Tips for Visiting Morocco during Ramadan

2. Dinner, at the time they’re breaking fast, will NOT be fast

If you’re trying to eat dinner around the time they’re breaking fast (say you’re thinking of eating at about 7 and the sun just set), be prepared to wait. It’s highly likely that the cooks and wait staff will go to break their fast, meaning nobody will be taking your order or cooking your food for a while. I’d recommend sitting down to eat a good hour before the fast will be broken if you want to be sure you’ll get your food ahead of it. Or, stock up on some snacks and sit down to eat after they break their fast and are back to work…

3. “Ramadan hours” for food service

Food serving hours may shift (breakfast times and dinner times) because of Ramadan (at hotels, riads, desert camps, restaurants, etc). Just be sure to confirm/check so that you’re not surprised if they differ from normal or are less flexible than usual.

4. There’s a crazy exodus from the Marrakech medina before breaking fast

The narrow little streets of the medina in Marrakech get very busy 30-45 minutes before people will break their fast. There are a lot of HUNGRY people hopping on their motorbikes to get the heck home to eat. If possible, I’d avoid walking through the streets then; it’s just really REALLY crowded and full of hungry, zooming people – who aren’t so patient about having to dodge kids and parents who are just ambling along.

5. Your driver and/or tour guide’s schedule also revolves around breaking fast

It’s important to remember that tour guides and drivers also break fast– and they need to eat and (often) be with family around sunset. Sometimes it can be easy to forget that they need to quite literally be done with you at a very specific time so they can go break their fast. They will want to drop you off / get you where you need to be in a timely fashion so that then THEY can get where they need to be– and they might become agitated/frustrated/worried if the schedule is running really far behind. This is clearly different than during other times of the year when there is more flexibility around finishing a tour day (or driving you to additional places, like dinner). So, it’s good to remind yourself of their requirements during Ramadan and do your best to be respectful and helpful towards their goal of eating :).

6. Bonus tip: The time zone may change during Ramadan

You may want to double check your flight times (arrival/departure) because Morocco can change its time zone during Ramadan so that the sun sets an hour earlier – and when they do this, your flights may arrive/depart an hour “earlier” than you expected. You would think the airlines would build this in but every single person in our group had their flight times “changed” (after booking) by the airlines to adjust to the new Morocco time during Ramadan. Surprise!