‘Would you want to go to Morocco?’ – These were the words that marked the beginning of an epic 16-day adventure across several cities in Morocco.
I can’t remember the exact moment this country popped into my wanderlust dreams. Perhaps it was when Mofe of Naija Nomads talked about her visit during one of our video sessions for ‘Through Our Eyes‘ but when Mark asked if I wanted to go, my answer was a resounding ‘YES!’
The result of this was 16 truly magical days, navigating the maze of vibrant squares and bustling medinas, watching beautiful sunrises and sunsets over deserts and oceans. Driving through winding roads with views of snow-capped mountains and having so many beautiful and unique experiences.
Planning the Trip
Of course, the first step was planning the trip. Now, I know how planning a trip with avid travellers can be. Everyone has an idea of what experiences they are looking forward to and sometimes, managing these expectations can be difficult. So I was a bit nervous at first for this phase. But I had already sort of travelled with Mark twice before, so I knew I had nothing to worry about.
We decided on the dates we wanted to visit and had about six months to plan everything out. During that time, we worked on different versions of itineraries based on what was important to us. We also weighed the pros and cons of having a fixed itinerary, booking our accommodations and bus/train tickets in advance versus winging the trip and booking things as we go.
Since we were both not keen on staying in particular riads, (we actually planned on Couchsurfing for the most part), we leaned towards the latter option.
In the end, rather than having a concrete itinerary, we came up with four key activities we were interested in; spending New Year’s Day in Marrakech, camping in the dunes of the Sahara Desert, visiting Chefchaouen for the photo op for its vibrant culture and climbing Mount Toubkal.
It wasn’t possible to fit in all four within our time frame so we narrowed down to three and Chefchaouen made the cut! (Feyi’s trip and photos were the triggers!)
PS: It makes sense to book in advance for the popular riads or hotels as they get sold out quickly. But if you want to book places just before you have to travel, you’ll still be fine as platforms like Booking.com or Airbnb have an overwhelming amount of options to choose from. Many of which allow travellers to change dates without cost.
Getting a Visa to Morocco and Flight Details
Nigerian passport holders need a visa to visit Morocco. Luckily, this isn’t so difficult to get. I used the services of Globe Jaunters to get mine. It was the most cost-effective and convenient option for me and they delivered in record time. For my flight, I flew directly into Casablanca with Royal Air Maroc. The onward 4hour flight into Casablanca was not very pleasant (in terms of in-flight services) but my return flight with the same airline was splendid.
I’ll share our final itinerary and what we got up to in the next few posts. Hopefully, it can inspire you to plan your trip and visit too!
Have you ever been to Morocco or is it now on your travel list? Let me know in the comment section below!
Other article in this series:
When I saw the pic with the blue walls (I hope they are blue, colour blindness is real) on IG earlier on, I had a feeling Feyi’s pics had something to do with them.
Really lovely read, waiting for the remaining posts
Haha, you’re right. The walls are blue. We toyed with the idea of leaving Chefchaouen out to ‘discover’ other places off the beaten path but yes, Feyi’s trip sent us right back to that path!
Thanks for reading and for your comment too 🙂
Yas! Well done girl and I agree re the Riads. I started looking for riads for our group trip since 2nd week in December. It took me a week to finally find one that fit 16 people in marrakesh. I booked and paid for it immediately! I loved Marrakesh when I visited…in 2011, lol! But then I can’t compare it to any other city as I did not get to explore. Chefchaouen seems more hyped on the internet than marrakesh in my opinion. Thankfully I’m adding two more cities (Essaouira and El Jadida) to my Morocco hat 🎩 come Easter! Can’t wait
So excited for the Nomad trip to Morocco! It’s almost like I’m going with you. I think Chefchaouen is also more hyped on IG than Marrakech or any other city. Maybe because it is more recognizable? Anyway, glad to see El Jadida as one of the places you’ll be exploring. Can’t wait to read about your trip!
Just got to know of your blog and I’m so elated as it makes me feel like my travel goals can be a reality. Do you only do solo traveling and where will you recommend in Africa for a first visit
Hi Oluwatosin, great to have you here! Do you mean to ask if I organize group tours? No, at the moment, I don’t but there are wonderful organizations who do. If you look around my blog (I listed a few of them here) or on Instagram, you’ll find operators to travel with.
As for recommendations within Africa, West African countries, visa-free or a countries with a visa-on-arrival program are best to start with. (This isn’t to say you can’t begin with any other country) but yeah, that’s my recommendation for a first visit.
(Perhaps because it’s constantly on my timeline and Discover page on Instagram) I think of Marrakech as an overhyped/ overdone destination that might be nicer to photograph than experience but I have a feeling your series of posts will help change my mind… It looks like you had a wonderful time so I look forward to reading about your experience and seeing more gorgeous photos! || http://www.lorikemi.com
If I’m being honest, Marrakech was my least favorite city as you’ll see in the next posts – but that might have had to do with my experience in the souks. The city has its gems, no doubt and I’m glad for the 2 days spent there – which was just enough time!
I’ve never been to Morroco but it’s definitely on my wanderlust list. With the plenty pictures i’ve been seeing on Instagram.
Lovely article, and useful tips.
It deserves a spot on everyone’s list. I hope you get to visit soon.
How many posts are yet to come on Morocco? Lets us know so we can plan our minds accordingly :). Love that you went with the flow, but 16 days, that’s a solid amount of time, I was in Marrakech for all of 3 days! bahaha! I feel like I need to re-do my Morocco trip, but in due time 🙂
Haha, only about two more left in the series – the first and second week diaries but I’ll also be writing about the places we visited and how people can plan their trips there as well. I’m ready to pack my bags and be your photographer when you go back. Call me!
My goodness, I cannot come and die so my account has to resurrect sooner or later. Thanks for sharing your experience with us and the lovely information.
Haha, your account is ready! We know that!
It’s on my wishlist o but money never show yet 😂
Lol, it will ‘show’ very soon 🙂
Even though Morocco has been all over my face since last year, not sure it is the first North African country I want to visit.
Your pictures have inspired a need to visit, when I can’t tell for now.
Which country would you like to visit first? I’m certainly looking forward to reading about your trip (to Maroc or elsewhere)
I have been waiting for this blog post and I’m so happy to finally read it. I feel like I’m travelling when I read your posts or see your pictures. Well done Amarachi. I can’t wait to read the other posts. Morocco looks so beautiful.
http://www.fehintolaogunye.com
Thank you Fehintola! Makes me so happy to hear that 🙂
PS:I hope we get to travel together this year. Let’s see how we can make that happen.