Morocco is drawing year after year the attention of people from all over the world because of its geographical location, political stability, the beauty and diversity of its landscapes and nature. Mountains, hills, waterfalls, desert and a variety of beaches all exist in one country. Morocco has also a long history and rich culture because of the different civilizations and nations that lived here. As a volunteer, there are so many things you can experience, learn and enjoy while you are volunteering in Morocco.
1. Living with a host family
Staying in a hotel or a hostel is what most people think about when they plan to travel to other places or go on vacation. Regardless the cozy environment and the different services that the hotels provide, tourists miss the most important thing about their journey which is the opportunity to get involved in the local community and interact with local people. In our program, volunteers stay with a local family and learn more about the culture, the family, the religion, the language, the traditions and so on. There is no other way to gain real insights on the local culture and Moroccan society than sharing the daily basis and daily concerns of the local people by living with a Moroccan family and working in the local NGOs. Our volunteers appreciate the experience of being surrounded by local people all the time and getting to know many interesting things about the country which help them to develop cross cultural understanding and communication by learning some Moroccan Arabic and some French.
2. Moroccan Street Food
Moroccan kitchen is known by its variety of plates and dishes. Some of them are made at home and some are made mainly in the street. A lot of people consume street food because they are affordable and cheap when it comes to the price and also because they taste delicious and spicy. Some people are fan of this kind of food and come regularly to enjoy it. There is a wide range of street food such as Maakouda (Potato based-batter), Trakad, Barbecue, R’Lala or Babouche (Snail soup), Ras M’bakher (The vaporized meat of the cow’s or sheep’s head) … You can find them in every Moroccan city especially in the local markets and in the weekly traditional markets. Most of them start working until the evening from 6 pm and above and some work all the day long.
3. World heritage sites in Morocco
One of the reasons that motivate tourists to travel to Morocco is to visit the historical places and monuments that exist in Morocco. Over centuries and centuries, Morocco has been a place of several civilizations, dynasties and religions. A crossroad of different cultures and nations. Berbers, Romains, Arabs and Sub-Saharans have lived in this piece of land as there are many remnants, objects and monuments that are witnessed of their civilization. These monuments are available in cities such as Rabat, fez and Marrakech where tourists travel to in order to learn more about the history of the country and gain a large insight of the role that Morocco has played politically, economically and geostrategically back then.
Places such as: Chellah, Kasbah des Oudaya and Hassan tower in the city of Rabat. Quarawiyin university & library and Walili in the city of Fez. Bahia Palace, Al Menara gardens, Ben youssef Madrassa and Koutobia Mosque in the city of Marrakech. All these places and others played a major role in the history and development of the Morocco and some of them have been ranked as a world heritage by the UNISCO.
4. Weather and nature
The weather in Morocco is cool all the year round, not very cold in winter and not very hot in summer. The average temperature is 17.5°C and the sun is always shining in its sky. A lot of foreigners who miss the sun (Vitamin D) during some particular period of the year come to visit Morocco in order to enjoy the warmness of both its weather and the heart of its people. Morocco is also known by one of the largest Mountains chain. It’s called Atlas Mountains and they stretch over a large part of its surface creating beautiful landscapes and stunning views in the nature. Desert is also a main component in the touristic attractions in Morocco. People from different places come to experience the Moroccan desert and enjoy the camel ride and assist to the sun rise and sun set while sitting in the dunes. Morocco is also known by its beaches all along the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea giving the chance to water sports amateurs to perform their favorite sports such as surfing, diving, kayaking and so forth.
