Morocco Off The Beaten Path

  Camel Market
by JessieLang
 
  • Camel Market
      Camel Market
    by JessieLang
  • Sleeping in the Sahara with Sahara Dreams Maroc
      Sleeping in the Sahara with Sahara...
    by aussirose
  • Camel ride in Sahara with Sahara Dreams Maroc
      Camel ride in Sahara with Sahara Dreams...
    by aussirose
  • aussirose & Howie spend a day at Essaouira Morocco
      aussirose & Howie spend a day at...
    by aussirose
  • Essaouria Marocco - Off the coast from Marrakech
      Essaouria Marocco - Off the coast from...
    by aussirose
 

Most Viewed Off The Beaten Path in Morocco

126.

Towns /Cities / Sights around Marrakesh   Marrakesh

Towns /Cities / Sights around Marrakesh, Marrakesh

 30 Reviews  This is a facinating place to visit. It is a few hours by car/bus out of Marrakesh, but included in some day tours. It is an ancient kabash town that is currently being restored. There are some... 

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127.

Other Sites   Casablanca

Other Sites, Casablanca

 8 Reviews  Bain Ziani Just back from Casablanca, the visit was one of those stupid single day cruise ship types, but we crammed plenty in. We went to a traditional Hamman (bath house) and had "the works" we were... 

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128.

Landscape Around Marrakesh   Marrakesh

Landscape Around Marrakesh, Marrakesh

 21 Reviews  The roads that head out towards Asni, Imlil, Ouirgane, Taroudant etc have great views during the winter months of the snowtopped Atlas mountains - much like the views from the roofs around Marrakech... 

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129.

Official Buildings   Casablanca

Official Buildings, Casablanca

 4 Reviews  Prefecture Mechouar de Casablanca was located near Mosque Mohammed V. Well, "mechouar" means a fortified palace with a parade ground. The building with a very large Arabic gate looks impressive and... 

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130.

Menara Gardens   Marrakesh

Menara Gardens, Marrakesh

 6 Reviews  The best way to see the marrakech for it's beautiful landscapes is by getting out of the hustle and noise of the city. 20 mins outside you can view the scenic views and atlas mountain landscapes of... 

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131.

Modern City Life   Casablanca

Modern City Life, Casablanca

 2 Reviews  We visited the Medina in Casablanca. After being disappointed by watches and tshirts and moroccan crafts made in china, we continued further off and found the Real Medina and it was... 

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132.

Medina   Marrakesh

Medina, Marrakesh

 4 Reviews  When we came out of the Sadiaan Tombs, we bumped into a tour guide who was a local man we asked him to direct us to the palace he took us through some narrow passage ways past a womans mosque and we... 

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133.

Parcs & Gardens   Casablanca

Parcs & Gardens, Casablanca

 2 Reviews  Parc de la Ligue Arabe is the biggest park in Casablanca. It looked fantastic especially that I always loved palm trees :-). Generally park is in French style but surely with African plants. Made in... 

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134.

Local Traditions   Marrakesh

Local Traditions, Marrakesh

 6 Reviews  Here are some more pictures of people at work. The woodworker; the van, which by the way I believe is made in Harbin, China where my son lives; and the restauranteur. The last picture was taken just... 

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135.

Palais Royal   Casablanca

Palais Royal, Casablanca

 1 Review  I think that every even smaller city in Morocco had at least one its own Royal Palace. They are usually located in the cleanest area of each city or rather opposite: the areas around every Royal... 

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136.

Agadir   Marrakesh

Agadir, Marrakesh

 1 Review  The trip to Marrakesh from Agadir takes over 4 hours, and the scenes of mountains and small villages top of them are interesting. If you are driving to Marrakesh, you'd better take a 15 minute break,... 

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137.

City Walls   Marrakesh

City Walls, Marrakesh

 1 Review  Hate the souks; the noise, the bartering and the hostile environment? Well, the answer is to head for the Jewish Quarter. The prices are at least half what they are in the souks and the souk merchants... 

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Sous Massa National Park

by sachara

South of Agadir stretches for 70 KM the Sous Massa National Park, an area of tidal creeks and lagoons, sanddunes and cliffs.The Park has an abundant birdlife with species of ibis, crane, duck, flamingo, heron. There are also mammals like fox, genet, jackal, wild cat and boar. We did see a lot of birds, so it's a nice place for birdwatching, but we didn't see mammals.

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Olive harvest festival

by cabeyp

Round Cascade D'Ouzoud and Azilal you will find many willaged that have an olive harvest festival.If you go off the beaten path and follow the sounds of shouting and whacking you will soon stumbl e across boys in trees, hitting the branches to make the olives fall to the ground and women helping with the collection.If you want ask to assist and it is very likely that with a lot of laughter they will give you a go.A great way to meet locals.If you are lucky and you mix in well you can be invited back to a home to sample the amazing olive oil they have made. The people will gladly share their food with you. It might be as simple as a bowl of olive oil with freschly baked flat bread, but do not see this as a basic invite. The people are proud to show what they have made and how good their harvest is.

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Friouato Cave

by ttlookingglass

This is definately worth a visit, it is north africa's deepest cave and very beautiful. I would recomend paying for the guide and torch hire, also although it is a cave it doesnt get much colder than 13C in summer. Hovever good shoes and a change of clothes are required as you squeeze through some narrow sections and have to walk across narrow planks, it can be very muddy and as the mud is quite a reddish colour it can stain clothes. We managed to visit by hiring a tazi from Taza, with the help of the local police as the taxi drivers there didnt speak any english or french, and the same taxi took us on to Fez afterwards.

Ziz Gorges

by barryg23

The highlight of the long drive from Meknes to Er-Rachidia is the route through the Ziz gorges, located a few kilometres north of Er-Rachidia. The road through the gorge gives spectacular views of the cliffs and walls of the gorge while the Ziz alley below is equally scenic. The entrance to the gorges from the north is through the Tunnel du Legionnaire, built by the French during their occupation, while the exit is 20km later at the huge dam, Barrage Hassan Addakhil. The journey through the gorges takes much longer than you’d expect as there are so many photos opportunities and you’ll want to stop every few hundred metres to capture the beautiful light.

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Er-Rachidia

by barryg23

Er-Rachidia is the largest town in the Tafilalt and is one of the gateways to the desert region which lies further beyond. The town grew in size and prominence under the French protectorate and was home to a French military outpost, who tried to control the local tribes. There is a good choice of hotels and restaurants in town though not too much to see here. In contrast to many of the French built towns, Er-Rachidia has quite a lively atmosphere and a medina has developed on the edge of town. Usually in Morocco it's the other way around with the new towns growing up around an existing medina. The best thing about Er-Rachidia is its location. Source Bleue de Meski, a beautiful lake, with plenty of opportunities for hiking, is 17km south, while the scenic Ziz gorges begin about 5km to the north.

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Tinejdad

by barryg23

There's little reason to stop in Tinejdad other than to break your journey to or from the Dades Valley. The town is located about 70 or 80 km east of Tinerhir. We passed along this way on our drive from Rissani to Tinerhir, and stopped for a quick look around the town. It's a dusty, market town, which consists of little more than one long street, and whose main square is just off the main road. We had a coffee at Yasmin Cafe, opposite the main square. The only real attraction in Tinejdad is the Oasis museum, but we skipped this as it was getting late and we wanted to finish our journey before evening.

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Midelt

by barryg23

From the moment we arrived in Midelt we were followed around by two teenagers, who tried to get us to visit their shop and restaurant, or anywhere where they could get a commission presumably. They were quite persistent though after a while they gave up and left us to wander around alone. We stopped in Midelt for lunch on our drive from Azrou to Er-Rachidia. There wasn't a whole lot to see in the town, though it is in a nice location, with the High Atlas visible in the distance. We had lunch at Restaurant du Fes, near the main square, and, though we were the only people there, it turned out a good choice. The owner of the local Maison Berber shop, Mohammed Amraoui, spends a lot of time in this restaurant, no doubt trying to entice customers to visit his shop. He was a friendly guy and invited us to look at carpets once we had finished our meal. He even opened our Rough Guide to show us...

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Paysage d'Ito

by barryg23

On the road from Meknes to Azrou, about 18km north of Azrou, there’s a roadside lay-by called Paysage d'Ito which has excellent views over a volcanic plateau. According to my guide book this was used as a backdrop in many sci-fi movies from the 1970s. We had planned to stop here for a picnic but it was very cold and windy so we had to eat in the car. We did get out briefly to take in the spectacular views. At a warmer time of year, this would be a great place to explore.

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Rich

by barryg23

Rich is a small town in the Middle Atlas between Midelt and Er Rachidia. It's a good place to break your journey and there are a number of cafes and restaurants here as well as a lively medina. The town centre is a couple of kilometres off the main N13 road, while the town lies in a great setting, overlooked by picturesque High Atlas mountains. We spent about an hour and a half here during our journey to Er-Rachidia and found a nice cafe on the main square. Prices were noticeably cheaper than Fes and Meknes. A coffee and green tea (a popular drink in this area) cost us only 10 Dh. I don't think too many tourists visit Rich, so we were something of a novelty. One local tried to give us a tour but when we declined he was very polite and wished us well on our journey.

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Aguelmane Sidi Ali

by barryg23

In fine weather this would be a beautiful spot. Aguelmane Sidi Ali is a mountain lake in a lovely secluded location in the Middle Atlas, between Azrou and Midelt. It's located 52km south of Azrou. From the main N13 road, down a piste track, signposted from the road. It was snowing, misty and very cold when we stopped by here so we only went for a quick hike around part of the lake before returning to the car. In summer I imagine this is a fantastic area to explore.

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Top 3 Hotels in Morocco

Riad Kniza  Marrakesh

 2 Reviews and 563 Opinions  Beautifully decorated room, cozy aura, clean bathroom, delicious food and warmhearted staff. I got... 

 Hotels in Marrakesh

Hyatt Regency  Casablanca

 5 Reviews and 137 Opinions  I worked very hard during the day in a office witout air conditioned. You can understand how I was... 

 Hotels in Casablanca

Villa Maroc  Essaouira

 4 Reviews and 152 Opinions  Suites #27, #29,#30 are built around an open central light well. There is no way to insulate any of... 

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Questions and Answers

MacedonianUK profile photo

Q:  I am thinking travelling to Morocco with my nearly 6 yrs old Girl. We are landing in Marakesh and Plan to Array for 3 days After... 

KakapoTheParrot profile photo

A: As you have 3 weeks the desert area is a must. A 'grand circuit' down to the desert via Ouarzazate, east to Erfoud, then north to Fez is easily done in two weeks. I'd... 

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