Marrakech – Morocco
February 2018
Oh Marrakech – what a trip! During a tough few weeks during my second year of university, me and my best friend decided to book a last minute girls get away to de-stress before our upcoming exams.. yes that’s how we like to de-stress! At first we didn’t know at all where we wanted to go, so the trip planning began with a rough search on budget airline sites to see where we could fly for the cheapest price. After scanning the standard European city break options, we saw Morocco pop up a few times. At first we brushed this off and thought it’d be too far, and too expensive for a short break. Long story short, that’s exactly where we ended up.. still never believing we were actually on the African continent – being only a 5-hour flight away!
Before travelling, we heard a few comments from others about Marrakech, saying it wasn’t safe or the culture isn’t one to be enjoyed by young females etc., but for me this is a whole extra reason to go. Obviously staying safe is my priority at all times, but that is partly to do with yourself, being self-aware and simply not being stupid abroad. This aside, exploring such a different culture to me is exactly what it’s all about. You only remain so un-knowledgeable and blind to such cultures, forcing you to believe such negative stigmas heard along the grapevine if you never actually go and explore them and prove them wrong yourself. And I am SO glad this is what we did. It was amazing and I was left with only positive take-aways.
We visited in February 2018, and the weather was perfect. It was around 27-degrees Celsius and for what we were doing each day, it couldn’t have been any hotter. Glaring sunshine is not what you want when you’re walking thousands of steps each day exploring a city. Therefore my first tip – avoid peak summer seasons if you’re bothered by heat. In Marrakech, this tends to be from June – September.
We booked a hostel in the centre of Marrakech, a 5-minute walk from the main Medina (Jama El f’na). Location wise this was perfect, as we were a short walk away from everything we could possibly need, yet just far enough out of the craziness for the noise and lights not to bother us at all. The medina is where you can find what you would typically expect from Marrakech – MARKETS. Markets here are endless, selling everything from famous Moroccan Argan oil to cloth, clothes, spices, jewellery and so on. The smells here are amazing, everywhere you walk they are burning incense.
The one tourist trap you most definitely do not want to fall under within Jama el f’na, is the monkeys and snakes tied up. Again, this is something we were warned about before we left, and for the first 2 days we didn’t actually notice any, but they soon became apparent. This is a disgusting attraction that still remains in such countries, so it is just important to stay away as much as possible. Do not promote or pay any attention to this, and it shouldn’t bother the trip at all (except being slightly disturbing and nasty to see if you’re a huge animal lover like me!).
One of my favourite things about this city was simply being able to go out each day with no given plan, and being able to just walk around and see where you end up. Each day this is exactly what we did and I wouldn’t of had it any other way.
But if you do like a plan, my 5 top recommendations of things to do in the city (besides the markets off the main square) are:
- Koutoubia Mosque
- Le Jardin Secret
- Menara Gardens
- Bahia Palace
- Take a camel ride in the surrounding palm groves
Outside of the old town:
Atlas Mountains and Ouzoud Falls Day Trip
During our trip we took a day trip up to the Atlas mountains. It is around 3 hours by bus but the trip is definitely worth it! You arrive at the falls and spend a good few hours exploring here. First you walk down to the falls, and overlook them from the top. Here there are monkeys, everywhere! Perfect place for snapping some pics with them as they are not camera shy, at all. From here you make a steep but steady walk down to the base of the falls. Here the views are just insane – the scenery is amazing. To this day I think this is one of my favourite waterfalls I have visited. The colours are just amazing. We were also so lucky with the weather, and could see a rainbow form across the falls before our eyes. Definitely worth doing, and a nice little city escape for the day.
Jarjeer Mule and Donkey Refuge (website link)
Another option for a short trip (half day) out of the city is a visit to a Jarjeer. Jarjeer is a retirement home, orphanage and care centre for working donkeys in Marrakech. The centre is located just South of Marrakech and can be reached via bus, or you can also take a taxi if preferred (detailed directions are provided on the website – it takes around 1 hour from the city centre). Based on the beautiful home they have created for themselves, the sanctuary is set up by a British couple that decided to retire to Morocco after previously falling in love with the country. In Marrakech, donkeys are still widely used for manual labour. The work done here for these animals post-trauma is amazing. You can contact the inspiring owners via their website, and arrange a suitable time to visit. Upon arrival, you walk down the long driveway and are greeted by a bunch of dogs – that at first seem wild. Although a little daunting at first, you soon realise they’re friendly and are also apart of the amazing work done here (they rescue dogs too). You get shown around the sanctuary, being told lots of stories about each individual donkey and how it ended up at the sanctuary. Following this you are free to spend as much time with the donkeys as you please (which was amazing – they love the attention!). It was a lovely experience, we both left feeling satisfied and a lot more positive knowing about the great work being done to help otherwise helpless animals. The ethical initiative here is inspiring, and something everyone should experience if given the chance.
Jarjeer is a registered charity. Donation details and further information about Jarjeer is available on the website and can be found by following the link above.
Costs
Price wise, compared to alternative European city breaks it is much cheaper. You can expect to pay around £2 for a beer (if you can find one – alcohol isn’t very common here due to muslim customs) and £4 for an evening meal. As expected, western catered restaurants are more expensive (£5-£6 per meal) but you can eat for half the price in traditional eateries – which I’d definitely recommend!
Return flights cost around £40-£60pp during the off season.
Clothing
In terms of clothing advice (being female), simply be respectful. At the end of the day, you are immersed in a new culture so being respectful of this is always important. It is their country after all, not yours! We ensured our shoulders and knees were mostly covered at all times (if not – having a cover up on hand if needed) and we experienced no problems at all. Just make sure clothes are loose and thin – even outside of peak season it is HOT.
New Town
If you need that fix of westernised culture and the thought of completely removing yourself from this scares you, don’t worry! Besides the old town, around a 30-minute walk from the old town centre you can reach a modern town that feels like a completely different place. The walk here is definitely worth doing (rather than a taxi) as you can walk most of the way through beautiful gardens full of flowers and wildlife. In the new town you can find an array of modern shops and eateries including the likes of Zara and of course, McDonalds.
Duration
Overall, I’d recommend a 4 (ish) day trip for a city break only. You want around 2 full days, if not 3 to explore the city, and then 2 today to explore the surrounding areas. I personally wouldn’t spend any longer than a week here (unless you go in summer and spend time in a resort with a pool and alternative amenities – which is another option for a summer/family holiday instead of short city break).
What would I do different next time?
If I went back, I would extend my stay for a further 2-3 days and do a desert trip. Many other travellers we met in the hostel were going on desert tours that were 2 day 1 night minimum, or longer. We were unaware of how easy this was from the city centre therefore did not give ourselves enough time to include this trip, however hearing reviews from others definitely made me want to go!
Wild Rose Travel 