Crossing Morocco: An Atlas and Sahara roadtrip

In November, the three of us embarked on a seven-day roadtrip extravaganza across Morocco. The whole thing was interestingly organised over WhatsApp, but it ended up being one of our favourite trips to date. Our itinerary took us from Tangier, to Marrakesh, stopping at Fes, the Atlas Mountains, the Sahara Desert, and a few other small but memorable stops along the way, including "Little Switzerland".

With us the whole way was Hamid (our driver and a bird-watching guide) who shared his local knowledge with us the entire trip. We were constantly surprised by the stunning riads, and the food was consistently delicious... although I do not think any of us wanted a tagine for a long time after.

Day 1: Flight to Tangier

We were off to a flying start to the trip with homemade carrot cake cupcakes to celebrate Jaclair's birthday in style... on the train to Stansted. We landed in Tangier extremely late, about midnight, and made our way to our Airbnb. When we say this accommodation was gorgeous, it's an understatement. It really set our standards high. The view over Tangier from the rooftop was magical and inspired us to head out for a late bite to eat at the only restaurant open at 1AM. We had our first tagine, and it did not disappoint.

Day 2: Driving to Fes, stopping at Chefchaouen

Chefchaouen is known as the sacred "Blue City" for a reason. It's the place you see all over Instagram and it is definitely worth a stop. That being said, we were happy to just spend a few hours walking around and taking photos before hitting the road to continue to Fes. When we made it to Fes, we were taken to our first riad. Riads are some of the most unassuming forms of accommodation. Little holes in the wall that open up into huge gardens and lovely rooms. Again, the accommodation did not disappoint.

My room was upgraded to a colossal three-room apartment with incredible views that overlooked the city. Later, we ventured out to the Fes medina (Fes el Bali), which is a labyrinth of small, winding alleys that is very easy to get lost in. Word of warning: do not let a "local guide" offer you directions. They will lead you in circles before demanding cash.

Day 3: Adventures around Fes

We started the day strong with a classic Moroccan breakfast, which is essentially strong espresso paired with an assortment of Moroccan pastries and semolina pancakes. It was delicious. For Day 3, we planned to explore Fes with an official guide. Our route took us through the heart of the city, stopping at:

• The Medina of Fes: Again we ventured through the narrow streets and alleyways, stopping at tiny shops for tea and to look at various local wares. We soon learnt our tour guides would take us to their mates' shops, and we would need to tip them for their time – so it was important to have plenty of small cash on hand. We did have a particularly interesting stop at a rug shop, where we now have the infamous quote, "a pleasure for your eyes". In the shop owner's defence, they were really nice rugs.
• The Tile Cooperative: This was a really cool place where you could see ceramics and different items being created. Jaclair and I bought a nice bowl each. Jaclair also bought a scary-looking ceramic frog.
• The Tanneries: The tanneries were something I didn't expect to find in the middle of a city. Looking down from a terrace, we saw giant barrels where leather was being soaked. The smell was so intense that we were handed fresh mint sprigs to hold under our noses. It wasn't my favourite, but it was worth seeing. Definitely lots of leather on offer in the stores if that's something of interest.

Day 4: From Fes to the Sahara via "Little Switzerland"

On Day 4, we left the city behind and began ascending the Atlas Mountains towards the Sahara. Now, it might sound peculiar that there was a town called "Little Switzerland" in the middle of Morocco. But, given that I am currently writing this blog on a train to the real Switzerland, I can say with confidence that we were indeed randomly transported to Switzerland.

In town, we made a quick coffee stop before making our way towards the Sahara. We switched the minivan for a Land Cruiser and started making our way across the Erg Chebbi desert, which would be our home for the next two nights. We caught the sunset and checked into our luxury desert camp. For context, luxury in the desert does include Wi-Fi, hot showers, and delicious food. Thank God.

Day 5: The Sahara

After a comfortable but chilly night's sleep, we woke up to another tasty Moroccan breakfast. We then jumped back into the Land Cruiter and headed out to visit a settlement of nomadic herders.

While travelling across the dunes, something crazy happened: it rained. The sand texture and colour changed from light brown to dark red. Rain in the Sahara is extremely rare, and it was pretty magical to see it. It didn't last long though. We sat beneath a traditional camel-skin tent and shared tea and nuts with a nomadic woman. We also made friends with a Dutch couple who were visiting.

Lunch that day was my absolute favourite. We were taken to a little family-run riad and had Berber pizza and incredible curry. Other highlights included quad-biking across the dunes, and casually riding some camels back to our camp. We named our camels after our favourite F1 drivers: Lando, Oscar, and George. This was a special day, and it became even more so when we found out our new Dutch friends were about to get engaged! We captured the proposal on camera while drinking wine and playing Monopoly Deal.

Day 6: From the desert to the mountains

Leaving the Sahara was tough, but two nights in the desert camp was a great amount of time. We met back up with Hamid and set back off into the mountains. The journey was a long one to Dades Valley. The Dades Valley was stunning and definitely worth a visit. While we wanted to do a hike, the 1km walk along the valley wasn't exactly what we had in mind.

Not long after, we jumped back into the van and headed deeper into the High Atlas Mountains. There, we stayed at another family-run riad. The rooms were cosy, and dinner there was hands down our favourite of the trip. We were served an incredible five-course meal, including homemade goats' cheese.

Day 7: Marrakesh

Going from a quaint family-run riad in the middle of nowhere in the mountains to Marrakesh is a chaotic slap in the face. Hamid dropped us smack bang in the middle of Marrakesh, and we followed a porter through twists and turns, passing fruit stands, snake charmers, and many more various market vendors.

The riads in Morocco are always surprising. But after walking down what I truly believed must be the wrong and slightly dodgy-looking alleyway, we arrived at our riad. This place was, like all the others, beautiful. Shades of pink, green, orange and filled with trinkets, carpets, and plants. It was chaotic like the surrounding area, but surprisingly cosy.

After the long travel day, we decided to have a quick dinner then play cards at the riad. We invited the hotel manager to join while we drank wine and introduced him to the game. Turns out young Moroccan men are very competitive at Monopoly Deal. He was also very disappointed when we called it a night after one bottle of wine, particularly because he was on a winning streak.

Farewell, Morocco

On our final day, we spent a few hours exploring the streets of Marrakesh. This included visiting the Majorelle Garden, the Koutoubia Tower, and the Bahia Palace. All were worthwhile, and I ended up splurging on some of the hand-crafted goods. Jaclair bought me a mini candle tagine which is now featured in my Google Meet background during work calls.

In the afternoon, Hamid drove us to the airport. He had been such a generous and fun sidekick to our adventures that it was an emotional goodbye. It was an unforgettable and chaotic roadtrip.

5/5 tagines. 🥘

Favourite trip quotes

I wanna get Baku'd but instead I got Bangkok'd

Anything is possible in Africa

Alo just dropped a brown collection

A weekend away with you guys is better than butter chicken