Rock the Kasbah in Morocco

Just when you think you’ve seen it all, there is Morocco. Given a solid 10 days, one can travel from the modern city of Casablanca to small villages in the Atlas Mountains, desert camps on the edge of the Sahara, ancient souks in Fez and Marrakesh and experience the pulse between old world and new world like nowhere else in the world.

While Casablanca is considered the gateway to Morocco, it may surprise you to learn that the movie wasn’t even filmed here! Casablanca is the economic center of Morocco, the largest city with the most traffic. My best advice to gain a sense of place, cultural and religious understanding by visiting the Hassan II Mosque, one of the largest and most religiously important mosques in the world, with a private guide and then move on to see highlights lying beyond, beginning in Rabat.

Rabat is the country’s capital and home to the royal residence of the Alawi family, who rules the Kingdom of Morocco. Rabat exudes an almost Mediterranean chic vibe. A modern marina stacked with sleek yachts and a shoreline laced with austere glass walled condos shoulders up to the 16th century seaside kasbah.

Kasbah is another word for fortress, and Morocco is loaded with photographic kasbahs. The alluring whitewashed Kasbah rises straight from the sea, and inside the main gate, one can explore the stone pedestrian alleys and bumpy streets of the medina, which is the residential quarter and the souk.

The maze of whitewashed residences is splashed with brightly colored domes and doorways.

Symbolic brass knockers and painted images of the Hand of Fatima add intrigue and beckon further explanation. Fatima, as it turns out, is the daughter of Mohammed the Prophet. Her hand is evident everywhere, believed to ward off evil, as their entrusted protector.

The people of Morocco are Arabs and Berbers, the distinct ethnic group indigenous to North Africa and primarily Muslim. The older generation of women wear the abaya and headscarf, men wear the traditional Jalapa & fez, and modern millennials dress in business attire.

As a visitor, it was evident that the country is very religiously tolerant, and while we were encouraged to dress respectfully covering our knees and shoulders, we never felt policed.

Tangier is the Hong Kong of Morocco. Access to the strait of Gibraltar made Tangier very international and it has evolved into one of the toniest, expensive cities. The US expat population is strong here, along with extensive Spanish & French.

Saturday evening the streets were buzzing with a global mix of pedestrians shopping, strolling and dining. The white stucco and glass residential architecture, palm and bougainvillea-lined boulevards, scrubby hilly coast and long beach is very California.

The King of Saudi Arabia built a home here so I feel like I could live here too.

The most enchanting of all Moroccan cities is the blue city of Chefchaouen. This stunning village is nestled in the Rif Mountains, a 2.5 hour drive from Tangier and four-hour drive from Fez.

The town was painted blue by Jewish immigrants in the 1930s. A photographer’s dream and a shopper’s paradise, the best activity is getting lost in the pedestrian alleyways.

Moroccans love their breads and sweets, so you’ll find many pastry shops, cafes and Riads to try local Moroccan desserts topped off with a glass of mint tea.

Enroute to Fez one crosses the Rif Mountain range where donkeys are used as transportation and shepherds tend to large flocks of sheep in the vast rocky landscape. This is considered the goat cheese region, so you’ll find it on menus everywhere.

The black goats live in the Rif Mountains and are famous for hanging out in the trees. The best handicraft and most cinematic souk is in Fez. The medina, Fez El Bali, is over 1200 years old and a designated UNESCO World Heritage site. The souks inside are a labyrinth of earthen clay and wood, smells and colors, shade and light, straight out of an Indiana Jones movie.

Here one finds donkeys bearing merchants and merchandise, camel head and camel meat, caged chickens and stray cats, clay tagines and painted pottery, the tannery and all kinds of leather goods including pointy slippers, Moroccan poufs, belts & bags, Berber and Arabian wool rugs, donkey carts and horses.

This is the place to buy authentic rugs at a value and, I should add, with the help of a local guide. One would never want to attempt to navigate Morocco without a local guide.

To experience the essence of Morocco, one must live like a Nomad for at least one night in a luxury desert camp. The endless dunes of the Merzouga Sahara are a spectacular must see!

The most memorable part of my adventure was a desert sunrise on camelback. We woke to the dark before dawn and rode camels into the red dunes as the sun rose over the rolling ancient, powdered sand.

As the sun silently rose, we climbed the crested dunes and the skies bloomed from purple to red to pink and orange. It was EPIC!

There is plenty of drive time between Morocco’s highlights, and I don’t recommend self-drive. A hired private car and driver/guide is a must.

Ait Ben Haddou sits in the middle of nowhere at the base of the high Atlas Mountains and is a highlight well worth the drive. A Kasbah originally constructed by the sons of a leader “Haddou” features an extraordinary 11th century cluster of red earthen buildings that now house merchants who sell their local handicrafts.

The improbable, magical site will be instantly recognizable to those who’ve seen Game of Thrones or Lawrence of Arabia.

Marrakesh is Moroccan cool and the best place to end a Moroccan adventure. Here one finds the most luxurious resort hotels, including La Mamounia, Royal Monsour and Relais & Chateaux Palais Ronsard.

At journeys end, lavish in the riches of the hotel’s opulent amenities and spend two days shopping in the most marvelous Marrakesh souks for silk kaftans, Berber jewelry, leather, genuine Moroccan Argan oil, pounded copper, baskets and basket lamps.

Now is the time to travel to Morocco, while the experience is culturally authentic, and commercialism hasn’t yet caught up with the travel trend.

Spring and Fall are the best times to travel to Morocco for the best weather. Advance planning with a travel expert and a private guide is essential.

Lisa is a Luxury Travel Advisor affiliated with Preferred Travel & Company. She can be reached at Lisa@preferrednaples.com 239-261-1177 www.preferrednaples.com