Sunset Morocco

I love traveling in winter when the sun sets before it’s time to go to dinner.  Sunsets in Moroccan winter seem to be around 5:00 PM. It’s great to be able to enjoy the full spectrum of colors of a sunset, sometimes with a sun-downer cocktail, then go in and taste the amazing dishes of each country.

A sunset in Morocco is one for the bucket list! The skies are yellow, pink, purple, and deep shades of magenta. Just like their colorful spice displays featuring saffron, pickled lemon, coriander, cumin, and ginger, the colors of the sunset let you know that you are in the right place.

As we traveled around Morocco, this exotic North African country, we made sure to walk the city walls or go out to the beach at night to enjoy the daily light show.  of course, we were never that alone, since many locals do this as well, and we met many a friendly family to chat with for a few minutes. I think we all agreed, the sunsets were always amazing.  

While there’s so much to love about this exotic, friendly country, we just fell in love with these romantic evening displays. We’re sure everyone else will love them too. Below we’ve listed the top 5 sunsets that we enjoyed during our two week trip. If you have a great sunset location, please let us know in the comments. Everyone loves a good one.

Top 5 Moroccan Sunsets

Number 5 – El Jadida

Number five on our list is the ever-stunning El Jadida.  The whole city lit up in an orange and pink glow.  The port area, where the docked red boats lay upside down in their cradles, told us not only was it time for bed, but it was winter.

Families walked around in their warm, winter djellabas, chatting, kicking their soccer balls, and soaking in the amazing colors of the city at dusk.

We loved watching the young couples sitting on park benches, sharing a romantic moment. All the while, the sky went through more shades of rosy pink than I could ever imagine.

We would have ranked El Jadida even higher on our list, but the reality is not too many people go there. Even though it is a world heritage city, there are few tourists. Don’t miss this one.

Number 4 – Marrakesh

Number four was our very first night in Morocco as we marveled at the sights in the market square.  Right before the sun started to set, the people came out.  

People from all walks of life, poor and rich alike, found their way to the square either to sell or to buy something.  We feasted at the food stalls as well as on the beautiful sights.

The minaret of the Koutoubia Mosque really accentuated the colors of the sky as the sun fell below the mountain horizon in the background. It was a fabulous beginning to our trip.

Number 3 – High Atlas Mountains

The number three sunset happened while we were in transit. We drove all over the country, and one evening when we were almost to the place we were stopping for the night, we turned around to see this view following us.  

It was an amazing show of swirling clouds drenched in a strawberry lemonade sky, silhouetting the Atlas mountains.  I’m not sure we were driving very safe since we just could not get enough of the view, even after we’d stopped and snapped a few shots.

Number 2 – Essaouira

Number two was probably the most crowded sunset we watched.  Hanging over the fortress walls in Essaouira with every tourist and local who was in town that night didn’t make it the most romantic experience for us, but the beauty was hard to forget.

The walls of Essaouira, on the Atlantic side, are crenelated and it seemed that each notch was filled with rubber-neckers. There was a couple of young lovers in this one, a full family with five or so kids in the next. Everywhere we looked the notches were filled with sunset aficionados. However, we did finally find one that the four of us could occupy, until…

I had just propped up my camera on the wall when a busload of Italian high school students started clambering all over to get a good view.  I had elbows and legs dangling all around me, but they didn’t bother the camera and I happily got many shots as the sun sunk into the sea.

Number 1 – Volubilis

My last sunset is probably my favorite of the entire trip.  We were traipsing all over the Roman ruins of Volubilis, and we had only made it about half way when the sky started darkening and turning beautiful shades of orange.

Golden hour, right before sunset, is one of the best times for photography so I started happily clicking away.

I was afraid that at any moment the guards were going to usher us out, but instead we were allowed to watch the entire sunset.  I couldn’t believe it, and the views were amazing.

Those Romans knew just what they were doing, because the highlight of the sunset is when it peaked through the Caracalla Arch. If you don’t do anything else outside of Marrakesh or Fez or Chefchaouen, go to Volubilis and experience this.

Conclusion

We felt extremely lucky to be traveling through Morocco during December when the sunset nice and early. Enjoying the swirling colors lit up our evening and was a great end to our days.

Don’t you just love a gorgeous sunset?  What are some of your favorites from your travels?

Author Bio: Corinne Vail is a travel photographer, food lover, and a perpetual traveler who has been travel writing for over 14 years. For many years she lived overseas in Germany, Japan, Turkey, South Korea, and the Netherlands teaching the children of the US. military. She’s visited over 90 countries, and she’s not stopping anytime soon.

Pin Morocco Sunsets!