Morocco is a wondrous, eyes-open taste of the exotic, It’s also an adventure into some of North Africa’s most stunning scenery with the desert on its doorstep and the craggy heights of the Atlas Mountains beyond. Morocco is also a journey into a timeless, tranquil world of cute coastal villages, colorful-painted towns that cling to hillsides and remote outposts defended by fairytale adobe forts. This fascinating country is a merging of the African and Arab worlds, and is steeped in age-old customs. It’s no wonder Morocco has been feted by artists and writers for decades and continues to enchant all who visit.
However, there are 26 things you need to know before traveling to Morocco on tourism:
1. More and more people are visiting Morocco every year.
2. It’s a beautiful country
3. Morocco is one of the peaceful countries in the whole world with a lot of places of interest to visit especially when you are embarking on tourism.
4. You don’t need any vaccinations before you go to Morocco, except you decide on your own, but it is not compulsory. Although it is advisable to vaccinate yourself to avoid being infected with rabies and hepatitis etc, but in the past, no one has had trouble with health issues.
5. Exchange of Moroccan Dirham to 1 dollar is 10.08 Dirham
6. Morocco is a great travel bargain. Relatively speaking, the rate of the Dirham is good, and it’s steady, so there shouldn’t be a lot of surprises.
7. Hotels in Morocco are cheap, good value, and usually pretty easy to find.
8. Visa and MasterCard are accepted at most ATM for cash advances, but remember credit cards are not accepted at a lot of smaller shops. The maximum amount you can withdraw is usually 4000 dirham which is around 370 Euro, 460 USD or 230 British pounds.
9. Once you’re in Morocco, you will need cash immediately to pay for transportation. You’d best go to the first ATM you see at the airport, but don’t take a lot there.
10. Don’t carry a huge amount of money when moving about to avoid losing your money. Hide most of it in your hotel and only take with you what you might expect to spend for that day.
11. Hold a few 1-dirham coins in a pocket for when you encounter beggars. If you can afford a holiday in Morocco, you can afford to give a coin to a beggar. I do all the time.
12. In Morocco, don’t use your left hand to do anything socially important, like eat or shake hands. Moroccans feel that is unclean especially in public, be aware of this important cultural distinction.
13. In Morocco, women often dress modestly in their culture and the Western tendency to want to run around in tank tops and short when it’s hot (it’s usually hot!) is outside their custom.
14. A woman traveling to Morocco should wear long skirts and dresses, jeans or pants that cover the knees, draping tunics, polo shirts, and camisoles that can be worn under sweaters and cardigans. Women generally wear sandals or loafers; rarely do they wear heels.
15. In Morocco, 99% of its population is Muslims. Therefore, the first rule to dressing in Morocco is to respect Islam’s emphasis on modesty. Clothes and accessories are not meant to attract attention or excessively reveal the body. Women should ensure that their clothes do not expose the décolletage, shoulders, or thighs.
16. In Morocco, unless you want to attract attention, it’s best to limit the display of ostentatious jewelry, luxury handbags, and high-end electronics.
17. In general, men should wear long pants with a shirt, ideally a collared one. Men can wear sandals, loafers, or sneakers – whatever is appropriate for the context of the visit. While some boys and young men wear shorts in public, it is less common, particularly among adult men.
18. Morocco is sweltering in the summer months; however, it’s still necessary to cover the shoulders and legs. For women, a loose maxi dress with a light sweater or scarf over the shoulders is a brilliant way to stay cool and blend in with women who wear jabadors and kaftans.
19. It’s not necessary for non-Muslim women to wear a hijab, or a veil that conceals a woman’s hair. Moroccan women choose for themselves whether or not they wish to cover and this decision is largely based on religious motivations.
20. In Morocco, it’s easy to get alcohol at many bars despite the Muslim stricture against it. In bigger cities, like Casablanca or Marrakech, you can find bars and nightclubs where they like to party until day break
21. A travel-insurance policy to cover theft, loss and, in particular, medical problems is strongly recommended for all visitors to Morocco.
22. Driving Make sure you have adequate travel medical insurance and any relevant car insurance if you’re driving.
23. Extensions: if you need to extend your cover on the road, do so before it expires or a more expensive premium may apply.
24. In Morocco, almost all English-speaking countries (with the exception of South Africa) require no visa to enter the country, and visitors can stay up to 90 days, So check with the Moroccan embassy online in your own country just to be sure.
25. In Morocco, it is most likely you will need a power converter especially if you want to charge your cell phone.
26. In Morocco, guys can dress however they like, but women need to dress more conservatively.
