… “belatedly” in the sense that we got back fine, as scheduled, on 09 May – but I’m only just getting round to updating my Where next? page to relocate the details of Mary and Phil Go Mad in Madrid and Morocco to make space for (eek!!!) this summer’s expedition: Wild Frontiers’ Himalayan Journey from Lhasa to Kashgar…..
But back to the background on April/May’s trip to Morocco via Madrid! Photos still to do….
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
- Metro de Madrid (English version) – which includes a handy metro map and travel planner
Guide books and reading material
- Morocco (Lonely Planet Country Guide) – Paul Clammer (2009 edition)
- The Rough Guide to Morocco – Daniel Jacobs (Author), Daniel Lund A (Contributor), Kate Hawkings (Contributor), Hamish Brown (Contributor) (2010 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
* we took this one with us, not that really need a guide book when you’re on a guided trip. Still, it proved handy for those times we had free to DIY. Not that we always had it with us mind you. “Remember Rabat!”
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.