FAQs : Travel to Morocco

We at Oubadi Travel organizes private and custom trips for travelers from all around the world. Each tour we design is highly personalized to fit travel dates, preferences, and travel style. Our trips are quite pliable and are built around the experiences you wish to have. We work hard to balance your time to include independent exploration with engaging guided visits where pertinent or necessary. So, you’ll get to explore on your own and have your driver or guide with you when needed.

The best time to travel to Morocco is whenever you get the chance! In reality, the best time to visit the country is in March, April, and May. Otherwise, September and October tends to be amazing. The busiest times of year are during Easter week and the Christmas holidays (alongside the months of May and October). Other times to travel that aren’t as busy, yet still very worthwhile are the first two weeks of June and November.

Morocco is the cold country with the hot sun! That’s a mantra to live by when visiting. Weather for your trip with be determined mostly on the time of year you wish to visit. Just as varied as Morocco’s landscape is its climate. Temperatures along the coast range from 12c/54f to 25c/77f in the winter and summer, respectively. However, you can expect much hotter temperatures inland, and much colder temperatures in the High Atlas and Middle Atlas mountain ranges. While it is a relatively dry country, expect rain in the northern regions and snow in the mountains during the winter and early spring. Marrakesh is Morocco’s hottest city with temperatures that have reached as high as 54c/13f in the summer.

In the world of modern travel, it’s a good idea to have travel insurance for your tour of Morocco. We suggest that you purchase cancellation, interruption, and medical insurance that will cover you in the case of an emergency while you are traveling.

Yes, we can arrange your entire trip to Morocco and our tours can start in any time of the day and any day of the week from any Moroccan cities or airports. Itinerary can be tailored made to suit your needs. We are flexible and all the tours can be modified to suit your specific needs and interests. If you have a different route in mind, please do not hesitate to let us know and we will offer a tour tailored to your specific requirements.

Indeed. In a nutshell, Morocco is a very safe country to travel to. And, it’s regarded as one of the most stable countries in North Africa and the Middle East. That said, the conservative nature of the local culture does mean that traditional customs should be respected in public in order to avoid less desirable situations.

Well, it depends. Most foreign nationals entering Morocco do not need a visa. If you are an American, Canadian, Australian/New Zealand, or European passport holder, you will not need a visa. Malaysians, Singaporeans, and some passport holders from Hong Kong does not either. If you are from another country, you may very well need a visa.

Morocco is actually a tipping country. Since travel is such a large part of Morocco’s economy, tipping has become a regular practice in the country. We provide you with what we consider the most thorough tipping chart for Morocco once you book a trip with our organization. For the rest, tipping 10% is common and definitely tip your driver if you are happy with his service.

While The Moroccan dirham is a closed currency, some people have found they can get dirham outside of the country. While this is fine, understand that you’ll be paying much more for the Moroccan dirham outside of Morocco. There are automatic bank machines (ATMs) everywhere in the country and this is the best way to obtain Moroccan currency.

The official language is Moroccan Arabic which is quite different from the Arabic of the Middle East. French is the second language of the country with Berber spoken by the Berber peoples especially in the south. The Moroccans seem to have a finely tuned ear and can mimic the speech of almost anyone. Those who come into contact with tourists have taught themselves to converse in all the major languages. You will be humbled by their abilities especially if you have taken a language course and still can’t carry on a conversation in anything other than your mother tongue. To put it plainer, you really don’t need to speak French or Arabic, but there will be times when life would be much easier if you knew a few words. Bring a French or Moroccan Arabic phrasebook.

If you’ll like to impress your friends or family with exotic gifts, Morocco is An excellent place for what you are looking for! There are many wonderful things to buy, from the colorful spices markets to the fabulously designed carpets, handcrafted brass, copperware, cedarwood pots … Please bear in mind that the quality of the goods is variable, so it’s very important not to buy the first thing that you come across and remember that discussing the price is a way of life in Morocco so get ready to bargain.

Most of the shops in Morocco open from around 10 AM and stay open until 10 PM; however, many shops, cafes, and restaurants especially in main cities like Marrakech, Casablanca, Fez, Agadir, and Rabat stay open much later and some facilities and shops are open 24 hours a day in tourist areas. During Ramadan, the holy month of the Islamic calendar, opening hours may change significantly with shops closed during the middle of the day and staying open much later.

Morocco is one of the easiest countries in which to travel with Children, simply because the Moroccans love children and they are the central aspiration in every Moroccan family, having a young child can help you to open up opportunities for getting to know people. Don’t forget to bring your child’s favorite teddy bear or equivalent like coloring pencils and books that will keep the child occupied during long trips… Food poses no problem just try to avoid as much as you can the streets and stall if you can’t see any suitable on the given menu just ask the restaurant staff to prepare something especially for children, also it’s a good idea to carry some snacks.

It won’t be easy. most Moroccans don’t like to be photographed at all and it is good to respect that. But this doesn’t mean that everybody is like that. If you photograph people from close, yes always ask for permission. When you approach the person, smile and try first (if possible) to engage him/her in a small conversation and then ask for a photo. Some people will ask you for money, that is up to you whether you give them something, but if you give, don’t give much. However, if you want to risk it all wait until you become inconspicuous, you will probably get what you want.

In a word, delicious. Salads are lovely; fresh, succulent vegetables served with a light vinaigrette on the side. Harira is the Moroccan word for a thick vegetable soup. A particularly delicious one contains a bread dumpling. Main courses are usually one of the following: grilled meat on skewers often served with French fries; couscous, either vegetarian or meat with vegetables; and tagine, the Moroccan stew, usually meat, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, and spices. Moroccan cooks use a mélange of spices such as cumin, turmeric, paprika, saffron and pepper for a subtly flavored cuisine. In the Sahara, you can find ‘Berber pizza’. This is a double-crusted pie filled with meat, hard-boiled eggs, almonds, and spices. Sometimes rather peppery, Berber pizza is best eaten with glass after glass of hot, sweet, mint tea. Every seaport has freshly caught fish prepared by the fishermen on or near the piers. Do not miss this treat! Fresh fruit is served for dessert; pomegranates, melons, bananas, apples, oranges, and dates all produced in Morocco and all bursting with flavor.

In Morocco, women traveling alone is generally safe, but there are a thing to bear in mind; dress conservatively and specifically means cover shoulders, stomach, and keens and avoid fitting clothes, there is no need to cover your head, try to use your common sense for example when dealing with men avoid overdoing eye contact with unknown men probably as Western women would be easier to wear sunglasses than to lower the eyes. It’s considered safe for pregnant, however, there are certain things you should take into account when traveling. – Don’t forget that you should see your doctor who can help if the risks of the trip are ok to take and for medical advice before heading off for a trip overseas. – There are certain activities that you should completely avoid while pregnant for example Camel, Horses and ATV riding and Jet Skis. – Its highlight recommended taking breaks every two hours while traveling by car for walking around.

Moroccans speak many different languages Arabic and Berber are considered Morocco’s two official languages. Moroccan Arabic (Darija) is what the majority of people use in their everyday interactions. French is considered the third unofficial language of morocco; it is often used in business and government and remains the language used in Higher Education. Because of the close proximity, Spanish is also spoken in the north of Morocco. English, while still far behind French and Spanish in terms of the number of speakers, is rapidly becoming the second foreign language of choice among educated youth and spoken in popular tourist areas.

Accommodations for travelers in Morocco fall across a broad range—everything from world-class luxury to simple hostel accommodations are available. The nicest hotels compare well with luxury hotels anywhere, coming from international hotel chains like Movenpick, Hilton, Four Seasons, and Sofitel. A step down from these is a variety of local hotels that ranges from luxurious to simple. Moroccans hotels have their own rating system that loosely classifies them on a 5-star scale; however, this scale is different from international standards used elsewhere.