Where Next?
Destination: Morocco
Why: to soak up some sun, sea, souks, Sahara, summits and ancient sites and ruins in the company of my husband.... yes, our first stab at a Mary-style holiday together
When: April/May 2010
How: on Intrepid's Colours of Morocco tour (map), (trip notes). We were going to get the train down - there was an article in the Guardian Travel section a while ago that we both remembered, by The Man in Seat Sixty-One, and the facts / figures / links are all on his website. Basically we should be able to leave London on the Friday afternoon and be in Casablanca for the 6pm group meeting on the Sunday at the start of the trip.... but there are overnight engineering works on the Paris-Madrid route on the Friday/Saturday we'd need to travel.
So it's plan B: easyJet from London Gatwick to Madrid, two nights in Madrid (at the Hotel Agumar) and then easyJet from Madrid to Casablanca. All for a lot less then Royal Air Maroc's direct flight from London to Casablanca. We're also using easyJet to fly back from Marrakech.
Itinerary
Part 1: DIY London to Casablanca via Madrid
- Day 1: London to Madrid.
- Day 2: Madrid.
- Day 3: Madrid to Casablanca.
Part 2: Intrepid's Colours of Morocco tour
- Day 1 (DIY day 3): Casablanca (arrival day)
- Day 2: Casablanca / Rabat / Meknes
- Day 3: Meknes / Volubilis / Fes
- Day 4: Fes
- Day 5: Fes / Midelt
- Day 6: Midelt / Merzouga / Sahara Camp / Erg Chebbi
- Day 7: Sahara Camp / Merzouga / Todra Gorge
- Day 8: Todra Gorge
- Day 9: Todra Gorge / Ouarzazate / Aït Benhaddou
- Day 10: Aït Benhaddou / Tizi n'Tichka Pass (2260m) / Toubkal National Park / Imlil / Aroumd
- Day 11: Aroumd / Essaouira
- Day 12: Essaouira
- Day 13: Essaouira / Marrakech
- Day 14: Marrakech
- Day 15: Marrakech (departure day)
Google map
Information
- Wikipedia: London, Madrid, Casablanca, Rabat, Meknes, Volubilis, Fes, Midelt, Merzouga, Sahara, Erg Chebbi, Todra Gorge, Ouarzazate, Aït Benhaddou, Tizi n'Tichka Pass (2260m), Toubkal National Park, Jebel Toubkal, Imlil, Atlas Mountains, Aroumd, Essaouira, Marrakech, Morocco
- Wikitravel: London, Madrid, Casablanca, Rabat, Meknes, Volubilis, Fes, Midelt, Merzouga, Sahara, Erg Chebbi, Todra Gorge, Ouarzazate, Aït Benhaddou, Tizi n'Tichka Pass (2260m), Toubkal National Park,Jebel Toubkal, Imlil, Atlas Mountains, Aroumd, Essaouira, Marrakech, Morocco
- Lonely Planet: Morocco
- FCO travel advice: Morocco
- BBC country profile: Morocco
- UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Historic City of Meknes, Archaeological Site of Volubilis, Medina of Fez, Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou, Medina of Essaouira (formerly Mogador), Medina of Marrakesh
Guide books and reading material
- Morocco (Lonely Planet Country Guide) - Paul Clammer (209 edition)
- The Rough Guide to Morocco - Mark Ellingham, Daniel Jacobs, Hamish Brown, and Shaun McVeigh (2007 edition)
- Morocco (Footprint Handbooks) - Julius Honnor (2008 edition)
- Map 0742 Morocco/Maroc (Michelin National Maps) (2007)
- The Rough Guide Map Morroco (Rough Guide Map: Morocco) (2009)
- Prion Birdwatchers' Guide to Morocco - Patrick Bergier and Fedora Bergier (2003)
- The Caliph's House - Tahir Shah
- A Year in Marrakesh - Peter Mayne
Languages
Weather
Forecasts (www.accuweather.com)
- Madrid
- Casablanca
- Rabat
- Meknes
- Fes
- Midelt
- Merzouga
- Todra Gorge
- Ouarzazate
- Aït Benhaddou
- Imlil
- Aroumd
- Essaouira
- Marrakech
- Home (for comparison):London, United Kingdom
Recent articles
- BBC: Dozens die in Morocco minaret collapse: At least 36 people were killed in Morocco when a minaret collapsed at a mosque in the central town of Meknes, officials say.
Map of countries visited
(as at 26 October 2008)
North America
- Canada - World Tour 1997-1999 (albeit only crossing to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls!)
- United States - World Tour 1997-1999, Burning Man 2002
Central America and the Caribbean
-
South America
- Argentina - Chile & Argentinian Patagonia, 2003
- Bolivia
- Chile - Chile & Argentinian Patagonia, 2003,