Majestic Morocco

At Ourika Valley in Marrakesh

The beauty of Morocco is very impressive and a six-day visit last November 2018 is quite a short stay to get the most out of the trip. Despite the short vacation, my friends and I enjoyed our DIY, mostly city-based trips in this majestic country in the northern tip of Africa.

We arrived in Casablanca after traveling for eight hours and thirty minutes from Doha via Qata Airways. Casablanca is a port city and the business capital of Morocco. A relaxing city tour is possible within the day. 

Our first stop is the Notre Dame de Lourdes Catholic Church, one of the two catholic churches in the city.  Casablanca is also home to the largest mosque in Africa, the Hassan II mosque, and we can’t help but admired this Muslim-worship place when we paid a visit. We also strolled the Morocco mall, the biggest shopping mall in Africa and one great stop for shopping experiences. Both high-end brands and local products can be found here and the big aquarium in the middle of the mall is an added attraction. The Les Jardin’s del Atlantique hotel and resort where we stayed in Mohammedia, few kilometers away from the Atlantic beach, offers good vacation-rental amenities.


We booked the first morning trip of casa voyaguers train from Gare de Mohammedia in Casablanca to Marrakech. A second-class ticket isn’t bad at all since travel duration is only for three-hours. The scenic nature views from the train windows make our journey bearable. The hospitable Moroccan, Mr. Mohammed, who is seated in the same train compartment with us, exchanged food and engaged in happy conversation with us despite his difficulty in speaking English, thus made our trip so entertaining.

At the train going to Marrakesh

We reached Marrakech early noon. Our group was captivated by the charm of this most visited city in Morocco. We went right away to Jardin Majorelle, an enchanting garden at the heart of Marrakech owned by Yves Saint Laurent. The landscape, the fountains and the varieties of trees and ornamental plants inside the garden make it one of the most beautiful parks in Morocco. This is also one of the most visited attraction in the city. The giant cactus and the dwarf pomegranate trees caught my attention the most.

At Jardin Majorelle

At Jardin Majorelle

After a leisure walk in the garden, we visited the Medina souk. A late lunch at the terrace of Taj’in Darna restaurant is a great way to enjoy lamb tagine, couscous and Moroccan salad. We also visited the Menara botanical garden at the west Marrakech where the snowy capped Mount Atlas can be clearly seen.  A late afternoon walk at the Medina, a visit to the Koutubia mosque and an evening leisure walk in downtown Marrakech is a great way to end the first day. Fun doesn’t end at day as Marrakech is very alive at night.

A visit to Ourika valley is what I enjoyed most of our Marrakech trip. The picturesque Ourika valley is where all our great photos were taken. A closer view of the snowy capped Mount Atlas, the river that flows from the mountain and the mini waterfalls at Setti Fatma were all truly delight to our eyes. A lunch at a restaurant situated at the bank of a river while being serenaded by the locals was one unforgettable dining experience. On the way to Ourika, we made a few stops at souvenir shops, pottery shops and antique stores. We were also showed how Argain oil was manually produced from the Argan kernels when we did a short stop at one of the Argan oil shops.

Ourika Valley

We also had a side trip to Rabat, Morocco’s capital city and visited one of the world’s biggest Mosque, the Hassan Mosque.

Hassan Mosque in Rabat

A country rich with culture and breathtaking landscapes, Morocco has a lot to offer to the world. Filipinos can always visit on a visa-free entry and I am definitely returning to this MAJESTIC COUNTRY.