New Years is a time of new beginnings and many people celebrate the holiday by ringing it in with family, friends, and sometimes too much to drink. If you want a different way to celebrate New Year’s and you want to roll your annual family vacation into the holiday, then consider visiting Morocco for a change of pace. While in this timeless country you could a take a New Year’s tour that will introduce you to a world that is both modern and still deeply steeped in the tradition of their ancestors.
The people of Morocco are a friendly group who take hospitality to a new level. It is not unusual to walk through the souks and medinas (outdoor markets & shops) of the country’s many cities and see Berber’s walking around with cell phones or small vendor stalls equipped with laptop computers. While modernization may not be totally visible in the country, it is still there and this is what makes it so unique. This year, a trip to Morocco for your New Year’s will allow you to experience the country and it’s exotic traditions while still being connected to the world around you.
A New Year’s Morocco Itinerary
All tours throughout Morocco start and end in the beautiful city of Casablanca. The city is the economic capital of the country as well as the home of the Hassan II Mosque, one of the few mosques in Morocco that allow for non-Muslim touring. Spend the day exploring Casablanca and see the Royal Palace, the United Nations Square and the many different clubs around the city, including the copy of the famous club that Humphrey Bogart frequented in the movie that made the city so famous. After enjoy a charming lunch, travel on to Rabat and tour the city visiting the Mohamed V Mausoleum, the Hassan Tower and the Place des Oudayas before enjoying your dinner and settling in for the night.
Once you have had enjoyed a hearty breakfast in Rabat, leave for the Imperial City of Meknes which has been called the ‘Moroccan Versailles’ by travelers. The city was founded by the Sultan Moulay Ismail in the 17th century and while you are in Meknes stop and visit the Bab el Mansour gate, the ‘Dar Jamai’ Museum, the medina, the granaries, stables, and more. After lunch you can visit the Roman ruins of Volubilis and Moulay Idriss before traveling to Fes for dinner and a good night’s sleep before touring Fes.
The third day of your Morocco trip should be devoted to visiting and sightseeing in Fes. The city is the oldest one in Morocco and it has become known as the cultural and spiritual centre of the country. It was founded in 790 BC by Moulay Ildriss II and you will want to visit the Arabian House with its craftsmen working right before your eyes, the medina where you can sample ethnic food, the Dar Batha Museum, the traditional Hispano-Moorish palace with its collection of Moroccan ceramic and other crafts. Stay overnight in Fes before heading out to your next destination. If you have timed your vacation right, you will be leaving Fes on December 31, New Year’s Eve. You’ll understand why this is important as you read on.
When you leave Fes, you will be travelling for the rest of the day before ending up in Merzouga. As you travel you go through Erfoud and Merzouga and travel through the Middle Atlas region of the Moroccan mountains. You can stop in Azou and visit a Berber village and experience their handicraft cooperative. Lunch can be had in Midelt – Morocco’s mining centre – and cross the Ziz River with its great architecture. From Erfoud you will depart to Bivouac via train and bring in the New Year on the Merzouga Dunes sleeping in tents or inside the Kasbah after a night of singing, dancing, and celebrating the New Year’s arrival in the traditional Moroccan way.
Instead of turning in for the night, stay awake and watch the sun rise over the dunes of Merzouga. The Erg Chebbi is the name of these particular sand dunes and they are supposedly the highest in Morocco. You may have also heard of Erg Chigaga too. Take a camel ride along the dunes before lunch and then head on out to the holy city of Tineghir to visit the mausoleum there where ancestors of the Alaouite Dynasty are buried. As you continue on to Ouarzazate, the ‘Hollywood’ of Morocco, you will pass by numerous places to stop, such as the Todra Gorge and Dade Valley. Stay overnight in Ouarzazate and then tour the city.
Later that night you will arrive in Marrakesh, the second oldest city in Morocco and the home to the Saadian tombs, the Bahia Palace, and the Majorelle Gardens. Make sure you visit the Djemaa El Fna, an entertainment square where you find story tellers, acrobats, snake charmers and more. Dine at one of the many restaurants in the city and enjoy a belly dancing show before turning in and enjoying an entire day of shopping and free touring. Spend the last in Essaouira and enjoy the beach, fishing, or simply roaming the Skala – or batter – left by pirates centuries ago before heading Marrakesh and catching you flight home.
Don’t stay home and have a less than exciting New Year’s. Go on vacation and bring the New Year in dancing and singing the night away in an exotic land before enjoying the most beautiful sunrise you have seen. Make your New Year’s one to remember and enjoy the cities of Morocco for something different.
by Sam Mitchell
