The journal · field notes from Morocco
No top-10 listicles. Slow, opinionated dispatches from the atelier on when to come, where to go first, what to skip and how to spend your dirhams well. Read before you book — and certainly before you pack.
This month's long-read
One slow, in-house piece every month. No commissioned writers, no sponsored takes — just the answers we already give our guests on WhatsApp, written down properly.
Latest field note 9 min readDesert · June 2026
An honest verdict on Marrakech's 40-minute 'stone desert': a rocky, lunar plateau with great sunsets, camel rides, quads and tented camps — but no sand dunes. When it's worth it, what to do, costs and seasons, and when to make the long trip to the real Sahara instead.
The archive
Re-read every season by our team. If anything is out of date we annotate it at the top of the piece — Morocco changes slowly, but it does change.
02Atlas 9 minAtlas · June 2026
Morocco's tallest waterfall (around 110 m) is a long but rewarding day out — 150 km and 2.5–3 hours each way, with boats, wild monkeys and a green gorge. The real drive time, what to do, best season, costs, and how it stacks up against the closer Ourika Valley.
03Planning 9 minPlanning · June 2026
The honest, non-alarmist version: almost everything called a 'scam' here is pushy salesmanship and small overcharging, not crime. The recurring patterns — faux guides, the 'this way is closed' redirection, the Jemaa el-Fna henna and animal-photo ambushes, taxi overcharging and souk pressure — and the calm golden rules that defeat each one.
04Planning 10 minPlanning · June 2026
The honest first-timer's list: the things travellers most regret skipping are a night in the Sahara, the Marrakech medina, and one of Fes or a High Atlas valley — get those and you've seen the soul of the country. What you can safely skip, how long you need (7–10 days), how to get around (no train south of Marrakech), and when to go.
05Planning 10 minPlanning · June 2026
Jardin Majorelle and the YSL Museum: book a timed slot online ahead — they sell out and the queues are long. The state-run monuments (Bahia Palace, Saadian Tombs, Ben Youssef) you can usually pay at the gate; Koutoubia and Jemaa el-Fna are free. How the slots work, where to buy officially, how far ahead, and how to dodge the crowds.
06Planning 11 minPlanning · June 2026
The honest, balanced version: many women travel Marrakech solo and love it, while being ready for persistent souk attention that's tiring, not dangerous. What the medina hassle is really like, what to wear, taxis, riads, scams — and when a private guide takes out the friction.
07Planning 9 minPlanning · June 2026
An early, honest plan: what's actually confirmed (Morocco co-hosting; Marrakech a host city), what isn't yet (schedule, dates, venue, prices, rail), when to start booking — and how to spend your days in the city and on Atlas, Agafay, Ourika and Essaouira trips.
08Marrakech 10 minMarrakech · June 2026
The whole region in one plan: how many days the city really needs (three to four for most), and an honest verdict on the Atlas, Agafay, Ourika, Ouzoud and Essaouira day trips — with real drive times and the best season for each.
09Practical 9 minPractical · June 2026
Marrakech runs mostly on cash. The plain-English guide to the dirham, ATM fees, where cards actually work, exchanging money safely, how much to carry — and the four small set-ups to sidestep.
10Practical 8 minPractical · June 2026
There's no direct train — you change at Casablanca. The honest comparison of all four ways across the country: ONCF train (~7–8h), direct CTM/Supratours bus (8–9h), private car (530 km), and the 50-minute flight, with times and indicative fares.
11Practical 7 minPractical · June 2026
There's no train south of the Atlas — everyone drives. The honest comparison of the three real ways over the Tizi n'Tichka pass: direct Supratours/CTM bus (~4–5h), shared grand taxi, and a private car (200 km, ~4h), with times and indicative fares.
12Marrakech 9 minMarrakech · June 2026
Most people try to do Marrakech in 36 hours and leave exhausted. Here is the three-day rhythm we recommend for first-timers — the medina, Majorelle, an Atlas day, what to skip and where to eat.
13Desert 10 minDesert · June 2026
Merzouga or Zagora? Standard or luxury? We map the trade-offs in distance, dunes, silence and price — and what a night under canvas actually includes — with the camps we still send guests to.
14Practical 8 minPractical · June 2026
The etiquette and the mechanics of bargaining — fair price ranges, the phrases that help, what's actually fixed-price, the set-ups to sidestep, and why walking away is your strongest move.
15Practical 6 minPractical · May 2026
Guides, drivers, riads, camps, restaurants — who to tip, how much, and in what currency. The honest, no-guesswork numbers we give our own guests before every trip.
16Fes 10 minFes · June 2026
The world's largest car-free urban area is a 13th-century city still running in real time. The tanneries, the Qarawiyyin, the art of getting pleasantly lost — and when to hire a guide.
17Food 9 minFood · June 2026
Bessara at dawn, mechoui, seven-vegetable couscous on a Friday, the street-food stalls worth queuing for — what to order, where, and how to eat well whatever your diet.
18Atlas 7 minAtlas · June 2026
Imlil, the Ourika valley, Berber villages and waterfalls are an hour from the Red City. What a good day actually looks like — and the tourist traps to drive past.
19Coast 7 minCoast · June 2026
Three hours from Marrakech, the Atlantic's most likeable town — fortified ramparts, a working fishing port, kitesurf wind and a music soul. How to spend a perfect 48 hours.
20Planning 9 minPlanning · June 2026
The honest, current picture — solo and women travellers, the common souk set-ups, which areas to know about, health and the road. What we actually tell our own guests.
21Practical 7 minPractical · June 2026
No 'breathable convertible trousers'. A real packing list that changes with the month and the route — medina, mountains, coast and desert all ask for different things.
22Planning 8 minPlanning · June 2026
Daily spend, where the money goes and the honest ways to save without missing the point of the trip — with sample budgets in USD for shoestring, mid-range and comfortable.
23Marrakech 7 minMarrakech · June 2026
What a riad actually is, which neighbourhoods suit which travellers, and what to look for before you book — so you get the courtyard, the calm and the location right.
24Itineraries 11 minItineraries · June 2026
The classic one-week loop, day by day — Marrakech, the High Atlas, Aït Ben Haddou, the Dades, the Merzouga dunes and Fes — with honest drive times and what to skip.
25Practical 8 minPractical · June 2026
Road conditions, police checkpoints, city parking, fuel and the real cost trade-off — and why most of our guests end up with a private driver instead of a rental.
26Culture 6 minCulture · June 2026
Why it's poured from a height, what 'Berber whisky' means, how it's brewed and the etiquette of accepting a glass — the small ceremony at the heart of Moroccan hospitality.
27Desert 8 minDesert · June 2026
The UNESCO earthen citadel south of the Atlas — its history, the films shot there (Gladiator to Game of Thrones), and how to visit properly from Marrakech or Ouarzazate.
28Marrakech 9 minMarrakech · June 2026
Rugs, leather, lanterns, ceramics and argan — where to find the real thing in the medina, how to bargain without stress, and how to get it all home.
29Family 9 minFamily · June 2026
Where to go, how to pace it, the riads that work for families, camel rides and food kids will actually eat — the practical things we tell parents before they come.
30North 7 minNorth · June 2026
Why it's painted blue, what to actually do there, day trip versus overnight, the best photo spots and how to get to the Rif's most photogenic town.
31Culture 8 minCulture · June 2026
From the blue lanes of Chefchaouen to the dunes of Merzouga and the kasbahs of the south — where to shoot, when the light is right, and the etiquette of the lens.
32Desert 8 minDesert · June 2026
Big dunes and a longer drive, or accessible desert closer to Marrakech? We compare Erg Chebbi and the Zagora/Chigaga route on dunes, drive time, crowds and cost.
33Culture 8 minCulture · June 2026
Gnaoua in Essaouira, the rose festival in the Dades, sacred music in Fes, moussems and Ramadan — the events worth planning a trip around, month by month.
34Desert 7 minDesert · June 2026
Camel arrival, the tents, dinner under the stars, the cold nights, the sunrise on the dunes — and the difference between a standard and a luxury Sahara camp.
35Food 9 minFood · June 2026
Jemaa el-Fnaa stalls, the best tagine and tangia, where locals actually eat, street snacks, and the rooftop tables worth the splurge — how to eat well in the Red City.
36Planning 7 minPlanning · March 2025
A month-by-month guide to the best time to visit Marrakech: typical temperatures, when to come for comfortable sightseeing, how to handle summer heat and cold winter nights, and what to pack by season.
37Practical 6 minPractical · March 2025
How to get around Marrakech: walking the medina maze, petits taxis and the meter, calèches, city buses, the airport transfer and day-trip transport — with honest tips on fares, scams and safety.
38Planning 6 minPlanning · April 2025
How many days do you need in Marrakech? An honest trip-length guide — what one day, two days, three days and four-plus days each get you, plus how day trips and the desert change the maths.
39Planning 7 minPlanning · April 2025
How to enjoy Marrakech on a budget: the free highlights (Jemaa el-Fna at night, the souks, Koutoubia, the Mellah, Cyber Parc, the ramparts), cheap eats and transport, budget stays and honest money-saving tips.
40Practical 8 minPractical · March 2025
An honest, welcoming guide to what to know before visiting Marrakech: the sensory medina and faux-guide hustle, haggling in the souks, cash and dirham, modest dress, Jemaa el-Fna at night, the heat, tipping, hammam etiquette and staying aware — no fear-mongering.
41Marrakech 7 minMarrakech · March 2025
Medina, Guéliz, Hivernage, the Palmeraie or the Kasbah? An honest neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood guide to where to stay in Marrakech, with riad-vs-hotel pros and cons and who each area suits.
42Marrakech 8 minMarrakech · April 2025
How to shape a romantic Marrakech for two: candlelit riads, rooftop dinners over the medina, a shared hammam, a sunset desert dinner in Agafay, the gardens and how to pace an unhurried short break.
43Planning 8 minPlanning · April 2025
An honest hot-season guide: how hot July and August really get, why a pool is essential, when to sightsee, staying hydrated and safe, and cooler escapes to breezy Essaouira and the High Atlas.
44Planning 7 minPlanning · April 2025
An honest cold-season guide: mild, mostly sunny days roughly high-teens to 20°C, genuinely cold nights to pack a warm jacket for, why to check your riad has heating, and the snow-capped Atlas with ski day trips to Oukaïmeden.
45Honest answers 9 minHonest answers · June 2026
Honestly, for a day or two — yes. What actually overwhelms people in the medina and souks, why the hassle is overstated, why it fades within 48 hours, and how to handle the maze, the heat and the noise with confidence.
Letters from Marrakech
No marketing. Just one field note, one riad we love this season, one practical tip — written in plain English, signed by a real person.
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