• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Stepping Out Of Babylon

Travel & Photography

  • About me
    • Contact
  • Destinations
    • Africa and Middle East
      • Iran
      • Morocco
      • Turkey
    • East Asia
      • China
      • Japan
    • South Asia
      • India
      • Nepal
      • Sri Lanka
    • Southeast Asia
      • Cambodia
      • Indonesia
      • Lao
      • Malaysia
      • Myanmar
      • Singapore
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
  • Itineraries & Maps
  • Travel tips
    • Visa
    • Hiking and Natural parks
    • Traveling as a vegetarian
    • Border crossing
  • Shop & Photography

Marrakesh

From the oasis to the desert… through the High Atlas

The road from Marrakesh to Ouarzazate, iwas one of the most remarkable things in this Morocco trip. In less that 200 kilometers we leave the green plains of Marrakesh, filled up with orange, pomegranate and olive trees and reach Ouarzazate, where the landscape shows up dry and arid, preparing us for the arriving of the desert that waits for us as we move further East.

The road N9, cross the High Atlas Range reaching the 2260 meters high when it cross the Tizi-n-Tichka high pass, that in October are already covered with snow.

Through the bus windows we can watch the change of the colors of the mountains, with a wide pallets of greens and browns, where occasionally small groups of houses nest in the less steep slopes. Behind, farther and farther, are the peaks of the snow-capped mountains. It’s a long journey of almost 8 hours, where the changes of light enhance the tones of the landscape, making the last part of the trip, on the East slopes of the Atlas, looking like an hypnotic sequence of smooth hills where we can find all the shades of brown characteristic of this almost desert area.

[clear]

Road Marrakesh to Ouarzazate_high Atlas_DSC_9247
Road N9… around one our driving away from Marrakwsh, no the way to Tizi-n-Tichka high pass

[clear]

Hight Atlas... road N9 from Marrakesh to Ouarzazate
Hight Atlas… road N9 from Marrakesh to Ouarzazate

[clear]

Hight Atlas... road N9 from Marrakesh to Ouarzazate
Hight Atlas… road N9 from Marrakesh to Ouarzazate

[clear]

Road Marrakesh to Ouarzazate_high Atlas_DSC_9261

[clear]

[hr]

How to go from Marrakesh to Ouarzazate

Despite the good Morocco railway network, the train doesn’t reach the Eastern part of the country, where is the desert and te big dunes, so the best alternative are the long distance buses. Both SupraTours and CTM provide a good service, with modern and comfortable buses, and both practice more or less the same prices.

The CTM bus from Marrakesh to Ouarzazate costs 90 Dirham, plus 5 Dirham for the luggage. Is advisable to buy the ticket one day in advance, online or directly at the CTM bus terminal/office.

CTM bus departure from its own terminal not far from the train station, in the modern part of Marrakesh, around 5 kilometers away from the medina. Gate Supratours is also close by.

The trip takes around 3 hours. If you take the CTM bus it will drop you at the CTM gare that is very close by the main square of Ouarzazate. The Supratours has its terminal at Gare Routiere (mains bus terminal) about 2 km from the center.

 

[clear]

N9 High Atlas Road
N9 High Atlas Road

[clear]

Marrakesh… the first contact with the Moroccan culture

[clear]

Arriving at a new country always demand certain adjustments… learning the greetings and the way to thank, adjust to the local “dress code”, learn the name of the dishes, identify ingredients and adjust to new flavours and smells… adjust to local schedules and routines… learn that medina means old town, usually surrounded by walls and accessible by gates, called bab, that works also as a landmark in this urban labyrinth… that the kasbah are castles or fortress dating from the fights between Arabs and Berbers… learn that riads are the traditional Moroccan houses which center is a courtyard, many of them saved from ruins by the tourism business… and learn that a souk is a market, no matter if it’s for selling food or objects… and also learn the cost of things and how the currency looks like, trying to look confident not to be cheated!!! Anyway, all these challenges are part of the attraction of travel, no?!?!

[clear]

Jemaa el-Fnaa, the central square of Marrakesh medina
Jemaa el-Fnaa, the central square of Marrakesh medina

[clear]

Despite cultural, historical and religious differences, Morocco was quite easy to adjust, revealing a laid-back and friendly people. Marrakesh was a good start for a short 20 days Morocco trip, where the packed medieval city, dating to the Berber Empire, with its narrow and maze alleys coexist with a modern and cosmopolitan area with long boulevards and tidy parks, where the French influence is still present.

Marrakesh, one of the four cities of the imperial cities (the others are Fes, Meknes and Rabat) is famous for its crafts, with the main streets packed with shops selling jewellery, clothes, metal works, leather products, spices, teas and herbal medicines, nuts and dry fruits, and the famous carpets, where the Berber geometric designs pop up. Not so easy to find but probably more appealing if you are not in a shopping mood, are the workshops where artisans do their work using traditional techniques and local materials.

Moving away from the most crowded medina alleys we can appreciate the traditional architecture, with two or three storage buildings covered with the traditional mud plaster (tadelakt) that gives the typical dark red color to the city. The streets are narrow, many times without exit, which can make orientation difficult.

It’s the arriving of the winter and the sky is cover by a dense layer of clouds that filter the sunrays and bring the promise of rain. Located in the foothills of the Atlas, Marrakesh is framed by high mountains with the top covered by snow.

The Jemaa el-Fnaa, can be considered the heart of the social life of the medina (old city), where Moroccan visitors, and foreigners tourists mix with the local population that come here mainly in the end of the afternoon to socialize, eat a snail snack, listen traditional Berber music play life, shop some traditional natural medicines, get a henna design or simply for a lazy stroll away from the narrow and fully packed alleys of the medina.

 

[clear]

 

Jemaa el-Fnaa
Jemaa el-Fnaa

 

[clear]

Jemaa el-Fnaa
Jemaa el-Fnaa

 

[clear]

Stepping out of Babylon_Marrakesh_DSC_8658
medina

 

[clear]

Stepping out of Babylon_Marrakesh_DSC_8640
blacksmith workshop in the heart of the medina

 

[clear]

Despite being considered as an Arab country, Morocco population is believed to be mainly Berber or Berber descendants, an ethnic group indigenous from what is now Mauritania, Algeria, Libya and Tunisia, that inhabited these areas even before the arrival of the Arabs. The strongest mark of the Berber culture is the language, the Tamazight, that is spoken by the majority of the population but that only in 2011 was considered as an official language in Morocco.

 

[clear]

medina back streets
medina backstreets

[clear]

Stepping out of Babylon_Marrakesh_DSC_8543
Herbalist

[clear]

 

 

[hr]

Where to sleep in Marrakesh:

As Marrakesh is one of the most popular tourist places in Morocco, it offers a wide range of accommodation choices, for all budgets, and it’s not difficult to find a dorm for 6 euros (around 60 Dirham).

The Kasbah Red Castle Hostel was a good choice, as its located in a walking distance from the medina in a quiet neighbourhood away from the more touristic areas, where the local lifestyle is still present. The place is very clean and quiet during the evening. The breakfast is a mix of traditional Moroccan bread and beans stew with the western standards of eggs and jam, which makes a good start to Moroccan gastronomy.

The staff is friendly and very willing to provide information if you want to travel by yourself, never pushing for the tours that they also offer.

[clear]

[columns] [span6]

Kashah Red Castel Hostel. Contacts
Kashah Red Castel Hostel. Contacts

[/span6][span6]

Kashah Red Castel Hostel. Breakfast
Kashah Red Castel Hostel. Breakfast

[/span6][/columns]

[clear]

[hr]

Where to eat in Marrakesh:

Marrakesh has a lot of choices of food, from the sophisticated restaurants serving the traditional dishes, mainly tagines and couscous, with a twist… until the budget options that are small eateries or sometimes street stalls that serve soups (harira), traditional bread (msemen, hacha, Meloui, and many more) that can be plain, with olive oil, honey or cheese (always the over-processed-triangle-cheese, as proper cheese is rare in Morocco).

The traditional Moroccan sandwiches are also a good option, suiting also vegetarian, that basically consist in a flat bread stuffed with egg, potato, meat or grill vegetables, seasoned with olive oil and a lot of cumin.

[clear]

traditional meat stew
traditional meat stew

[clear]

Amal is a non-profit association, empowering women through culinary skills that serve delicious food at lunchtime in a quiet terrace. The place is located in the modern part of the city; it’s a long but easy walk along wide avenues, and it really worth the effort. Here you can find Moroccan traditional food, with a French touch, cooked with love and served with a smile!

//amalnonprofit.org/

[clear]

[columns] [span6]

Tagine at Amal
Vegetable Tagine at Amal

[/span6][span6]

Stepping out of Babylon_Marrakesh_AMAL_IMG_7773

[/span6][/columns]

[clear]

[hr]

How to move around in Marrakesh:

The medina is easy to walk on foot, in fact, is the only option as the streets are narrow and full of people.

The medinas are not easy to navigate and its easy to get lost as the streets are very similar and without much reference points, but the best approach is just walking random and follow the intuition… maybe you’ll not find a certain mosque or palace, but you’ll probably find the traditional lifestyle, the street markets and the local shops.

Anyway… don’t expect to find again the same shop that you saw a “while ago” or on the day before. Marrakesh medina is not so big or confuse as Fes medina, but you need a couple of days to get familiar with place.

Notice that in Morocco the foreigners cannot enter the mosques but can visit the madrasa (Islamic schools).

[clear]

[hr]

Where to change money in Marrakesh:

The ATM machines are widely available in all towns and cities but if you prefer to bring money with you, euros and dollars are very well come in Morocco. You can find moneychangers at the most touristic places (easy to locate in Marrakesh and Fes medinas, not so easy in Meknes).

It’s also possible to change money at the banks, but for that, it’s necessary to show the passport.

In Marrakesh the best rate that I found (in fact it was the best rate of all Morocco trip) was at Hotel Ali Currency Exchange very close to the Jemaa el-Fnaa square; you can locate it by maps.me or google.maps (Chez Ali Bureau de Change).

[clear]

[hr]

How to go from the Marrakesh Menara Airport to the city center:

There’s an express bus that drops you in the center of Marrakesh, the Jemaa el-Fnaa. From there you can probably your accommodation on foot with the help of a map app.

The isn’t a bus stand or anything that identify the place where the express bus stop, but coming out from the arrivals you should walk straight, crossing the car; the bus stops not far from the car park entrance. If you reach the taxi park you already walk too far.

The bus is modern and comfortable. The trip takes around 20 minutes.

The ticket costs 30 Dirham.

[clear]

Jemaa el-Fnaa
Jemaa el-Fnaa

Primary Sidebar

Donation…

Sharing is caring… Stepping Out Of Babylon remains free (and without advertisement). It takes me hundreds of hours to research, organize and write… and thousands of euros to sustain.

As I put all my love, effort and ‘free time’ in this project I would love to continue my journey providing all the information to make your trip easier and cheaper… or just inspire you with nice texts and good photos.

If you find any interest and value in what I do, please consider supporting my work with a donation of your choosing, between a cup of coffee and a good dinner.

With Love!

€

Give what you can

Select Payment Method
Personal Info

Donation Total: €5.00

Subscribe to our mailing list and get interesting stuff and updates to your email inbox.

  • 2,127,191
  • 568,941
  • 584

Footer

Products

  • Humble Hindu priest. Bali 35€ – 60€
  • Feeding the cow. Varanasi 35€ – 60€
  • Tattooed Man. Myanmar 35€ – 60€
  • Jungle morning mist. Thailand 35€
  • Maha Shivaratri. India 35€ – 60€

Tags

accommodation Arugam Bay Assam Bali Bogor Border Crossing Borneo Cappadocia Colombo Dambulla Esfahan Fes Food Gilis Hiking Imlil Istanbul Itinerary Jakarta Java Kashan Kathmandu Kohima Kuala Lumpur Lombok Marrakesh Meghalaya Meknes Nagaland Natural Park Northeast States Ouarzazate Sarawak Shiraz Sichuan Province Sumatra Tabriz Tehran transportation Varanasi Visa Yangon Yazd Yogyakarta Yunnan Province

search

Categories

  • English
  • Português

Copyright © 2023 · SOOB Infinity Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok