Travel tips

Rather than bringing a lot of cash, we recommend withdrawing directly in local currency (dirhams) with an ATM enabled for foreign withdrawals, credit cards or prepaid credit cards. If you bring cash, avoid paying in euros but always prefer the local currency, the dirham. 1 euro: 10,8 dirham (it varies, please check)

Most credit cards are accepted (especially Visa, Mastercard) but a surcharge may apply. Only some hotels and shops accept credit cards even if the number is growing.
It is advisable to notify your bank that you intend to travel to Morocco so that they do not block your credit and/or debit cards.

In addition to national airlines (Alitalia, Royal Air Maroc etc.), which usually fly to Casablanca, there are several low-cost airlines: Ryanair which flies to both Marrakech and Fez, Easyjet, Jet4you, Airarabia, etc.

For those who want to see some cities and the desert, the best option is certainly fly to Fez and return from Marrakech (or vice versa). Warning: someone contact us when they see the price of the return ticket from Morocco because it appears to be a very high price. This happens because some companies (such as Ryanair) put the price in the local currency MAD (Moroccan dirham) therefore the proposed price MUST BE DIVIDED BY 10/11 to get the price in euros. In practice, if the flight is 450 MAD, the price is around 45 euros!

If you want to get directly to the desert, the best flights are Royal Air Maroc to Casablanca and from there internal flight to Errachidia (this airport is 2 hours from the Erg Chebbi desert).

if you need advice on flights please contact us.

It is advisable to dress in compliance with local customs and therefore avoid clothes that are too tight or short. In general, comfortable clothing such as overalls, jeans, sneakers or trekking shoes, sandals in summer is appropriate for tours. In hot weather it is necessary to bring sunscreen and a hat. In the period from October to March it is advisabel to bring some warm clothes (sweatshirts, wool sweater, jacket) for the evening, especially in the desert where there is a difference in temperature range. In December and January a warm jacket, hat and warm socks are also useful. From April to October temperatures are mild even at night and it is not necessary to bring warm clothing.
For the night in the tent it could be useful to bring a torch.

Luckily, the weather is usually sunny and dry Morocco, especially in Marrakech and in the south.
Morocco can be visited all year round. The ideal period for a trip is from September to May. December and January are the coldest months of the year, at night in the desert temperatures sometimes reach zero degrees but the days are sunny and the colors that can be admired at sunrise and sunset in these months are truly incomparable. The months of June and July are the hottest while from mid-August temperatures begin to drop.

Hotels sometimes do not provide hairdryers so it is advisable to bring one.

220V, in smaller locations 110V with two-hole sockets. Bring an adapter if you have appliances with 3-hole sockets.

In order not to have problems during the journey, avoid unpeeled fruit and fresh salads, possibly also freshly squeezed orange juice (sometimes they add tap water or ice). Drink only mineral water and make sure the purchased bottle is sealed. Although very picturesque, be careful if you want to eat in the outdoor stands of the Djema El Fnaa square, where the hygienic conditions are not excellent.

The ‘couscous’ is certainly the most popular dish in Morocco. It is finely ground and steamed semolina, accompanied by meat, especially lamb, and vegetables.

Another typical dish is the ‘tajine’, a stew of meat and vegetables flavored with herbs and spices. Tajine is the name of the pot in which this dish is cooked, an earthenware dish with a tall cone-shaped lid. The variations of the tagine are endless: from the simple vegetarian tagine with only vegetables to the tagine enriched with olives, plums, almonds, apricots or other dried fruit.

A Berber specialty is the ‘m’choui’, a lamb roasted in the open, usually during a celebration, and seasoned with spices. With the heart and the liver, delicious kebabs are prepared which are cooked on the grill, threaded onto a long skewer and passed among the diners in turn.

Another Moroccan specialty is the pastilla, typical of Fes: it is a mixture made up of pigeon or chicken meat, eggs, lemon, almonds, cinnamon and sugar, all enclosed in layers of fried ppastry.

The real foundation of every meal is the delicious bread, rigorously fresh every day. Moroccans often use it instead of cutlery to help themselves to meat or vegetables from the common plate placed in the middle of the table. Sometimes the bread is served with oil, honey or delicious date jam.

Moroccan sweets are delicious. Famous are the ‘kaab el ghzal’ (gazelle horns), crescent moon-shaped pastries filled with a delicate almond paste and drops of orange blossom.

The most popular drink of Morocco is mint tea which will be offered to you on various occasions and which Moroccans, young and old, drink in enormous quantities. It is prepared with green tea, fresh mint and lots of sugar. In the desert, other local herbs are often used instead of mint, which give the tea a very special aroma.

Tajine: it is the earthenware pot in which food is cooked. There are lemon chicken tagine, beef tagine, sardine tagine, vegetarian tagine, kefta (minced meat) tagine, fish tagine etc. etc.
Pastilla: a fried pastry typically filled with chicken topped with sugar and almonds
Briwat: like pastillas, but smaller and with fillings of your choice
Harira: typical Moroccan soup with vegetables, legumes and sometimes meat
Brochette: meat skewers.
Kefta: minced meat balls
Viande hachée: minced meat
Salade marocaine: salad with tomatoes, peppers, onion
Salade niçoise: salad with cooked vegetables, rice

The Arabic spoken by Moroccans (‘darija’) is very different from that spoken in other countries. Various Berber dialects are spoken in the countryside, mountainous areas and desert. Most Moroccans, especially if dealing with tourists, speak good French and basic English, Italian, German, even Japanese! Let your guide teach you a few words in Arabic or Berber: you will enchant everyone and you will be greeted by big smiles.

Check the time difference with your country

No vaccine is required for a trip to Morocco. All commonly used medicines are available in numerous pharmacies.

All hotels, even the most remote, offer wi-fi connection. Internet points are very common.