moroccan countryside (photo gallery)
Before arriving in Morocco, I didn’t have many expectations. Come to think of it, I didn’t have any expectations. Months ago when we were first daydreaming about leaving Angola and doing some traveling, Kelli looked at me one night and said, “what about Morocco?”
Morocco?
Hmm … Pause. I shrugged, “sure.”
It’s a country I had never considered visiting. After flipping through the Lonely Planet we got for Christmas though, I was convinced: twisting streets, markets, deserts, camels, palm trees and the Sahara … But cool mountain air? Electric green countrysides? Roman ruins?
Morocco has much, much more to share than just kasbahs, medinas, and the occasional oasis.
Our Route (click the minus sign to view entire journey)
Tip: If you’re on an iPad or tablet or phone, view in portrait mode (vertical); if you’re on a laptop/desktop, click on any image to view in a slideshow format.
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- Tall palms and the mosque at Djeema el Fna frame the High Atlas Mountains in the distance
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- It took being crammed into two “Grand Taxis” (shared taxis) and then a 3 mile walk, but we made it to Dar Tassa, a resort in a national park
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- Last rays of light.
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- Going from Marrakech to Ouarzazete, the bus twisted and turned its way up Tzintichka pass. Locals were car sick; we were enamored by the views.
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- Looking out of a Kasbah in Ouarzazate towards the Draa Valley.
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- Kelli and I took a bike ride amongst the palms in an oasis town called Skoura.
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- Between the palms of Skoura, there were almond trees in full bloom.
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- We stood on the roof and watched the sun set over the palms.
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- A hike in Dades Gorge took us through red rocks and ruins.
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- Spring hadn’t quite sprung in Dades, but the farmland was still lush and verdant.
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- I woke up early on our first morning in Merzouga and got lucky. A caravan passed right in front of the rising sun.
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- After the desert: to Fez. View from the roof of our hotel.
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- Sunset over Fez.
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- Fez sunset
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- Morning clouds over Moulay Idriss, a mountain city that was the first to introduce Islam in Morocco.
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- After a 1.5 hour hike, we were greeted by wildflowers and ruins at Volubilis, Roman ruins outside of Moulay Idriss.
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- Wildflowers, Volubilis
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- Ruins and pockets of sunshine
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- Volubilis
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- Moulay Idriss in the distance
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- Cold rain was punctuated by sunshine on the green hills.
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- We spent a few hours dodging raindrops and roaming the ruins.
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- Huge mosaics were faded, but still beautiful.
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- Main street
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- Our next stop was Chefchaouen, known for its blue medina.
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- A short hike took us to Mosque Bouzaafer.
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- We rested and took in the stacked city.
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- Panorama of Chefchaouen.
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- Blues mix with white walls and red terra cotta roofs.
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- My favorite tree on the hike.
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- Another panorama.
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- Looking the other way towards the rolling hills.
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- Last shot before heading back into the medina …
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- Blue medina of Chefchaouen
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- Twisting streets and blue walls.
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- Blue doors.
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- Blues to match the sky.
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- Kasbah in Chefchaouen.
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- Women say goodbye as they tug the children along.
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- We stopped a single night in Tetouan, which is known for its white medina.
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- Last stop: Tangier.
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- Leaving Morocco. Rock of Gibraltar
Just a last note: we literally took thousands of photos, so I will follow up shortly with more street views, faces and shapes of Morocco. I better do it soon though because the Spanish pics are already adding up.
Regardless, thanks for checking them out and sharing our adventures with us.
Great Pictures. Near the end, I realized that there were few natives shown. Do they stay inside during the heat of the day?
D
Haha. Oh they’re just around the next corner.
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