AREA GUIDE - Morocco
Since the nineteenth century travellers have been fascinated by Morocco and this appeal continues to this day. Here we give you an insight into the charm of this country.
Bordered by Mauritania and Algeria, Morocco is situated on the north-western tip of Africa. The coastline runs along the Mediterranean, through the Straits of Gibraltar to the Atlantic and a short 14km stretch separates Tangiers from Gibraltar and Spain. The country is 447,000 sq km and is almost the same size as France.
The Atlas Mountains and the Sahara separate Morocco from the rest of the African continent. In the north, the Mediterranean exudes from the Straits, with similar vegetation, climate and history. In the south this similarity to the Mediterranean disappears.
The Atlas Mountains form the backbone of Morocco and are divided into three differing ranges. The Middle Atlas in the north reaches an altitude of 3,340m and is an area of endless rolling hills and forests. Trekking through these mountains, you will find wonderful waterfalls and see Barbary apes. The High Atlas runs through the centre, reaching a height of 4,167 metres. Here you will find beautiful valleys and mountain passes as well as the Dades and Todra gorges. The Anti Atlas is the southern range, close to the Sahara Desert and the area is extremely dry.
The climate of Morocco depends on the area. The northern coast of Morocco and the interior mountains, the Rif, have a Mediterranean climate. The desert regions reach extremely high temperatures during the hot summer months, whereas the mountainous regions have cool summer evenings and are freezing in the winter.
His Royal Highness King Mohammed VI is determined to put Morocco “on the map” for tourists. With his ministers and advisors he has developed the “Vision 2010” project which aims to increase tourism to 10 million by the year 2010.
The Moroccan coastline has some wonderful sandy beaches and at the moment there are more than 30 very high standard 18-hole golf courses. Through the Vision 2010 project more new golf resorts are planned, such as the five star luxury project at Mediterranea Sadia.
Billions of dollars are being spent on improving Morocco’s infrastructure. Roads, airports, high-speed trains and a new electricity system are all among the projects being tackled, along with a tunnel to connect Spain and Morocco. The tunnel is a joint project funded by Morocco, Spain and EU, located near Gibraltar and due for completion in the year 2010.
Morocco is very popular with the rich and famous attracting people from all over the world - the Beckhams, Yves Saint Laurent and Richard Branson to name but a few.
The official language in Morocco is Arabic, but English, Spanish and French are widely spoken.
Morocco has many interesting cities to explore. Rabat, the capital of Morocco, is a modern city with wide tree-lined boulevards and a modern lifestyle. Tangiers is famous for its markets and typical, narrow streets. Marrakech offers tourists an interesting view of Moroccan culture and Casablanca is not to be forgotten as the city everyone associates with the film of the same name.
Travel to Morocco
Travel to Morocco is becoming easier and cheaper and there are several options to choose from:
Air Travel
Since 1 January 2006, the “Open Skies” agreement has allowed all airlines into Morocco. Competition between the airlines is fierce and there are many cheap offers to be had. Flight time from the UK is around 3 hours.
There are three main international airports in Morocco: Casablanca, Tangier and Agadir.
Direct flights to Fes, Marrakech and Oujda are available from Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin and other European cities. Most long distance flights arrive at Casablanca, a modern airport with plenty of transport options to get to your destination.
There are also 9 helicopter flights a day from Malaga airport in Spain to Tangiers airport
Ferry Services
Ferries are plentiful and fast. This is the option to take if you want your car in Morocco. A fast ferry service operates from Spain and takes just 35 minutes.
The most popular ferry crossing from Spain to Morocco is from Algeciras to Tangier. There are plenty of options available. You can choose from a regular or a high speed ferry, leaving almost every hour, year round.
Another very popular ferry route is from Algeciras to Ceuta (Spanish Morocco). It is a quieter destination than Tangiers and a gentler introduction to the hustle and bustle of Morocco. From there it is a short ride to the town of Tetuoan.
Ferries from Almeria (Spain) and Malaga (Spain) to Melilla go almost every day and take about 6-9 hours. Ferries are more frequent between Almeria (Spain) and Nador (Morocco) The trip takes about 6 hours. You can also get to Tangier (Morocco) from Tarifa (Spain) on a high-speed ferry.
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