This One Fact About Morocco Will Change Your Life

We know for a fact that our species evolved in multiple locations across the African continent. Until now, the oldest fossils of Homo Sapiens were found on the site of Omo Kibish in Ethiopia in 2003, dating back 195,000 years. These remains, identified as early anatomically modern humans – Homo sapiens, were still very apelike.

A few months ago, our history was altered with the discovery of the oldest fossil of Homo sapiensin Jebel Irhoud in Morocco, just north of Safi.

Safi is a coastal city on the Atlantic, just south of Marrakech; it is famous for its medieval medina that takes you back to the 15th century and stunning beach and views. Now, its popularity has increased for being close to the site of Jebel Irhoud.

The fossil indicates that we did not evolve from a single cradle of mankind, somewhere in East Africa – as the discovery in Ethiopia had once made us believe – and that early Homo sapienshad faces much like our own, although their brains did differ in shape, therefore, in their type of thinking.

They have found skull bones of five individuals that died around the same time and flint blades, that have been burned almost certainly to cook food. These people were highly advanced since they were able to achieve fire and craft complex weapons, like wooden handled spears, to kill animals in the savanna 300,000 years ago.

These tools have been found in many other parts of Africa, making it extremely likely that they were first made by early Homo sapiens, who were rather sophisticated when it came to their lifestyle.

Now when you visit Morocco, you can affirm that you have been to a location where the oldest remains of Homo sapiens have been found, which is pretty cool.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.