Northern Morocco

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Northern Morocco

We traveled from Livingstone to Johannesburg and then connected overnight to Madrid and on to Casablanca, Morocco. Very long trip.

We were met by our driver for the next week and drove from Casablanca through Meknes and on to Fez for the start of our Morocco adventure. Our accommodation in Fes was at a Ryad. These are former very large houses for rich families that are now being operated as tourist accommodation. What a beautiful place. Total of eight suites and our first night we were the only guests in the place. The resident chef prepared a Moroccan Tajine meal for us at the Ryad.

Saturday morning we met with our local guide and spent a very interesting few hours touring the old and new cities of Fez. This is a very interesting place with “recent history” back about 900 years or so. The market is always of particular interest to us as it gives you a real idea of how the local live. ( and eat ). We enjoyed the tour with our very knowledgeable guide.

Sunday morning we began a long day on the road from Fez through the Mid Atlas Mountains and past Marrakech to our new accommodation at a Kasbah in the village of Ourika at the start of the Ourika valley. These are very high mountains and they have a ski resort very close to where we stayed. Not what we expected in Morocco. The drive through the mountains was very interesting with a great variety of countryside and through Ifrane, a mountain ski resort with rather Bavarian looking buildings.
This was a very long day and we would recommend a break somewhere in the middle for anyone doing this trip.

The Kasbahs are country homes for the rich families that are now being used as high end accommodation for tourists. ( similar to the Ryads in the cities ). Now, because of demand, there are a lot of new Kasbahs being built that are built in the same style as the older ones. Some of the new Kasbahs are missing the whole point as they are really just big hotels called Kasbahs. Traditional Ryads and Kasbahs are mostly built with “blind” outside walls and the windows face in to a beautiful inside courtyard with fountains and gardens.

Our Kasbah was on the top of a hill in the start of the valley with a great night view of Marrakech, 35 KM away, from the roof top lounge / restaurant area. Only eight suites here as well. We enjoyed the peace and quiet of these places and great service as there are always a limited number of guests. The only noise is the occasional donkey braying or maybe a rooster and of course the usual, 5 times a day, call to prayers for the Muslims from the many Mosques.

Tomorrow we will explore the valley and a Berber village in the mountains

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