Koutoubia Mosque

Recently two members of the Encounters team spent a long weekend in Marrakech.

Marrakech is a wonderfully vibrant city. It is an explorers paradise, you can spend days walking through the labyrinthine streets of the Medina and never get bored. People are welcoming and friendly and the food is incredible!

On arrival into Marrakech it is a short transfer into the city, you drive along the old wall of the Medina until a small gap in this ancient fortress allows you to enter the secret world of the old city. This is where many of the traditional Riads are and the main square and shopping area is. The Djemaa El Fna Square at night is a hive of activity, there are snake charmers, monkeys, musicians and storytellers. There are also countless food stalls which serve up the freshest ingredients causing clouds of fragrant BBQ smoke to float through the air.

We stayed in a small riad just off of the main square. It was an oasis of calm from the chaos of the square. It was serene and luxurious and was a great place to relax after the hectic day of navigating through the alleys.

The following day, we went on a guided tour to see the Koutoubia Mosque, Bahia Palace and the Ben Youssef Medersa which were all ornately decorated and gave an interesting insight to the history of Marrakech. We then spent a few hours  with our Moroccan guide leading us through the local area of the souks. There were very few tourists along the way, it felt as though we were getting a unique insight into Moroccan culture. We visited leather tanners and blacksmiths, butchers and artists and all greeted us with a smile.

Spice Seller, Marrakech, Morocco.

That night we went for dinner in a beautiful restaurant called La Salama, it was lit by hundreds of candles and had traditional music to set the mood, the food was incredible. It was a very busy place and off in a dimly lit corner we caught a glimpse of Elle McPherson, soaking up the same ambiance we were! There was a pianist who played until the traditional music resumed and was turned up as belly dancers flooded the room and danced for everyone’s enjoyment. We had Moroccan wine which was wonderful, we think due to the strong French influence in the country. It was a magical evening!

The next morning we travelled towards the Atlas mountains to visit a traditional Berber Market, they are held weekly and are a chance for the Berber men to travel out of the mountains to do their weekly shopping, see the doctor, get their hair cut or visit the dentist (the dentist and the barber are the same person!)   We then drove into the mountains which were covered in snow which was melting down the hills and into the rivers running through the valleys, the river banks were dotted with camels and local restaurants. It was a stunningly beautiful drive.

That evening we had drinks at a rooftop bar, it looked out over the city wall which was covered in stork nests, the silhouettes of the huge birds made the sunset even more beautiful.

Ben Youssef Medersa, Marrakech, Morocco

We walked into the new city for dinner, the new city is very modern and has huge shopping arcades, entertainment complexes and lots of fantastic restaurants. It is also where Marrakech’s nightclubs are. This is where young fashionable Moroccans party in mini skirts and stilettos, worlds away from the fashion and feel of the people in the Medina.

Marrakech has so much to offer a traveller, no matter what your tastes are, Marrakech will cater to you, whether you love shopping, history, culture, relaxation, cuisine or all of the above, it is a city to get lost in, both figuratively and literally.

All of the Encounters Morocco group tours start and end in Marrakech and  include a day tour of the city and loads of free time to explore on your own or book an optional excursion.

Casablanca - Explore with Encounters Travel

No one expected it to be anything out of the ordinary; it was one of hundreds of Hollywood movies released in 1943. But its characters, dialogue and music became iconic, and Casablanca grew to be the black-&-white classic, often ranking near the top of all those ‘greatest’ lists. Cinema supercharged the thought of the city of Casablanca so glamorously, it makes today’s statistics like — ‘it’s Morocco’s largest city’ and ‘it’s industrious with the world’s largest artificial port’ — comparatively dull.

No wonder tourists rush to Rick’s Café at 248 Rue Sour Jdid. This upmarket restaurant is a recreation of Humphrey Bogart’s movie nightclub. It’s set within the walls of the Old Medina (City) that borders the Atlantic Ocean. The menu is excellent, though expensive, and offers choices fresh from the Atlantic, including Swordfish Steak and American Crab Louis. Then there are the cocktails — so great here, of all the gin-joints in the world.

After the earthquake of 1755, the Sultan of Morocco rebuilt the Portuguese colony city of ad-Dār al-Bayḍā. Over a century later it was renamed ‘Casa Blanca’ (‘White House’) by the Spanish who were ‘protecting’ Moroccan coasts and ports. The French occupied Casablanca in 1907, and had the rest of inland Morocco ‘protected’ by 1912. Nationalist uproar finally pushed the country to independence in 1956.

Casablanca is very laidback, and the locals are sincere and friendly. The city’s King Hassan II Mosque is the largest in Morocco and the 2nd largest in the world (after the Grand Mosque in Mecca). French designed with Moorish influences, it was built on reclaimed land — almost half of it is over the Atlantic — and part of its expanse of flooring is ocean-viewing glass. The Mosque was built between 1986 and 1993. Its granite, plaster, marble and wood were sourced in Morocco, with the exception of its Italian granite columns and glass chandeliers. Moroccan artisans produced the Mosque’s beautiful mosaics, stone and marble floors and columns, plaster mouldings and carved wooden ceilings.

Casablanca is vibrant and trendy with a happening nightlife. In and around the traditional Old Medina-walls are souqs (markets) selling shoes, clothing, pottery, locally-made leather goods, hookah pipes and an array of nuts, dates, herbs and spices, and fruit — including the delicious little jujube (red date). Vegetables are abundant, so are dead or alive chickens, other fine meats and delicious Moroccan cakes and sweets.

North African arts and crafts are best sourced in the Habbous District. Foodies should definitely walk through Central Market to take in the atmosphere and consider buying something local. Its stallholders love negotiating, so get the hang of some Arabic ‘marketing’ words to prevent paying over the odds!  F. Kabbaj is well worth a visit, where among other delicacies you can sample the local foie gras. And near El Maarif, enjoy a coffee at Sky 28 — the views are as glamorous as Casablanca.

Check out or Morocco Tours here http://www.encounterstravel.com/morocco.html or email tours@encounterstravel.com.

Moroccan Spices and Fruits

Marrakesh is a city in the foothills of Morocco’s snow-capped High Atlas Mountains. Restaurants, plush casinos and full cafés match their busy vibe to the bustling markets (souks) and lively street-life. But nowhere is Marrakesh magic more spectacular than at its Jemaa el Fna market.

Situated in the old fortified medina quarter — the old city — this souk is the nerve-centre of Marrakesh’s economic life. It’s the largest market in Morocco and spreads its canopies and stalls all over the big city square. Here you can buy almost anything — from spices to mountain boots, kaftans to mint teas, camel meat to dried fruit ‘n nuts; along with harira and date soup and delicious beef tagine with apricots.

Jemaa el Fna is also an ever-changing daily street drama. All over the show there are actors, acrobats, Berber story-tellers, musicians, magicians, snake charmers, traditional healers and Chleuh dancers. And they make the most of everyone as their audience — even people stuck in the streets’ traffic-jams. Try not to miss the boys with their tethered Barbary apes!

Then, as late afternoon turns to evening, fun-seeking tourists and night revellers arrive. The amount of food stalls multiply and let off cooking-smoke, and couscous topped with tender lamb starts to overtake the smell of deep-fried eel and ginger. Trading throughout the night, night-after-night, the square turns into a vast food festival.

Jemaa el Fna’s Moroccan foodie delights have taken their influence from far and wide. Africa, the Mediterranean and Arab lands are represented, dish by dish. Spice merchants here try to outdo each other with their ‘secret’ blends. Enjoy garlicy l’escargot, or local specialities such as grilled brochettes and spicy sausages. Zaalouk — eggplant and tomato salad — is also delicious.

Added to this, there are a wonderful variety of desserts, including, kaab el ghzal (gazelle’s horns) — a pastry stuffed with almond paste and topped with sugar; and Halwa shebakia, a pretzel-shaped dough that’s deep-fried, dipped into a hot pot of honey and sprinkled with sesame seeds. As for Moroccan beers, there are some highly-quaffable light lagers. Also, try the nation’s famous bittersweet pilsners.

The Jemaa el Fna souk is chaotic and crowded — a very original North African cultural space. Your senses will run into overdrive as you shop in a market like you’ve never shopped in before.

To book one of our Morocco Tours call us on 0800 088 6002 or email tours@encounterstravel.com. See our special offers for featured Morocco Tours.