Cash for small things, patience for medinas, and an itinerary that admits how far the dunes are. These are our Morocco travel tips for a first visit on a private tour.
Morocco travel tips: first visit essentials
Dirhams are useful in cash for tips, toilets, and stalls. Cards work in many riads. We will never ask you to handle the tour balance in a medina alley.
Dress for respect and sun: shoulders and knees covered in rural areas and medinas is a comfortable default, not a law for tourists. In camp, wear what the temperature demands.
Money, tipping and entrance fees
Tipping drivers and camp staff is customary; we can suggest ranges without making it awkward. Entrance fees are usually extra so you only enter what you want.
ATMs are easy to find in cities but rare in the desert, so withdraw what you need in Marrakech, Fes or Ouarzazate before the long road south.
Distances and pace
Distances: Marrakech to Merzouga is not a morning. Anyone who sells it as such is selling a different country. Read the day-by-day on our 3-day desert tour and believe the hours.
Connectivity, photos and manners
A local SIM card or eSIM keeps maps and WhatsApp working across most of the country, including many desert camps. Ask before photographing people, and accept a “no” with a smile. A few words of Arabic or French — salam, shukran, merci — open doors everywhere.
Our last tip
The best tip is the one we started with: travel privately, say what you need, and let the itinerary move.
Further reading from an official source: official Visit Morocco tourism website (Visit Morocco — Moroccan National Tourist Office).
