Morocco
Morocco is one of the most beautiful and diverse countries we've been to. It's nature is truly spectacular - although this North African country is associated mainly with desert (which is incredible indeed), it boasts lush green hills, wonderful lakes and high, snowy peaks of the Atlas Mountains Range.
Moroccan towns are a piece of art. Extremely unique and beautiful, like, for example, the blue town of Chefchaoeun or the "biblical" Ait-Benhaddou.
The only disadvantage to this amazing adventure, was, unfortunately, some of the locals. You must be really careful not to get scammed by the tour guides, vendors, waiters and even ordinary people.
The city of Marrakesh is often the first contact with Morocco for many. Thanks to the budget airlines that offer numerous connections with Europe, the gate to this exciting, exotic country were open and Morocco is constantly gaining in popularity. Marrakesh - with its old markets along the tiny, winding streets in Medina, unique architecture and numerous palaces is a good starting point to begin your adventure in Morocco. Although, due to the culture shock, Marrakesh wasn't my favorite city in the country (Fez, Essaouira and Chefchaoeun were better) - it's still worth a visit - you'll have a chance to see how diverse and chaotically beautiful Morocco is.
It's probably the only post on this blog about a place that we visited for around 45 minutes. We'd never heard about Dades Valley before - when we saw the pinkish, twisted rock formations, little villages with houses perfectly blending with the barren landscapes and oasis full of bright green vegetation that created a sharp contrast to the red rocks, we were immediately taken aback in the most positive way.
I hope you'll like the photos below and you'll include Dades Valley on your itinerary in Morocco. Especially that it's located on the way to the most popular sites, like the town of Ait-Benhaddou (which I'll write about soon) or the amazing golden sand dunes of the world's most famous desert - Sahara (take a look at our adventure in Sahara here).
Green hills, olive and orange groves, Mediterranean atmosphere, fresh air, mountainous peaks covered with snow for half a year, cozy villages among enormous, red-rock formations - it's not the way Morocco is portrayed in the media. First thing that comes to mind about this exciting destination is endless dunes of Sahara, Bedouin houses and even entire villages made from mud. I had a similar image of Morocco before the trip to this North African country. Once again I got a proof on how traveling can change the stereotypes and the way you think about the world. One of the reasons why I love it so much!
When you think about Morocco - most probably, one of the first things that come to mind are endless, golden sand dunes of Sahara Desert, oriental cities and picturesque Berber towns that consist of houses built with clay and mud. I'd had similar assumptions before traveling to this northern African country. In this article, however, I want to show that there's so much more to Morocco - how much this exciting country surprised me. Besides the barren, desert-like landscapes, you can admire red rock formations, lush green cedar forests, beautiful lakes, snowy peaks of Atlas Mountains and villages with temperate climate and European architecture. That's the beauty of travel - you always encounter something unexpected!
The famous blue town of Chefchaoeun in Morocco is a place that should not be missed by anyone who loves original, magical, cozy little towns. For those who have done the Sahara trip, the surroundings here may seem completely different. The typical scenery you can associate with Morocco - golden sands of the endless desert, green oases rich in date palms, "biblical" villages made entirely out of mud and rugged peaks of Atlas Mountains move out of the way in order to bring a landscape you may find somewhere in Tuscany or Spain - lush fields, more gentle hills, olive groves and orange as well as lemon trees. Among all that natural charm, in a beautiful valley lies fascinating Chefchaoeun - the blue town which will make you feel as if you have entered an entirely different, wonderful fairy-tale like world.
The Sahara desert, although many might think so, is not the largest in the world. However, it's only beaten by the coldest places on Earth - The Antarctic and Arctic regions which are the greatest barren land areas on our planet. Having said that, the Saharan territory is shared among 11 countries and stretches over 9 million square kilometers (3,5 million square miles). Its magnificent, golden, perfectly smooth dunes attract many visitors from around the world and the easiest way to reach them is through Morocco - stopping by the fascinating Berber oases and villages on the way.
Essaouira is a beautiful coastal town in Eastern Morocco, very easily accessible from nearby cities, like Marrakesh or Casablanca. Surprisingly, its climate is much milder than in the rest of the country, so if you are looking for an escape from the scorching Moroccan heat, Essaouira is a great choice! Even in the summer, the high temperature averages are well below 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit). When I got there, early may, Essaouira was immersed in fog and it was only around 18 degrees Celsius (64 degrees Fahrenheit), while in Marrakesh - 32 degrees Celsius. Also, the town has a different, colonial, old-European feel. Less chaotic and more relaxing than Marrakesh, with amazing architecture and many beautiful local shops with hand made craft items, should be visited for at least day or two during your stay in Marrakesh.
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Many of the visitors coming to southern Poland and Krakow region end up in Zakopane - the little town located at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. Some hike (or take a horse cart ride) up the easy and quite boring trail to the most famous landmark in Polish mountains - Morskie Oko lake which is undoubtedly picturesque and beautiful, but so overcrowded that it can get really irritating.
In this post, I'll try to encourage you to leave Morskie Oko behind and venture into the real, wild beauty of the area. As usual, the most attractive and stunning views are awaiting those who are brave enough to take a risk and explore something beyond the beaten path. I've already described the trek to Dolina Pieciu Stawow which is way nicer than the one to Morskie Oko and now it's time to write about my favorite trail in the Tatras - to Swinica peak via the less known Dolina Gasienicowa (Gasienicowa Valley) and Zawrat saddle. This trail features not one but several crystal clear lakes of different shapes and colors, spectacular views - incomparable with those on the way to Morskie Oko and it's perfect for those who love adventure and adrenaline rush!
On the second day of the extraordinarily beautiful trek to Poon Hill, we left the cozy village of Ulleri at sunrise and headed uphill towards another village - Ghorepani. Ghorepani is located at the elevation of 2750 meters and it differs from other towns with the distinctive blue roofs and houses. It is also a gateway to the most important point of the trek - Poon Hill (around 3200 meters above sea level) which offers a spectacular, 360 degree view of the Annapurna range in the Himalayas. Especially stunning in March/April when all the wild rhododendrons blossom and cover the mountainous valleys in bright red colors.
Lake Kaindy in southern Kazakhstan is one of the newest and most unique natural wonders on our planet. Although literally unknown in the West, if it was located in any European country, it would be its best tourist attraction. Especially beautiful in the fall (autumn), Lake Kaindy boasts not only exceptionally attractive blue color of water and snowy rocky mountains surrounding it but also the unique, silver trunks of dead spruce sticking out of the lake's surface. The "flooded forest" is indeed one of the natural landmarks of Kazakhstan. It all creates a fairy-tale like scenery, not seen anywhere else.
You might have seen photos of the gargantuan hole in the middle of the desert spewing out flames and a beam of light out of its core high up into the night sky while watching National Geographic or some documentary on the weirdest places on Earth. Although the Darvaza Crater has got quite large exposure in the media, it still remains very rarely visited by ordinary tourists. Central Asia is an extremely interesting place both naturally and historically. However, travelers almost always skip it choosing the popular beaches in Southeast Asia. Come to Darvaza and you'll feel as if you were teleported to Mars - it's a unique, outlandish and eerie experience that cannot be compared to anything else you've seen before.
While watching one of the Hollywood apocalyptic films or playing computer games - have you ever thought that a real ghost town is closer than you think? It is actually located in the center of Europe - in Ukraine. 110 kilometers (70 miles) from the country's capital - Kiev, very close to the border with Belarus. A visit to Pripyat is an extraordinary experience - something you most probably have never seen and will never see. It is completely different from the usual sight seeing tours. In this post I am presenting a gallery of photos of this ghost town literally abandoned overnight thirty years ago.
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2015 was a year full of adventure, surprises and amazing opportunities to discover even more of great and off the beaten path places. Just like a year ago, based on my own experience (I've been to all the countries described below), I'd like to present my list of destinations to visit in 2016 (click here to see the post from 2015). As usual, it will be different than most of such lists released by meainstream travel magazines. Instead of repeating all the well known places, I'd like you to get inspired and explore new adventurous and exciting spots. It has probably never even come to your mind that you could visit some of them and you'll surely get shocked when you learn where those amazing wonders actually are located!
The Shipwreck Beach (also called Navagio) on the Greek island - Zakynthos is the most beautiful beach I have seen. It's claimed to be the most beautiful - and I agree. After visiting numerous beaches in other, also way more exotic destinations (like Brazil, Thailand, Italy, Mauritius, Georgia, India, Croatia, Albania, Spain, Portugal), I have yet to discover a place that would enchant me as much as Navagio Beach. But there is a flaw in this perfection. The beach is indeed the most beautiful in the world, granted that it's viewed from the edge of the cliff that surrounds it. Looked at from the sea level, it looses its charm. However, most of the tour agencies offering a trip to the beach arrive there by boat and in this case you will not see it as it is on the postcards or leaflets - from above. It's also impossible to climb the steep rocky cliff from the beach. So what's the solution if you want to admire the famous view from the top?
One of the most important religious sites in Myanmar, seemingly defying the law of gravity - Golden Rock Temple (Kyaiktio or Kyaikhteeyoe Pagoda), although quite famous, is surprisingly not as touristy as the other destinations in the country - Bagan, Mandalay or Yangon. There are good and bad sides to it. The good thing is that the authenticity of the place is still preserved (unlike the temples in Thailand) and you'll see many more locals than foreigners around. The bad thing - to get there without an expensive, privately run tour or a taxi is pretty complicated, the bus schedules are not clear and the level of English among the Burmese is very low. And... to be honest, the site is one of those that look absolutely spectacular in the photos, a bit less so in real life. Having said that, the whole journey was a great adventure, definitely worth the effort and it left some priceless memories in my mind.
It might be a bit strange to see a post about a spa on a blog that describes mainly an active way of traveling and discovering some forgotten and unknown places where few even think of visiting. But Blue Lagoon in Iceland is different. It's an amazing proof how human engineering and nature can cooperate perfectly. It's not an ordinary, boring spa with swimming pools and massages. The Blue Lagoon is one of those experiences that, I think, everyone should try at least once in life. Especially after exploring some of the marvelous sites of Iceland - an outlandish island on the periphery of Europe.
The very south corner of Albania - the country which is still a black spot on the touristic map of Europe offers, in my opinion, the best beaches in the entire old continent: white sand, tropical color of the clearest possible seas, the exoticism of the area and most friendly locals. Most of the very few individual foreign tourists who get to the beach village of Ksamil arrive by ferry from the neighboring, overcrowded by tourists Greek island - Corfu. I followed the same route. And, I really thought that Corfu is amazing until I set foot in Albania's shore. My jaw literally dropped. I immediately felt as if I was transferred to one of the tropical, paradise-like postcard spots. It's a mystery to me how this exceptionally beautiful piece of land lacks any recognition among foreigners. But maybe it's better this way!
Morocco is the most visited country in northern Africa. It’s one of the most diverse places in the world - it basically has everything - beaches in the north, world’s famous Sahara Desert in the south and spectacular Atlas Mountains where you can even find ski resorts. Not too mention the unique architecture in the cities such as Chefchaoeun, Fez or Marrakesh. The country has so much to offer, however, from time to time, we can hear some unnerving stories about the safety issues. What is like to visit Morocco? Is Morocco safe?