If you love photographing vast landscapes, ancient cities, and magnificent architecture, you'll enjoy a visit to Morocco. In this article, I show you five of the best photo spots in the country.
I've visited Morocco five times in the past six years and traveled through its south many times. Of the places I've visited so far, five stand out.
Hassan II Mosque
During my first visit to Morocco, I traveled by train from Marrakesh to Fes. On my way there, I stopped in Casablanca for one day to see one of the country's most spectacular buildings, the Hassan II Mosque. It's one of the largest mosques in the world and boasts the second-highest minaret, at 210 meters. Even with my wide angle lens, I could only capture its entirety after walking a few hundred meters from the mosque.
Since Casablanca has the largest international airport in Morocco, it's not unlikely that you'll arrive there when traveling from overseas. If you do, plan a layover to visit and photograph the mosque. While Casablanca is far less photogenic than other cities in the country, the mosque alone makes a stay worthwhile.
To best photograph it, head to the Park Marina east of the mosque. During sunset, you can get a great view of the building from the shore. During low tide, you can climb down to the rocks and find some tidal pools for reflections.
During blue hour in the morning, you can try the plaza before the mosque. It's where I took my photo. Here, you shouldn't linger too long and should stay far enough away from the mosque so the guards don't bother you. Once I had found the angle I wanted to capture, I took out my tripod, set up the camera, took the photo, and then put the camera away again until later, when I wanted to take another picture.
Fes
The Medina of Fes is a maze. I spent several days in the city and eventually was able to navigate through it quite well. But when you first enter it, you quickly get lost. Inside the Medina, I had a hard time finding photos; it was just too busy, and since people in Morocco don't like to be photographed, just taking out the camera already meant scolding gazes.
The Blue Gate at the western edge of the Medina is a great place to photograph in the morning. Before sunrise, it's calm enough in the area. But the view I enjoyed the most was from the old city wall. It's less crowded than the famous viewpoint at the Marinid Tombs, which I also recommend.
The old city wall is located a few hundred meters beneath the Marinid Tombs, just across the road. When I took my photos in the evening, I didn't see other tourists there, just locals. Know your way if you plan to walk through the Medina after sunset. It empties very quickly and looks a lot different than during the daytime. During my visit back in 2019, it felt safe enough, but make sure to check the areas you plan to photograph during daytime first.
Ait Benhaddou
In recent years, the ancient kasbah of Ait Benhaddou has mostly become a movie set. During my last visit, they still had constructions from the latest Gladiator movie set up in front of the gates. It's a bit sad because those can get in the way when photographing the beautiful kasbah. Gladly, they usually remove the false facades after finishing their shooting and restore the kasbah to its original beauty.
The best time to photograph it is 45 minutes to 30 minutes before sunset, when the golden light hits the side of the buildings. The best viewpoints are down at the river, if there's enough water, and from the viewpoint just south of the city.
Erg Chigaga
The main reason I come back to Morocco repeatedly is the Erg Chigaga. This sea of sand presents endless photo opportunities. Next February, during my fourth photo tour, we will stay three days in a Berber camp at the feet of the dunes to take photos like the one below.
I captured it from the highest dune of the Erg with my Canon RF 100-500mm lens during my last tour. We had organized a Berber with his dromedaries to walk around the dunes around sunset. This photo shoot was a dream come true, and I can't wait for next January.
Essaouira
The Medinas of Fes and Marrakesh can be very loud and hectic. For a more relaxed experience, I recommend a visit to Essaouira. The Wind City of Morocco is much less crowded and an excellent place for street photography. The best time to do so is early morning, when the streets slowly fill with locals. Take your camera and roam the streets as the sun slowly lights the alleyways.
Another excellent place for photography is in front of the harbor. At high tide, you can climb the wall or explore the beach at low tide for a fantastic view of the city wall at sunset. You can learn more about photographing Essaouira in my photography guide.
Conclusion
There's much more to explore in Morocco than the places I shared in this article. There's the blue city of Chefchaouen, Tangier near the Strait of Gibraltar, the wide beaches around Mirleft and Legzira, the Atlas and Anti-Atlas Mountains, Merzouga, gorges, and a lot more. And unless you want to travel to the remote Erg Chigaga, you can rent a car and explore on your own. It's something I'll undoubtedly do sometime in the future.
