Morocco

We landed in Casablanca early morning. We opted for airport fast track, since our flight was early it only saved us about 20 minutes but apparently can be hours at immigration.   Our Marrakech hotel picked us up from Casablanca.  We were happy with this decision as we were tired anyway good time to get the 2.5 hour drive over with, as opposed to sleeping that day in Casablanca and worsening jet lag process.

We chose Oberoi in Marrakech.  There are an abundance of nice hotel options either near the Medina or just outside town.  Being in a quieter location was nice for relaxing on day 1.  Hotel grounds are very impressive, and the hammam we had was quite a treat. We enjoyed their Indian plus Moroccan breakfast options.  The following day we took a tour of Medina, with the Madrasa being the highlight.  We booked a guide as wanted to ensure we were not wasting time, and thought it would fend off  the notorious touts.  In fact, I did not find the Medina any worse than Delhi, Istanbul,  Katmandu etc.  Unfortunately the medina and Marrakech has clearly lost its soul, selling tourists junk predominantly. However there were a few nice shops and areas still worth seeing.  We had lunch at Royal Mansour, which was quite nice. It would be the accommodation of choice if in the budget.   The following day we were off to Imlil. 

Kasbah de Toubkal was a short hike from the centre of town, our bags carried by mules. It’s set on the hillside on an outcropping, and the view from the grounds plus terrace are excellent.  Friendly locals run the place, it’s quite rustic but charming.  We did a short warmup hike to a nearby town with a waterfall café.   The next morning we met our guide and walked up a pass (Tizi n Mzik).  At the top we stopped for our first picnic lunch.  This is clearly a strength of hiking in Morocco,  they really do the picnic well. 

We continued down from the pass into the Azzaden valley.  The dry arid landscape, dotted with the small villages and the snow capped high Atlas in the background was quite scenic. As we dropped down into the adjacent valley, green terraced crops were dominant, with lots of sheep.  The damage from the 2023 earthquake was still evident   either lots of villagers helping each other rebuild.  There are few tourists in this valley, the locals are quite traditional and averse of photography.  We were welcomed into a traditional lodge for the night, where it was just the two of us.  We felt quite distant from the typical tourist path quietly watching the light fade behind the high clouds over the valley as the prayers were called out. 

The following morning we started up another pass (Tizi n Oudite) back to Toubkal.  My wife,  training for some trail runs was keen on running this one.  She convinced the guide to ditch his pack and run the second half with her.  Quite the view as it cut across the valley high to the south then curved around back to Imlil.  The verdant green valleys with blooming white cherries contrasted with the dry mountains made for a very nice hike for myself left in the dust with the mules.  Another beautiful picnic lunch bu a stream ensued.  After getting back to Kashbah we tried their do it yourself hamman, quite fun. 

Our last full day in Imlil we headed east up the tizi n tamatert pass and further to the Airourit d Ouassif east summit for a view to the valley and villages to the east this time.  Another lovely day out in the mountains. We could see the peak where there used to be a ski resort, sadly closed for a few years due to lack of snow.

I had packed our leopard crampons in case we wanted to do toubkal in a day (~2300m). Probably would have been a bad idea and left us exhausted,  couldn’t convince a guide to take us anyway.  The mountains around Imlil seemed best as a cultural experience to see the villages rather than a mountaineering experience.

We had one last quick morning hike where we got nervous navigating a village before our last breakfast and pick up to Olinto. 

Olinto is an upscale quiet resort in the foothills of Atlas one valley west of Asseden. I had arranged a hike + picnic excursion the day of our arrival in case our room wasn’t ready.  The hike was a bit lacking compared to previous destination, but good to get some exercise.  Picnic was a bit more luxurious  but not quite as well set either.  The grounds gardens and design of Olinto were exquisite .  We had a last hammam and enjoyed a day of relaxation.  There was a skinny house cat which I made the mistake of offering a small piece oof chicken tagine in the garden.

A reasonable 4 hour drive to Casablanca,  followed by a quick walk on the beach and dinner ended a short but really nice trip to Morocco. 

Morocco had been a destination that had been in mind for years, but always as a backup.  My fear was that it would be over touristed, and not enjoyable.  .  However, despite Marrakech being past its prime,  and the Atlas aren’t on the scale of beauty as Patagonia,  Himalayan, Dolomites or Canadian Rockies they were a worthwhile visit.  With the distant culture, wonderful food, design the trip to Morocco felt far more than the sum of its parts.  We will return to hike around M Goun and visit the Sahara, perhaps also somewhere on the coast or Fez.  We didn’t want to add too much driving to a short trip, nor commit to a full two week journey the first time

For those planning, while I recommend both Oberoi and Olinto, but would not stay too long in either.  Oberoi felt a bit too out of town to make daily trips to restaurants/shops etc and a nice riad might be better option beyond a couple days.  Our guide did not speak favorably towards La Mammornia’s recent refurb.