Winter 2024 was all about a campertrip Morocco for us. For us, it was a completely new country and even a continent change. Africa is separated from Europe by a mere 14 kilometers through the Strait of Gibraltar, but this brings about a significant difference. So if you, like us, want to discover this beautiful country with a camper, we’ll explain here what you can expect and what you need to consider.
Pay with Dirham
In Europe, you almost pay everywhere with the euro. But in Morocco, you use the local currency called the Dirham. It’s quite difficult to find ATMs, so make sure you always carry cash with you. Our experience is that you can almost always find ATMs at large Carrefour stores or gas stations, but otherwise, it’s challenging. The best place to withdraw dirhams is from a bank ATM. However, sometimes a percentage is charged, or you pay a fixed amount of around 2 to 3 euros at the ATM. The exchange rate for the dirham is 1 euro = 10.9 dirhams, but in practice, the exchange rate is lower (around 10.5).
Where to stay with the camper
While you can find a campground on almost every street corner in Europe, there are considerably fewer in Morocco. Especially around larger cities, you’ll find some campgrounds, but don’t expect them to always meet European standards. However, there are also good campgrounds, such as our experience at Le Relais in Marrakech. For most campgrounds, you won’t pay more than 10 euros, which makes traveling in Morocco very affordable.
Aside from campgrounds, fortunately, there are plenty of places to park in nature, by the sea, or sometimes in parking lots in the city. Sometimes you can park for free and enjoy tranquility, while other times it can be quite busy, especially in natural areas. In cities or at popular beaches, you’ll often find a parking attendant. We wonder to what extent this person is a genuine parking attendant or someone trying to earn money, but it often does feel safe. The best way to ensure the success of your camper trip in Morocco is, of course, the Park4Night app, where you can see exactly which places are good and safe to park.
Grocery shopping
During your camper trip in Morocco, you’ll need to do groceries, and it’s a bit different than in Europe. In major cities, you’ll find Carrefour and Marjane. This supermarket chain is exactly what you’re used to in Europe but can be a bit pricier. Also, Carrefour is often the only place where you can buy alcohol and sometimes pork, to our knowledge.
In smaller villages, you’ll have to do local shopping. There are many small convenience stores where they sell basic products, but you’ll need to buy meat, fish, and vegetables elsewhere. We usually get meat from Carrefour and store it in the freezer since otherwise, you’d rely on a local butcher. The meat at the butcher’s is often kept outside the cooling and exposed to flies, which we don’t find hygienic. You can buy fruits and vegetables at many roadside stalls, and they’re of excellent quality and very cheap. For example, you can get a kilo of bananas or oranges for a euro. Also, vegetables for a pasta, like carrots, zucchini, bell peppers, and onions, cost around 80 cents altogether.
Lastly, we often find that people come by with trays of fruit or fresh bread and donuts in public parking lots. If you’re parked by the beach, you can also buy freshly caught fish. For instance, we spent 5 euros for 2 octopuses and 10 euros for 2 kilograms of tuna, which is really cheap and delicious!
Restaurants
Eating out in Morocco is very enjoyable and quite safe. However, be aware that you might experience some stomach issues in the beginning, especially with salads washed in tap water. A tagine or couscous is the national dish and truly delicious. The tagine often varies between chicken, beef, lamb, or fish, and it’s typically prepared with various vegetables. Most tagines cost around 7 euros, but we’ve even seen them for 3 euros with fresh tuna! Additionally, there are places where you can get a burger or pizza, also quite cheap. If you prefer Asian cuisine, you might need to cook for yourself occasionally. Luckily you can find everything you need at Carrefour.
Maintenance of the camper
Your camper trip in Morocco is almost incomplete without a visit to a Moroccan garage. We’ve had maintenance done on the camper a few times, and it’s much cheaper than in Europe. Besides replacing parts, you can also get your camper repainted here. A friend of ours had his old Volkswagen T3 repainted for 1000 euro. Although this is already on the expensive side. Also, there are many shops where you can get new cushions made, roof rails, or whatever else you can think of.
Stray dogs Morocco
Before we went to Morocco, we knew that there would be stray dogs around. But we didn’t realize how big the problem was. In every city or village, you’ll find dozens of dogs, usually in good condition because they’re fed, mainly by tourists. Sometimes you come across dogs that look really bad, but fortunately, rabies is not very common. Generally, most stray dogs are very friendly, but it can be annoying if you have a dog yourself. Sometimes when we walk the dog, a group of 10 stray dogs will come barking towards us. This can be very intimidating, and if you’re not comfortable with it, Morocco might not be the best destination if you have a dog yourself. Fortunately, it often stops at barking, and we haven’t experienced any fights yet, but be prepared for it.
In addition to a lot of stray dogs, you’ll also find many stray cats or other animals in poor conditions. Marrakech is a leader in this regard because of the high number of tourists. In the famous Djemaa El Fna square, you’ll find many snakes that have their teeth removed without anesthesia. They need to dance to the sound of the flute, or monkeys chained up wearing dresses. Outside the big cities, you sometimes also see how chickens are kept in the market or goats with four legs tied together hanging on the back of a scooter. We don’t want to say that it’s very bad everywhere; there are also Moroccans who treat animals better. They feed stray cats, want to give attention to our dog, and so on. However, we do want to tell the truth so that you don’t get shocked if you encounter scenes that, from our perspective, are not normal.
Trash everywhere
Finally, there’s the issue of waste, which we as Europeans are not accustomed to. In Europe, the waste management system is fairly well organized, whereas here it’s sometimes completely lacking. Garbage bins are scarce, and if they exist, the waste is sometimes simply dumped outside the village on a large scale. We prefer not to speak negatively about a country, but you won’t find any place where there’s no litter. Personally, this drew a lot of our attention, especially during the first week, but you get used to it. Initially, we mainly thought that the blame lies solely with the residents. Nevertheless the system is also poorly regulated by the government.
Conclusion
Although things in Morocco may sometimes be different from what we’re used to, it’s a beautiful country to visit. Don’t let yourself be discouraged by the negative aspects, but try to see the positive side. The landscape is incredibly beautiful and diverse, and Moroccan cuisine is delicious and affordable. If you’re looking to escape the winter months in Europe, a camper trip to Morocco is highly recommended! If you’d like inspiration for one of the many wonderful locations, take a look at some of our other blogs!