The Best Way to Visit Morocco

Morocco is a place that offers something for every type of traveler. It is a region of vivid colors, rich culture, and stunning landscapes. Morocco will captivate you and make you want to see more, from the busy districts of Marrakech to the tranquil dunes of the Sahara Desert. This article will discuss the best ways to go to Morocco, including must-see locations, planning advice, and transportation advice. Getting around by Air: If time is limited,it’s worth considering the occasional internal flight offered by RAM (Royal Air Maroc) or its subsidiary.RAI (Royal Air Inter). Several reductions are available.If you buy a return ticket for internal flights,you get 25% off the normal one-way fares.If you are under 22 or a student under 31,you are entitled to 25% off all the fares.There are group reductions and children aged two to 12 travel at half price.Generally these reductions can only be had through Royal Air Maroc offices and not through travel agrents.Beware of ‘Discover Morocco’ vouchers which are sometimes offered by the airline in its overseas offices .they are supposed to give you a set number of discounted internal flights,but travellers have reported that airline staff in Morocco simply won’t accept them. Getting around by Bus: A dense network of buses operates throughout Morocco,and many private companies compete for business alongside the main national carrier,CTM (Compagnie de trainsports Marocains).The latters is the only firm to have a truly national service.In most cities or towns there is a single central bus station (Gare routière),but in some places CTM maintains a separate terminal.Occasionally there are othere stations for a limited number of fairly local destinations.CTM tends to be a little more expensive than the other lines,but often there are only a few extra dirhams in it.Bus fares work out to about Dr 1 for every four or five km,and are comparable to 2nd -class fares on normal trains. Supratours runs a subsidiary bus service in conjunction with the railways. Compagins de Transports Marocains(CTM): The main national carrier is the best and most secure bus company in Morocco,and serves most destinations of interest to travellers.As part of Morocco’s program of economic reform, CTM was privatized in May 1994.It is difficult to say what effect this might have on its service. CTM offers different classes: mumtaz (excellent),and 1st and 2nd classes,but the distinctions seems to be made mostly on longer routes away from the big centres.Always ask about different fares, but where there is only one the official line is usually that you are getting a mumtaz bus.On CTM buses,children four years old and up pay full fares.CTM buses are fairly modern and comfortable.Mumtaz buses have videos(a mixed blessing)and heating in winter (they sometimes overdo this).this first 20 seats are theoretically reserved for nonsmokers. There is an official charge for baggage on CTM buses.Once you have bought your ticket you get a baggage tag, which you should hang on to,as you’ ll need it when you arrive.The charge for an average backpack in about Dr 3 to Dr 4.CTM also operates international buses from all the main Moroccan cities to Paris,Brussels and other destinations abroad. Getting around by Train: Morocco has in its office National des Chemins de Fer (ONCF) one of the most modern rail systems in Africa. Linking most of the main centers. The trains, mostly Belgian-made, are generally comfortable, fast and preferable to buses. Present line go as far south as Marrakesh, but a new one is planned from there to Agadir and on to Laayoune. Buses run by Supratours link up with train to further destinations with no rail line, so that the ONCF can get you as far south as Dakhla. Classes: There are two types of train (normal and rapide) and two classes on each (1st and 2nd ), giving four possible fares for any given trip. The main difference between the normal trains and the rapide is not, as the name suggest, speed ( there is rarely any difference), but comfort and air-conditioning Second class is more than adequate on any journey,and on normal train 2nd-class fares are commensurate with bus fares. Tickets & Fare: You are advised to buy tickets at the station as supplements is charged for doing so on the train. Although you can buy a ticket up to six days in advance, there are no reserved seats, so it seems a little pointless. A ticket is technically valid for five days, so that you can use it to get off at intermediate stops before reaching your final destination. You need to ask for a bulletin d’ Arrêt at the intermediate stop. Always hang on to tickets, as inspectors check them on the train and they are collected at the station on arrival. Childern under four travel for free. Those up to 12 years old get a reduction of 10% to 50%, depending on the service. Getting around by TAXI: Shared taxis (grands taxis or taxiat kebira in Arabic) link towns to their nearest neighbours in a kind of leap-frogging system. Usually ageing Mercedes imported from Europe, they take six passengers, or Vlokswagen its new version of taxis come with new systems than old Mercedes and all that are leaves when full. There are fixed-rate fares, generally a little higher than on the buses, but attempts to extract more from foreingners are not uncommon – try try to see what other passengers are paying . When asking about fares, make it clear you want to pay a plasa (‘place’ ,presumably a corruption of the Spanish plaza) in a taxi collectif (shared taxi). Another expression that helps explain you don’t want to hire a taxi for yourself is that you wish to travel ma’a an-nas (‘with other people’). As a rule they are faster on shorter runs than the buses because they don’t make as many stops. There are, however, certain disadvantages. Six people is a tight fit, and longer trips can be quite uncomfortable. Another problem is that although the bigger cities are littered with grand taxi stops, there are several subspecies of this particular beast, which are impossible for the outsider to differentiate. They either do set roules within a town or behave more or less like normal urban taxis(petits taxis -local transport). Getting around by BICYCLE: There’s no reason not take a bicyckle into Morocco - there is no better way to see some of the beautiful countryside. However, you need to be pretty fit to cover a lot of the territory. The biggest problem on secondary roads is that they tend to be narrow and dusty, and the traffic is none too forgiving. It is possible to transport bikes on trains and buses, although on the latter the may well take a beating. On the whole, bicycle are not much help in cities like Marrakesh and Fes, which are best explored on foot. Remember to take decent supplies, especially lots of drinking water, and a good repair kit whenever you are on the road. When you are in more remote parts of the country, you will need to be pretty well self-sufficient. Mountain biking is another possibility.There are pleny of trails away from the well-wom tourist paths to explore. If you don’t want to take your won bike, you’ll find some hotels in Marrakesh that orgnaise mountain bike tripe into the High Atlas.

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