Magic Morocco
Thursday 17 October 2024
3 flights and 30 hours later I’m in Marrakech! Tired and desperately looking forward to a good sleep I tried to get out of the airport as quick as possible. We landed about 6pm and the lines for immigration took quite some time to get through then out to the arrivals hall where I found out that no currency exchange places in Morocco accepts Aussie $! So off to find an ATM I go. Telstra global roaming doesn’t work in Morocco either so I grab an Orange sim. This is why I take a spare unlocked phone with me when I travel. The telcos don’t take card so lucky I just got cash out. On the plane and in the airport I hear French being spoken which gives me some comfort as I know zero Arabic! My driver was waiting at the arrivals area for me and we head straight for the hotel, Raid Aguaviva. The weather super pleasant mid 20s and not humid at all.
One thing I love about travelling is admiring the differences from home, I’m sure it’s a huge dopamine boost for me as my brain has fireworks going off inside of it with everything my eyes are relaying to it. From the colours and tiles, smells, sites, people, animals, shops and tastes. In the car I look out the side window with wide eyes trying to take it all in. People on scooters with no helmets, traffic driving on the right side of the road not the left, haven’t had that for years! Beautiful warm peachy orange sandstone buildings line the roads, palm trees standing tall and elegantly agains the stone buildings and sun set sky. Horse and carts trot along with the traffic, ladies riding scooters and pushbikes, I’m pleased to see not all ladies have hair covered and the few tourists I see are mostly dressed conservatively and respectfully.
Through the maze like back streets that seem not to have any grid like order we arrive at an archway and narrowing streets so we set off on foot with my bags, duck down into a low ally way to the hotel entrance. A huge black wooden carved door that led into a stunning home with Moroccan music quietly playing, a small blue pool in the centre surrounded by garden that opened up to the night sky. The host Jana greeted me with the warmest of smiles, a handshake and spent ages with me sharing helpful information and tips about her city. My room was on the middle level and decorated in African carvings, woodwork and tiles. I slowly stroll around this tiny hotel looking at all the beautiful decorations before I rest up for an early night. Full of airline food for the past 30 hours I skip dinner and I’m out within seconds of my head hitting the pillow.
Friday 18 October - Marrakech
With jet lag in full swing I woke at midnight and forced myself back to sleep till 5am so I lay in bed catching up on my journal and messaging family and friends. I cannot hear a sound, it’s so extremely quiet here this time of morning. It’s dark as there’s no windows in the room as all these buildings are side by side. I put a dimmer light on and slowly start my day. The distant sound of morning prayer breaks the silent morning before sunrise.
I wait for the sun to rise, grab my backpack, cover my hair with a scarf to fly under the radar as much as possible and head out on foot to the city centre. I walked through the winding local streets dodging donkey carts and scooters for about an hour, trying not to look like a totally obvious tourist and look as if i know where I’m going and what I’m doing! All the shop owners or sales people were men and they try to lure you into their shops to check out whatever it is they’re trying to sell. My head down i say merci and keep walking. I check my maps quickly to check I’m on the right path and make it to an impressive market street. Unfortunately with the hard salesmen I didn’t feel like I could stop and browse at any of the stalls, they’re just onto you too much and pressure you to buy whatever it is you set your eyes on! So just little glances at most things for me and sneaky photos. I got in trouble maybe 3 or 4 times taking photos of beautiful shops when the owners would come out from the back waving their hands No Photos! I apologies and keep walking on. I make it to the huge old town Madina! A city centre so busy with market stalls, snake charmers with cobras and rattle snakes, monkeys on leashes being forced to pose for photos with tourists, food stalls, spices, dried fruits, nuts, paintings, fellas selling panels of sunglasses and more.
I meet up with 2 new friends, Aziza and Zineb from Moroccan Secret Handbook for a cuppa overlooking the city centre and enjoyed spending time with locals. They even walked with me to a few nice sites then we went our separate ways. As recommended I checked out Le Jardin Secret which was a stunning collection of plants and trees surrounded by traditional stone buildings, beautiful tiled walkways and a terrace cafe overlooking the garden. Without a care in the world I took my sweet time strolling through this peaceful refuge in a busy city then over to Cafe Arabe another recommendation by Aziza for lunch. I made my way to the terrace above and enjoyed a fresh juice, a vegetable cous cous and goats cheese rolls with apple and raisins. All divine with five star a la carte service.
With the route back to the hotel set in my maps, I wander slowly back through market lined streets, taking a little more time to look at things but still not long enough to have all the shopkeepers jump at me to buy buy buy. I take photos of cool old doors, donkeys, scrawny cats and their tiny kittens. One little kitten almost got abducted but Australian border security wouldn’t be happy with me so he got to stay in Marrakech. Weaving my way through the narrow alleyways I was pointed down a street by a shopkeeper who was “helping me” find my way till he asked me if I wanted a massage, after a firm NO he dropped off. I was heading in the wrong direction thanks to the creep, the streets getting more quiet and less touristic so I turned around and got back onto the right street eventually.
All in all it was a wonderful day exploring Marrakech by foot, I will do my best to stay out to check out the night life tomorrow night. Jet lag tonight is trying to close my eyes at only 7pm but I must hold out a few hours longer so as not to wake up at 3am!
Saturday 19th October - Marrakech
Well I lasted till about 7:01pm before passing out, so yep I was wide awake at 3am thanks jet lag. Lay in doing my journal and posts thinking what to do and see today. Morning prayer again breaks the silent morning and roosters follow suit well into the sunrise as the noise of people starting to move about increases. I take brekky up on the terrace in fresh morning air, a lovely spread of homemade crumpets and fruit before I head out on foot again, with no real plan but to see more of Marrakesh.
Enjoying seeing the unique streets and old doors of Marrakech, sneaking as many photos of beautiful shops before I get told No Photos! Not being able to browse in the little stalls is becoming overwhelming so I just don’t bother and just take in the sites as I walk on by. Getting duped into paying way way way too much for photos of the performers in the Medina square, cobras “dancing”, monkeys posing and musicians playing. I walk all morning till I find a legit massage place for a traditional hammam and massage, a hammam is a treatment that combines relaxation and detoxification in one with a body wash, steam, body scrub, massage and sauna. Absolutely exhausted I submit to the massage therapist and have all of my life worries washed, scrubbed and massaged away in what was a quite emotional experience to have someone do this to me. Totally relaxed and rejuvenated I walk back to the Medina and slowly back to the hotel through different streets and shops, getting lost and a little worried till I found my way back through the maze to a familiar street and on track to the hotel. A relaxing evening with my sore feet up ready to depart tomorrow noon to head to Errachidia to start a moto tour.
Sunday October 20th
Marrakech to Errachidia - Morocco
Not learning from the previous night, I let myself fall to sleep at 7:30pm so I was awake at 3:30am today. Better than yesterday by half an hour! Brekky again on the terrace in complete quiet apart from some little resident birds talking amongst themselves. Before my midday transfer to the airport I head out for another walk and discover more streets and shops I’ve not been past before. People hard at work already, donkeys pulling heavy carts, people selling fish and veggies on the road, cats hanging about for a feed and ladies out doing their market shopping early. The cats aren’t real sure how to take affection as I’m positive locals do not touch them, they’re purely rodent control and scabs. There’s a few very lucky cats who are actually pets here. It’s heartbreaking to go past tiny, scrawny and dirty kittens who you want to take home with you, clean them, feed them and love them. My bartering skills absolutely no match for these professional shopkeepers so I get what I want and retreat back to walking the streets cursing myself for being so rubbish at bargaining!
With the Marrakech traffic and airport lines I made my flight baggage drop with literally one minute to spare! The flight to Errachidia was only an hour long. Now I’m getting excited! I travel on this flight with the 3 other clients, Stefano from Mexico, Ryotaro and Takaaki from Japan. It will just be us plus Othmane our local guide on the bikes with Giuliano from HP Motorrad from Italy in the support car. We checked into the Kenzi Hotel where our bikes were ready and waiting, after a quick look over the bikes we checked in and headed straight for the pool to relax a few hours before dinner. Dinner was lovely and we talked about what to expect on this tour and details for tomorrow. With my eyes struggling to stay open I bid everyone a good night and I was off to crash out thanks to jet lag.
Monday October 21st
Errachidia to Merzouga - Morocco
Bike time! Brekky and briefing done and dusted to jump on the bikes and get going! I’m on a 1250GS, the sun is shining, the sky is bright blue and a pleasant 19 degrees. We get straight out of the town of Errachidia, see camel warning signs on the road, riding alongside beautiful mountains that quickly give way to show us a huge canyon that had a river of green palm trees down in the valley below. An oasis in the desert. We take in this site for a bit before continuing on some cool winding roads through the stunning Ziz Valley, mesmerizing dunes start to pop up in the distance till we reach Merzouga for lunch. We stop at Africas largest dune to take in this fact and admire the enormity of this vast desert. We pass camels roadside of all colours, see shepherds in the vast lands with their goats and sheep. We stop for tea on a small village and get treated to some traditional Gnawa music arrived from the slave days. With a few hours spare we all decided to rent buggies and with a guide we were lead into the desert dunes for half an hour, ripping through the dunes was so unbelievably fun! Then we swapped drivers and I drove back. Now I want a sand buggy! Unreal fun!!! The area is Erg Chebbi, also known as the Sea of Dunes, west of Marrakech, near the Algerian border. While often thought of as part of the Sahara, its semi-arid climate is classified as the Pre-Saharan Steppes.
We arrived at our luxury tents to sit on a nearby dune to watch the breathtaking sunset that filled the sky with stunning oranges and our hearts with so much gratitude and love. Love for travel, love for the beauty in this world, love for our freedom, for the kind people and so much appreciation for everything in my life. Our tents were a small village of maybe 20 tents at the base of a sea of dunes. They were so comfy, they had nice beds and a bathroom with hot water. Dinner in a cool dining tent and music around a fire under the stars an unforgettable end to an awesome day!
Tuesday October 22nd
Merzouga to Tinghir - Morocco
We woke early to watch the sunrise over the dunes, a magical display of breathtaking colors of dawn in the desert over the smooth lines of the dunes. Brekky outside to enjoy the serenity of this place before we excitedly jumped on the bikes for day 2. We got woken up and warmed up real quick as the ride back to the asphalt had patches of deep sand to test our skills first thing in the morning! We slowly pass by herds of camels roadside, the sandy road continued onto an awesome dirt road, kids wave at us and ask us to do wheelies! In my dreams kid! Through old mud building towns, past milking camels, another little off-road excursion to visit the old slave prison, a meteor like crater that was fenced in and used as a prisoner of war camp and filming location for The Mummy and Spectre. We road to the top on a super fun steep and rocky road to the epic view! There were two locals up there who offered us coffee and tea on the cliffside and refused to take money for it, so we bought some souvenirs from them. Such lovely and hospitable people. They also showed us incredible fossils just up on the rock plateau, like an open slate book the earth gave us all to enjoy.
After lunch we headed off and along the River Dades to the oasis of Nekob. Up the scenic Jebel Saghro twistie pass and was in awe of the diverse and dramatic mountains that appeared out of nowhere. We ride past remote villages and semi-nomadic encampments, more kids waving so happy to see bikers and begging us for wheelies, we stop at the top at a stone building with a million dollar view for tea and a rest. We head on enjoying the best twisties so far to Tinghir, where we stayed in a beautiful hotel with a swimming pool. Dinner in a Moroccan tent again, so much food and fell into bed! An epic day thanks to the team at @hpmotorrad and @easymaroc
Wednesday October 23rd
Tinghir to Ait Ben Haddou - Morocco
Today we rode into the stunning Todra Gorge where the road weaved its way through huge rock walls creating a spectacular canyon over 400 meters high. We stop roadside to take in this calming site and a ginger cat came to see what we were about. Palm trees line the valley floors to create a river of green in the rocky Atlas Mountains. We head to the Dades Gorge where the dramatic colours of ocher and red rock fill the scenery, the most famous pass in Morocco, what felt like a thousand hairpin bends. The view from the top was amazing and emotional as it has been on my bucket list of rides for years! I give a little koala to a local baby who wasn’t sure about my little clingy gift but his mama loved it.
Stopping at a local cliffside restaurant for lunch overlooking the valley before we pass through the Skoura region, a beautiful oasis about 4,500 hectares of palm trees in the vast desert. It was a transit point for camel caravans connecting the Mediterranean and Atlantic to Sub-Saharan Africa. The Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage site featured in many films, including the Gladiator and Game of Thrones was our final stop for the day. As we walked through the old streets and up the stairs to the top of the old village our local guide gave so much historical information into Berber architecture and local life.
Another soulful day exploring Morocco and her rich culture.
Thursday October 24th
Ait Ben Haddou to Marrakech - Morocco
This morning we headed straight into the colourful Ounila valley and up an unnamed pass that took our breath away. We stopped at the top overlooking the valley below in awe and chatted to the lovely local Berber people there who were selling their wares. We also explored a little dirt road into a tiny hillside village where the locals were surprised to see such machines in their quiet little village.
We stop for a tea and juice at the Kasbah of Telouet, a striking fortress dating back to the 18th century, it was once a stronghold of the Glaoua lords and an important stop for travelling donkey and camel caravans. Unfortunately with the recent earthquake last year this Kasbah received so much damage so it’s been closed off to the public. Regardless it still remains a captivating site, steeped in history and rich architectural detail.
As we ascend into the Atlas Mountains, you really appreciate the routes once taken by ancient caravan traders and how life must have been. We make our way up the Tichka mountain pass that connects Marrakech with the southern oases. Spectacular views of the valleys as we traverse the mountains, charming red earth villages dotted along the mountains, friendly kids waving and farmers getting on with life. As we left the top of the pass the temperature dropped to 14 degrees and the sky opened and gave us a few drops of rain but soon stopped. It seems from one side of the pass to the other the trees start to cover the mountains, up until now all mountains have been bare and rocky without any greenery, but now in no time the mountains are covered in big green husky pine looking trees which dramatically change the scenery.
After a late lunch we bid farewell to our new moto mates and head back into Marrakech in 32 degrees heavy traffic. I made my way one more time into the Medina to a recommended restaurant for the best meal of the trip and a traditional belly dancing show which was beautiful to see.
4 days of truely an unforgettable journey through Morocco thanks to my friends at @hpmotorrad and my new moto mates @easymaroc @stefvillain @fightingporks @arashida_718 @othmaneharakat
The organisation of this tour was faultless and we really got to experience the traditional people and culture of this magical place. Morocco far exceeded my expectations and I know I will be back again one day as there’s so much more to discover here.
If you need a bike when you come to Morocco be sure to reach out to Giuliano and the team and discover this amazing country!
Saturday 26 Oct
Ouarzazate - Morocco
Dirt bike tour with Moto Aventures
I was blessed with the opportunity to ride with Moto Adventures today thanks to Martine and John. I checked out their headquarters in Ouarzazate and was totally drooling over their fleet of buddies and bikes!! Ready and excited to explore their back yard here in Morocco, we geared up and jumped on KTM450’s straight out into the breathtaking Altas Mountains. Within moments we were dwarfed by the colourful rocky mountain faces and winded our way over rocky mountain roads and paths only locals use getting between villages. The tracks twisted and turned super sharp and steep up the mountains till we were on top of the world it seemed. Stunningly quiet and still we pause to take in the view and serenity. We stop in a tiny village for a tea then onto Ait Ben Haddou for lunch overlooking the ancient Kasbah. It’s my first time on the KTM450 and really enjoyed it! It’s a perfect dirt bike for here as the sand dunes are just over the mountains and I was thinking how awesome the bike would be in the sand! Riding through small streams and dried up river beds, fast farmers, donkeys and along some fast flowing tracks we make our way back to Ouarzazate after lunch.
A huge thank you to Martine, John, Amine and Maryam from Moto Aventures, it really was a treat to ride with you and see your beautiful home. I loved hearing about your moto adventures and the fact you rent our bikes and buggies to big groups sounds like wild fun to do with a heap of mates even if some don’t ride bikes. I got a new appreciation for the buggies and hope to be back to do a tour with them one day soon. Thanks again team, it was a pleasure!
Sunday 27 October
Ouarzazate to Marrakech to Barcelona to Dubai to Brisbane! 40 hours of travel here I come!
At 8am I meet the same taxi driver who bought me to Ouarzazate and we start our 3 hour drive to Marrakech airport for my first flight. In the taxi I listen to the drivers Arabic music on the radio and see the Moroccan landscape pass by, changing from red mud hut villages, rocky mountains, green grass covered hills, palm tree lined valleys, little streams of life and huge red mountains. Quite emotional for the experience I’ve just had I fight back tears and start to write down some Moroccan travel tips for anyone looking to come explore this wonderful county. So here goes!
Morocco travel tips
No Aussie dollars exchanged anywhere so come with local currency dirham or withdraw some cash at the airport when you arrive.
Get some small change on arrival by buying some water and a local sim card at the airport.
If you don’t get a local SIM which I recommend you do and if you don’t have global roaming (as Australian Global Roaming with Telstra doesn’t work in Morocco) then Wifi is available at most or all hotels, even some restaurants.
Power points are the same as European or just bring an international adapter and whatever power plugs and cords you need. I always travel with a power bank also which comes in really handy! My phone would be running really low on power after taking photos all day long.
Water is ok in Morocco but it’s really best to drink from bottled water to avoid any chance of getting sick and ruining your holiday. Some hotels will have small bottled water in your room but I always have a litre or two on me at all times.
Ladies cover up out of respect. Pretty much no westerners cover up, but for me I respect the local culture and personally I want to fly under the radar as much as possible. So I wore baggy pants and a t-shirt plus I wore a scarf over my shoulders and arms and even over my head and hair. I found the locals pleasantly surprised at this small display of respect and they appreciated it. It’s also great for protecting your neck from the harsh sun here. At restaurants I’d lower the head covering.
Tipping is a nice thing to do so the small change is handy for this. Wages are not high here so they really appreciate it.
Kids will often beg for you to give them money but try to resist and just give food as the government are trying to encourage kids to a school education to make money rather than just be beggars their whole lives. I always travel with little Australian gifts for kids and they seem super happy with the gesture from a stranger.
Bargaining is expected in market shops and stalls. Don’t ever pay the first price they tell you. Be prepared to walk away. Even taxis you can barter with a little. To make bargaining a bit easier just get the conversion of your local currency of 100dirhams in your head. So in Aussie dollars 100dirhams is about $15AUD. The locals will enjoy a good bargaining experience and I even got given many handshakes and thanks after a good bartering session. One shopkeeper even gave me a gift of a free bracelet as I think he was surprised at how good I had gotten with bargaining by the end of my trip. That and always being extremely polite so a not to offend people, always thanking them for their time.
If you take a photo of persons camel or a snake charmer be prepared to be obligated to pay for that photo and they will request top dollar! Best to agree on a price before you take a photo and don’t pay too much!
Roads are generally pretty safe and road rule abiding (unlike India), but if you’re in a taxi perhaps it’s best you don’t watch what’s going on as there may be some exciting moves being done to try and get you to your destination as quick as possible!
Drive on the right lane! And stay right so faster people can overtake you.
Obey speed signs as the police are pretty strict with enforcing this.
Seatbelts don’t seem to be required here but I always put it over my shoulder if in the taxi if I see police. Most of the time you can’t plug in seatbelts anyway.
You will come across many police checkpoints on the road, they’re just checking ownerships, registration and licences. On my travels I went through maybe 20 of these and not once was I stopped, they just waved us bikes through. You must slow down or even stop until you’re waved through. Have your documents ready or if on a tour your guide will have all these, you just need your passport, drivers licence and international drivers licence ready at all times.
Road conditions were great! Only up in the mountains there were a few sandy or rocky corners from rocks falling from tall rock walls alongside the road.
Roads up in the mountains can be quite narrow so please approach blind corners carefully and stick to the right as much as possible. I met so many cars on blind corners and came super close to them.
If you pass people with donkeys and mules just slow down as much as you can so as not to scare them, if you can even pull in your clutch to coast past quietly. I also do this if I pass a funeral.
Weather in Morocco can vary so much from the dunes, the big cities to the mountain passes. One day when riding we had temperatures vary from 14 degrees to 33! Always be prepared for all weather conditions when travelling so you’re as comfortable as possible and enjoy your experience.
Around many corners there will be kids waving at motorbikes and many want to see you do a wheelie! If you can’t wheelie like me just give them a toot and a wave and they will be super happy. Many of the adults look at the passing bikers with a bemused look on their faces, I always give them a wave or a peace sign which brings a smile to most of their faces.
Don’t travel if you want to experience everything the same as where you come from. Travelling means experiencing different food, drink and culture so be open to it.
Coffee will taste different and you won’t have choices on milks and how it’s served a lot of the time. Just enjoy the experience.
Tea is delicious in Morocco. Most tea is mint tea with honey or sugar on the side and is served everywhere.
Breakfast won’t be what you’re used to so enjoy whatever is placed in front of you. It’s normally breads of all kinds and some fruits.
Lunches and dinners are exciting. I love seeing what’s available and trying new dishes. There will be a lot of tagines, couscous and skewers.
Dietary requirements may be tricky to accommodate. Vegetarian was never an issue as there was always a vegetable tagine. This dish is vegan friendly also. Gluten intolerant people may be limited with options so you may be having many tagines.
Salam alaycome - peace be with you is the best greeting for anyone and everyone you communicate with, hotel staff, restaurant staff, shopkeepers etc.
If you don’t know any Arabic then you should learn a few words in French as French is the second most spoken language here in Morocco. Many young people and shopkeepers know some English. Morocco is full of people who speak multiple languages which I’m so in awe of!
If you’d like a lingo list I’ve put together for travelling in French or Italian DM me and I will send it to you in word format for you to customise it to suit you and your travel needs. It will have useful phrases and words perfect for travellers and the locals will absolutely love that you try and converse in their languages.
Hotels are so varied with quality and style but try to stay in a traditional Moroccan hotel or Riad for a wonderful experience. Most hotel staff speak English but out of courtesy start with “Salam alaycome, jer mapelle [insert name] jer swii Australian, voo parley onglay?” (Written frenetically, not the correct French spelling).
Long haired peeps, in all hotels there’s no conditioner! So BYO or be prepared for a world of knotty hair!
I didn’t think I was pillow sensitive but after a night of sleeping on a big fat pillow I woke up with a stiff and super sore neck that stayed with me for 3 days which was super annoying. I normally travel with a small blow up camp pillow for my back but forgot it this trip! It would have saved me from a sore neck so it’s not going to be forgotten on future trips!
The people of Morocco are generally super polite. You will hear prayer time 5 times throughout the day and many shopkeepers will stop trading to pray so be respectful and wait for prayer to finish before going into their shops or wait patiently without rushing them.
I absolutely love taking people’s portrait photos when I travel but Morocco felt like a country I wasn’t able to do this as the people are much more private and reserved. Even if women wandered into my photo or video they would cover their face and look away, so out of respect I tried to avoid putting anyone in this situation. It was a shame as I seen so many beautiful old faces with a thousand stories to tell.
Need a massage? A hammam is a traditional bathhouse where you are washed and scrubbed by a therapist and enjoy a steam room. Great for detoxing and ridding your body of dried skin. It’s not a massage. You can book into a spa for a hammam and a massage which I highly recommend! Maybe skip the hammam if you’re a little shy though as it will require you to get butt naked and place a small disposable g-string on for this experience.
Toilets were a mix of western normal toilets and squat toilets. There are some public toilets but you will mostly use toilets at restaurants and hotels. Don’t ever just used the restrooms of a restaurant without buying something. Toilet paper is definitely not available at every bathroom so BYO or drip dry! Only on the last day in Morocco did I have to pay to use toilets and it was just 5 dirhams, about 70 cents Aussie. My recommendation when travelling is to use the bathroom when we one is available (even if you don’t need to go, just go) as you don’t know when the next one will be available to you!
There are many pharmacies throughout Marocains but I always travel with a little supply of cold and flu tablets, gastro stop, urine infection powder, painkillers and even some sleeping aid tablets for the long flights. Some multivitamins are a good idea also as your diet will be different you don’t want to become low in any essential vitamins and minerals. If you can get any antibiotics from your doctor this would be great to have with you in case you get a viral infection.
Morocco was a lot safer than I expected. Travel smart and you will be fine. I always have a bumbag at my front with my phone, passport, cash and cards in it. It pretty much never leaves that position unless I’m in my hotel room. I won’t even leave it in the hotel room if I go to breakfast or dinner. I just figure if anything happens it always on me and I don’t trust hotel cleaning staff.
As for personal safety, I also felt super safe always, in the big cities and small villages. Only once was I offered a traditional Moroccan massage by a man and he racked off when I answered a pretty serious NO! You may get men asking to help you find your way especially if you’re looking a little lost, but just politely decline their assistance and keep on walking don’t stop. I didn’t do this and go lead into quiet ally ways before I did a super quick u-turn and got back to busy streets.
Maps me is a really good offline map app that you should definitely download regardless of your coverage situation as out in the mountains where there’s no coverage of anything you will still have access to maps. Download the maps of the areas you will be and you will be glad you did.
If you take any domestic flights within Morocco just be mindful of overweight carryon or check in luggage as you could have to pay expensive overweight fees. I now travel with a tiny hand held luggage weigher thing and is super handy.
Most international flights will give you a flight care pack but I always take my own ear plugs and eye mask. As well as a neck pillow or roll.
Schedule an extra day or two before any tours so you can really explore where you are. Either Casablanca or Marrakech both deserve some time for you to wander around and take in all the sites, smells, tastes and people.
If you’re riding bikes over here, bring your own gear if possible as there’s limited hire gear and it’s always better to wear your own comfy gear. If you’re riding dirt bikes try to bring some body armour as some of the rocky terrain would be nasty to fall on and there’s some cliff drop offs you wouldn’t want to go down. Take a hydration pack! I never ride without this! I never want to be stuck anywhere without water and always want to stay hydrated to avoid headaches. Take some electrolytes also if you’re going to be doing days in the dunes and deserts.
When you’re packing your gear to head home, especially back to Australia or New Zealand, be sure to wash your boots and gear or just remove any visible dirt as customs won’t let you in with muddy gear.
Lastly, when I return to Australia I declare something, anything, even if a few bracelets and have them all in a bag easy to show the customs staff. Normally if I tell them I’ve just got a few bracelets and gifts they wave me through without wanting to check them. Even if you want to buy wood carved souvenirs that’s fine but just declare it so customs can inspect it. Don’t buy any wood carved things if they have insect holes and eggs in it as customs won’t let you take it in without paying for quarantine and cleaning which is expensive. The only food I’ve ever bought back from overseas has been snack food and gift chocolate, just let customs know what you have and they will tell you what you can take or what you can’t. If you’re honest and forthcoming it’s info they’re super nice to deal with.
Well that’s all I can think of for now. If anyone had any questions about travelling Morocco please reach out and just book your ticket! You won’t regret it. It’s an absolute wonderful country to explore and fill our travel souls right up!
Bon voyage!