Hi,
From Canada and was in Morocco in Nov 2009. I found it very cheap compared to what i'd pay in Canada. At the time i got 100 Dirhams for $14 Canadian dollars. Flew into Casa the first day and hopped a train down to Marrakesh for one night. Then down to Ouarzazate, M'hamid, Tinghir and back to Marrakesh. I'll try to answer each of your questions below.
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Originally Posted by Morocco2011 
- About how much money will we need, considering our goal is to look for cheap rooms and apartments to stay in a few nights each. Would be helpful if someone new at what price you can find a room for one night.  |
The only prices that i can remember at the moment is a place in Tinghir that i stay in for 2 nights at 100 Dirhams a night. Small basic room w/ a shower and balcony overlooking the main street. Shared bathrooms in the hallway and rooftop patio. Not sure the name but it was across from the bus drop-off. It was a good place to use as a base for a day trip to the Todra Gorge.
The cheapest and by far the crappiest was a $50 Dirham dump in Ouarzazate. Not really so much dirty as run down and empty,..i think there was only 2 other people in the whole place. But it was just a quick transit stop on my to the desert.
Spent a few nights in a desert camp by the big dunes outside M'Hamid that was quite expensive and in Euros. But i was planning to pay big for this as the dunes were my real reason for my trip. I hired a SUV and driver to get me out to their camp. I highly recommend at least one night at the big dunes. Just take a bus to M'Hamid and look around for a tour company with camps at the big dunes.
Also spent a few nights in Marrakesh at Hotel Essaouira in the Medina. I can't remember the exact price but it was very reasonable. Good location near the Jemaa el Fna square. Very hippy type spot for sure but nice people and great roof deck.
Searching online seems to bring up a lot of the more expensive Riads rather then budget places i've noticed. But it's a country where you can more or less just show up in town and find a reasonably priced place by looking around a bit.
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Originally Posted by Morocco2011 - About how much money do you spend on each meal? Nothing fancy needed! Would be great if someone could appreciate the daily sum needed for food! |
Damn i wish i could remember but i know they were generally reasonable. Slightly more in the tourist areas but never outrageous in my opinion. I generally made my own lunches and snacks during the day from stores along my travels,.fresh fruit and small packaged foot and then had one main supper meal at a restaurant. All in all it wasn't too bad but i did really screw up my food budget with all the coffee i drank. I found the usual coffee size fairly small but so good that i had to have 2 or 3 or more at each sitting. I like to drink coffee/tea and watch the every day life. I have a little notepad around somewhere that i wrote prices down in. I'll have a look for it this week and post what i have.
In Marrakesh i always ate in Jemaa el Fna square at one of the many outdoor setups they have. Good atmosphere being in the middle of it all and i like seafood which many of them seemed to serve.
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Originally Posted by Morocco2011 - Are there any safety issues we should be aware of? We're three men and one woman,is there anything in particular we should avoid as tourists? |
My only concern was the mechanical condition of one of the Grand Taxis i was in. You're lucky as four of you can easily get your own taxi but make sure d the taxi generally looks safe. In all my travels in Africa i have never been as scared as i was in a grand taxi taking me between Tinghir and Ouarzazate. The car would not have legally allowed on the road in most western countries.
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Originally Posted by Morocco2011 - We're planning to start our trip in Fes and then go West, and later travel south. Which is the cheapest and easiest way to travel in Morocco, and where can i find information about buses etc.? |
I found the bus system to be very good and i used it most of the time except for the taxi ride mentioned above and my trip over the Atlas mountains from Marrakesh to Ouarzazate. Very good prices on bus tickets. Be prepared for stop-overs as every bus i did take seemed to stop halfway through for at least an hour. But it was good for a break and to have a quick look around different towns. Again, i'll look for my notepad with the prices.
I also took the train between Marrakesh and Casa.
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Originally Posted by Morocco2011 - Finally, any ideas or information about which cities we should visit? Would be great to hear where other travelers have gone!  |
Four Things i would recommend,...
The BIG dunes near M'Hamid (about 50 km west)
I sat on a sand dune at least 200 meters high if not more and watched the sun set in the west while lightening flashed over the mountains in the north and a billizion-gillion stars blazed in the sky. Absolutely amazing!!
Jemaa el Fna in Marrakesh The whole square is amazing, especially at night. There is a cafe to the left of the main Post Office that has a rooftop patio overlooking it all. Entry fee is buying a drink on the way in,..coca-cola/juice/water/etc. If you can be there as the Evening Prayer call goes out you'll be amazed,...it goes from a loud roar to a dead silence in a few seconds.
Todra Gorge I stayed in Tinghir 2 nights and spent the day in between at the gorge. Rented a bike and pedaled the 10km up to it in the early morning. The gorge doesn't take long to walk through its but quite the sight for sure. I spent most of the day hiking in the hills on the far side of the gorge and then came back down and had dinner at one of the hotel patios right in the gorge. If you walk through the gorge and emerge at the other end, there is a trail to the right that goes up to the top. Probably a 4-4.5 hour round trip hike. I do a lot of hiking which is why i mention it.
Tizi n Tichka Pass If you like dramatic roads and views, it's worth driving over. I took a grand taxi one way and a bus back. It's the main route from Marrakesh and Ouarzazate
All in all i really enjoyed Morocco and hope to get back there someday.
The only thing that would have made it better (and easier) is if i had known some French. I only speak English so i had a few language problems. Nothing insurmountable, just would have been easier if i could speak more then one language.
I will dig out my notebook and post any prices i have in the next day or so.
Have a good trip eh.
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