Merzouga dunes and the great camel ride: No trip to Morocco is complete without the desert experience, and Abercrombie & Kent provides a superlative one. The closest town with tourist hotels is Erfoud, where desert explorers wait until the sun slips lower in the sky and the desert becomes bearable. At 4 p.m., four-wheel drive vehicles head west toward the border of Algier, and in no time the first pink dunes of the Sahara rise in the distance against a cobalt blue sky. After careening off road into the desert for about eight miles, the caravan arrives at its overnight accommodations: a line of festive African tents, each with its own shower-and-WC tent. There are Berber carpets on the floors, running water and comfy beds. A string of camels led by their Bedouin keepers shows up, and guests head off to watch the sun slip into the dunes over the Sahara. The camel ride is followed by a fine dinner in the communal dining tent—and a good night’s sleep under a star-choked sky so close you can touch it.
Marrakech express: This is party city compared to Fez, with an international cachet and a festive atmosphere. The Djemaa el Fna Square and Market comes alive at night with cobra handlers, people with monkeys, acrobats, tribal food vendors and musicians. The vast souk is ground zero for shopping, with tourist baubles as well as substantial stores selling antique jewelry, rugs and home furnishings. A most-see stop is the Berber Pharmacy with its room of spices and teas, medicinal creams and mixes, Argon oil products and the magical Berber lipstick that changes color on every individual—to the perfect natural shade. Other points of interest in Marrakech are the Jardin Majorelle gardens, the Bahia Palace and The Saadian Tombs.
The Cuisine
Typical Moroccan food is cooked and served in a cone-shaped ceramic tagine and usually has layers of vegetables, lamb, chicken or beef, and rice or couscous. Olives are on the table with every meal, and sweet mint tea is served with a flourish afterward. There is an abundance of fine French food in the country, as would be expected since Morocco was a French protectorate from 1912 to 1946. Our favorite? Try Seffa Medfouna, a famous dish featuring saffron chicken, lamb or beef hidden within a dome of steamed couscous or broken vermicelli (chaariya). The couscous or vermicelli is sweetened with raisins, butter and powdered sugar and decorated with ground fried almonds, cinnamon and additional powdered sugar.
