Chefchaouene – Morocco – photo by rytc on Flickr CC

10 Things I most want to experience in Morocco

I’ve been wanting to visit Morocco for many, many years.

I almost got there once. While visiting my aunt & uncle on Costa del Sol, Spain in 2009, I had a tentative plan to ferry over to Morocco from Malaga or Gibralter for a week. Unfortunately, the ferry turned out to be rather expensive, even one way, let alone round-trip. So I put Morocco on the back burner again.

But this year, at long last, I’m finally going to Morocco. My flight is booked. Yes, in less than two weeks I’ll be standing in Marrakesh.

This will also be my first time to Africa. Yippie, a new continent to boot.

Meanwhile, as usual, I’ve been diligently researching and preparing for my upcoming adventures. I’m more and more excited by the day as I discover all the amazing things I’ll get to see and do in the country.

Soon I’ll be gazing at stunning elaborate Moroccan architecture, dining on delicious new cuisine and partaking of many new sights & experiences. Even after 20 years of full-time world travels, Morocco will offer me a whole slew of exciting activities that have been on my bucket list for ages, even decades.

I can hardly believe I’ll get to partake of so many wish-list adventures in just one country. But it looks like that’s how it will be for me in Morocco.

Based on my research thus far, among all the great new experiences I’ll soon be enjoying, I’ve compiled this list of 10 exciting things that I’m most looking forward to in Morocco.

camel trek – photo by das21 on Flickr CC

1. Over-night camel safari in the desert

Riding a camel safari into the desert is one of those super-exotic experiences I’ve dreamed about for decades. I’ve seen photos of other travelers & fellow bloggers joining such ventures and I’ve always been green with envy. But I knew I’d get around to it one day. And this year will be it.

I have ridden a camel before – in Australia. And I’ve been through some small deserts in the US, Mexico and Australia (mostly in cars). I’ve also stood on a vast sea of sand dunes – at Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado. But I haven’t yet been in such a vast sandy desert as Morocco’s Sahara Desert, let alone by camel.

tangine meal – photo by Charlie Marchant on Flickr CC

2. Eat Moroccan cuisine

After dealing with that dreaded ‘beans and rice’ concoction served all over Central America for more than one year, I am ready for any type of cuisine different from that. Moroccan cuisine is not only completely different from ‘gallo pinto’ but it also sounds delicious and diverse.

I haven’t studied Moroccan cuisine in detail yet. But I have read about tangine (a kind of clay-pot stew), meat satays, lamb and couscous. It all looks and sounds very healthy, with lots of fresh vegetables, potatoes & grains, lamb and chicken.

I’ve also seen photos of Moroccan market stalls piled high with large assortment sof fresh vegetables and fruits, spices and herbs. Marrakesh’s main plaza is also filled with fresh-squeezed orange juice stalls and hot prepared meals. I’m sure I’ll love eating in Morocco!

photo by Bernadette Simpson on Flickr CC

3. Get henna hand tattoos

I’ve been wanting to get a beautiful henna hand tattoo for ages. Morocco will be my big chance. It’s probably one of the first things I’ll do when I arrive in Marrakesh.

4. Watch belly dancers

I have watched belly dancers a few times in my life. But they were all in off-beat clubs in places like San Francisco.

I’ve never seen belly dancing in the culture where it originated. So I’m greatly looking forward to watching some beautiful Moroccan women shake their hips around.

Moroccan hammam – photo by Carlos ZGZ on Flickr CC

5. Visit a Moroccan spa- ‘hammam’

Hammams are traditional Moroccan bath houses / spas. Apparently they originated in the Roman Empire and were passed on to Morocco then altered over the centuries to suit Moroccan Muslim practices.

Morocco’s public hammams are found all over Marrakesh and cost next to nothing. Much to my amazement, they sound pretty much the same as Japan’s public bath houses, which I used to frequent when living in Kyoto for six years. So they’re all more or less familiar to me.

Since I’ll be arriving in Marrakesh in February, with night-time temperatures around 50 F / 10 C, and no heat inside guest houses, I will greatly look forward to visiting hammams for a nice hot sauna, steam bath and hot water soak.

Apparently for about $5 US you can hire an attendant to scrub you down quite vigorously, slough off all the dead skin and get your skin glowing. Sounds fabulous.

ballooning in Morocco – photo by Seb Lafont on Flickr CC

6. Go Ballooning

I love heights, so I’m a huge fan of air sports. I’ve tried just about everything so far, from taking flying lessons and piloting a stunt airplane to sky diving, hang gliding, para gliding, para sailing, bungee jumping, rappelling, flying foxes and walking in tree canopies. But I have yet to try ballooning.

Like taking a camel safari into the desert, ballooning has been on my bucket list for decades.

Morocco is one of the big ballooning tourist centers, along with Jordan and Bagan, Myanmar. I hope I’ll finally get to try ballooning in Morocco this year.

photo by JHuffmanPhotography on Flickr CC

7. See cobra snake charmers

Here’s another exotic activity I’ve only seen in movies. Well, hang on, I have watched snake handlers at the snake farm in Bangkok, Thailand. Which was very cool. But I haven’t yet seen snake charmers out in public plazas mesmerizing cobras with live music. Apparently I’ll get my chance in Marrakesh’s main plaza – Jemma-el-Fnaa.

tree-climbing goats in Morocco – photo by Mirjam Evers on Flickr CC

8. Witness Morocco’s weird tree-climbing goats

I’ve always loved goats. They’re just so silly and charming. But some Moroccan goats take their crazy antics to a new level.

They climb up in Argon trees in order to eat the berries. The berries go through the goats’ digestive tracts and the seeds come out the back end. Farmers then gather up the softened seeds to process into argon oil, which is used to make soap and other products. I kid you not.

Meanwhile, over the years, those wacky Moroccan goats standing up in the trees have caught the attention of passing tourists, who stop to take pictures. This has lead Moroccan farmers to try earning a living off the practice.

Many argon tree farmers now intentionally place their goats up in trees, particularly during times that they wouldn’t normally be there (aka when there are no berries) and then ask tourists a fee to take photos.

That’s fine by me. I’m sure the farmers need to earn a living out there in rural Morocco. As long as the goats aren’t suffering, all should be well.

It turns out that the main region for these tree-climbing goats is the countryside between Marrakesh and the coastal town of Essouaria. I’ll be going right through there!

Moroccan mint tea- photo by LizzieMoch on Flickr CC

9. Drink Moroccan mint tea

Morocco is a Muslim country, which means that alcohol is generally forbidden. Instead, Moroccans traditionally sit around drinking mint tea. A much healthier past-time!

Apparently, Moroccans have developed their own particular mint tea concoction and serving rituals. I’m greatly looking forward to partaking of Moroccan tea, especially since mint tea is, co-incidentally, one of the few types of teas that I actually drink on my own.

Royal Mansour Hotel – photo by UggBoy UggGirl on Flickr CC

10. Visit Moroccan luxury hotels

This is my fourth year working as a luxury and boutique hotel reviewer. I’m extremely excited to visit several of Morocco’s top luxury hotels and resorts, especially since I’ve seen some of the amazing tradtional Moroccan architecture and interiors.

I’ve been assigned 45 hotels around Morocco, most situated in the country’s main tourist destinations such as Marrakesh, Casablanca, Rabat and Fez. I’m very pleased to be assigned to visit several of Marrakesh’s absolute top hotels. I can hardly wait to see how gorgeous they are.

With any luck, I’ll be invited for some gourmet meals, perhaps a spa treatment or two, and hopefully a few over-night stays. Let’s see!

Merzouga Desert in Morocco – photo by Mycroyance on Flickr CC

Summary

In less than two weeks, for the first time in my life, I’ll be flying into the African continent and to the Kingdom of Morocco. Yippie!

I’m wildly excited about visiting Morocco. It’s a country I’ve wanted to explore for decades.

From my in-depth research thus far, I’ve become even more excited as I’ve discovered all the amazing new things I’ll get to see and do in Morocco. The activities I’ve mentioned above are the 10 things I’m most excited about, but I’m sure I’ll find many more as I travel around Morocco.

Because of my lengthy hotel reviews assignment, I’ll be traveling around Morocco for two months. That’s the only way I’ll be able to visit 45 luxury hotels and resorts. No doubt I’ll visit some amazing regions that I would otherwise miss had it not been for my assignment.

I’ll be writing about my adventures around Morocco as I travel. So check back in from time to time to learn about fascinating Morocco!

You might also enjoy:

My 2019 Travel Plans

Preparing to Travel through Europe

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