Travel Tips

Ready? Set? GO! Magical Morocco awaits! Get ready to experience Morocco in safety and comfort. You have questions? We have answers — find what you need and more in our Travel Tips!

Health and Wellbeing

What vaccines do I need? Can I drink the water? Should I have travel medical insurance? Can I get the medications I need in Morocco?

Personal Safety

Is Morocco safe? (…YES!) How is Morocco the same or different from other countries? How can I plan to travel safely when I’m away from home? What does Sahara Adventures do to help keep me safe?

Appropriate Dress

Should women cover up? Should men? What do you need to travel to the desert? What about shoes and shoe etiquette?

Money Matters

What’s the local currency in Morocco? Can I bring Euros, US, Canadian dollars? Can I use my credit cards in Morocco? What about tipping?

Packing Tips

What climate should I pack for? Should I pack casual or dressy clothing? Shorts or sleeveless tops? What about layers? Non-clothing items like sunscreen?

Shopping in Morocco

What are the “best buys” in Morocco? Do I have to bargain? Can I pay with my credit card? Should I ship things home? What can I bring home?

Staying in a Riad

Why a riad instead of a hotel? What services can I expect? Will I have a private room and bathroom? How accessible are riads?

Dining Out

What’s on my plate? Is Moroccan cuisine “spicy? Is there cutlery or do I eat with my hands? What if I need a vegetarian or special diet? What about alcohol?

Appropriate Dress

  • Morocco is a very casual country, and western-style clothing is increasingly popular, especially in the cities that see a lot of international traffic. Clothes and jewellery that look “expensive” will only make you stand out to the wrong kind of people. Leave it at home.
  • Respect the local dress practices: Moroccans appreciate it when both men and women dress modestly. Both men and women can wear shorts, but keep them hovering close to the knee. Have something light or gauzy to throw over bare shoulders. No “muscle shirts” – even if you have muscles.
  • Women do not have to wear head coverings or otherwise “cover up”. 
  • Wear (or bring) a good pair of sturdy walking shoes. Sidewalks are often uneven, broken, or missing. Roadsides (where you might stand to take pictures) are rough, rocky, and often littered with broken glass and other debris. Have a pair of open sandals for cool comfort on short walks or while travelling, and flip-flops for the hotel room or pool.
  • Temperatures can vary significantly during shoulder seasons or from low to high altitudes. Pack clothing that can be layered.
  • Pack for your activities: planning to ride a camel? Bring a light day-pack, wide-brimmed hat, mid-calf (or longer) pants (camel hides can be abrasive on thighs and calves), and plenty of sunscreen.

Money Matters

  • The Moroccan dirham is the local currency and is all you really need. Because of the number of European visitors, Euros are also accepted, but don’t exchange your own currency for any.
  • Don’t try to source Moroccan dirhams from home: take a small amount in your home currency, exchange it for dirhams at the airport, and use the ATM machines to take out what you need each day. ATMs are everywhere, although in remote areas, they sometimes run out of money. Dirhams are the only currency dispensed.
  • “Cash is king” in Morocco: You are welcome to use credit cards, but merchants are charged high fees for their use, and have no choice but to pass the cost on to you. Smaller shops or hotels and restaurants in more remote areas may not always accept credit cards.
  • Hoard your change! Moroccans may press you to pay the exact amount due, but make sure you have a good supply of small coins. You’ll need them for the toilets in hotels, restaurants, and other facilities. The nominal fee may buy you some toilet paper (always have your own), or will compensate the cleaners.

Packing Tips

  • Less is more! The eternal truth of travel is that the less you pack, the more room you have for treasures to take home!

Clothing

  • Take into account seasonal differences. Especially in the shoulder seasons (spring and fall), day and nighttime temperatures can vary significantly. Even if you aren’t staying in the mountains, you will pass through on your way to or from the desert, and you will find it significantly cooler.
  • Pack light-weight clothes that can be layered, both to adjust to changing temperatures or weather conditions. Pack MUCH warmer clothes for travel between mid-late November and mid-late March.
  • Pack for your activities: planning to ride a camel? Bring a light day-pack, wide-brimmed hat, mid-calf (or longer) pants (camel hides can be abrasive on thighs and calves), and plenty of sunscreen.
  • Keep in mind the recommendations regarding modesty in dress: see the Travel Tips for Appropriate Dress (above).

Electronics

  • Bring chargers, spare batteries, and appropriate electric plug converters for any electronic devices you plan to bring, such as phones, tablets, or cameras.
  • Check your data plan before leaving home: you may find it advantageous to switch to a Moroccan SIM card upon arrival. Most Moroccan service providers have very attractive plans that include a free SIM card, and most have kiosks right at the airport in the Arrivals area.

Shopping In Morocco

  • You know you wanna… how can you resist? Everywhere you turn, something’s for sale in Morocco, and what’s available covers the gamut: the cheap and tawdry to the exotic and beautiful, and everything in between. Here are some tips on what to shop for.

Bargaining

For certain hard goods, yes, you should for the pleasure of the experience, and you must for the sake of your bank account! Approach bargaining in the spirit of having fun: it’s a great way to have an immersive cultural experience, and make a personal connection with Moroccan people. Just be sure you know the absolute limit of what you can afford to pay. Beyond that, even if you come away thinking you paid more than you needed to, think of it as being the price of the experience, or consider that by perhaps overpaying a little, your money will ultimately make life easier for someone who could use a little extra.

Carpets

Morocco makes magnificent carpets! Do allow yourself to be ‘educated’ about carpets. Reputable shops will sit you down with a cup of tea and tell you about different styles, techniques, and materials that are used to create Moroccan carpets and how to evaluate quality. Yes, they hope you will buy something, but they will also graciously wish you a good day if you walk away. Nevertheless, you will be armed with some knowledge about how to look at other carpets, and you will appreciate your eventual purchase that much more.

If you know you will shop for a carpet, prepare yourself before you leave home: take room dimensions, and if you are hoping to co-ordinate with room colors or furniture, take color swatches with you.

Leather Goods

Morocco is justifiably famous for its leather. Although you will find leather goods everywhere, the best comes from Fes. Try to buy it there if Fes is on your tour.

Ceramics

Morocco’s ceramics are also exquisite, and you’ll see them everywhere. Visit one of the factories in Fes, or if you’re travelling the Atlantic coast, walk through the pottery district where you can visit individual artisanal workshops. As you travel the country, you’ll often see roadside shops showcasing the work of local potters,  and you are likely to be able to visit their workshops and purchase their work at very good prices. 

Wood and Metal Tradescrafts

Many products that are mass-produced elsewhere are still made by hand in Morocco, including beautiful inlaid furniture, musical instruments, and pierced metal lamps and lanterns. You’ll find workshops in all the medinas. Please consider that the Thuya wood industry is not sustainable, and look for alternatives.

Spices, Saffron, Argan

Morocco’s climate greatly favors cultivation of a great many herbs and spices, and in their dried form, you can take them home. One of Morocco’s greatest treasures is its saffron – the world’s best! Morocco is also the only country in the world where the argan tree is grown, and both culinary and cosmetic argan oil is available throughout the country.

Going to the Desert?

  • For visitors from the more temperate regions of Europe and North America, the desert will be too hot for comfortable travel from late June to early September. It can also be quite cool during the winter months. Try to visit between March and mid-June, or mid-September to November. Prepare for heat and sun in the desert: bring a good sunscreen, sunglasses, and a hat. Morocco’s climate is generally quite dry, but especially so in the desert. Bring extra hydrating skin lotion. It also helps to drink more water: bottled mineral water is available everywhere, and at reasonable prices.

Going Into the Mountains?

  • If you are planning a trek into the mountains, expect variable weather. Research the seasonal conditions where you intend to go, and pack appropriate clothing for the full range of conditions – not just those you think you might expect. Pack so you can dress in layers. Bring a day pack so you can carry changes of clothing as well as extra food and water. (These will not be helpful to you if you leave them in the car, and you are up on a trail when it starts to rain, or when you are roasting in the sun.)