Morocco: Overview
The African Kingdom of Morocco shares borders with Algeria to the east and with the western Sahara to the south. To the north, it limits with Spain by land and sea and it is separated from Europe by the Strait of Gibraltar. Its coasts are washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, so its landscapes contrast between the arid desert and mediterranean beaches.
Climate
The climate of Morocco will be different according to the region you visit. In the coast the days are warm and have a mediterranean climate, while the center of the country is drier, hot and continental. The south, because it is next to the Sahara, is very hot and dry during the day and cold at night, especially between December and January. The rainy season takes places from November to March.
Some advices
The social customs of Morocco were inherited from the French and the most common way of greeting is handshaking. Tourists should be patient, since schedules are not always ruled by the clock. On the other hand, during Ramadan is not used to drink or eat in public places during daylight hours. Although informal clothing is accepted, bathing and tight clothes should only be worn in beaches or swimming-pools.
Even though services are included in hotel bills, it is common to give a 10% tip. As for security, travelers are likely to be offered to be taken pictures or guided around the city for a little money by young boys; you should be polite to them, but also very careful, since they are not always reliable. Although this country is not particularly dangerous or insecure, it is necessary to avoid the poorest areas in the city and not signalled areas in the desert. You also should not get away from the urbanized areas by yourself or travel alone by car, it is better to travel in groups of more than two cars, during the day and being extremely careful, since traffic and highways are not very safe. Moreover the frontier sheared with Algeria can be quite insecure and it is forbidden to take photographs of the military areas and buildings you might see here or in any other place of the country. It is also important to keep in mind that the entrance to most of the sacred places and mosques is forbidden to the non Muslims, except for the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca and the mausoleums of Moulay Ismaïl (in Meknès), Mohamed V (in Rabat) and Moulay Ali Chérif (in Rizan); among others. The Moroccan currency is the dirham (DH) which you cannot change outside of this country and whose exportation is not allowed. All the transactions inside the country are usually made with national currency, checks or international credit cards such as Visa or Mastercard. Although you can exchange foreign currencies in the banks, it is better to do it in airports and to keep the receipts of these transactions in order to be able to re-convert the remaining dirham into your foreign currency again -also in airports. The main cities have a very good, but expensive health level, so it is recommended to hire a medical insurance before your trip, to take hygienic measures concerning food and drink and to ask in the nearest helth center about the conveniance of being vaccined against malaria. Although everyone must have a passport valid for six months minimum, a visa is not required to every country, so you should ask about this in the Moroccan consulate of your country.
Where to go
Morocco offers a wide range of cities and beautiful places to tourists. Here we will only mention some of the most important ones. In the Atlantic coast the cosmopolitan Tangier is the door to Africa and it offers interesting places to visit inside the city or in the surrounding towns like Chaouén, Asilah, Cabo Spartel and Tetuán city. The modern Casablanca is the economic center of the country; there you can visit Hassan II Mosque, the biggest in the world, and make trips to Azemmour and Jadida. Agadir is one of the most visited tourist destinations because of its beautiful beaches and sport centers; from here you can go to Marrakech, Essaouira, Tiznit, Taroudant, Goulimine and Tafraout.
It is also a very good choice to visit the imperial cities, called like this because each one of them have been the capital of Morocco during the country’s history. Rabat is the current capital and it offers impressive entrances, beautiful gardens, beaches and traditional monuments; its twin city, Sale, is located to the opposite side of the river and it is worthy to be visited. Meknès, surrounded and protected by merlons and walls, invites you to see its historical centre, protected by UNESCO, and its important archaeological ruins, among other things. Fez, the oldest and most important of the imperial cities, is a streets and covered bazaars labyrinth which invites you to wonder arround –be careful not to get lost!. Marrakech, also known as the "Pink City", has countless buildings and lovely places, besides being a good satrting point for a trip to Oukaimeden, Ourika and Asin.
Finally, in the south of the country you can also find very good places for tourism. From Erfoud you can go to the green Tafilalt oasis and to Er. Rachidia. Ouarzazate was an old French garrison town where you can go from Marrakech, it is also the best place to begin your journey in the south of Morocco. The view from top of Djebel Zagora is amazing and 18 km. from this mountain you can visit Tamergroute oasis and an interesting library where some of the oldest Arab manuscripts are kept. Talfraoute, with its interesting architecture and decoration and Goulimine with its camels market are also very good destinations.
