Journey through the colours and cultures of Morocco

First impressions of Morocco

Lush, verdant oases. Terracotta, adobe-style buildings. Date palms laden with yellow fruit. Soaring red mountains and sand dunes. Barren, golden desert. Colourful spices. These are my enduring and vivid impressions of Morocco.

On the first evening of our tour we met our trip leader, Mohamed, and members of our group, which comprised mostly Australians and Americans. It was the start of an adventure-filled trip that was jam-packed with destination highlights.

The remains of the Triumphal Arch.

Roman ruins

We explored the partly excavated Roman city of Volubilis, which the Romans were drawn to because of its fertile land and abundant spring water – ideal for producing 'green gold', olive oil. As always, I was gobsmacked by Roman ingenuity.

They engineered aqueducts to deliver fresh water and built separate sewerage systems, both gravity-fed and cleverly aligned with the natural slope of the land. One of the most striking remnants was the Triumphal Arch, constructed between 215 and 217 AD and still standing proud after 18 centuries.

A living film set

Aït Benhaddou features in many movies and TV series, including Game of Thrones. A local guide, Abdul, took us around his birthplace high up in the Atlas Mountains. He belongs to one of five families who still live in Aït Benhaddou and is proud of both his hometown and its movie-star status.

Abdul has been an extra in several films and he took us to the arena used for filming both Gladiator movies and an upcoming Christopher Nolan film, The Odyssey.

The film set angle was interesting, but the star of this show was actually UNESCO World Heritage site Aït Benhaddou itself.

This fortified hilltop village of red clay dates from the 11th to the 17th centuries. The view of it from across the adjacent dry riverbed was incredible.

Colourful Moroccan cooking pots.

Food delights

Every meal was served with care—from the plating to the beautifully patterned serving dishes and crockery. Our group enjoyed lunch in a family home where there was great pride in both the table setting and the food.

We had traditional flatbread and local olives with every meal, as well as mint tea, which is served with or without sugar. The mint tea pouring ceremony was a theatrical show in itself.

We ate Moroccan specialties including tagines (named after the earthenware dishes they’re cooked in), couscous, and pastillas. Pastillas were a new discovery for me—sweet and savoury pastry parcels filled with shredded chicken and almonds. I was inspired to buy some Moroccan spices and a cookbook.

Traditional accommodation

We stayed in riads in both Fez and Marrakesh—traditional Moroccan homes featuring inner courtyards and gardens, often adorned with fountains and colourful patterned tiles. Riads are hidden behind plain entrances, as Moroccans do not like to show off what lies inside.

Riad in Fez

Our Fez riad was in the Medina (Old City), the oldest in Morocco, dating from the ninth century. The Medina is also the largest in the world and a true labyrinth. Our local guide estimated there to be 9,000 roads and 40,000 dead ends—without a guide, getting lost would be unavoidable.

The riad had a rooftop terrace where we enjoyed a memorable picnic dinner with views over Fez.

Riad in Marrakesh

The Marrakesh riad also had a rooftop terrace with sweeping views over the city and the addition of a pool, bar, and breakfast room. It was located in the Medina and only a short walk from the sprawling bazaar and the bustling Djemaa el-Fna, one of the largest public spaces in the world.

A view of the courtyard at the riad in Marrakesh where the writer stayed.

A Moroccan adventure

So much is packed into every day of this itinerary that it could be considered a fast-paced adventure rather than a pure holiday. Our group, all first-timers to Morocco, were wide-eyed at everything we learned and saw—which made for lively conversations over meals.

My Classic Morocco trip will occupy treasured space in my memory forever. Time now to return home and see if I can make a pastilla or a tagine anywhere near as delicious as the ones I tasted on tour!

Top tips

• Carry bottled water as you can’t drink the tap water.
• Carry cash (Moroccan dirham, or MAD). Cards are not accepted everywhere but ATMs are plentiful.
• Pack comfortable walking shoes as the ground is often uneven and dusty.
• Take some entertainment for the long drives.

The writer was a guest of Intrepid Travel on the eight-day Classic Morocco Comfort Style itinerary.

Visit racq.com/intrepid-morocco for the latest Morocco tour packages from Intrepid and 
RACQ Travel.