Travel in Morocco

“What have we gotten ourselves into?” I asked myself as our car scraped the rocks beneath us. We were traversing a dried river bed in search of our lodging for the night, and my mind was racing to the reaction of the rental car company when we returned the car in a few days. “How much is it going to cost if we total the vehicle?” I continued wondering.

A week of my life in Morocco rarely goes by without a Moroccan asking me about how I have learned Moroccan Arabic. People are always surprised and awed that I have learned the local language here. In other countries, local people would perhaps not be as impressed that foreigners have learned the language, but in Morocco, people are always amazed and excited by this.

A herd of sheep encroached upon the side of the road. My senses heightened, I slowed down as I eyed the ewe bouncing toward the white stripe. “Stay away,” I thought to myself. Past the sheep was a rolling forest. Where was I? Not in some far-off rural mountain setting in Morocco. No, I was on the interstate highway just past Rabat.

Laughter. That is something that I fondly remember during our three months of homestay with a Moroccan family. Whether it be our search for the TV remote, or our karaoke singing to Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On,” we laughed together. There were also times of difficulty as we tried to communicate cross-culturally and cross-linguistically. Even though there were some challenging experiences, both my wife and I learned a tremendous amount about Moroccan culture by living with a local family.

Moroccans tend to speak and understand a variety of languages. Moroccan Arabic (Darija) is the most prevalent spoken language in Morocco, which is technically a dialect of the Arabic language. Modern Standard Arabic, or Fossha, is literary Arabic that is used in writing and in official communication. Hassaniya Arabic is the dialect spoken in the southern part of the county.

When most people picture Morocco, they think of the desert with beautiful golden sand dunes. Morocco does have those quintessential dunes, but you do have to go pretty far out of your way to get to them. Namely, you can have a wonderful desert experience by traveling to Merzouga, which is a small village (around 400 people) in southeastern Morocco, only about 50 km (31 miles) to the Algerian border.

Fes is the second largest city in Morocco with a population of around 1.15 million people. It is located inland off the coast, and is known to some as the religious capital of the country. The city of Fes is rich in history, having been founded in the late 8th Century. Due to its geographic location, the city tends to experiences extreme temperatures in the winter and summer.

Morocco’s largest city, Casablanca, sits on the Atlantic Ocean. Straight across the Atlantic Ocean is Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Casablanca is Morocco’s largest city by population, with over 4.2 million inhabitants. It is the country’s economic and business capital, and primary industrial zone.

The sister cities of Rabat and Salé sit along the Atlantic coast, separated from each other by the Bou Regreg River. Straight across the Atlantic Ocean is Wilmington, North Carolina. Rabat is the political capital of Morocco and is home to many embassies and consulates. The populations of Rabat and Salé are approximately 580,000 and 890,000, respectively.

There are only two places in Morocco that contain a metro system, with Rabat-Sale being the other. In comparison to Paris, the Casablanca metro (tram) network is basic…but at least it exists! Having grown up in the Seattle area lacking a metro system, I will take what I can get!

The train network can get you to most major cities on the coastal side of the Atlas Mountains, from Marrakech in the South, all the way to Tangier in the North, and Oujda and Nador in the East. If you ever visit the country of Morocco, perhaps you will have the opportunity to experience the train. If you do visit, here are some tips to keep in mind.

I have heard it stated that “taxi” is the one word recognized throughout the world. Perhaps the name recognition gives some indication of the wide-spread use of this form of transportation. If you spend anytime in Morocco you will most likely use taxis as a means to get around. This article will describe some of the basics of taxis in Morocco.