How many Indians do you think visit Morocco in a year? In 2024, a year that was exceptionally good for tourism in Morocco and saw 17.4 million international tourists, Indian visitors accounted for less than one percent. In fact, less than a quarter of a percent: 0.23% to be precise; or 40,000. The North African country sees very few tourists from India make their way to the shores of the Atlantic after navigating hours of flights and layovers in the Middle East or the Gulf.
Casablanca
Casablanca, that word which is a whole Hollywood love story in itself, is also the biggest city and main airport in Morocco. Add to that the Spanish, French, American, and African and Berber influences, and you have a place at once cosmopolitan and steeped in tradition.
Then there is that all-encompassing pop culture.
Inside Rick's in Casablanca, a poster of the 1942 classic, Casablanca. Photo: Author
Casablanca; classic Hollywood where Humphrey Bogart fell in love with Ingrid Bergman and left the world pining for a love like that. The city has a cafe, Rick's, designed as a tribute to the gin joint from that great American film. The movie and its gin joint Rick's was all shot in a studio in the US. Neither Bergman nor Borgart ever set foot in Casablanca, but a smart American woman did a few decades later.
Kathy Kriger transformed that mythical saloon from the 1942 film into a brick-and-plaster cafe in Casablanca in 2004. For 20 years since then, the place has seen a steady stream of tourists queuing outside Rick's for a heady concoction of Hollywood and wine, both vintage. The white cafe is the quintessential tourist trap. But you know you won't leave Casablanca without a photo next to Bogart and Bergman's poster from 1942.
Rick's Cafe in Casablanca. Photo: Author
From Rick's, head to the Corniche. The sea face is lined with hip clubs where local singers sing Arabic songs from dusk to dawn. Advertisements and football scores share screen space in by-the-way bars as patrons break into a dance after a healthy drag of the hookah. Outside, the waves crash into the boulders at high tide.
A drive along the promenade takes you to the promontory that houses the Hassan II mosque, the second largest mosque in Africa (the largest is Egypt's Grand Mosque). The mosque is Casablanca's landmark. Its 60-storey minaret is topped with a laser directed towards Mecca. On big event days, over a lakh come together to pray in the Hassan II complex.
King Hassan II Mosque Complex in Casablanca. Photo: Author
On the road that leads to the mosque complex, a motley group of kids and teens - boys - are busy crashing out their football skills. Morocco's love for the ball is no longer confined to the confines of the country; it is world news now.
2022 saw the Moroccan team reach the semi-finals: the first for an African and Arab national team. The country is hosting FIFA 2030 along with Spain and Portugal. Football, Morocco's most popular and most played game, is an emotion that is evident on the streets and in clubs, from the sea to the desert and the mountains that define the landscape of Morocco.
The country is spectacular in terms of geography. All of its Western border is the Atlantic. To the north is the Mediterranean. Morocco has a slice of the Sahara; and the Atlas mountains are also part of this diverse land. A road trip is perhaps the best way to cover the highs and lows that the country has to offer. It also offers you the flexibility to add a day wherever you feel like camping for the night.
Culturally, Morocco is where Spain meets France meet the Arab and the Berber worlds. In 1904, France and Spain carved out their zones of influence. The Treaty of Fez in 1912 made Morocco a French protectorate. So, the language you encounter on most billboards and road signs is French. In the souks and the medina, the locals speak to you in Arabic, with the occasional 'namaste' thrown in when they confirm you're an Indian. Not many Indians travel to Morocco; even fewer do for purposes of tourism.
Chefchaouen
Chefchaouen, Morocco's 'Blue Pearl', is perhaps its most Instagrammed village. Photo: Author
The biggest attraction for an Indian travelling to Morocco is undoubtedly Chefchaouen. Thank Instagram for those forget-me-not blue photos of Morocco's Blue Pearl. The blue of Chefchaouen is dazzling, bright, blinding.
The village is situated in the northwestern Rif mountains of Morocco. Once just a Kasbah, or fortress, to block out potential Portuguese invaders, Chefchaouen today is a bustling village with millions of tourists posing against its blue walls every year; for that perfect Instagram shot.
Cats are an integral part of Chefchaouen. Photo: Author
Instagram is now a proper profession for this little village. You will find nooks and crannies decorated with tangerines and artwork; a cat for effect; and the guardian of the lane asking if he can take photos of you for your feed, all for a pittance to feed the cat.
Your navigational skills are put to the test here. The blue lanes all look the same, but you will most likely lust for the one that you missed making it to.
The lanes of Chefchaouen. Photo: Author
Chefchaouen's legendary lanes are packed to the brim with rooftop cafes and souvenir shops selling everything from fridge magnets to Moroccan rugs; the total tourist trap. Your haggling skills are also put to the test here. Settle for something you can carry back. A fez, a woollen cap, a hat or a cat, if one refuses to leave your side. Cats of all colours, sizes and shapes play your companion in this village. You risk stepping on a half-eaten fishhead at every corner you turn. The corners, of course, deserve their own anthology of poems.
Marrakesh
If Chefchaouen is Morocco's most Instagrammed, Marrakesh is certainly the city with the strongest character. Every visit to Magical Marrakesh begins with Djemaa El-fna. The medina, or walled part of town, is mystical. You will lose your way in the narrow lanes packed with lanterns, aluminium-plate drawings, rugs, leather wares, junk jewellery, postcards, a fake Birkin or a boutique waiting for the real one. The medina market is a fever dream.
The souks of Marrakesh are a sensory overload. Photo: Author
All day, you find yourself enticed by a game of light and shadow, sunlight peering in through the laced roofs that cover the souks. Blink, and you can conjure up Aladdin mid-parkour somewhere in front of you. And just as quickly, the strong fragrance of spices from one too many spice shops brings you back to reality. Stop for a pot of freshly brewed Moroccan mint at one of the rooftop cafes. You have earned it.
You cannot leave Morocco without generous helpings of Moroccan Mint Tea. Photo: Author
An entire day traversing the souks of Marrakesh might fall short; such is this city. From any point in the medina, you can spot the minaret of the Koutoubia Mosque. The eight-century-old mosque, the largest in Morocco, is as much a landmark as a place of religious and historical importance. No visit to Morocco is complete without a glimpse of the Koutoubia.
"Waiting For My Birkin." Photo: Author
At night, the Djemaa El-fnaa takes on a different guise. It's time for the night market. Rows and rows of food stalls greet you with the best of Moroccan fare: from tagine to steamed snail, to grilled meat and vegetables, to fresh-fruit juice and pastilla. Don't leave Morocco without a bite of the pastilla, that overload of flavours in a cinnamon-sugar shell.
Steamed snail is a streetside delicacy in Morocco; to be had with a toothpick. Photo: Author
After you've had your fill of the food stalls (Stall Number 100 is highly recommended), let the sounds of the night market hit you. It is an auditory extravaganza. Monkey-men, snake charmers, magicians, live-statues, hawkers, kunafa carts, shawarma-sellers, singers, dancers, street performers... a kaleidoscope you simply cannot get enough of. Before long, it is dark. The azaan from the mosque announces it is time for the night market to stop for a minute. Then it is time for life to resume.
Pastilla, the cinnamon sugar-coated chicken and almond delicacy. Photo: Author
For your life to resume after a visit to Morocco, it will be some time. You will go back to the night market every time you hear the muezzin's call. You will catch yourself drooling over the crunchy baklavas every time you are disappointed with one back home. You will think of the men in the fez hats pouring you a glass of Moroccan mint with a toothy grin on the side. You will dream up evenings in gin joints where Sam plays that old song again, for old time's sake; and as time goes by, you will realise why Morocco isn't leaving you anytime soon.
Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakesh. Photo: Author
FACT SHEET
Where: Morocco is situated on the northwestern tip of Africa; a hop, skip and jump from Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar. The biggest city, Casablanca, is where Morocco's biggest and busiest airport is situated. Most international flights land in Casablanca.
How to go: From India, there are connecting flights to Casablanca. Saudia is an economical option if you're flying from Delhi. Gulf Air, Qatar Airways, Kuwait Airways, Etihad Airways are the other carriers that fly Delhi to Casablanca with one layover.
Visa: The visa process is fairly simple. Indian passport holders can apply for an e-visa for tourism before entering Morocco.
In the souks of Marrakesh. Photo: Author
What to see: For a country as large and as geographically diverse as Morocco, there is never enough time to see everything. Casablanca, Marrakesh, Rabat, Chefchaouen, Fez, Dunes d'Erg Chebbi (Sahara Desert), Tamellalt in the Atlas mountains, Ait Benhaddou (where Game of Thrones and Gladiator were shot) and Tangier are some of the major points of interest you can consider for your itinerary if you can afford 15-17 days in Morocco.
What to keep in mind: Cash works better than credit cards in local souks and eateries. 1 Moroccan Dirham is equivalent to 8.74 Indian rupee. Airport exchange rates are usually a tad higher than currency exchanges in the cities.
PS: Now is a good time to travel to Morocco. The country, which is still sifting through the rubble to pick its pieces up after the September 2023 earthquake, could do with more tourists.
