A slow voyage around Morocco
Morocco, Dubbed the ‘Gateway to Africa,’ is a diverse destination featuring snowy mountains, golden deserts, surfable seas, remarkable riads and medieval medinas. With almost a month to explore, we found no shortage of awe and wonder, opting to voyage by car, camel, bus and train.
Landing in Marrakesh, we headed out of the city and into the wilderness to begin our journey.
Quaryati Eco Lodge - Eco Luxury
Built from scratch by a quirky French woman who has called Morocco home for decades, Quaryati is a world away from the chaos of Marrakech. A 45-minute taxi ride (negotiate the fare) from the airport takes you to the gates of this sustainably-built ecolodge where Moroccan tea awaits. Sit on the terrace and take in the expansive gardens dotted with native shrubs and olive trees.
The rooms, all built from the earth by hand, are cool in the heat of the day and warm in the evening cool.
When not out and about or reading in your room, chill by the pool area and meet the local peacock, pop into the eco-spa for a traditional Moroccan Hammam scrub, or head up to the restaurant lounge and smell dinner being prepared. Seriously, the dinner at Quaryati just might be worthy of your last supper, complete with olives plucked from the garden and handmade olive oil.
Morocco By Tours - Adventures in the Sahara Desert
Our guide Zaid licked the taste of tourism as a whipper-snapper kid, hanging out in the desert where he was born helping European ‘adventurers’ free their 4WDs stuck in river crossings. Fast forward 30-something years and Zaid has built a successful tour guiding business with an emphasis on sustainable luxury. We emarked on Zaid’s Four Days Tour to the Merzouga Desert and Fez, passing through the Atlas Mountains and staying in traditional boutique riad luxe accommodation along the way before ditching the car for camel and journeying out into the Sahara for the night at a desert safari camp.
Medina of Fez - UNESCO Site
The UNESCO World Heritage Listed Medina of Fez couldn’t be a more staggeringly historic place to literally get lost. Founded in 789, the Medina is a mediaeval city made up of more than 9,000 narrow alleyways, surrounded by an ancient stone wall. No cars can pass through the medina; only donkeys, foot traffic and naughty motorcycles. We are not joking when we tell you there is so much history and way too much to see here that just strolling around aimlessly yourself is not the best way to take it all in. Do like us and hire a half-day guide who will take you to the must-see sections and curate your tour to whatever you’d like to see specifically on top.
Chefchaouen – The Blue City
The bus trip out to Chefchaouen from Fez, though the more sustainable way to travel, is a commitment. Just do a geo-location or tag search of Chefchaouen on Instagram and you will get a good preview of what you can expect. Situated just inland from Tangier, the town is mostly known for its blue-painted walls although no one really knows why the residents all paint in blue. One theory suggests it’s a mozzie repellant, another suggests that Jewish people introduced the blue paint upon taking refuge here from Hitler in the 1930s. Most agree that the blue symbolizes sky and heaven, a reminder for all to lead a more spiritual life. These days we think the blue keeps the Instagrammers coming, so be prepared to be fighting for THE SHOT while walking through the winding medina. We booked accommodation with Air BnB, but if we went again we’d opt for a hotel.
Jardin des Douars - We found heaven in a sustainable hotel
Cancel the flights; we’re not leaving. Jardin des Douars is every bit of sustainable Moroccan luxe we’ve ever dreamed of. The coastal town of Essaouira is home to this leading retreat, set in stunning botanical gardens with views over the argan-studded hills. Although the region officially enjoys 320 days of sunshine per year, we arrived just before a week-long storm, so rather than taking in the alfresco experiences we spent a good deal of time in our cosy, traditionally decorated suite around the fireplace, in the spa centre having massages and hammams, and relaxing in the restaurant working our way through their wine list and ‘daily specials’ where local food is priority. There are shuttles to the coast and Essaouira medina, well worth a look around for local artisan crafts and Moroccan homewares. We hired a car for a day from the hotel, taking the coastal road to take the kids skateboarding down south and dodging camels along the way.
