Morocco Travel Tips: 25 Things to Know Before You Go
Morocco surprises most first-time visitors. The scale, the heat, the medina complexity, the distances between cities, the cold desert nights — none of these are problems if you know to expect them. These 15 Morocco travel tips come from running desert tours there for over a decade. They cover what genuinely changes the quality of a Morocco trip, not a generic list of things you could figure out from any guidebook. If your trip includes a Sahara desert tour Morocco, several of these tips apply specifically to the desert section — particularly the cash, signal, and clothing advice.
15 things worth knowingMorocco Travel Tips: What to Know Before You Go
The Desert Gets Cold at Night — Even in Summer
The single most common surprise for first-time Morocco desert visitors. Erg Chebbi at 3am in October is around 8 degrees Celsius. In January it can fall below zero. Even in July, the desert camp at midnight is significantly colder than the city. Bring a warm layer regardless of when you travel. Do not leave it at the bottom of your bag — have it accessible for the moment the sun drops.
Cash Is King — Carry More Than You Think You Need
Morocco uses the Moroccan Dirham (MAD), which you cannot buy outside the country. Withdraw enough cash from ATMs in Marrakech or Casablanca before your tour starts. Desert camps, guesthouses, market stalls, grand taxis, and almost every small restaurant are cash-only. ATMs exist in Ouarzazate and Tinghir on the outward desert route but are scarce from Merzouga westward. The rule: carry enough dirham for the full tour before you leave the city.
Bargaining Is Expected in Markets — But Not Everywhere
Fixed prices exist in shops with price tags. Everything in an open market is negotiable. The initial price offered in a souk is typically two to three times the expected final price. Counter with half, expect to settle somewhere in the middle. The negotiation is part of the culture rather than a confrontation — approach it with good humour and be willing to walk away if the price does not work. Your driver-guide can advise on fair prices for specific items and help with negotiations on request.
Tipping Is Customary and Matters
Tipping is not optional in Morocco — it is the primary income supplement for guides, camp staff, camel handlers, and restaurant servers. A common guideline for a Morocco desert tour: 50 to 100 MAD per person per day for your driver-guide, and a similar amount for the desert camp team at the end of the night. Camel handlers typically receive 20 to 30 MAD per person. Bring small denominations so you can tip accurately rather than overpaying or underpaying because you only have large notes.
Morocco Is Much Larger Than It Looks on the Map
The drive from Marrakech to Merzouga is 550 km. Marrakech to Chefchaouen is 560 km. Fes to the Sahara is 380 km. People consistently underestimate Morocco’s scale when planning itineraries and end up with schedules that require 10-hour driving days where they expected 4-hour ones. Add a day to whatever itinerary you think you have planned. The driving in Morocco is scenic and worthwhile — but it takes the time it takes.
Medinas Have No Street Signs — and That Is Part of the Point
The ancient medinas of Fes, Marrakech, and Meknes were not designed for navigation by outsiders. The narrow lanes, the lack of signs, and the way streets double back on themselves is a feature of the urban design rather than an oversight. Download offline maps before you leave your riad, keep a note of your riad’s address and neighbourhood in Arabic as well as English, and accept that getting lost occasionally is part of how a medina is meant to be experienced.
Say No Clearly and Once — Then Move On
Touts in tourist areas — particularly outside Ait Ben Haddou and in the main medina entrances — are persistent. The most effective approach is a clear “La shukran” (no thank you in Darija) said without slowing your pace, followed by no further engagement. Extended explanations, polite repetitions, or attempts to be friendly-but-firm extend the interaction and invite negotiation. One clear no, then walk. This is not rude — it is the understood social code.
Drink Bottled or Filtered Water Only
Tap water in Morocco is technically treated but can cause stomach issues for visitors not accustomed to the local water supply. All reputable riads, guesthouses, and desert camps provide bottled water. Keep a large bottle in the vehicle throughout the tour and drink more than you think you need — the dry air in the Atlas and the desert dehydrates you faster than you realise, particularly in warm months.
The Hammam Is Worth Doing Once
A traditional Moroccan hammam — a steam bath with a scrub — is one of the genuine cultural experiences Morocco offers. Public hammams cost 15 to 30 MAD for basic entry; a private hammam at a riad costs more but is a more comfortable first experience. Bring a swimsuit, a change of clothes, and flip flops. The process involves steam, black soap (kessa), and a vigorous scrub — it is not a relaxing spa experience in the Western sense, but it leaves you genuinely clean in a way that hotel showers do not quite manage after a day in the desert.
Photography in the Medina: Ask Before Pointing a Camera at People
Street photography in Morocco requires more sensitivity than in some other destinations. Many people in the medinas — particularly older women and religious figures — do not want to be photographed. The tannery workers at Chouara in Fes are photographed constantly from the leather shop terraces and have mixed feelings about it. Asking first (a gesture toward the camera and a questioning expression works without shared language) is both courteous and tends to produce better portraits. Some people will ask for a small tip in exchange for posing — 5 to 10 MAD is standard.
Ramadan Changes Everything — in Interesting Ways
If your trip coincides with Ramadan (dates change annually — check before booking), Morocco transforms. Restaurants close during the day. The medinas are quiet in the afternoon and electric after iftar (the sunset meal). The evenings become extended celebrations of food, music, and social gathering. Visiting during Ramadan requires flexibility around mealtimes but offers a version of Moroccan culture that most tourists never see. It is not a reason to avoid Morocco — it is a reason to plan around it.
The Food Is Exceptional — Eat Where Locals Eat
Moroccan cuisine is one of the genuinely great food cultures of the world. Tagine, couscous, pastilla, harira, msemen, and the extraordinary variety of Moroccan salads served as starters — all of this is better at a small local restaurant recommended by your guide than at any restaurant near a major tourist attraction. Your driver will know where to eat at every stop on the tour. Follow their recommendation and you will eat well every day.
The Mint Tea Is Not Optional — It Is a Ritual
Moroccan mint tea — gunpowder green tea steeped with fresh mint and poured from height to create foam — is served at every riad welcome, every shop negotiation, every guesthouse arrival, and most meals. Refusing it is mildly rude. Accepting it and drinking it slowly is the correct entry into almost every social interaction in Morocco. It is also genuinely delicious. The tea at the desert camp after the camel trek, poured in the cooling evening air, is one of those small moments that stays with you.
Book Desert Camps and Popular Riads in Advance
The better desert camps at Erg Chebbi — those positioned far enough into the dune field to feel genuinely isolated, with proper facilities and good food — book out weeks in advance in peak season (March, April, October). The same applies to popular riads in Marrakech and Fes. Booking a Morocco desert tour with Pro Morocco Tours handles all of this automatically — accommodation is arranged as part of the tour booking. If you are travelling independently, do not leave camp and riad booking until after you land.
Slow Down at Ait Ben Haddou
The UNESCO ksar at Ait Ben Haddou appears on every Morocco desert tour itinerary, and most people give it 45 minutes because they have a long drive ahead. Give it 90 minutes. Cross the river on foot, walk through all the levels of the citadel to the top granary, and sit up there for a while with the valley in front of you. The drive from Marrakech to the dunes has a lot of remarkable things in it. Ait Ben Haddou is the one most people say they wished they had spent more time at.
Plan Your Morocco Desert Tour
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