Cheap Africa and the Ocean. Why You Should Discover Morocco

For those tired of Turkey and Egypt.

For a long time, Turkey and Egypt remained the top destinations for sunbathing holidays for Ukrainian tourists, offering acceptable all-inclusive service for relatively little money. There are indeed plenty of resorts and hotels there that can satisfy both the wealthiest and the more budget-constrained tourists. But sooner or later everything gets boring, and a quite logical desire to try something new arises.

Simplified visa regimes with many countries and the arrival of low-cost carriers on the Ukrainian market — all of this now makes it possible to expand travel geography and discover new places. If you can do it for the same money — why not, after all? Why not hop over to Morocco, for example, to the Atlantic Ocean?

Why should you go to Morocco?

Even for those who have seen the Black and Azov Seas, plus the Aegean and the Red Sea, the ocean — is a compelling argument. Morocco also has a Mediterranean coast near Spain, but its main water asset lies in the west of the country, where Rabat, Casablanca and, perhaps, the main resort city of Agadir are located.

Yes, unlike the Red Sea, whose charms can be experienced in Egypt itself, diving here is not as appealing — you won't be watching colorful fish darting through corals in search of food. But there is another plus for those who find a spot on a sun lounger isn't enough — the opportunity to go surfing year-round.

Those who want to laze in the sun won't be disappointed either — the wide coastline with snow-white sand allows you to comfortably enjoy the pleasant climate, which is maintained by air masses arriving from the ocean. Daily temperature swings here are low, and the heat, given the periodic fogs, is easy to tolerate. Yes, vendors offering snacks or energizing tea are also present here, but they are banned from entering the fenced-off hotel beach areas, so they don't crowd you and don't bother you much.

You can also enjoy the views from the many beachside restaurants here. Prices there are fairly reasonable — 200 dirhams (less than 20 euros) is enough for two people to enjoy dinner with a glass of wine or beer.

For those used to the all-inclusive format, Morocco is also all set. Yes, the system here is not as well developed as in Turkey and Egypt, and the number of hotels offering such services is noticeably lower, but in terms of quality, the local four-star hotels can give many a head start: cleanliness, friendly staff, entertainment, restaurants regularly serve meat and fish, and the beer, though of mediocre quality, is at least alcoholic.

Those unwilling to sit in one place can travel around — luckily, Morocco's territory is vast, and traveling around the country by car, there is definitely plenty to see. One option is to start from Tangier (a port city on the coast of the Strait of Gibraltar) and head along the ocean to Rabat, Casablanca, Essaouira and Agadir. You will sin if you don't stop in Chefchaouen (the legendary blue city) and at Legzira beach with its arches of orange-red cliffs.

Morocco is a Muslim country, but it must be acknowledged that Islam here is quite tolerant. This is felt both visually (besides mosques, you can easily find Orthodox churches and synagogues here) and in interactions with the quite friendly local population. For those who feel uncomfortable constantly hearing Russian speech, the situation here is much calmer than in, say, Kemer or Sharm el-Sheikh. There are, of course, tourists from Russia here, given the visa-free regime between the countries, but it can't be said there are very many of them — “Tagi-i-i-l!” was not spotted.

How to get there?

Ukraine has no direct flights to Morocco, but by planning ahead, you can reach the land of the setting sun quite affordably. For example, with low-cost carriers you can first get to one of the transit hubs like Germany (at Cologne airport in mid-September, the place was plastered with ads for cheap flights to Morocco) or Spain, and from there fly on to North Africa. By planning your vacation wisely, you can combine a sightseeing holiday in Europe with a beach holiday on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean.

Are there any downsides?

Of course. First and foremost, perhaps, you should be wary of vendors looking to profit from European tourists who are poorly oriented in local realities. You need to be prepared for the fact that in markets, where price tags are almost impossible to find, the starting price will be ten times the real one. Not only can you bargain, but you must — the seemingly friendly and welcoming sellers have absolutely no conscience, though the desire to bring argan oil to beloved women is still there.

The same problem is seen with taxi drivers. Uber and its ilk are absent from the Moroccan market, and locals take full advantage of this. Agree on the price of the trip upfront, naming the price first. A 3-4 km ride can be done for 10-15 dirhams (1-1.5 euros).

You also need to be prepared for the fact that, in general, Moroccan cities are fairly modest and not very clean, if you move a bit further away from traditional tourist routes. In this respect, there is a certain similarity with France, under whose protectorate the country was for a long time.

Among the drawbacks (hopefully temporary) is also that Ukrainians need a visa to enter Morocco. It costs not that much — a modest 600 hryvnias, but you should take care of the paperwork in advance, since the consulate staff can take almost a month to process everything.

Vasyl Obaraz