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The scenery is always the same; but if one has the love of great emptinesses... the sameness is part of the enchantment. - Edith Wharton

Best of Morocco

Best book for a long bus ride Spider's House, Paul Bowles

Best music in the medina Trance, Hassan Hakmoun with Zahir

Best Moroccan meal Lamb tagine with prunes

Best place in the place Djemaa al-Fna, Marrakesh

Best mountains in the Maghreb Hiking the High Atlas

Mara Vorhees is a writer and photographer who blogs about food, music and adventure around the world.She has written guidebooks about Belize, Brazil, Costa Rica, Morocco, New England and Russia for Lonely Planet. Click here to read more about Mara.

Modern Women in Old Fes

Fès - Before setting off on our tour of Fès el-Bali (Old Fès), I suggest to my guide that we stop for a cup of mint tea. Amina Zakkari looks at me mischievously and leads me into a dark, divey café. "This is a men's café," she giggles. Indeed, it is filled with men and only men, who stare at us ominously, but leave us to sip our tea in peace. Read more...

Contradictory Casablanca

Casablanca - Passengers landing at Mohammed V International Airport might hope to spot Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart embracing on the tarmac in a cloud of mist. But westerners who visit Casablanca for romantic reasons associated with the classic film are likely to be sorely disappointed by this brash, modern metropolis. First impressions of "Casa", as it is fondly called, are often about unkempt buildings, traffic jams and noise pollution, rather than moonlit nights and starry eyes.

The juxtaposition between Casa's romantic image and its jarring reality is just one of many contrasts that define Morocco's largest city and economic center. From religious monuments to beach cafés, from traditional culture to modern nightlife, Casablanca is a jumble of curiosities and contradictions that somehow fit together into one surprising package. Which is precisely what make this legendary place so intriguing. Read more...

Village People

The rugged Eastern High Atlas region of Morocco is breathtakingly beautiful, heartbreakingly poor, and miles from anywhere. As if to confirm the remoteness of his Berber village, a resident observed, `Even Mohammed VI has never been here.’

The Moroccan monarch has not been here, but a handful of travelers have, thanks to the Timnay Intercultural Tourist Complex. The complex promotes tourism that offers a personal introduction to Berber culture and contributes to improving living conditions in these impoverished outposts. Read more...