Morocco. One of the most shocking, eclectic, fascinating, colorful, stimulating, and unexpected places I've been. Teaming with history, color, smell, taste, and sound. A country where each experience surprises you, whether it be lush farmland in the middle of a vast, arid landscape, or the shocking detail hand-etched into every inch of one of the largest Mosques on earth. The lively bustle of an old town square on a Tuesday night, or the intense, rapid change in scenery from mountains, to desert, to lush forests, to sheer cliffs, to farmland in a single day's drive.


Moreover are the people: the craftsmen (and women), the workers, and the mothers carrying a mountain of food, laundry, or crops across several kilometers each day. The back-breaking work of hand-mixing a pool of tile clay or hand-dying leather in the blistering sun. The delicate precision of chipping tiles into identical shapes with a pick and hammer or hand-stitching a carpet over the course of seven months. But within the sheer strength and brute force of work and daily tasks for survival is the skill, precision, talent, and practice passed through several generations and manifests in a clay Tagine pot, an intricate lamp, a colorful rug, or an artisan lock and key. Morocco is a place you can experience several years' time in a single day. Where you can travel to what feels like several countries, or planets, for that matter, in just 3 hours. This is the Kingdom of Morocco.


Follow along below for a visual journey through this beautiful country – all photos in the chronological order of my route:

Rabat to Meknes to Chefchaouen to Fez through the Cedar Forest to the Ziz Valley, Erfoud, and Merzouga, to Erg Chebbi Desert to Ouarzazate to Marrakech and finally Essaouira.

White marble tombstones in historic Moroccan cemetery with ancient red walls and palm tree.
Colorful Moroccan street with yellow and teal buildings, woman in blue djellaba walking.
Man in white djellaba approaching ornate carved wooden entrance of Moroccan mosque.
Blonde woman standing in ornate Moroccan archway with intricate tilework and carved details.
Cozy Moroccan riad rooftop terrace with cushioned seating, potted succulents, and pink walls.
A traditional Moroccan horseshoe arch gate in terracotta pink with ornate tilework leads into a bustling medina street.
A calico kitten with striking eyes rests on pavement in front of a ornate Moroccan arched wooden door.
Ancient Roman ruins with standing columns and stone walls rise against a clear blue sky at Volubilis, Morocco.
Expansive Roman ruins of Volubilis with crumbling stone walls stretch across a dry golden landscape in Morocco.
A man rides a traditional donkey-drawn cart along a rural Moroccan road through flat agricultural fields.
An overloaded truck carries towering stacks of hay bales along a winding road through Moroccan countryside.
Panoramic view of Chefchaouen, the blue city of Morocco, nestled against a dramatic mountain backdrop at dusk.
Vibrant Moroccan medina street scene framed by a stone arch with colorful buildings and local shoppers in Chefchaouen.
A woman in traditional Moroccan hijab walks past iconic blue-painted doors and white-washed walls in Chefchaouen.
Three adorable kittens cuddle together on bright blue painted stone steps in Chefchaouen, Morocco.