Are you considering an adventure in Morocco? Mark Eveleigh offers his professional advice on everything from when to go and how to get around to cultural customs and manners to the ideal itinerary for Morocco.
The 5 Things to Keep in Mind Before Traveling to Morocco
I was a struggling travel writer working out of Madrid in the late 1990s. Since my business plan did not cover long-distance travel, my only option for finding exciting new material was to take an overnight bus that would get me to Tangier in time for breakfast. It felt as though Africa was right outside my door.
Since then, I’ve frequently traveled to Morocco’s most remote regions on assignments. It continues to rank among the most intriguing, thrilling, and difficult nations I have ever visited.
I traversed the Central Sahara on a Tuareg camel caravan, trekked with Berber mule trains through the Atlas Mountains, and traveled around the nation in taxis, buses, trains, and automobiles—once even piloting a 34-year-old VW Beetle through a convoy that went all the way to Gambia. Morocco is still one of the world’s most thrilling adventure destinations, even with its relative accessibility.
It can be stressful at times, but most of the time, visitors are enthralled by a hospitality code that may be a national trait shared by Moroccans from all walks of life and cultural backgrounds.
How does Morocco compare?
Morocco resists easy categorization. The serene countryside towns of the Rif Mountains, or the remaining nomadic communities of the southern desert, are worlds apart from the internationally renowned buzzy and sophisticated Tangier, with its rich Mediterranean history and enigmatic International Zone backdrop. Any list of the most dynamic and fascinating cities in the world would include Marrakech at the top. Every traveler should at least once witness the world’s largest perpetual “festival,” the Djemaa el Fna, in the city’s central plaza.
Fes has its unique excitement, with its mesmerizing souks and classic tanneries. Then there are magical places like Essaouira, the wind-whipped city perched on the Atlantic coast, and Chefchaouen, whose alleyways are painted an icy blue under the scorching African sun. However, to visit Morocco and overlook its natural beauty would be to overlook the essence of the nation. Hiking through the Rif Mountains’ lush vegetation, taking a camel train from Merzouga into the desert, or walking to Kasbah du Toubkal with baggage mules before continuing among the Atlas Mountains’ parched peaks are all options.
Etiquette and culture
The 5 Things to Keep in Mind Before Traveling to Morocco: Although Moroccan culture has always placed a high value on religious freedom, it’s vital to keep in mind that the majority of people in this nation are Muslims, albeit in a relatively lax sense. When showing affection in public, use caution and pay attention to what is appropriate to wear. Particularly when visiting palaces, kasbahs, and—most importantly—the area around mosques, cover your shoulders and legs. At places of worship, women should wear scarves to cover their heads. Blondes in particular find scarves to be a useful disguise in crowds.
While there are some westernized beaches in Morocco (particularly near Agadir and Essaouira), where beachwear is customary, it is prudent and polite to dress more modestly once you are off the beach. Ask about the protocol for using the traditional hammam steam rooms in old medinas and traditional towns; they could be the highlight of your trip.
A lot of Moroccans would rather not be photographed. It should go without saying that you should respect your subject’s decision and always ask if you want a portrait. Expert photographers know that Morocco is one of the hardest locations to shoot in because people will frequently object, even in wide-angle crowd scenes.
Any trip to Morocco would not be complete without some shopping, and aside from a few designer stores, haggling is expected almost everywhere. Never let the transaction turn into a fight; always pay up when your price has been accepted and keep a cheerful, upbeat attitude. Don’t push too hard for a deal; while a dollar may not seem like much to you, a struggling trader will sell at a loss if it means he can’t afford to feed his family that night.
The 5 Things to Keep in Mind Before Traveling to Morocco: Only in tourist destinations is alcohol served, usually in discreet bars. However, it may be worthwhile to inquire at your hotel or riad because some surprisingly beautiful cocktail bars are located in Marrakech’s medina.
Morocco travel destinations
Morocco offers enough fascinating places to keep you on the road for months, but the following itinerary would be a perfect way to get a great understanding of the region’s natural, historical, and cultural diversity: After arriving by plane in Casablanca, take a bus (a three-hour drive) to Fes. Hire a driver to drive you through the Rif Mountains to Chefchaouen (four hours) and then on to Tangier (two hours) after you’ve spent a few days exploring the historic city. Taking the extremely comfortable night train will allow you to spend an extra day on the Mediterranean coast, arriving in Marrakech just in time for breakfast.
From here, you can take a 1.5-hour taxi ride to Imlil to see the High Atlas, also known as the “roof of Africa,” before returning to Marrakech to make the exhausting 10-hour drive to Merzouga, where you will see camels, Bedouin tents, and the vast Sahara.
Try to stay in riads whenever you can, especially in Fes, Tangier, and Marrakech. With their internal courtyards or gardens, these refurbished medina townhouses—which often resemble mansions—perfectly capture the essence of the old cities and are a constant refuge from the sensory overload of the souks.
When it comes to cuisine, it pays to be adventurous because Morocco is a gourmet’s paradise and the street-food vendors and neighborhood restaurants frequently serve some of the most delicious meals and snacks.
When is the best time to travel to Morocco?
Morocco is beautiful year-round, but the months of September through November and March through May are the most pleasant. Although they can be unbearably hot in the desert, summer is the best season to go hiking in the Atlas or Rif Mountains. Winter is so breathtakingly beautiful that some people consider it to be the best time to visit, even though it can be so cold at times that it’s difficult to believe you’re in Africa. In the winter, Marrakech receives fewer visitors and never looks more stunning than when the snow-capped mountains frame the glowing amber kasbah walls.
Everywhere in the nation celebrates Ramadan, which this year falls between March 10 and April 9. Since every evening has the vibe of a festival or street party, it can be a vibrant time to travel. It can be restrictive, though, as Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, and even smoking during the day. Some tourist restaurants operate normally in large cities, but even though it’s not officially forbidden to foreigners, it’s considered courteous to avoid eating or drinking on the street.
Exploring Morocco
Getting to know Moroccan people can be greatly facilitated by the cozy local buses that connect all the main towns and cities. In urban areas, one can easily hail the omnipresent petit taxis, also known as little taxis, or the progressively more prevalent three-wheeled tuk-tuks, which are advantageous because they can maneuver through even the narrowest sections of the medina. Although petite taxis are metered, occasionally the driver will “forget” to turn on the meter or will claim that it is broken. In that scenario, you must bargain for the price beforehand.
Grand taxis, also known as intercity taxis, travel great distances at reasonable prices and are typically Mercedes Benz vehicles, though occasionally they are of quite a venerable vintage. Note that drivers of both petit and grand taxis anticipate being able to accept additional passengers along the route (given even the slightest chance of fitting them in). For lone travelers who enjoy getting to know locals, this can be advantageous, but you might have to wait around until enough people show up unless you’re willing to pay for additional seats.
You can bargain for the cost of the entire car if you’re traveling with friends and would rather maintain your independence so that you can pull over for meals or picture ops. The personnel at your hotel or riad can help you arrange a grand taxi for your next destination.
Good train services offer a convenient and enjoyable way to see the scenery while connecting the major cities. Nowadays, it takes two hours and ten minutes to travel from Casablanca to Tangier (211 miles/340 kilometers away) via high-speed rail. From Tangier, you can travel to Marrakech.
The 5 Things to Keep in Mind Before Traveling to Morocco; But why rush when you can take the vintage Marrakech Express—famous in the 1969 song by Crosby, Stills, and Nash—from Tangier to legendary Marrakech at dawn for a romantic and leisurely overnight train ride?