, the square is full of jugglers and acrobats and tricksters and henna artists, and as dusk approaches it is swept clean as the food tents come out. For the more adventurous, you can try goat heads or sheep brains; for the less curious, there's plenty of hareira (soup), tagine and couscous, sausages, roasts and sandwiches. It's refreshing to take a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice on your way in, and load up on almonds, olives, figs and dates on your way out (taste testing is encouraged!). The Jma El Fna Square is at the edge of the famous Souk of Marrakesh, a sprawling medieval labyrinth of stalls and stores where you can find anything your heart desires. Combine a day of shopping in the Souk with a dinner under the tents and you'll surely come home with stories to last a lifetime!

The city of Fez (founded in 859AD, and one of the world's largest car-free zones) is considered one of the top culinary capitals in the world, and you could spend a month sampling its fare without tiring of it. You'll taste French and Spanish influences, as course after course of tapas-style meals appear on your table. Save room for desert! 

The chefs and artisans of Morocco are nothing if not inventive, and they are always improving and innovating their craft. If you're itching for an exquisite foodie adventure in Morocco, contact us and we'll help you create the journey of a lifetime! 

Blessings on your journey,

Meg Montgomery, Morocco Expert
MarrakeshVoyage.com