"One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." ― Henry Miller
My first trip to Morocco did not disappoint, and it will definitely not be my last. I traveled in a group of 20 American travel advisors, and what made the trip even better was making some genuine friendships within our group. We laughed a lot, and it's so nice to have new friends I'll be able to reminisce with about riding mules up the High Atlas Mountains, riding camels in the Agafay Desert at sunset, and singing Midnight at the Oasis at every opportunity. We did many hotel and riad site visits, cooked a delicious chicken tagine lunch, and shopped in the souks of Marrakech and Essaouira.
I posted daily on Nine Muses Travel's Facebook and Instagram pages, and I hope you'll scroll through each day's photos and videos and let me know what you think. Would you like to stay in the Agafay Desert luxury camp in my posts? Or in Rabat at the brand-new Four Seasons or Ritz-Carlton? I also made it to Sir Richard Branson's sister's luxury riad in Marrakech's medina (which means the old town of a city), and it's a beauty called El Fenn. I brought three advisors to have drinks at the rooftop bar, but it was closed for a private event with Sir Richard, who was also in Morocco to reopen his Virtuoso property in the Atlas Mountains, Kasbah Tamadot, following repairs from the 2023 earthquake. El Fenn is also an art gallery with an eclectic boutique of artisan products, like my new tunic in the photo above.
Everywhere we went in Casablanca, Rabat, Marrakech, Essaouira, from the mountains to the ocean, all felt safe and welcoming. The only time I wore a head scarf was at the spectacular Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, the second largest functioning mosque in Africa, and I was the only visitor wearing a scarf. It was our first day in Morocco, and I wanted to show respect for the local culture, but truly no one cared that heads were uncovered in this particular mosque. I also realized I prefer loose-fitting clothes anyway, so my existing travel wardrobe was appropriate for a Muslim country.
Right now Morocco is benefiting from a civic-minded King, who's preparing the country to co-host the 2030 World Cup. In the capital Rabat's neighboring town called Salé across the river, the tallest building in Africa, the Mohammed VI Tower, is nearly done, along with the Grand Theatre of Rabat, a distinctive performing arts center designed by Zaha Hadid to resemble a cobra head; it will be the largest theater in the Arab world and Africa. King Mohammed VI has been improving infrastructure including new affordable housing buildings and adding trees and green spaces to Rabat.
Morocco is quite open-minded and safe for all religions, and Moroccans are proud of their heritage of protecting Jewish people from persecution including from the Spanish Inquisition. And while Muslims aren't supposed to drink alcohol, someone is drinking the local wines from Moroccan vineyards which don't export their wines....
I can't wait to go back, and on my next visit I'll Tangiers, Fes, Mekenes, and Chefchaouen, which is also known as the blue city. I have a small group itinerary in mind. Would you like to join me?
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Nine Muses Travel designs journeys to inspire artists, arts lovers and the culturally curious.
Danielle Dybiec
Founder & President
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