Are you someone who prefers an adventure rather than a vacation? If you call yourself an explorer, your next trip should be to Morocco. Remember when I said the best thing about studying abroad in Europe was the easy travel? Well, why stop with Europe? This past weekend, I took my first trip to Africa, and it was the best trip I have ever been on. I traveled through Marrakesh, Berber villages, and the Sahara Desert, all offering something exciting and different.  

Now, I cannot claim this itinerary as my own. I booked a tour, Moroccan Global Adventures, with a group of friends, and they showed us around. Starting in Marrakesh, we got to look around, popping into and out of shops. We walked about Jemaa el-Fnaa, which is one of the biggest outdoor markets in Marrakesh. It was a challenge not to spend all my money here. Once we explored a little, we got some snacks and hit the road. 

We saw many parts of the city in the car while Hicham, our driver, played the greatest Moroccan hits to our next destination, which was an argan oil shop run by a couple of families in Ighrem N’Ougdal. They hand-pick the seeds and grind them into oil. With that oil, they made hair, face, and skin products along with butter, jams, and honey. The ladies working there were the sweetest. They wanted us to try every product! (and we did)! I ended up getting a hair growth oil and some moisturizers. 

Afterward, we got lunch and toured a small Berber village in Ait Zineb. Here, we hiked through houses built with mud, and we learned about the village’s traditional way of painting. For their technique, they use tea, indigo, and saffron. After they finish, they burn the paper on top of a flame, where the color becomes darker and more vibrant. I got one with my name painted in Berber! 

We continued getting in and out of the car, stopping for pictures, and sightseeing. Then, we explored another smaller Berber village called Toudgha El Oulia. We walked the town’s irrigation system surrounded by red rock mountains which were hundreds of feet high. The above picture does it no justice; this is a landscape you can only fully appreciate in person. We hiked to the highest part of the village and went into a rug shop where we learned about the practice of handweaving, dyeing, and spilling wool rugs. I struggled not to buy every rug in the building, but I still bought one, as did my friends. 

We finally made it to the dunes of the Sahara Desert! With this tour group, we planned to glamp (glamorously camp) in the desert, and you’ll never believe how we got to the campsite… BY CAMEL! It was an incredible experience, though they’re surprisingly hard to ride.

We rode further into the desert to a site to sandboard, ride ATVs, and watch the sunset. This particular tour group had multiple trips with different groups. So, while our group had15 people, there were around 100 people total. We got to chat and eat with people of all ages and from different places around a bonfire under the brightest stars I have ever seen.  

The people running the campsite brought out drums and guitars, and that’s when the party started. We sang and danced around a large bonfire, which was the most liberating feeling; it was freeing and natural. Moments like this happened throughout my trip, which made it so special.

Everything about this trip was spectacular. If you plan on going to Morocco, I cannot recommend  enough to go with a tour group. It was so nice to truly get a big view and understanding of different villages, cultures, and experiences in these places. With that, there are so many different companies that offer a variety of different activities and experiences. While I enjoyed everything about my group, Moroccan Global Adventures, it was on the budget-friendly side. So, depending on your budget, you could have a very different trip.  

That is everything I learned, saw, and experienced! I hope you enjoyed reading about my time in Morocco and unlocking a new continent!