Destination Morocco Podcast Azdean Elmoustaquim

In our recent Live Q&A session on secret places in Morocco off the tourist path, one such location is a stunning lake located east of Marrakech, a roughly three hour drive from the city. Perhaps because of this distance, and the fact that it is not on the main tourist routes, it is still largely known only to locals and the occasional informed tourist.

You are about to become one of those in-the-know travellers.

The lake is in fact a large reservoir, held back by a mini-Hoover Dam, creating one of the largest bodies of water in Morocco: Bin el-Ouidane.

Mountains and rolling hills line the shore, in an area still largely undeveloped and untouched. A nature paradise, but with some stunning accommodations available too.

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One of the most impressive places to stay, not just at the lake but in all of Morocco, is the Widiane Luxury Hotel and Spa. Built on a hillside overlooking the lake, with access to the water, the resort is a combination of relaxing getaway and a multitude of adventure activities. When you're ready to get out of the busy cities and discover amazing hiking, watersports, spas and hammams, 5 star food and accommodation, and most of all tremendous service, this is the place.

Azdean and his team stayed at Widiane last summer as the final stop on their two month tour around the country, and he sat down with hotel ambassador Mr. Nabil to talk about this stunning part of the country, and how the resort fits in to the environment.

Widiane places a particular emphasis on local: local cuisine, local ingredients (often reinterpretations of international cuisine), local artisans and local staff. This is not a member of a chain of resorts and hotels, it is Moroccan-owned and supported, and a great way to give back to the local economy.

Check out our conversation today, recorded live on location, to learn more about this beautiful area. You can add a stop here to your tour itinerary, which gives you transport and guided stops along the way.

Visit our website to learn more: www.destinationsmorocco.com


Do you dream of exploring the enchanting land of Morocco?

Destination Morocco is your ultimate travel experience for those seeking luxury and adventure. We specialize in crafting bespoke itineraries tailored to your unique tastes and desires.

If you're a discerning traveler who values an immersive, curated adventure, visit www.destinationsmorocco.com, and let us bring your dream Moroccan vacation to life.

Learn more about Azdean and Destination Morocco.

Explore our Private Tours and Small Group Tours!
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Join us for our monthly Q&A's! Live on Destination Morocco's YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn pages, the 1st Friday of each month at 1pm Pacific/4pm Eastern/10pm Central European time.

This is an excerpt of the Live Q&A recording of Wednesday, April 10, "Getting off the tourist path in Morocco."

Watch the full episode on our YouTube channel for even more details and tourist ideas, and particularly for the visuals that accompany our conversation. Maps, photos and more await you there!

Getting Off the Tourist Path in Morocco (YouTube)

List of sights mentioned (doc)

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We spend a lot of time talking about the great sights of Morocco, from Marrakech to Fès, Chefchaouen and Tangier, Ouarzazate and the Merzouga Desert.

If you are making plans for your first trip to Morocco, and indeed if it may be your only trip to Morocco, then we always say to make sure you visit these famous locations, to get a good overview and understanding of the country.

But if you are the type who likes to wander further afield, get away from the crowds, discover something new and different (and maybe be a trailblazer in that regard!), then this live Q&A session will be right up your alley.

We'll be focusing on some of the lesser-known sights of Morocco, the places that people typically get to after they've visited the more famous locales. Or, perhaps they have a few extra days on their big trip and can start exploring right away.

Whether waterfall or canyon, quiet neighborhood or hidden museum, there are lots of options to get off the touristy path while on your tour. And the best part is, it is easy for us to integrate those stops into your itinerary or, with enough notice, modify a full day.

With Destination Morocco, we can easily incorporate any such requests. On a private tour, you can make those decisions, you're the boss!

The best way to follow this episode is by watching it on our YouTube channel, where you can follow along with the maps and images.


Do you dream of exploring the enchanting land of Morocco?

Destination Morocco is your ultimate travel experience for those seeking luxury and adventure. We specialize in crafting bespoke itineraries tailored to your unique tastes and desires.

If you're a discerning traveler who values an immersive, curated adventure, visit www.destinationsmorocco.com, and let us bring your dream Moroccan vacation to life.

Learn more about Azdean and Destination Morocco.

Explore our Private Tours and Small Group Tours!
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Support the podcast with our new Subscriber link!
Destination Morocco +
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Join us for our monthly Q&A's! Live on Destination Morocco's YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn pages, the 1st Friday of each month at 1pm Pacific/4pm Eastern/10pm Central European time.

"Travel Fails:" a popular theme in this era of do's, don't's and travel research, comes to the Destination Morocco podcast with today's episode, featuring Azdean, Hiba and Sam. They share their knowledge of travel in Morocco, as well as first-hand experience as travellers themselves in their country, to give you some useful tips of what to do (and what not to do) when you are exploring Morocco yourself.

Focusing on safety, we talk about security measures against pickpocketing and theft, avoiding scams, medical preparations, food and water safety, and dealing with the heat. The importance of understanding and respecting local street food practices is another big one, as we want to find a balance between encouraging trying out new food and flavors, while not taking any undue risks to your stomach.

Meanwhile, being aware of insect-borne diseases also comes up, as although Morocco is far from a tropical country, it can get hot, and add to that some puddles of standing water and you can have the right mixture for breeding mosquitos. It partly depends on the time of year, but if you are planning a summer trip then make sure you take account of both heat and insect precautions.

Certain topics are as common to Morocco as to any place in the world: drinking bottled water, avoiding unfamiliar areas after dark, and the benefits of carrying a basic medical kit. But we also talk about understanding local dress codes, and again finding that balance between being comfortably modern yet suitably modest.

Preparation, awareness, and cultural respect are key to enjoying a safe and pleasant trip to Morocco, and this episode will help get you ready. In fact, we anticipate a series of further episodes along a similar theme, so stay tuned in our podcast feed. And if you haven't already, we have two episodes focused specifically on tourist scams in Morocco, so make sure you catch up on those:

Live Q&A Episode #5 - Understanding Scams in Morocco: How to Travel With Confidence

Ep. 3: Scams! How to Understand and Avoid Them

Destination Morocco is your safest partner in Morocco, helping you navigate through unexpected moments and sticky situations. Visit destinationsmorocco.com to learn about our tour options, including our new series of Small Group Tours!


Do you dream of exploring the enchanting land of Morocco?

Destination Morocco is your ultimate travel experience for those seeking luxury and adventure. We specialize in crafting bespoke itineraries tailored to your unique tastes and desires.

If you're a discerning traveler who values an immersive, curated adventure, visit www.destinationsmorocco.com, and let us bring your dream Moroccan vacation to life.

Learn more about Azdean and Destination Morocco.

Explore our Private Tours and Small Group Tours!
--
Support the podcast with our new Subscriber link!
Destination Morocco +
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Join us for our monthly Q&A's! Live on Destination Morocco's YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn pages, the 1st Friday of each month at 1pm Pacific/4pm Eastern/10pm Central European time.

Azdean and his local Fes guide extraordinaire, Moulay Hafid Alami, conclude their tour of the old city with a visit to the pottery and ceramic studio, "Mosaique et Poterie de Fes."

Located just to the east of the medina, this is more than a simple shop selling their beautiful craftwork (and there is a lot of it!). When you arrive, you get a guided tour of the facility, starting with handling the raw clay itself, learning how it's shaped, dried and fired, then glazed and decorated.

In our episode today, Azdean is taking this very tour, and you'll hear all the explanations, combined with the sounds of patting down clay, opening the kiln door, chiseling delicate vases and more.

Listen in to learn why Fes is such an important and influential artistic centre, not just to Morocco, but worldwide. We visit the kiln and learn about the firing process, the particular wood used, and a special natural ingredient added to the kiln.

Zalish mosaic tiles, famous around the world, are produced right here in this studio. Zalish is the root of the Portuguese word "Azulejo," the famous blue tiles, meaning "polished stone" in Arabic.

We learn more about funduqs (such as the converted Nejjarine Museum), the unique former accommodation for traders in Fes, and then we end the tour with a quick stop back in the medina, at the al-Karouyin University, the world's oldest.
You can view this special Google Map to find out the exact location of all our stops in Parts 1 and 2 of the Fes tour.

And don't forget,  all our episodes have transcripts, which can help to make sense of some of the accents and place names. Apple users with the latest update should see the transcript on their phones. Or, you can visit the episode page below to follow along with the .pdf file:

Fes Walking Tour Part 2: Visiting the Famous Fes Pottery Studio

Thank you for joining us during this past month of celebrating the magical city of Fes, Morocco. As Azdean says, if there is one place in the country you should visit, it's right here, and we hope this series has given you inspiration and momentum to book your trip!

Music credits:
Mike Franklyn / Scorpion Dance / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com


Do you dream of exploring the enchanting land of Morocco?

Destination Morocco is your ultimate travel experience for those seeking luxury and adventure. We specialize in crafting bespoke itineraries tailored to your unique tastes and desires.

If you're a discerning traveler who values an immersive, curated adventure, visit www.destinationsmorocco.com, and let us bring your dream Moroccan vacation to life.

Learn more about Azdean and Destination Morocco.

Explore our Private Tours and Small Group Tours!
--
Support the podcast with our new Subscriber link!
Destination Morocco +
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Join us for our monthly Q&A's! Live on Destination Morocco's YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn pages, the 1st Friday of each month at 1pm Pacific/4pm Eastern/10pm Central European time.

Experience the sounds and ambience of Fes in this live walking tour of the medina, during Azdean's tour in 2023. Accompanied by expert guide Moulay Hafid Alami, we start in Fes el Jdid, the 14th century quarter, learning about the Royal Palace of Fes and its seven golden doors (only created in the 1960's), and the importance of the neighboring Jewish Quarter, or Mellah, the first in Morocco. We pause to take in the quiet tranquility of the Jewish Cemetery, as Hafid tells us about the special bond between Muslims and Jews in Morocco, in Fes in particular.

From there, we head over to the Burj Sud, or "southern fortress," an army installation on top of a hill that looks out over the old city. A quick drive to the top of the hill allows us to wander around the perimeter, where Hafid explains the layout of the city and the differences between its three sections: Fes el Bali, Fes el Jdid and the Ville Nouvelle.

How many streets are in the old medina? How do people find their way around, and what happens when someone gets lost, especially a child? Hafid will tell you first hand from his own experience!

Part One of our tour concludes with the famous Chouara Tannery, where visitors can look down on the many colored vats containing various dyes and natural chemicals. We meet another guide from the tannery and shop, Mr. Mushor, who tells us how the tanning process works. Yes, there is a special ingredient and yes, it is not particularly pleasant but Mushor explains why it makes such a difference to the finished product, and why the process remains in its original form, dating back hundreds of years. Everything is done by hand, and from this tannery leatherworks are shipped out around the world.

You've heard us talk about the magic and charm of Fes in our episodes this past month, now you can close your eyes and be whisked away yourself. And all of our episodes have transcripts, which can help to make sense of some of the accents and place names. Apple users with the latest update should see the transcript on their phones. Or, you can visit the episode page below to follow along with the .pdf file.

Fes Walking Tour Part 1: The Royal Palace, Jewish Quarter and the Tannery

The tour continues in our next episode, as we visit the craftsmen of Fes, making pottery and ceramics, rugs, woodwork and more.

We hope you enjoy this immersive audio experience!

Music credits:
Mike Franklyn / Scorpion Dance / courtesy of
Do you dream of exploring the enchanting land of Morocco?

Destination Morocco is your ultimate travel experience for those seeking luxury and adventure. We specialize in crafting bespoke itineraries tailored to your unique tastes and desires.

If you're a discerning traveler who values an immersive, curated adventure, visit www.destinationsmorocco.com, and let us bring your dream Moroccan vacation to life.

Learn more about Azdean and Destination Morocco.

Explore our Private Tours and Small Group Tours!
--
Support the podcast with our new Subscriber link!
Destination Morocco +
--
Join us for our monthly Q&A's! Live on Destination Morocco's YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn pages, the 1st Friday of each month at 1pm Pacific/4pm Eastern/10pm Central European time.

This is an excerpt of the Live Q&A recording of Wednesday, March 13, exploring the vibrant city of Fez.

Watch the full episode on our YouTube channel for even more details and tourist ideas, and particularly for the visuals that accompany our conversation. Maps, photos and more await you there!

Exploring the Magical City of Fez, video replay
Azdean, Sam and Ted expand on our recent episode on Fez (which goes over a sample four-day itinerary) and reminisce on their own experiences and memories there, while answering your questions about what to see and do in the city, a bit of history and context, and practical logistics like accommodation and transport.

Fez is a remarkable place to visit, wandering the maze of the Medina, popping into shops, admiring the mosques and madrasas, learning about the tanning process while overlooking the dye vats: and all of this within the old city alone!

Branching further out, there are beautiful lookout stops, pottery and ceramic studios, or the modern contrast of the New City, which instantly brings you forward to the present-day.

Fez has prominent Jewish heritage, and it is easy to visit the historic Mellah, synagogue and Jewish cemetary, located alongside the royal palace, with its brilliant gold doors.

We talk about all this and much more in our live Q&A session, and it will get you more excited than ever to see this fabulous city for yourself.

The best way to follow this episode is by watching it on our YouTube channel, where you can follow along with the maps and images.

But if you're listening in your car, on the bus, cooking, going for a walk etc.,  this audio excerpt of our live recording is a great place to begin.

You can always send us questions and ideas for episode and live Q&A topics, and join us and interact live on our monthly sessions, the 2nd Wednesday of each month.

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Do you dream of exploring the enchanting land of Morocco?

Destination Morocco is your ultimate travel experience for those seeking luxury and adventure. We specialize in crafting bespoke itineraries tailored to your unique tastes and desires.

If you're a discerning traveler who values an immersive, curated adventure, visit www.destinationsmorocco.com, and let us bring your dream Moroccan vacation to life.

Learn more about Azdean and Destination Morocco.

Explore our Private Tours and Small Group Tours!
--
Support the podcast with our new Subscriber link!
Destination Morocco +
--
Join us for our monthly Q&A's! Live on Destination Morocco's YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn pages, the 1st Friday of each month at 1pm Pacific/4pm Eastern/10pm Central European time.