Morocco

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Quick Facts

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Local name

Al-Maghrib

Capital

Rabat

Government

Constitutional Monarchy

Nationality

Moroccan

Population

31 690 000

Languages

Arabic, Tachelhit, Tamazight

Religions

Islam

Currency

Moroccan Dirham (MAD)

Calling Code

+212

Time Zone

WET (UTC)

Daylight Saving Time

WEST (UTC+1)

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Introduction

COLORS OF MOROCCO

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Morocco (Arabic: المغرب‎ "Al-Maghrib") is separated from Spain and Europe by nothing more than the needle-thin Strait of Gibraltar, but its position on the African continent has led to a more common association with the African world. Berber culture has been long-standing and remarkably robust in the face of foreign invaders, including the Romans, the Arabs and France during colonial days. Since power was handed back to Morocco in 1956, the country has developed into a devoutly Muslim nation that is being drawn into the waves of modernity. Western fascination with the country has been prime ever since Hollywood produced a series of Morocco-glorifying films in the middle of the 20th century such as the 1942 Casablanca. Its stunning Atlas Mountains, outstanding trekking opportunities, invigorating cities and cultural exoticism have continued to make it a deserved favourite amongst travellers.

Brief History

Geography

Morocco is bordered by Algeria, Mauritania, and Western Sahara, the latter being treated as part of Morocco by the country itself, but this is not internationally recognized. Morocco also borders to Spain due to the presence of the two small Spanish enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta in the North. Morocco can roughly be divided into three parts: the coastline, the mountains and the desert. Much of the coastline is quite rough with cliffs, rocks and caves but with some nice secluded beaches as well. More to the south Agadir is a popular beach destinations with better and longer beaches for swimming. The coastline and the immediate interior are one of the more fertile areas in Morocco although the Rif Mountains and Middle Atlas mountains are relatively good areas for agriculture as well. To the south it becomes to dry, especially south from Agadir the coastline becomes more barren. In the north are the Rif Mountains, where the famous kif (Moroccan marihuana) is grown and this is Berber country. The Middle Atlas is located south from the Rif Mountains, in between which is a lower area. The Middle Atlas rises to over 3300 meters above sea level and is one of Morocco's agricultural heartlands. Southwest of the Middle Atlas the High Atlas is extremely rough and scenic with snowcapped peaks from December to early June, the highest peak being Mount Toubkal at 4167 meters above sea level. This area is great for skiing during the wintermonths and there are several very scenic roads to take south and west of Marrakech across the mountain chain. South of here you will find the Anti Atlas, a lower but equally beautiful mountainous region with the Ameln Valley at its heart. To the south and west of the mountains, the Sahara desert starts with mostly dry, barren and stony areas which are relatively flat. The sanddunes of Erg Chebbi near Merzouga and Erg Chigaga 60 km west of M'Hamid are characteristic Sahara parts as well, though the bigger sandseas are located in Algeria.

Regions

Absolute Marrakesh

© All Rights Reserved mikecohen

Morocco has 16 administrative regions, from north to south being:

• Tangier-Tétouan
• Gharb - Chrarda - Béni Hssen
• Taza - Al Hoceima - Taounate
• Oriental
• Fès - Boulemane
• Rabat-Salé - Zemmour - Zaer
• Meknès - Tafilalet
• Grand Casablanca
• Chaouia - Ouardigha
• Doukkala - Abda
• Tadla - Azilal
• Marrakech - Tensift - El Haouz
• Souss - Massa - Draâ
• Guelmim - Es Semara
• Laâyoune - Boujdour - Sakia El Hamra
• Oued Ed - Dahab - Lagouira

Of these last 3 southern regions, only the last one lays entirely in the Western Sahara, which is a twisted area, considerd by Morocco part of its surface. The other 2 (Guelmim and Laâyoune) are partly located in Morocco and partly in the Western Sahara.

Cities

Casablanca Mosque Hassan II

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• Rabat - The nation's capital.
• Casablanca - Morocco's largest city.
• Marrakech
• Fez
• Meknes
• Tanger
• Agadir - main beach resort.
• Ouarzazate
• Essaouira
• Tetouan
• Chefchaouen
• Zagora

Sights and Activities

Atlas Mountains

Atlas Mountains

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Morocco has one of the most spectacular landscapes in the world and the Atlas Mountains are a very impressive mountain range, with the highest mountain being the Toubkal at 4167 meters. Although much of the Atlas Mountains is part of Algeria and even Tunesia, the highest parts are in Morocco. Activities are numerous and in winter skiing down the slopes is possible, just an hour away from Marrakech. Oukaimeden is a good place to ski and Imlil is a good place to start some serious hiking. Of course, if you are less adventurous, there are some passes up to 2000 meters or higher which can be reached by a regular car. The views are tremendous!

Hassan II Mosque

The Hassan II Mosque is one of the biggest mosques in the world, after the ones in Mecca and Medina (Saudi Arabia), which generally are off limits to travellers. This might just be one of the most famous ones amongst travellers anywhere in the world. It is located in Casablanca, just next to the Atlantic Ocean, giving it some extra charm. The minaret at 210 meters is actually the highest in the world. The architectural style has Moorish influences and has strong similarities with the Alhambra and Great Mosque, both in Cordoba. It is actually one of a few mosques in Morocco that is actually open for non-moslims, so definately worth a visit while you are touring around this Magreb country.

Medinas

Morocco has several of the most beautiful cities anywhere in Africa or the Arabic world and many of the oldest parts of these cities, the medinas, are placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. These include those of Fez, Marrakech, Tetouan and Essaouira. There are many jewels to be found in the medinas, including palaces, the Kasbah, mosques and gardens and fountains. Many of these medinas date back to the time between the 8th and 14th century.

Desert adventure

Erg Chebbi - Shadows

© All Rights Reserved atrabuccoc

In the east of the country you can find one of the most world's most beautiful stretches of sandy desert. The Erg Occidental (western great sand sea) starts here and you can visit these high dunes from places like Ouarzazate, M'Hamid and Merzouga. From these towns at the edge of the Sahara you can go out and ride a camel or 4wd vehicle into the desert. You can choose to spend only the day in the desert but if you want longer trips there are many overnight options as well, even a week or more is possible and you will reach some parts that most people never visit. The one near Merzouga is called Erg Chebbi and easily be visited by just staying in one of the places at the edge of the dunes (a short piste drive of the main road) and walk into the dunes, preferably at sunset or sunrise when colours are more beautiful and temperatures lower. Erg Chigaga is located 60 km west of M'Hamid in the southeast of the country and is reached by 4wd (roughly 2 hours across rough pistes) or by a 2-3 day cameltrip. Although more off the beaten track, it is not more beautiful than Erg Chebbi, both have their charmes.

Ouzoud Falls

Cascades d'Ouzoud

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The Ouzoud Falls are located about 150 kilometers from Marrakesh in the south central parts of Morocco, in the High Atlas mountains. It is one of the best known natural features in this area and is a popular day trip from Marrakesh. It is a surprisingly wet and green area in a mostly arid and rocky moutainous area. There are several mills located on the summit of the falls and even monkeys can be spotted in the green parts surrounding the falls. The bottom of the falls is accessible through a shaded path of olive trees.

Other sights and activities

Volubilis

© All Rights Reserved teethetrav

• Volubilis - Archaeological site, UNESCO World Heritage site.
• Ait Benhaddou - Kasbah, UNESCO World Heritage site.
• Todra Gorge and Dades Gorge
• Meknes is a historical city on the UNESCO World Heritage List
• Chefchaouen - the blue city in the Rif Mountains in the north

Events and Festivals

• Marathon des Sables - A 6 day race on foot across the desert, usually in March or April, beginning and ending in Ouarzazate.
• Festival du Desert - Music and dance held in May, in Er Rachidia, Merzouga and Rissani.
• Gnaoua and World Music Festival - Third weekend in June, held in Essaouira with international, national and local performers and art exhibitions.
• Marrakech Popular Arts Festival - Berber music and dance, usually in July.
• International Film Festival - held in Marrakech in September or October, with Arab and African cinema mainly.

Weather

Morocco has a diverse climate. Although in summer most of the country is dry and warm to hot, in winter the differences are bigger. Summer temperatures can reach almost 50 °C in the south and eastern desert areas, but in winter frosts are possible at night here. Most other parts have temperatures of 30 °C to 35 °C during the summer months, except the Atlas Mountains which can get rather cold at night and even chilly during the day, especially when you want to climbing. Snow in winter is possible here and there is a skiing season from December to March, though recently snow has been less even during these colder months. Much of Morocco's coastline has warm and dry summers and mild and wet winters, typically for the Mediterranean area. South of Essaouira, temperatures are even nice in winter, generally between 16 and 24 C which makes a good time for a visit as well.

Getting There

By Plane

Mohammed V International Airport (IATA: CMN, ICAO: GMMN), located 30 kilometre southeast of Casablanca, is the busiest airport in Morocco. Royal Air Maroc, the flag carrier, is based at this airport and has destinations to major cities in Africa, Europe, Asia and North America.

Other airports with flights to mainly European destinations are Al Massira International Airport (IATA: AGA, ICAO: GMAD) in Agadir and Menara International Airport (IATA: RAK, ICAO: GMMX) in Marrakech. From the latter, there is a growing number of flights from southern and western Europe, including low cost airlines like Easyjet and Ryanair.

Several other cities with international connections include Rabat, Fez, Al Hoceima, Nador, Oujda, Tangier and Ouarzazate, though with considerably less flights, some of them only seasonal. Destinations in Europe from these cities include Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam.

By Train

There are no direct trains into Morocco, you'll have to take a ferry from mainland Europe.

By Car

You can travel by car to Ceuta and Melilla and south to the Western Sahara and Mauritania. The border with Algeria has been closed for years now. Nowadays it is pretty easy with a regular 2wd car to drive across Morocco and the Western Sahara to Mauritania and further on to other countries in West Africa. Be sure to have your papers including insurance in order though.

By Bus

The only 'international' connections to and from Morocco are the buses that travel between Western Sahara and Morocco, or buses to and from the Spanish exclaves of Ceuta and Melilla. CTM is the main operator to these places. CTM also has buses which take the ferry (see below) to Europe, connecting Casablanca and other cities in Morocco with destinations in Spain, France, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands and Germany.
There still isn't a regular bus connecting Dakhla in Western Sahara and the border with Mauritania, but you might be able to catch a ride in a jeep or overland truck, especially in the wintermonths of November to March.

By Boat

Several ferries go to and from Morocco. Algeciras in Spain is the port which most travellers use and there are boats to Ceuta and Tangier. A ferry between Algeciras and Ceuta takes 40 minutes, and less than 2 hours to get to Tangier. Another option is to from Tarifa, on the southernmost tip of mainland Spain, which takes 35 minutes. Other Spanish ports that have connections to Morocco but which are used less are Malaga and Almeria which have connections to Melilla, which is close to Nador in Morocco. Gibraltar connects to Tangier through a high-speed boat service. If you want to travel from France directly, there are options from Sète near Montpellier and Port Vendres near Perpignan. This will take much longer and will be much more expensive. From Italy, there are connections from Genoa and Naples.

Below are the main ferry operators and their routes between Morocco and mainland Europe.

Spain:

• GNV operates services from Barcelona to Tangier.
• Ferrimaroc has boats plying the route between Almeria in Spain to and from the Moroccon city of Nador.
• Euroferrys travels between the southern Spanish town of Algeciras to Tangier. It's also a major operator to the Spanish exclave of Ceuta.
• FRS has boats travelling between both Tarifa and Algeciras (Spain) and Tangier and between Gibraltar and Tangier.
• Comarit travels from Algeciras to Tangier as well.
• Trasmediterranea plies the route between Algeciras and Tangier and between Almeria and Nador. Trasmediterranea has many connections to the Spanish exclaves Ceuta and Melilla from Algeciras, Almería and Málaga in southern Spain.

France:

• Comanav has services between Tangier and Sete, which is located between Marseille and Montpelier.
• SNCM also operates a service between Tangier and Sete.

Italy:

• GNV operates services between Genoa and Tangier, in northern Morocco.
• Comanav has services between Tangier and Genoa as well.

Getting Around

By Plane

Agadir, Casablanca, Errachidia, Essaouira, Fez, Marrakech, Ouarzazate, Oujda are served by Royal Air Maroc, among other cities.
Atlas Blue has a number of domestic services as well.
Regional Air Lines flies between Agadir, Al Hoceima, Errachidia, Essaouira, Goulimime, Marrakech, Nador and Oujda.

By Train

Trains connect Marrakech and Tangier via Casablanca and Rabat and a branch line goes inland to Meknes and Oujda near the border with Algeria. For more information you can check the ONCF website.
Fes to Rabat and Casblanca and Marrakech to Casablanca are probably the best routes, with regular day and overnight services, and sleeping cars and restaurant cars are generally available. Supratours provides services to complement its train network by ONCF (see below).

By Car

Getting around Morocco by car is a perfect way of seeing a lot of the country with a maximum flexibility. Although you don't really need a car when you prefer to see the cities, it is very usefull when travelling in the southern parts, for example south and east of Marrakech. There are many international and local companies offering rental cars at airports or downtown in the major cities. Better to go for the bigger companies and be sure to get maximum insurance. You need an international driver's licence and the minimum age is 21. Car hire is relatively expensive in Morocco with the cheapest (usually a Fiat Uno withouth airconditiong) already costing as much as €30 a day, though you might get a better deal for long term rentals. Expect to pay more for bigger cars, especially if you need a 4wd car to drive the pistes in Morocco.

Roads in Morocco are generally in a very good condition with few potholes and routes and cities are well signposted most of the times. If you are not planning on doing some serious off road driving, there is no need to rent a 4wd car. Note that some roads across the Andes Mountains can be impassable in winter, when snow is common. This is especially the case for the Tizi 'n Tichka and Tizi 'n Test passes, which travel to Ouarzazate and to Taroudannt respectively. Something to be aware off though is the Moroccan driving style and of course the fact that everyone uses the same roads, including pedestrians, bikers, donkeys and the odd camel. Also, Moroccans don't seem to be aware of the fact that they have mirrors and lights on their cars, so drive defensively.
Finally, Morocco seems to have shares in laserguns. Especially when driving into 60km/hour zones, stick to the maximum speed as a fine will set you back around 400 dirham.

By Bus

CTM runs many buses between cities and towns. Supratours has an extensive network as well and SATAS is convenient between Casablanca, Agadir and places further south from Agadir.
Shared taxis are often quicker though on most routes but can be a little crowded.

By Boat

There are no public passenger services as there are almost no notable rivers or lakes to cross and the coastline is excellently served by buses or minivans.

Red Tape

Citizens of the following countries do not require a visa for a stay of up to 90 days:

Algeria, Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Republic of Congo, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Guinea (Conakry), Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Kuwait, Latvia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Mali, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger, Norway, Oman, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore (up to one month only), Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Venezuela. (Source: Consulate-General of Morocco in New York)

Permissions to extend a stay must be requested from the nearest Police Precinct in Morocco.

All others are required to obtain visas of single or double entries, and a stay of up to 90 days. If you want to stay longer, it is best to cross into Spain or the Ceuta and Melilla exclaves and go back again.

Money

See also Money Matters

The official currency is the Moroccan Dirham (MAD). One dirham is equivalent with 100 santimat (singular: santim).

• Banknotes 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 dirham
• Coins 1, 5, 10, 20 santimat; ½, 1, 2, 5, and 10 dirham

Work

Study

Language

Arabic is the official language in Morocco. It's very useful and much appreciated if you try and learn some basic phrases and words like 'shokran' (thank you) and of course 'es salaam aleikum' (peace upon you).
Still, French is widely used and understood by most people as well, except maybe by rural Berbers. Berber language is spoken in the Rif and Atlas Mountains mainly.
In some areas, like Sidi Ifni and Tetouan, Spanish is still spoken by some people as well.

Eat

Sleep

Morocco has a wide range of accommodation options throughout the country. You will even find surprisingly good sleeping options in relatively remote places in the south for example.
The major cities have the widest range of places, with generally campings, hostels, hotels and charming places like riads, dars or kasbahs available as well. Especially cities like Marrakech, Fez and Essaouira have many riads (traditional house in medina) which might be a little more expensive but surely are worth the extra money for charm and service.

High season generally includes the Christmas and Newyears period, Easter and August when many Spanish and French people visit the country. July is almost as busy, especially at coastal resort areas like Agadir. It's advised to book in front at those times, though with some persistence you might find a room as well at last notice.
Naturally, these times are also more expensive regarding accommodation. Marrakech for example has high season from March to May and from October onwards to Newyears, with prices being lower during summer!

In many places in the south, some hotels offer half-board arrangements, which can be very good value.
At the outskirts of cities and towns throughout the country you will find camping grounds as well, which generally are well kept and offer you to pitch a tent or sleep in your campervan for very affordable prices.

Drink

Health

See also Travel Health

Safety

See also Travel Safety

Morocco in general is a safe country to travel around. As with most countries, the usual safety precautions are advised. Theft also is not a big problem, just keep your valuables out of sight, also in cars.

Especially in the north (Rif Mountains and surrounding cities) drugs are offered, but never ever except it. Penalties are severe! It's also adviced for women travelling alone to take taxis after dark and don't wander around in back alleys late at night.
More an annoyance than a danger, people offering anything from goods to being your guide are quite usual around the country, especially in cities like Fez and Marrakech. Sometimes, it can be a little fun walking around with a guide which shows you the medina from a different perspective. Usually though they will drag you to a family or friend with a shop as well. If you don't want any, just walk by or say 'la shokran' (no thank you) and you will generally be left alone.

Although Casablanca was hit by a few bomb attacks in 2007, there is no need to panic at all. Chances are slim. Avoid demonstrations alltogether as well.

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

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