Where to Begin When Planning a Trip to Morocco
Transportation:
Public Transportation
ALSA is the public bus system and we loved using it. It cost around 80 cents for both of us to use. Buses were a little dated, but clean. You just pay cash once you get on the bus to the bus driver.
Guided Tour
most include transportation from your accommodation to the activity. In the case of the Saraha desert tour we were picked up in Marrakesh and dropped off in Fez. Saving us time, money, and hassle.
Taxis
convenient, but more pricey way of getting around. Can haggle the price with the taxi driver.
Things to Consider:
Currency: Moroccan Dirham (MAD)
Best Time to Visit: November
Language: Arabic (98%), French (68%)
Drinkable Tap Water: No
Tip: Yes, tip taxi drivers, wait staff, and porters 10-15%
Haggling: Yes, especially when shopping in the souks
Cash or Credit Card: Bring cash. Some restaurants might have the ability to take credit cards, but they are few and far between. Thankfully, there are a lot of ATMs should you need some cash.
Cultural Tips
Morocco is a conservative country. To be respectful of their culture men should wear shirts covering their shoulders and pants or shorts that reach the upper knee. Women should wear loose fitting clothes that cover your back, shoulders, chest, and knees. You are not required to wear head coverings, but visiting certain mosques you may be required to.
Greet always with your right hand. If a man is greeting a woman, he waits for her to extend her hand. If she does not bow your head politely.
What We Wish We Knew:
- If you visit the Jamaa el Fna Square be mindful that the people there will be aggressive. Women will just grab your hand and start drawing henna on you and then demand you pay for the work you did not ask for. Just be firm and say no and you might literally have to pull your hand firmly out of their grasp. I had to learn this the hard way.
- If you go on a guided tour and they stop you at a store, do not buy anything there it will be at least doubled the price. Even if they claim it is the “best” you can get the same thing much cheaper at the market. They sell souvenirs everywhere in Morocco, so getting a better deal will not be difficult. The guide gets a commission for every purchase made there. Just keep that in mind.
- Some might offer to help you in order to get money in the end. For example, we were trying to find our AirBnB and without asking a guy started walking with us and even though we used Google maps to find the location this guy claimed he helped us and demanded a tip. I’ve heard kids are more common to try the same scam.
Our Itinerary : Morocco
Day 1:
Explored Marrakech (Jemaa El-Fna Square, Souk Summarine, Zeitoun Cafe, Food Tour)
Day 2:
Expedition to Mt. Toubkal began. Picked up in Marrakech dropped off in Imlil. Hiked for four hours to reach “The Refugee” (a hostel type accommodation in the mountains) where we stayed the night.
Day 3:
Early morning to reach the summit of Mt. Toubkal and hiked back to Imlil where we were driven back to Marrakech in the evening.
Day 4:
Explored some more Souks (markets) and experienced a traditional hammam.
Day 5:
Early morning pick-up to start the drive to Erg Chebbi (Sahara Desert). With stops at Air Ben Haddou and Dades Gorge. Stopping at a hotel for the night.
Day 6:
Traveled the rest of the way to Erg Chebbi. Experienced a camel ride to the camp site in the desert.
Day 7:
Early morning to catch the sunrise over the sand dunes. Rode our camels back to the start and had a driver meet us to take us to Fez (seven hours).
Day 8:
Spent the day in Fez just walking around and making sure to visit the local tannery.
*Tip:
one thing we would change to our itinerary would be to visit the coast. Many other travelers recommended the beach town Tangier. If you end up going let us know if it’s worth a trip 🙂
