Visiting MARRAKESH

Hello friends,

I have been a little quiet on the blogging front for a couple of weeks because I have been off on my holidays, and destination one was Marrakesh. I had never been to Africa before, so getting a stamp in my passport for a new continent was pretty exciting (I really want to visit all of the continents and have stamps from each).

I spent 4 days in Morocco, and I think as an introduction to the city this is plenty of time. I spent two days exploring Marrakesh itself, went on a day trip into the Atlas mountains and the beautiful Ourika valley, and finally spent a morning out in a hot air balloon (one thing ticked off of my bucket list). I could write a lot about my trip, I learnt a lot, walked a lot and sweated a lot (it was very hot, up to 38 degrees), but I have decided to give you my top tips for visiting Marrakesh and shared some of my favourite photos which show how vivid this area is.

Kirsty's top tips for visiting Marrakesh:

The Moroccan currency is the Dirham, this is meant to be a closed currency but we found we could exchange money at the airport before going but at a poor rate. There are plenty of cash machines in the Jamaa al fna square, so I recommend using these - also take some euros as back up cash - taxi drivers will accept these if you run out. The exchange rate is about 14 dirham to the pound.
I stayed in a Riad, which is a traditional Marrakesh style house - the location of the riads are fantastic being just minutes away from the main square but do your research. We stayed in one where the lady spoke only French so we relied on Google translate to communicate, and it felt like she was always trying to get more money from us by volunteering to organise taxis and tours. We took her up on her offers, but paid more for our experiences as a result.
Prebook a taxi to take you from the airport to where you are staying - this was an absolute gem for us.
Have a drink or dinner on one of the terraces surrounding the Jamaa Al Fna - this will give you a fantastic view of everything going on without the constant attention from the street sellers. Some restaurants will charge an extra 10% for this, but the prices are pretty cheap for eating.
Pack some walking shoes - most of the sites in Marrakesh are within walking distance, but be prepared - I wear a fitbit which records my daily steps and I walked at least 10k a day.
Make sure you know the price of an experience before you start something - we booked a private car to take a trip to Ourika, which cost 770 dirham, however on top of this we had to pay an extra 200 dirham for a local guide to take us up to the waterfalls - I would highly recommend doing something like this as the views of the Atlas mountains are beautiful.
Lose yourself in the many souks and absorb all the smells, sounds and vivid colours - they sell anything and everything from spices to stop snoring to battered old film cameras so enjoy the variety of what is on offer.
WATCH OUT for motorbikes - the amount of times I had near misses with bikes because they drive down the narrow streets pretty quickly, so be aware. Also horse drawn carriages seem to be taken down the smallest of roads so watch your feet.
I found Marrakesh was quite safe, although at one point I was followed for about 10 minutes as I was wearing my rucksack on my back - as soon as I moved this to be in front of me, the man stopped following and went away. There are a lot of police around but watch out for pickpockets - be aware of what is happening around you.
Be respectful - it is a Muslim country and I made sure that I didn't have too much flesh on show, but there were tourists in very skimpy shorts and crop tops. Nothing bad will happen if you dress like this, but I think the local culture should be taken into consideration.
If you take photos of the monkeys and cobras in the square you will be expected to pay - personally I don't like these attractions as I think the animals are being exploited so I steered clear.
Try a tagine and a kebab, and mint tea for authentic tastes of Morocco.
When your stay is over and you are at the airport there are a few things you need to do. 1. At the check in desk your boarding pass must be stamped to say your passport has been checked. 2. Fill in a departure card before security, you won't get past without one. 3. After security there is customs so you will need to show your passport again - leave plenty of time for this check, as if the queues are long it could take a while to get through.