When some people travel, the uncertainty of how to get where they need to go when they need to be there is enough to simply call off the trip. It’s true that getting around Morocco can be a bit challenging, especially in comparison to other countries that have high-speed rail lines and well-developed public transportation systems. If you aren’t interested in figuring out the logistics of transportation yourself, there are many tour companies in Morocco that would be happy to take care of the details. But for those who want to travel the country on their own, it is possible to get around with some patience and a little bit of insider knowledge.
Once you’ve arrived in Morocco, you’ll have a variety of transportation options to choose from. Enjoying Morocco by train is both comfortable and relatively inexpensive. The country’s trains operate between major cities with fast and reliable service. In fact, many would say that this is the best way to get between Fez and Marrakesh.
Within the cities, you can utilize taxis or public buses, or you can go by foot. The buses have regular routes and are cheaper than taxis, but it takes longer to get somewhere by bus than by taxi. The taxis are large Mercedes that can carry up to six passengers. Often the taxis are shared by those needing to get to particular destinations.
If you are spending more than a few days in Morocco and want to take tours out of the city, you will probably want to rent a car. You can also rent motorbikes to get yourself around Morocco.
All of these standard transportation options work well in and between cities, but once you leave the city you will find that some places are not possible to visit by road. For this you will have to take trekking tours on horseback or on foot with pack mules to carry your load.
For desert exploration, you’ll either want to sign up for a quad tour or camel tour. The 4×4 tours through the Sahara Desert offer a faster, easier way to check out the desert while camel tours offer a more authentic way to discover this barren Moroccan landscape.
One final way to explore the natural side of Morocco is to join a whitewater rafting tour. Fun for the family and welcoming for people with a wide range of skill sets, whitewater rafting tours offer a great way to explore areas of the country that can’t be explored in any other manner.
Posted by JoAnna Haugen, managing editor at Journey Beyond Travel and author of Kaleidoscopic Wandering.
Photo by Drewski2112.
