Journey Beyond Travel...going beyond the destination

With a population around 50,000 people, Azrou, Morocco, in which “Azru” in the Berber dialect means “stone” or “rock,” is one of the more-populated towns in the Middle Atlas Mountains. Dwarfing nearby Ifrane in number, Azrou is an important Berber town and functions as a junction to the market centers of Fez, Meknes, Midelt, and Kenifra.

With surrounding pine and cedar forests, high meadows, and blooming wild flowers (in the spring!) Azrou feels nothing like its population suggests and is truly a place to get off the beaten path, relax, and unwind. Moreover, Azrou is has a massive weekly souk (or souq, currently every Tuesday from 10 a.m. until about 3 p.m.) where animals, produce, and even Berber carpets are brought in for locals and tourists alike to test their bargaining skills. (more…)

Ifrane is a small city of less than 10,000 people (50,000 in summer) located in the Middle Atlas Mountains of Morocco, just 58 kilometers south of Fez. The town was set up by the French during their colonization period as a quasi-ski resort, and they actually took the name from nearby Sidi AbddalSalam Zawiya, a small Berber village 15 kilometers away. Not many tourists spend a whole lot of time in Ifrane, but giving it a day or two is worthwhile once one discovers the outlying natural gems that surround the region. (more…)

Volubilis is not a town in Morocco, but rather a set of Roman ruins situated near Moulay Idriss and outside of Meknes. The spot was probably chosen for its rich soil that would reap abundant crops, especially olives.

Volubilis is one of the best preserved archaeological sites in Morocco and has been a Unesco World Heritage Site since 1997.  The most interesting artifacts of Volubilis are the mosaics which have survived time. (more…)

Morocco trekking tours are recommended to explore th prepossessing M’goun region in Morocco. The tour guides are often natives, familiar with the area as well as the local customs. Utilize the services of an educated tour guide through a Morocco tour operator to better explore this authentic Berber villages. Satiate your lust in Wanderlust by trekking through pastoral valleys, indulging in the sights and sounds offered only in this part of Morocco. The coupled Mgoun and Ait Bougmez Valley proffer villages, people and ways of life unique to only this region in all of Africa. (more…)

You are headed to the African nation of Morocco. Your Moroccan tour operator has told you about visiting Berber villages. You have heard all about the Berber craftsmen, their knowledge of the land, some of their indestructible history and maybe a bit more. Or perhaps you’ve never heard of them at all. Just who are these Berber people? A Moroccan pre-Arab culture has ruled unperturbed and unconquered for hundreds of years. Let’s take a look at this amazing people. (more…)

It’s been a long winter. You are looking forward to a vacation in a new and exotic place. But your partner says they want to go skiing. Besides, you promised skiing this year as the beaches have lost there aura with you. The answer to all your holiday woes is a Morocco holiday. (more…)