Back in the first weeks of January when we arrived back in Madrid from the Christmas break, Jasmine (one of my flat mates) found out that a Ryanair flights sale was on… We are all keen travelers and immediately jumped on this bandwagon to find a cheap holiday, because, well why not?! After all, our Erasmus year is also about gaining amazing experiences! The places that had the cheapest flights were mostly in Spain or nearby and we wanted to venture out and see a place we’ve never seen before so we decided to look into the Moroccan trip to Ouarzazate! This city, south of Morocco and its Atlas Mountains looked absolutely stunning from the images we could see and it seemed like there was enough to do there to fill our time. It’s also known as the gateway to the Sahara Desert, which of course, immediately made us even more keen to go!
After researching the place, a little, it was soon clear that this destination would be like no other and a very unique trip – so we decided to go for it! For just £52 each, for return flights (£12) and accommodation for 4 nights/5 days with breakfast included every day (£40), myself, Jasmine and Lucy decided to book to go to Morocco! How could we turn down such a low-cost, picturesque photo-op-filled holiday?
We booked a well-rated hotel in the village of Aït Benhaddou, just a 20-minute drive from the Ouarzazate airport. It’s surrounded by red-earth and rolling hill landscapes. The room we booked had both a mountain and poolside view and it was also possible to see the famous Aït Benhaddou Kasbah on the top of the hill from our hotel room window. After arranging an airport transfer, researching what to wear in Morocco (you have to be covered at all times), looking into if we needed to have any vaccinations (luckily, we did not!) and creating an itinerary of the trip – we were good to go! After booking it, the date to leave came around quicker than expected - we left on the 29th January and returned on the 2nd February…
TUESDAY, DAY 1:
Upon arrival, when our flight landed, we did perhaps second guess our decision as the airport was very small and the scenery looked incredibly desolate. However, we were intrigued and incredibly excited about being there!
A word of advice though – bring a pen! Once we got into the airport, one of the first things to do was to fill out a form informing the authorities of why and where you are going in Morocco with information about yourself. You have to do this when entering and leaving and there are not many free pens around, so unless you want to wait for ages like we did, bring a pen.
Our booked taxi driver picked us up and as you are unable to get Moroccan dirhams before entering the country, we stopped off at an ATM on the way to our hotel to get money out. It’s a funny exchange rate, for example, 10 Moroccan dirhams is only worth €0.93! I actually only had to get cash out twice throughout the whole trip, spending an approximate total of just £240 for the entire 5 days – it was very cheap to eat out and do things there, the biggest expense was the cost of the taxis, getting us from place to place as there is no public transport.
After arriving at the hotel, the staff greeted us with some traditional Moroccan sweet tea which was an experience in itself! A very different taste to what I’m used to, sweet but also sharp. After having checked in and unpacked, it was soon dinner time! We decided to eat in our hotel for the first evening for ease and we weren’t disappointed. I had a set menu of traditional Moroccan soup and flatbread, lamb tagine and fruit for dessert. After this, we wandered into the village briefly whilst the sun was setting to explore a bit and take some photos, admiring the views at the same time. We then organized the taxi driver who picked us up from the airport to take us on our first full day out the next day – he became our taxi driver for the whole trip as he had the best rates (and we could haggle with him a bit!).
Our room was made solely of what seemed to be earth clay, plaster and wood. It was clear from arriving that it was not peak season for tourists and that we were in a fairly rural part of Morocco – but we liked that and found it very peaceful.
WEDNESDAY, DAY 2:
Our first full day of being in Morocco began with the hotel’s amazing breakfast consisting of: Moroccan flatbreads, spreads, crepes, omelette, fruit, fresh orange juice and coffee! We ate on the terrace, in the sun, just outside our hotel room with a breath-taking view of the Kasbah and the village. We were fortunate enough to be able to do this every day, it was beautiful.
The taxi tour for the day cost 1000 dirhams which is roughly £80, in total, for us three. This was a good deal though, considering the places we went and that we were out for an 11-hour day. We told the taxi driver where we wanted to go and he took us to each place, being a local, he stopped off at places in-between he thought we would like to visit; this was really beneficial for us as it meant we got to see places we hadn’t even known about.
Firstly, we visited the Kasbah of Tifoultoute. It’s located in the Ouarzazate province; the fortress used to belong to the family of Thami El Glaoui, Pasha of Marrakech from 1912-1956. The family home was built roughly 1900 years ago, it had incredible views from the top overlooking a lake and surrounding areas. A tour guide showed us around the Kasbah, entry only cost 20 dirhams (about £1.60) and he gave us sweet Moroccan tea at the end.
Next stop was the Oasis Fint, a stunning landscape, like nothing I had seen before. It felt very prehistoric and isolated; I almost expected to see a dinosaur come towering over the rocks! We wandered around the area, soon to be made aware that there was a local village living in the area too. We watched them wash their clothes at the river, saw them walking back with their harvested crops and walking their donkeys around – we saw real village life.
After walking around in the sun for a while, we decided to stop for a drink at the Auberge restaurant which had a great view whilst we sat and had a break from walking.
On the way to the next place, we briefly had a stop-off at an Argan Oil shop where they showed us how they make it. They break the nut to get the almond out and then grind it to make a paste and from this, turn it into oil. It was interesting, but I’ve been to Morocco once before and have tried the stuff before so I didn’t bother buying any again.
We carried on our way to the Atlas Film studios, supposedly the biggest film studio in the world. Strewn within are decaying film sets and props that have been used before in Morocco for films or TV shows, such as Gladiatorand Prison Break. Ouarzazate itself (where the studios is located), has been a shooting location for famous films, such as: Alexander the Great, Black Hawk Down, Kingdom of Heaven, Babel,The Mummy (1999), Star Wars (1977), The Living Daylights (1987), Martin Scorsese’s Kundun (1997), and many others, including Body of Lies (2008) starring Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio. Although it only cost 50 dirhams to get in, the studios were unfortunately not very informative about which of the props and sets were used for which films – this was quite annoying and seems like it could be easily specified, therefore I don’t think going in was overly worth the money. Although, it was still an interesting experience and it was all laid out with a decorative and colourful aesthetic.
Next stop was the Taourirt Kasbah in Ouarzazate, it cost 20 dirhams to enter and we wandered around it, finding some colourfully-tiled rooms and interesting window features.
After this, we wandered off from the Kasbah, taking some photos of the local areas and then stopped off for an ice cream and a drink before moving on to Ouarzazate’s Central market. The market itself proved not overly interesting, it was more one for locals rather than tourists (e.g: the expected silverware jewellery and leather bags were nowhere to be seen, as I’ve experienced in a previous trip to Morocco). However, it was still interesting to see this more authentic and local one.
Finally, it was near enough the end of the day and it was dinner time! We decided to go to this restaurant called La Kasbah des sables. It’s a little off the beaten track, down some windy side streets of a Ouarzazate’s main road, but was highly recommended and looked beautiful inside, so our taxi driver kindly took us there and arranged to pick us up later on. It had a spectacular fountain/pond in the centre of the restaurant to sit around with numerous colourfully lit Moroccan lamps displayed on the back wall. The restaurant is also a hotel, ran by a French manager – we met him at the meal! We had samosas to start and then I had a beef fillet steak with peppercorn sauce as my main course, and we then all shared a chocolate tarte for pudding. It was a beautiful evening with delicious, well-priced food.
THURSDAY, DAY 3:
Another day, another taxi tour. Our first stop was the Telouet Kasbah which was roughly an hour’s drive north of our hotel. The car journey to the Kasbah was profoundly beautiful. We drove through many valleys, the Ounila valley being one of them. All of the valleys had incredible rock formations with amazing views of the Atlas Mountains, above, and the local villages living in the valleys, below. One winding road after the next, we eventually reached the Kasbah. The castle was the seat of the El Glaoui family’s power – built in the 18th and 19th centuries. We paid the entry fee of 20 dirhams and we had a tour guide take us around it, to show us the different rooms. The most impressive room was the one it is famously known for: the mosaic room. However, it did make me feel slightly uncomfortable when the tour guide informed us that hundreds of slaves had apparently worked on it to build it. This room was supposedly where the royals of the family slept, with a room each. The whole Kasbah was stunning, but particularly this room and the views from the top of the building.
Throughout the snaking roads en route to the Kasbah, we were unfortunately unable to stop for any photos, although we were able to on the way back down and the pit stops we made for photo-ops was incredible.
Also, on the way back down, we stopped off at an old ruined Kasbah to take some photos. Although, we did not go into this one as we were told we were not allowed to, only to take photos.
Next up on the itinerary was a visit to Skoura City, a town in the Ouarzazate Province. The landscape is full of palm tree groves and is a fertile oasis. Firstly, we visited the Skoura City Kasbah, another 20-dirham entrance fee but it was totally worth it. Although this Kasbah was designed more like a standard house, the views from the top were so picturesque, filled with palm trees all around.
After sitting with the locals, having some Moroccan tea, we then took a palm tree grove tour with a local guide. The palm tree grove was more like an allotment of plants and supposedly an oasis within it too (although we never saw one). The route the tour guide took us on weaved in, out and around the different parts of the allotment where there was planted beans, almond trees, olive trees, cacti and rose trees. The almond trees, in particular at the time, had this beautiful white blossom coming off them. We also got to a high point on the tour which had amazing views of the entire palm grove, its surrounding areas and beyond.
On the way back, we stopped off at a river, not too far from Skoura, to take some photos. It was very picturesque, with the strong sunlight sparkling on the water – another perfect photo-op!
Once we arrived back at the hotel, we watched the orange sun set over Aït Benhaddou from the terrace by our room, before going for dinner at a local restaurant in the village called Kasbah Valentine. Before our main course, we were given some nuts, olives and dates to nibble on which were very tasty. We then had a set menu of soup, chicken with couscous and vegetables, fruit and mint tea with biscuits.
FRIDAY, DAY 4:
This was our last full day and what better to leave until last than… the desert! As it was a lengthy 3.5 hour car drive each way, we began this day in the early hours of 6.45am. The night skies in Morocco were very clear, I hadn’t seen such a cloudless night sky like that in a long time; the stars and the moon shone brightly each night and in this case, we were able to see them before sunrise!
Our taxi driver picked us up at 7.45am and we began the long journey. Although, it wasn’t too bad, as wherever we went there was always amazing views to observe from the car, of the passing valleys or desert-like landscape; this was particularly beautiful to view as the sun rose at the start of our journey.
We finally arrived at the Tinfou Dunes in Zagora around lunch time. This place is supposedly part of the Sahara Desert, although at first glances upon arrival, it seemed a bit disappointing. The landscape seemed like it was almost man-made, as though some sand dunes had just been dumped in the middle of the desolate area. However, as we got closer to it we realised it was still worth the trip and still an amazing experience to be able to say we’ve been to part of a desert! The locals living there greeted us with nuts and Moroccan tea, after this, we then went exploring amongst the dunes.
After wandering about the dunes and admiring the stunning views of: the Atlas Mountains, the vast and empty landscape surrounding us and the dunes, we went back to the locals to eat lunch. After emptying roughly half of the desert from our shoes from the walk, we shared chicken tagine and soon after we left, ready for the long journey ahead of us back to the hotel.
On our drive back, we stopped for a few panoramic photo-ops/viewpoints. One of a very dense palm tree grove and one of an incredible valley formed of amazing brown rock.
After arriving back to the hotel around 5pm, we began our hike up the hill to the Aït Benhaddou Kasbah, which is the main attraction that the village we stayed in is famous for. We had to pay a small fee of 10 dirhams to enter the village to go up to the Kasbah. In total, after making our way up, over the bridge and up the rock face, it only took us roughly 30 minutes to reach the top – so we were a bit early for sunset! The plan was to stay up there until sunset anyway, but after the wind hit 30mph, spreading sand left right and centre, we had to come down – the pain of the sand hitting us was too much and we couldn’t see properly from it getting in our eyes! The views from the top were totally panoramic and beautiful from all around, each side providing a very different landscape; although it was difficult to appreciate with the gusts of sand surrounding us.
On the way back down, we passed through a different part of the village on the hill and went down to the bottom of the valley to get a view point we hadn’t seen before. It was very picturesque from here too, being able to see the Kasbah from a different angle and with the stepping stones placed artistically across the river, which we later used to cross the river and get out the valley to the other side.
After we got back to the hotel, we enjoyed a three course meal dinner and I watched the sunset from the highest terrace in the hotel. The sunset was a wonderful pink haze which looked quite surreal against the sand clouds (the photos of this don’t quite do it justice).
SATURDAY, DAY 5:
Sadly, our final day came around and it had come around far too quickly. We definitely jam-packed our trip and made the most of the desolate location we stayed in, however, I think if we had stayed any longer we would have run out of things to do without traveling for 6 hours+ each day!
As most of our days here had consisted of early morning starts, today we were able to have a well-deserved lie in as we had to check out of the hotel at midday. We had breakfast on the terrace again and packed our things together. Then, after checking out, we went and had a few drinks on the terrace of another hotel in the village to soak up the last of the views before we left for good.
Our taxi driver picked us up at 2pm to take us to the airport, we tipped him as he had been good to us and we had grown very fond of him over the trip. We then began the long journey home (which was made even longer by how tiny and slowly-operated the Ouarzazate airport is). We had to complete and sign another of the same form which we filled out coming into the country, for the authorities, on the way out. It also didn’t help that there was only one security scanning conveyor belt in the whole airport…
I have come back from this trip absolutely ecstatic that I went. The places I saw and the things I experienced were phenomenal and definitely like nothing I’ve ever done before. The photos I was able to take are so beautiful and I will treasure them throughout the years to come. This spontaneous, cheap and experiential trip really has made me appreciate this Erasmus year even more; the fact that I was able to just up and go and experience such a very different culture and lifestyle was amazing. It really made me appreciate what I have and how I live here in Spain and also back in England. I hope to be able to do another trip sometime this year before I finish living out here in Madrid.
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