It's great to hear that various countries around the world are reopening their borders for fully-vaccinated visitors, after pausing domestic and international travel for over one year. Many of us have been dreaming of travel, and are eager to take to the skies again and continue exploring the world.

If you haven't been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 yet, if your country of destination hasn't loosened travel restrictions, or if you're not quite ready to pack your suitcase yet, don't fret. You can join me on a virtual journey through Morocco, via a collection of photos I captured on a trip to this colourful country four years ago.

Today, we'll start the journey from Casablanca, and moving counterclockwise, make our way to the seaside town of Essaouira, then head inland to Marrakech, and onwards towards the Sahara desert. After that, we'll pass through the Atlas mountains and visit a local family, then visit the city of crafts Fes, and spend some time in the blue town of Chefchauen to wrap up our tour around the country.

Map of Morocco TourI went on a 13 day photo tour of Morocco, with a group of 10 other photographers. We visited 7 main towns: starting in Casablanca, we travelled counterclockwise to Essauoira, Marrakech, Ouarzazate, Merzouga, Fes, Chefchaouen, and back to Casablanca to catch our flights.

When you hear of Casablanca, it'll likely conjure up the famous movie with the same name. Although the film was in black and white, the colours found in Casablanca are a sharp contrast. From the bright red taxi cabs, to the crafts and goods sold in the Old Medina market, bright colours abound. Whether you're looking for a hand-woven rug or leather pouf ottoman for your home, delicately patterned tagines or plates and spices for your kitchen, or leather bags, scarves and slippers for your wardrobe, you can find it here in the market, with a multitude of colours to choose from. 

Casablanca - Old MedinaIn Casablanca, we visited the market in the Old Medina, or walled city. It was filled with vendors selling local products such as spices and leather goods, rugs and scarves, Moroccan slippers and ceramics - there are bright colours all around, and bargaining is a must before buying anything.

After filling your shopping bags and to take a break from the busyness of the market, the other not-to-be-missed attraction in Casablanca is the Hassan II Mosque, also known as the Grand Mosque. It is the largest mosque in Morocco and 7th largest in the world. Its minaret, at over 200m high, is the world's second tallest. You can join a tour at the mosque to visit the prayer hall decorated with chandeliers and marble, and also see the baths in the lower level. A magnificent structure that took 8 years and 2500 people to build! I would recommend seeing this attraction both in the daytime and at night - equally stunning with its lights shining bright, with the sea as its background.

Casablanca - Hassan II MosqueThen we went to Hassan II Mosque, the largest one in Morocco with the world’s tallest minaret at 210m. It can hold 25,000 worshippers inside and 80,000 outside. It was built with local materials including cedar wood, granite, and marble. The prayer hall has 56 glass chandeliers and has a retractable roof.

Hassan II Mosque at Dusk - Casablanca, Morocco

To see more photos from Casablanca, please visit this photo gallery in my travel portfolio.

Friendly hint: you can buy these prints from my online shop, or contact me for customized sizes and print medium. My entire collection of photos from Morocco can be found in my photo book "Patterns of Morocco" - you can see an excerpt here. If you'd like to order a copy of the book for yourself or your family, friends or clients, please reach me via the Contact form.
 

I hope you've enjoyed this visit to Casablanca. Follow me on my next blog post as we continue this journey through Morocco, where we'll explore the seaside port town of Essaouira.