We landed in Tangier, Morocco, in week 20 of our family trip in 2023. Upon landing, we picked up a rental SUV and started our 17-day road trip in Morocco (see our route in the map below). I’ll break our itinerary into four parts. This first post covers our first 4 days in the northern part of Morocco, including Tangier and Chefchaouen.

The second post will cover our 4-day trip in Volubilis and Fes, the central part of Morocco.

The third post will cover multiple sites during our 4-day road trip, the longest drive of our Morocco trip, from Fes, Merzouga to Marrakesh, with our major stop at Merzouga exploring Sahara Desert.

The last post will cover our last 5 days in Morocco, including Marrakesh, and the coastal Essaouira.

If you only have four or five days to see Morocco, any portion of our road trip above could give you a great and unique experience.

Morocco marks Apollo, our 8 yo’s 30th country out of the US, and Orion, our 6 yo’s 29th, and our first trip to Africa. To certain extent, it was our family travel milestone.

Tangier (day 1 - 3)

Tangier, a Mediterranean coastal city, is the 3rd largest city in Morocco. Its colonial history and vicinity to Europe make it culturally unique from the other parts of Morocco we visited later.

We arrived in Tangier in the evening, and had some hiccups finding the rental car office in the airport. By the time we sorted out everything and started to drive, it was already 10pm.

The road was pretty wide and easy to navigate. An interesting thing I noticed along the way was that many young men hung out under street lights by the road here and there. I didn’t see any bus stops, nor any team sports. It seemed that they were simply hanging out in groups doing nothing.

30 minutes later, we arrived at Tangier medina, which could not be accessed by cars. We had to park in a nearby parking lot, and drag our luggage to our dar, with the help of our housekeeper. He had been communicating with us since before the trip. Without his help, we weren’t sure if we could find the place on our own, especially in darkness.

Definition

You might hear me say “medina”, “riad” or “dar” often in this and the following posts about Morocco. In case you never heard of them, here are their definitions.

Medina - the historic district of a city, typically not accessed by car, characterized by narrow, winding streets, traditional architecture, and a vibrant market atmosphere. The medina is often surrounded by historic walls and gates. It is a distinct part of many Moroccan cities and towns, preserving a sense of the city's historical and cultural heritage.

Riad - a specific type of traditional house or palace in Morocco, characterized by their inward-facing design, where the rooms surround a central open space, often adorned with a garden with trees grown from soil, a fountain or a small pool.

Dār - a smaller version of a riad, without the interior garden. There is still an interior courtyard in the middle, just a bit smaller, without trees planted in the soil.

Many traditional houses in Morocco have been converted into boutique hotels or guesthouses, either called riad or dar, providing visitors with a unique and culturally rich accommodation experience.

In short, by the time we settled in our airbnb, it was already after 11pm.

Typically our kids would go straight to bed, but we were totally mesmerized by our beautiful 4-story 350 sqm dar.

Despite the steep stairs, our kids kept running up and down, checking out all the unique bedrooms and couldn’t decide which one to sleep in.

Nor could we. Because all of them were tastefully decorated, incredibly beautiful, and different from any hotels we had stayed before.

Needless to say, our first night in Morocco was exciting and memorable.

I ended up staying on the rooftop and photographed the city view, with the 3rd floor courtyard of our dar in the foreground, the Tangier medina in mid ground and Tangier harbor in the background. It was after midnight when I started. I didn’t feel tired or sleepy at all.

The second morning, I went straight to our rooftop with my camera and tripod before sunrise. I was eager to see Tangier beyond darkness.

I don’t think any words could describe precisely how I felt when I photographed the incredible colors.

It turned out I spent every sunrise and sunset in Tangier on our rooftop, documenting the unique scenes, and the seagulls flying around in the midst of sound waves of the morning and evening prayers.

Photo Tip

Morocco is the second Muslim country we’ve visited on this trip (check out our Turkey adventure). Hearing prayers from loudspeakers everywhere throughout the day was still something to get used to.

I wasn’t sure if it was purely accidental. Seagulls seemed to be particularly active during the sunrise and sunset prayers (at least during our stay). They flew across my frames, and filled the sky with content.

It was tricky to balance the slow shutter speed for the landscape, and the fast movement of the seagulls.

• If I wanted to increase the sharpness of the flying seagulls, I had to increase the ISO and/or the aperture, in order to increase the shutter speed, and avoid motion blur of the seagulls.

• If I didn’t want to include seagulls in my frame, then I had to use neutral density filter to slow down my shutter, to an extent that anything with motion movement would completely disappear.

Is there a perfect camera setting? Not really. It all depends on what you’d like to achieve. Rest assured, this was quite a unique photo experience.

If you’d like to learn more about DSLR or mirrorless photography, particularly candid travel photos, check out my free video training.

Sometime during my sunrise photoshoot, three ladies showed up and started to cook us a breakfast.

It was quite a “feast” for the four of us, with different styles of bread and pancakes, as well as milk, tea, orange juice and fruits etc. We barely could finish half.

We have planned 2-night stay in Tangier.  Given the first late night, we only had one full day to soak in whatever we could, meanwhile balancing the need to rest.

After breakfast, we took a brief walk around the medina, Tangier Kasbah, and stopped by Café Hafa recommended by our housekeeper, and spent the rest of the day in our dar, our favorite place in Tangier.

Just in one day, I took over 1000 photos. If you have a short stay in Tangier, consider checking out the following photo spots.

Tangier Kasbah

A historic fortress with a great view of the city and Tangier harbor, with the Strait of Gibraltar as the backdrop.

We loved the harbor view. It was something you wouldn’t see in other Morocco tourist hubs such as Fes and Marrakesh, which I’ll elaborate in the following posts.

definition

In addition to medina, riad, dar, you’ll likely see the following two words often in my following paragraphs and posts.

Kasbah - a type of traditional fortress or citadel. Kasbahs are often strategically located, such as on hilltops or along trade routes, providing a defensive advantage. They may be found in cities, towns, or rural areas. They typically are fortified structures made of sun-dried mudbrick to provide insulation against the heat of the desert. They typically have high walls and corner towers for defense purpose. Many kasbahs in Morocco are historic landmarks.

Souk - a traditional marketplace or bazaar, characterized by a labyrinthine network of narrow lanes where various merchants and vendors sell a diverse range of goods such as spices, textiles, handicrafts, and more.

Café Hafa

Our housekeeper recommended us to check out this cafe, and we immediately knew why when we got there. It was facing the harbor and had a great view. Unfortunately all the seats were taken. When we finally found a table with good view, no one served us after a long wait.

We knew there were better views elsewhere, so we didn’t stay. Plus, our 8 yo was more interested in playing with street cats. (Note, only the first photo above was taken at Cafe Hafa, the others were taken nearby.)

After circling around the harbor and the medina, we all agreed our dar offered us the best experience, and the view.

Dar 35

We had this place all to ourselves during our short stay in Tangier. It’s our first dar experience in Morocco. In fact, after staying in multiple dars and riads on our entire road trip, Dar 35 remained to be our top favorite.

In our experience, dars and riads in Morocco typically had at least a housekeeper, a chef and a manager. The size of the team was determined by the size of the dar / riad. They typically provided free breakfast and daily room cleaning, also laundry and dinner with additional charges. Larger riads usually have a restaurant.

We tried both breakfast and dinner at Dar 35, and couldn’t be more satisfied. Every meal was amazing. The chicken tagine dish was the highlight. This was probably the most popular dish in Morocco. We found it in every restaurant and ate it almost every day.

In addition to the pampered meal experience, the sunrise and sunset views in the backdrop were certainly high bonus.

Our Tangier stay was short but sweet. If we had another chance, we’d definitely stay longer.

Chefchaouen (day 3 - 5)

Often referred to as the "Blue Pearl of Morocco," Chefchaouen is a picturesque town nestled in the Rif Mountains, known for its distinctive blue-painted buildings, charming narrow streets, and a tranquil ambiance that attracts visitors seeking a unique and visually captivating experience.

It took us about 2.5 hours to drive from Tangier to Chefchaouen. The road condition was pretty good except the last part, when the road became narrow with construction here and there.

Again, we were greeted by our airbnb host who guided us where and how to park right outside medina, and helped carry some of our luggage to our dar.

Before he showed up, a man stopped us in the street and indicated us to park. We thought he was the host until the host showed up. It was pretty common to see people “managing” street parking in Morocco. We met them in almost every town we visited. Just be careful, some were legitimate “parking managers”, who charged very reasonable fees. Some were scammers who tried to charge 10 times or beyond, and then disappeared without watching your car.

Chefchaouen is a photographer’s paradise. If you are an aspiring photographer or simply want to take great travel photos in Chefchaouen, here are a few photo spots I’d like to recommend:

The Blue Streets:

This could be anywhere in Chefchaouen medina. Just wander through the narrow alleys, even aimlessly, you are guaranteed to find different shades and tones of blue colors, not just on the walls, but also on the ground sometimes.

Photo Tip

The only challenge is timing. If you walk around during mid-day, you’ll likely encounter high contrast, ie. bright light on the top part of the buildings and shade in the bottom part, often with shadows in unfriendly angles.

What’s the best solution? Change the time of the day, either early morning or later afternoon/evening. You’ll get even light, avoid over- or under-exposure of part of your image, and likely spend less time on post processing to “fix” or “save” bad photos.

I remember seeing some Chefchaouen travel photos many years ago, and assumed the photographer didn’t know white balance. How the colors were so “off” and blue?

So here is why we need to travel. We not only grow our knowledge and experience, but also our beliefs that anything is possible.

The Souk

Chefchaouen's souk is a vibrant marketplace within the blue-hued medina, offering a kaleidoscope of colors and a diverse array of traditional Moroccan crafts, spices, and textiles, creating a lively and immersive shopping experience.

Clock Cafe

The Clock Cafe in Chefchaouen is a popular and eclectic gathering spot, known for its vibrant atmosphere, international menu, and artistic decor, making it a beloved destination for both locals and tourists.

Similar to Café Hafa in Tangier, Clock Cafe was suggested by our airbnb host. We did get a seat this time. I wouldn’t say it is a must-stop, but the cafe offers unique photo experience to capture Chefchaouen’s blue colors, even from inside the building.

Spanish Mosque (Bouzafer Mosque)

The Spanish Mosque of Chefchaouen graces the hills overlooking the blue city, providing panoramic views of the Rif Mountains and Chefchaouen's distinctive blue-washed architecture, offering a serene and picturesque spot for contemplation and appreciation of the surrounding landscape.

It is a must-stop!

The mosque should take no more than 30 minutes to walk from the medina. But the actual walk could take much longer, as there were so many photo worthy spots and the souk along the way.

We budgeted our time to reach the mosque by sunset, but by the time we arrived, it was already in blue hour. What’s more, the platform around the mosque where people could sit was completely occupied by other tourists. There was no room to set up a tripod. All I could do was to take a few quick snapshots.

The second day, we planned to go up again, but earlier. I must have gotten distracted while taking photos and lost track of my family. By the time I found them, we lost the opportunity to hike up the mosque before sunset.

Lesson’s learned. Many travel photo opportunities only come by once. We should treasure every day, every moment and every photo opportunity, because if we miss it, we don’t know if or when we’ll have a second chance.

Kasbah Museum

The Kasbah Museum, located in the main square of Chefchaouen, housed a beautiful garden, and offered the terrace view to see and photograph the medina. To me, it was more than a place to showcase the town's cultural heritage and exhibit curated collection of artifacts and traditional Moroccan art.

After two nights in Chefchaouen, we wrapped up our first four days in Northern Morocco, and drove further south to Fes, the second largest city, the capital of religion, culture and art in Morocco.

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