Blogs from Marrakech, Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz, Morocco, Africa

Cancer and Covid have conspired to keep us from foreign travel for four years, so it’s a joy to finally take a proper trip. We have a smooth flight from Gatwick to Marrakech, arriving an hour early. The plane crew mostly look like they’re on work experience – is this a sign of us getting old? The first officer in particular was struggling with his announcements, telling us first that Morocco was an hour behind the UK, then that it was an hour ahead and finally, with a degree of embarrassment, that it was the same time zone as the UK. Meanwhile the young stewardess was struggling to remember what destination we were travelling to! We were quickly at our hotel, a pleasant riad whose one downside was its extremely close proximity to one of the ... read more

THU, 19 MAY 2022 – Day 13: Marrakech - "We leave Essaouira this morning and return to Marrakech to explore the final one of Morocco’s four Imperial cities we visit on this tour. Marrakech is set against the snow-capped Atlas Mountains; Its great pride and landmark are the Koutoubia Tower, sister to the Tower of Hassan in Rabat and the Giralda Tower in Sevilla. It is said that after the third of these was completed, the sultan had the eyes of his architect put out, lest he should build another more beautiful tower elsewhere. No visit to the city is complete without a visit to the city’s UNESCO-listed medina & Djemâa-el-Fna, an extraordinary gathering and marketplace. Overnight Marrakech. (Breakfast included).” FRI, 20 MAY 2022 – “Day 14: Marrakech - This morning, why not book our optional ... read more

I was really looking forward to cycling through the Atlas Mountains and I wasn't disappointed. The road to Taraoudant was flat. I was cycling parrallel to the mountain range. Sunlight reflecting of snow capped peaks. After Taraoudant with the road signs counting down the distance to Marrakech I really felt like I was on the last leg of this trip. Then came the last left turn and I turned to face the mountains. The climb started of quite gently and I made decent progress. It was only after the village where I stopped for coffee that the gradients really got steeper and I got more tired. There was no accommodation in the village so I pressed on. The shop keeper did offer me accommodation in the living quarters behind the shop, but it seemed I'd be ... read more

I decided to start my career break with a cycle trip to Morocco. The aim was to get fit enough to try and cycle over the Atlas Mountains and see how many bird species I could see. I started building my bird list in Marrakech. It was nice to see alot of familiar species such as blackbird, collared dove and starling. It was more exciting to identify common bulbul and house bunting. Over the next three weeks I cycled out to the coast at Ouiladia. Headed south to Agadir and turned inland for a couple of days before heading back to Marrakech via the pass at Tizi 'n Test. On the way I met brilliant people and saw some amazing birdlife. I hope to add some of those stories to this blog over the next few ... read more

Good weather followed us every day so far, and Day 10 of our Moroccan adventure was no different although on this day the humidity could be keenly felt. An ambitious agenda was planned for our first full day in Marrakesh which is not surprising considering how much there is to see and do here. As mentioned in my preceding blog, the noise from the heavily congested roundabout traffic circle next to our hotel could have ruined a good night’s sleep, but didn’t thanks to the two pairs of heavy sliding doors leading to our balcony so our room was quiet. We were joined at breakfast in the Le Rossini International Restaurant by another member of our group. A buffet-style breakfast is served here each morning and included a variety of salads, cheeses, cold cuts, fruit and ... read more