First time in Africa and I’d have to say it was 1) incredible (!) and 2) definitely sensory overload! I will note, though, that Morocco (Northern Africa) is somewhat different – both culturally and for a foreign traveler – from the rest of Africa, or at least that’s what I heard. Morocco felt more like the continent’s European counterpart, with a good amount of tourists and spoken French (after its first language, Arabic). Regardless, I loved this trip and now my bucket list includes places like South Africa, Seychelles, etc.
When I went: late December. Similar to when I was in Bogota, Colombia the year before, mornings and late nights would be cold and require a thicker jacket, but daytime reached up to the 70s (that’s in Fahrenheit).
Where I stayed: the general consensus of where to stay in Morocco is in a riad! A riad is a traditional Moroccan inn, with the rooms located on the outer perimeter of the building. They all face towards the center courtyard area, which is occasionally exposed and open (not when I was there given the winter season).
The place where I stayed, Riad Ayadina, was amazing: friendly and helpful staff, beautiful interior, great breakfast, and very comfortable ambiance. Aside from all of this and the royal treatment I received during my stay, only gripe was the location – it is on the outskirts of the medina (to the north) and not that walkable to the central part. I recall walking to the Jamaa El-Fna market one morning, and that took about 35-40 minutes. Going back to the riad at the end of the day, you’d probably want to take a taxi instead. Alternatively, I believe bus is another means of public transport, though I didn’t look into the bus option at the time.