Morocco Tips?

I would suggest Marrakesh in lieu of Casablanca...I don't have any current hotels or restaurants to recommend..(trip advisor can help with the lodging)....but, in my opinion, Marrakesh captures the Sahara better than any other "accessible" Moroccan destination.

I too would definitely recommend Marrakech over Casablanca, though try and do both if you have the time. Marrakech requires more time than does Casa.

Also, do not skip Fes. The medina there was truly amazing and also very disorienting - a great experience.

I went to Morocco bout 10 years ago, and am going back for a short visit in October. Here's my advice...

I would suggest you skip Tangier - it is the "Tiajuana" of Morocco. If all you have is a day side-trip from Spain, it's better than nothing, but it shows you some of the worst of the country: artificial, made-for-the-tourists attractions, and an endless string of would be "guides" working hard to get you into their brother-in-law's carpet shop.

I'd also suggest that Casablanca isn't worth your time. Note: there is NO "Ricks American Cafe" in Casablanca. It is not a romantic, exotic city. There's only one sight worht seeing for the avarage tourist, the big (modern) mosque, but like other mosques, unless you're a believer and there to worship, you can't enter (unless that has changed).

Better places to spend your time: Fes and Marrakesh are not to be missed. Meknes is also worth a vist, with good Roman ruins nearby. The seaside resort twon of Essouaria is very nice (although it sounds like it's pretty heavily influenced now by northern european tourists who come on cheap flighst for the sun and beaches). If you have time, a trip through the Atlas Mountains is memorable. You mentioned a camel treck into the Sahara....be aware that for the real Sahara, you have to get pretty deep into the country (1-2 long days from Marrakesh). There are two primary access points for tourists who want to do the camel trek up on to the Ergs (sand seas): M'hammidia (about a day's drive from Marrakesh), and Erg Chebbi (about 2 days drive from Marrakesh), which I'm told is much better.

Some other random bits of advice....

Be prepared to fend off the would-be "guides"; you WILL get hassled. Don't be afraid to go into the Medinas. Bring a small compass! Learn a few Arabic phrases, but if you can speak even a little French, it will save you.

A better source for info on Morocco (no offense to the helpful folks here) would be the Lonely Planet website.

Good luck!

I guess I will sound like a broken record, but head inland to Marrakesh. It's a pretty great city (but it is Morocco). Accommodations are very affordable, and you can be right in the middle of the city. Food is fantastic, especially in the main square at night (sorry, I was 11 when I was there, so I can't give too many specifics).

Tangier is only good for when you are in the interim of boat and train. It's not great, and "tour guides" are persistent, but avoidable in the end. I ended up on a "tour" with my father which brought us to a couple of carpet shops, but it actually wasn't that bad in this instance, because the guide brought us to where we wanted to go.

Has anyone done a camel trek into the Sahara?

I haven't been to any of those cool Moroccan cities, but I did go to Agidir with my kids. We really enjoyed it, the people were lovely, the water was nice, it wasn't too hot, and there were lots of places to shop without people grabbing on you. As a single woman, I felt safe and no one ever bothered me. We also rode camels on the beach. I know, it was touristy, but that hour on the camel was enough for me. My legs were so sore! The king has a palace there, the airport is gorgeous, and they sell all these amazing cedar boxes. We found a taxi driver that drove us around all day and he took us out to the workshops where they make the cedar products, also to a bird wildlife sanctuary that was filled with flamingos, etc. I just had a good time there and would go back anytime. Oh, we even went on a day long sailing trip that was so much fun. Great seafood too.

Hi Melissa:

We were in Morocco via cruise ship this past March for a day, and set up a private
tour in Casablanca and Rabat. If we had
additional time, we would have gone into
Marrakesh.

However, for desert treking and visiting
our historical cities, I would recommend that you contact [email protected]
He lives in Marrakesh and can help you with all your traveling needs.

If you don't hear from him right a way, he may be on a desert trip, but, will contact you upon his return.

BG

I've been to Marrakech. My brother and I went and we did a camel trek out of Zagora. It took quite a while, about 6+ hours I think to get from Marrakech to Zagora. The scenery is beautiful though for the whole ride. We did a one night camel trek since we were short on time. It was definately a great experience. I thought a couple hours on the camel was more than enough, because you will probably be very sore the next morning, lol! My tip is to eat all the chicken tangine you can! Also don't try to bring a tangine back...they are prone to shattering :( My brother found one for me back home and bought it for my b-day, I've yet to find a decent recipe though, but I'm working on it.