There are tons of countries that you can hop on a plane and head to visit with no prior-planning – easily Google-Mapsing your way through the country, and planning your days and meals as you go. Morocco is not really one of those cities. You can certainly wing-it and have a fine time, but investing a little more time for research on this trip can really make the difference for your experience.
Here are 5 things to know before heading to Morocco
1. Driving is insane. Don’t rent a car.
Learn from our mistake here. We thought “oh, we will show those taxi-drivers trying to rip us off! We will just get a rental!”… fast forward to an hour into our trip (it was only a 25 min drive to the Riad) and we are on our way back to the airport with the rental car. Not only does Google Maps not work in Morocco, but the roads are so narrow and crowded that you can’t drive on most of them. On top of that, you are being constantly harassed and followed by men trying to give you directions – especially near the markets. Save yourself the hassle and either negotiate a taxi at the airport (anywhere from $15-$25 each way) or have your Riad book you a transfer.
2. You will get hassled. Hire help.
Trying to get a cab and negotiating yourself around can be stressful, and you will likely get hassled trying to find your way around the city. If you don’t mind spending some extra money, booking a private tour will be well worth it. A private tour helps ensure you get to know more about the city and culture you are visiting as well as see some hidden gems you may not know exist! Some people like the back and forth of haggling for prices. We don’t. We hate negotiating, we hate feeling bad when we say no, we hate giving prices that are too low and we hate getting ripped off. The best thing we did on our entire trip is hire a guide for a walking tour of the city followed by shopping in the souks (markets). He negotiated EVERYTHING for us like a champ. We would walk in, pick out what we were interested in, they would give us the excessive tourist prices, then Jamal would pop in, say a bunch of stuff and tell us the real, reasonable price – just once – then we would pay and walk away. I cannot tell you how fantastic it was, it saved so much stress and discomfort on our part as well as saving a ton of time – well worth paying for.
3. Don’t drink the water. Stick to bottles.
We were walking through the market and wanted to get a juice, and almost bought one from a street vendor when our guide stopped us (very carefully telling the man we would have to come back later). He explained how they use tap water in the ice to make the juices and we definitely would not be feeling great after that experience. Not sure what they use in the tea, I assume the boiling kills whatever could be in it, but we didn’t get sick from it. Everywhere else we went, we only purchased bottled water and were perfectly healthy. Don’t risk your whole trip on unclean water. We hadn’t really even thought of it until our guide re-directed us so I think it’s only right to pass that message on!
4. Google Maps doesn’t work. Buy a SIM card.
We downloaded all of the maps for the cities beforehand to use offline, but it’s not as easy to use as normal. We also bought SIM cards in the airport for 5 euro for 5 gb, which is more than enough for a short trip. This gave us significant peace of mind as well as having back-up options for navigating and planning. In Marrakech, you see the SIM card stand the second you get past customs. Most other SIM cards won’t work there and they know that. It’s not a rip off, so just get it so you feel a little safer and more connected.
5. Don’t be intimidated. The people are so kind.
Sometimes it can be intimidating experiencing cultures so different from our own – especially going from first-world to somewhat third-world. We can have a lot of pre-conceived notions and ideas that prevent us from making the most of an experience, and some are correct, like packing more conservative clothes so you don’t stand out. But if we had judged Morocco (& Moroccans) by that first hour in a rental car, we wouldn’t have done much else that trip. Instead, we explored as much as we could in our short time and were overwhelmed by how friendly and hospitable everyone was! It was really one of the friendliest countries we’ve been to! Now that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pay attention to your surroundings and just trust everyone you meet, but don’t let fear of new surroundings keep you from exploring. No matter what you plan, be ready for the best service you will ever have.
Hope these tips help you plan a memorable trip!
Happy Travels
Xx
Kali