In terms of the world today, Morocco is considered a safe country. In fact, the crime rate is very low. Morocco stands committed to dedicating significant resources to counter-terrorism intelligence, both on the national and international levels. The Kingdom of Morocco is stable politically and receives more tourists than any other African country. Of course, every potential visitor must use his or her own judgment regarding traveling to anywhere in the world. We at Open Doors consider Morocco a very safe place to be not only for ourselves, but for our families.
Morocco does not require specific vaccinations. However, it’s always a good idea to ask your primary care physician for his or her opinion.
The Moroccan ability is switch languages is unparalleled. It’s not uncommon for three languages to be represented in one sentence!
Morocco has two official languages: Arabic and Berber. Moroccan Arabic (Darija) is what majority of people use in everyday interactions. There is no written form of Darija, although it can be spelled using Arabic letters. Street signs are in Classical Arabic.
French is the language of business, the government, and higher education. French is considered a 3rd “unofficial” language of Morocco. In the north of Morocco, Spanish is spoken due to the proximity of Spain.
English is becoming the second foreign language of choice among educated youth.
If you hold a passport from the US, Canada, Australia, Europe, New Zealand, China, Malaysia, or Singapore, as of the writing of this documentation, you do not need a visa. Those from another country not listed may or may not need a visa. It is always good to to check with your local consulate office to determine the facts.
Regardless of visas, Morocco requires at least 6 months of validity remaining before the expiration date on the passport. They also require one blank page for the entry stamp.
We are a full service operator focused on private individual and group tours. We specialize in photography tours as many of our local hosts are amazing photographers. We book standard, comfort, and luxury accommodations where available. All of our partnerships have been personally inspected by one or more of our team. We strive to develop and maintain ethical working relationships with all local suppliers.
We strive to remain at a distance from the “mass tourism” that plagues many countries, including some areas in Morocco. We prefer to offer organic, sustainable, and culturally authentic tours that offer our guests amazing cross-cultural experiences while they explore the beautiful country of Morocco. Our goal is to offer more than just a vacation, but an experience that will be remembered for a lifetime.
Because we do not conceptualize your tour as a check list of services, please note that we do not offer a cost breakdown with our quotes.
The geography of Morocco is such that all throughout the year there are locations where the climate is mild. For instance, during the summer months when it is extremely hot in the interior of the country, the coast is a cool respite. Summertime is the best time to hike and explore the higher altitudes of the Atlas mountains. In winter, the Atlantic coast is warm. The desert is very hot in the summer, but pleasant at other times of the year.
No, we will work with you until you feel comfortable and excited about your plan.
Like the old adage says, “You get what you pay for.” We have no interest in being the cheapest tour in Morocco. You receive an excellent value and return home with amazing memories and new friends in Morocco. Our tours are not cookie cutter, one size fits all tours. While we have example itineraries on our website, everything is customized. Because we put a great deal of focus on each of our tours, we limit the number of bookings at one time. This enables us to build great individualized itineraries and match people with our excellent hosts. We do not compromise on the quality of our local hosts.
We believe in paying our local hosts fair living wages. This is also something we will not compromise. One of the primary reasons we started Open Doors Morocco was that we saw the disparity in the tourism industry here. In most cases, the locals work the hardest, yet are compensated the least. The majority of Moroccans working in the tourism industry are not able to support their families on their income. At the same time, we won’t compromise on the expectations we lay out for our hosts. We have high standards for our local hosts and they rise to the occasion because they love their jobs and engaging with their foreign guests.
There are many reasons to select Open Doors Morocco for your Morocco vacation. First, our primary goals are to create amazing experiences for our guests, while relating ethically with the Moroccan nationals. Those who choose to travel independently in Morocco, stand to miss out on many things that can only be experienced with a local host. We prefer to use the term, “host” rather than “guide” because they are far more than guides. Your ODM host is the touchstone between you and the Moroccan culture. They love introducing guests to their country and being involved in cross-cultural experiences. You will have the opportunity to meet some very special Moroccan people as you travel throughout the country simply because you are with a Moroccan.
Depending on where you are in the country, we may hire an additional guide. For instance, we always hire a guide in the city of Fes. The Fes Medina is a labyrinth and it requires a guide who is licensed specifically for the Fes Medina.
We do not book in the large “cookie cutter” hotels unless specifically requested. We use accommodations with a Moroccan style that we know personally and have been rated by our guests as excellent. That said, there are various levels of accommodations in Morocco. We will book Standard, Comfort, or Luxury accommodations. Depending on your location, luxury is not always available.
Standard accommodations are clean and simply decorated, yet still beautiful. Comfort (or Superior) accommodations are slightly more plush. Finally, luxury accommodations are the most plush.
In addition to traditional accommodations, we also offer home visits in various parts of the country. These home visits are available for those wishing to experience life in a Moroccan home. Our home visits are well vetted. Some people like to stay in a home visit for 1-2 nights out of their trip. Staying in a home visit is one way to help the local economy. It’s also a sure fire way to make sure you are pampered and spoiled while you are there. Moroccans are amazing hosts!
We do not book in the large “cookie cutter” hotels unless specifically requested. We use accommodations with a Moroccan style that we know personally and have been rated by our guests as excellent. That said, there are various levels of accommodations in Morocco. We will book Standard, Comfort, or Luxury accommodations. Depending on your location, luxury is not always available.
Standard accommodations are clean and simply decorated, yet still beautiful. Comfort (or Superior) accommodations are slightly more plush. Finally, luxury accommodations are the most plush.
In addition to traditional accommodations, we also offer home visits in various parts of the country. These home visits are available for those wishing to experience life in a Moroccan home. Our home visits are well vetted. Some people like to stay in a home visit for 1-2 nights out of their trip. Staying in a home visit is one way to help the local economy. It’s also a sure fire way to make sure you are pampered and spoiled while you are there. Moroccans are amazing hosts!
Riads are traditional homes in Morocco, usually found in medinas (the old cities). Many have been turned into small, intimate hotels. They are characterized by an inner courtyard or garden as the central element of the building. The courtyard is open air with the rooms situated around the courtyard. The courtyard is on the bottom floor and the rooms rise 3 – 4 floors around the courtyard. The rooftop is usually set up as a terrace for relaxing and meals.
In keeping with the Islamic idea of privacy, riads do not have large outward facing windows. Instead the rooms have windows facing the opened courtyard. From the outside most riads have simple doors. Upon entering the riad, you find yourself in a beautifully decorated palace, or sanctuary, hidden away from the hussle and bussle of the busy medina
