Northern Morocco

While one of my closest friends, Julie was living in Madrid this year, we both decided that it would be a great idea to take advantage of a weekend trip over to Northern Morocco.

DAY 1:

To start our weekend Julie and I met up in Seville and took a two hour bus ride to the southern coast of Spain. From there, we crossed the Strait of Gibraltar by ferry to Africa.

When we arrived in Tangier, Morocco we were booked for a stay at the Ramada Hotel for two nights. The amenities at this hotel included a swimming pool, WiFi access, authentic Moroccan breakfasts and dinners and a surprise traditional Moroccan Music show. Julie somehow ended up in the show, balancing a platter of lit candles on her head. We also felt like the hotel was safe and secure.

DAY 2:

We started our second day by taking a guided tour of Chefchaouen’s Medina (old city) by a knowledgeable local guide who answered all questions our group had about Moroccan culture and “The Blue City”.

Originally, Chefchaouen was painted blue because the city had a problem keeping insects out. Since then, people come from all over the world to see this beautiful gem.

After our tour, we ate lunch at Restaurant Aladdin where guests could choose from a wide range of Moroccan favorites, from kefta to every kind of tajine and couscous. We thought these were all at a very affordable price. Suited to its name, the restaurant has an Aladdin feel, littered with cushions and makes you feel like you’re in the movie. Also, whether you dine inside or out, I would highly recommend going to the upstairs terrace to experience the gorgeous panoramic view of Chefchaouen.

Once lunch was over we spent our free time roaming around the markets of Chefchaouen. From Julie’s previous experience in Marrakesh she found that the merchants in the markets in the south were much more aggressive when it came to bartering. We learned the best days to go to these markets are Monday, Thursday and Saturday as the farmers from the Rif mountains come down to sell their goods.

DAY 3:

For our second day in Northern Morocco we started with a short camel ride on the stunning beaches of Tangier. Then after visiting the beaches of Tangier, we headed to Assilah, a town situated on Morroco’s Atlantic coast just south of Tangier.

Many of the merchants around Assilah will offer you their Henna services. One thing to be aware of when seeking henna is that black henna may cause an allergic reaction and you should opt for the brown henna instead. We also found out that you should end up paying roughly around 13 Dirham for henna.

After visiting the beaches and the markets all day we headed to The Cave of Hercules. The Cave of Hercules can be viewed from two sides. One side is from the sea and the other side is from land. From the sea the opening of the cave resembles the map of Africa with Madagascar in the bottom right corner. From the land the opening of the cave resembles a profile of a man with a headdress.