Tips For Travelling in Morocco
After spending two weeks travelling in Morocco (which felt like 2 months…), I collected some of my best tips on how to ensure you have a safe and wonderful experience in the country.
Get a money belt/ a fanny pack: trust me. You just don’t want to be wandering the streets with a backpack or a shoulder bag. Good news is the Souks are full of amazing leather fanny packs, so make it your first order of business to get one!
Pre-book your airport shuttle: taxis are notorious scammers, so get your Riad to pre-book your taxi shuttle to get you from the airport to them. It’ll save you time, hassle, and money.
Only take certified taxis, and always agree on the rate before hand
Always follow the GPS while in a taxi and let them know when they drive off-course
Haggling is a part of the culture, but beware that if you over haggle they will probably ‘get you’ in another way (give you a fake, or not what you asked for)
Get a Moroccan sim card with data (especially for maps)
Many places only accept cash
Don’t take out too many dirhams at a time (to not get robbed, but also because you can’t exchange them back once home)
Only take money out at a legitimate bank ATM
Don’t eat at a random spot, always look up reviews (or better yet go where the locals are lining up)
Don’t drink the tap water (a bottle of water 1.5 L should cost you no more than 6 dirhams)
If you’re going to get henna, seek out a reputable location
There is an artisan collective walking distance from Medina in Marrakech that offers government set prices. Heading there to get a basic understanding of what things should cost gives you a benchmark on where to haggle from; but as a general rule you shouldn’t pay much more than half of that they ask for initially. To reach that point you’ll have to low-ball even more first, and inch your way up to 50%. This requires some serious dedication! It was very uncomfortable for me to be honest, but some of the prices they threw at me were straight up insane.
If you’re going out after dark, don’t be alone.
Eat the cactus fruit! Generally 1 dirham each, so delicious, and a fun way to interact with locals. But watch your bag… it’s while eating a 1 dirham cactus fruit that my wallet was robbed!
Bring toilet paper with you (toilets, aka a ceramic hole in the ground, rarely have TP. Even in cafés)
Make a trip to the Sahara, and camp in the desert (Merzouga!) — preferably in a car rental, if you’re not travelling alone. It will give you a lot more freedom to stop at all the incredible picturesque areas along the way.
Be aware of the speed limits and do not break any driving laws; you’re being watched. I mean it, we we’re stopped up 30 minutes later after passing a truck along a ‘no passing’ (single line) on the highway. Either the truck dobbed us in, or there were cameras, but the police stopped us and referred to the illegal driving manoeuvre we did 30 minutes earlier. Also there are periods of the highway with very low speed limits, just obey them even if no one is (allegedly) watching.
Beware of car rental agencies, they are notoriously trying to get more money, scam people out of paying for damage to the car that they did not do, etc. If you can, rent through your Riad, or see if the riad local can help you rent one properly. Take photos of the car from every angle, and make a video of the car (circle it) upon rental, so you have evidence of the exact state that the car is in.
Don’t pre-book your day trips online. You’ll pay about 10% of the cost by haggling for the same trip, in one of the tour agencies in the medina.
Cover up. While you’re out of your Riad, just cover up. Wear long linen pants/ dress, keep your shoulders covered. No deep necked shirts. And bring or buy a scarf for times when you want to really blend in. Save the sunbathing for your Riad rooftop, and opt to avoid any attention while out and about. I know it’s a common tip, but during my two weeks in the country I saw so many people (…women..) wearing super revealing clothes. You’re’ in a patriarchal Muslim country— better to abide by the culture and decrease the likelihood you will get harassed or robbed.
Don’t try and see/ do everything: the country is huge, and overwhelming. I suggest either spending st least a month in Morocco (if you want to see the North, the sea, Marrakech, the mountains, and the desert), otherwise pick your battles and limit yourself to either the middle, the north, or the south of the country.
Argan oil buying tip: A) you want to avoid buying in plastic, because plastics leach into oil and will contaminate the quality of your oil, even if it is high quality stuff. B) if it’s ridiculously cheap, it’s probably fake. Expect to spend about 200 dirhams for a 150ml bottle of quality oil. C) It should be clear, somewhat murky, with a dull yellow color. D) Opt for cold-pressed oil, and organic.
Don’t follow anyone to a tannery: this is a common scam, in fact anyone offering to ‘take you somewhere’ should be denied. They will often want a monetary tip, or are getting paid a commission to take you on a ‘free tour’ where owners can get quite aggressive if you don’t end up buying anything. Also the tannery’s smell foul.
Ignore people who tell you a certain road is closed: this is a weird one, but in efforts to re-direct you towards their shops, many people will set up fake road blocks in the Medina, where a local will tell you “the road is closed, follow me, I’ll show you the right way”. Once in a blue moon they will be right, or it will be a dead end, but just make that call when you get to an actual dead end and just turn around.
Google maps is right about 70% of the time in the Medina, so always allow yourself ample time to get anywhere.
