Morroco Travel Suggestions?

January 21, 2009 5:32 AM

Holiday Advice: Morroco: 5 nights. Looking for recommendations for somewhere to stay / do stuff an hour or so out of Marakech.

Off to Morroco / Marakech at the end of January. and we are looking for somewhere to go / stay / do outside of Marakech.

We have 5 nights. The first two are booked for Marakech, (Riad in Marakech) but we are unsure where to go for the other 3 nights.

It seems that we will also need to Hire a Car to get out of Marakech - can anyone confirm? are there public transport options?

There are a few cool looking Riads in the Atlas Mountains area but I'm not sure. We don't want to go to far out 1-2 hrs as our return flight is from Marakech at 11.30 am on the last day.

or perhaps we should hit the beach?

posted by mary8nne to Travel & Transportation (5 answers total)

There's plenty of public transport available -- you can take the CTM buses around to major cities (these are government-sponsored & fancy & expensive & you can reserve in advance), or you can take cheaper/more irregular/wackier private buses (just go to the bus station & figure out who's leaving when). Or you can take grand taxis, my favorite way to travel between Moroccan cities... ask someone at your riad/hotel where the nearest grand taxi depot is, and how much a seat to your destination should be. Grand taxis usually squish 6 passengers in a regular-sized Mercedes sedan, so remember to make sure the driver knows you don't want to hire out the entire taxi (which would entail paying 6x the price for one seat). If that sounds too cramped/miserable, you can always buy 2 places for yourself so you get a little extra space.

Where to go?
+The Kasbah de Toubkal is Richard Branson's fancy hotel in the Atlas Mountains, near Mt. Toubkal (the highest mountain in North Africa!). There are apparently rooms at various price levels.

+Mohammed Id Hammou is a local guide & a friend of a friend; you could get him to take you to his family's teensy village, also in near Mt. Toubkal but infinitely more rugged/less touristy than the Kasbah de Toubkal.

+Essaouira is a lovely hippie beach town a little more than 2 hours away, very popular with tourists, very pretty.

+You could visit the Tin Mal mosque, one of two (I think?) mosques in Morocco that non-Muslims are allowed to enter, it's so isolated & pretty!

This is all just off the top of my head. PM me if you want more. I have plenty to say!
posted by staboo at 7:24 AM on January 21, 2009

oh and the Cascades d'Ouzoud! So fun. I used to take visiting friends here all the time.
posted by staboo at 7:25 AM on January 21, 2009

Hey thanks,

I was looking at this place which seeems alright:
http://www.kasbahellouze.com

and has a few interesting things to do nearby
- Le village de Tamdaght
- Ait Benhaddou

but its quite a way from marakech it seems:

Marrakech - > Tamdaght (190 km) It's a magnificent 3 hour drive through the Atlas mountains and the Tizi-n-Tichka pass.

they claim.
posted by mary8nne at 8:10 AM on January 21, 2009

Essaouira is great, but at the and of January? Brrrr. You can PM me if you like - I lived in Morocco, and still know a lot of people in Marrakech (not to mention Rabat and Fes).
posted by HopperFan at 9:54 AM on January 21, 2009

Well, sure, a magnificent drive it is - if the pass isn't closed due to snow, or if there isn't a heavy mist of rain - then it can be downright terrifying.

If it's sunny, and you're ok with vehicles careening around switchbacks at top speed, seeming to come right at you - some of the views are breathtaking.
posted by HopperFan at 9:56 AM on January 21, 2009