Customer Reviews

Morocco: The Rough Guide, Sixth Edition (Rough Guide to Morocco)

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3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

During a recent visit to Morocco, hitchhiking across the whole of the country from north to south, I used the 8th edition of THE ROUGH GUIDE TO MOROCCO (published October 2007) and its main competitor, the 2007 edition of Lonely Planet Morocco.

For the independent traveler who wants to explore Morocco in depth, the Rough Guide is clearly the best option among current guidebooks. It is much more detailed than the Lonely Planet, covering charming smaller towns left out of the LP and other guidebooks. If you are planning to go from Morocco to Mauritania overland, the Rough Guide is extremely helpful. While Lonely Planet didn't even update their Western Sahara cover in the latest edition, Rough Guide gives information on the new opportunities for those without their own vehicle. (Be aware, however, that the Mauritanian visa must now be requested in Rabat, not in Casablanca as RG advises.) Unlike Lonely Planet, which is now abandoning its traditional demographic of backpackers on a budget, the Rough Guide has as much guidance for shoestring travelers as for people with money to spend.

If you are curious about Morrocan history and culture, the Rough Guide makes other guidebooks look like they were meant for rude and insensitive package tourists. It contains a hundred-page supplement which not only explains the whole of Moroccan history and its prominent writers and artists, but it even gives some short pieces by Morrocan traditional storytellers. The Rough Guide does a good job throughout of trying to put tourists in contact with the locals. The hammams (Turkish-style baths) listed in the book are those frequented by ordinary Moroccans, not expensive spa-type locations as in other guidebooks. I was unhappy, however, with the Rough Guide's mention of hitchhiking. While it does mention it as an option, and doesn't try to scare people away from it, it suggests that it is difficult and requires payment. That's odd indeed, since hitchhikers consider Morroco one of the easiest countries on Earth, and my usual waiting type was just a couple of minutes, and I didn't have to pay a dime.

If you are an independent traveler, the Rough Guide is probably the only book you need. Lonely Planet does have a whole section dedicated to trekking, but even for those keen on trekking this may not be worth it. All in all it's funny how the Rough Guides, held in scorn for so long because they contain ads and are published by a major corporation (Penguin), now seem the best guidebooks for solo shoestring travelers.

I have no experience with the previous edition, and until now I only used the Lonely Planet on Morocco, but I did some tests on issues I had found missing in the Lonely Planet and the new Rough Guide passed the test excellently.
For instance the Lonely Planet had hardly anything on the nice road between Taroudant and Ouerzazate, in between two Atlasses, so almost fully skipping saffron paradise Taliouine and carpetters paradise Tazenaght, while the Rough Guide does not assume you will pass that road through Marrakch, which requires crossing the High Atlas twice.
And even on the road from West to East behind the Anti-Atlas through Tissint etc. the Rough Guide has a feature.
It is more weighty than the Lonely Planet, but that is because it has more information, and that is what one eventually needs.

Neil in Amsterdam

As we loaded our backpacks hours before our jet departed Vancouver, my partner and I debated about whether to bring Lonely Planet's Morocco guidebook, or the Rough Guide. In the end, mostly due to weight considerations, we left the Rough Guide at home. I would advise any first-time traveller to Morocco to do the same. It's a tired, rambling, incomplete guide, full of inconsequential information and generic descriptions. Hotel prices, strangely, are not listed. There is scant reference to Morocco's massive social ills. And there are too many references to writer Paul Bowles, who, I admit, is the be-all-and-end-all of western Moroccan ex-pats. But enough about him, already. Lonely Planet gets all the promotion it needs from other reviewers, so I was hesitant in writing this review. But for those looking for a more concise, insider view of Morocco, LP's the way to go.

I have no complaints about this guide. It served me reasonably well on my trip to the country. One thing was missing though. Some guidance on the local language. I mean expressions, food, all the things you need when you visit. I tried to use my European French but I was not always understood. A new edition of this guide could include an extended section on the language. That would complement it quite nicely.

Photocopy the city center maps from the Rough Guide and carry the Lonely Planet Morocco. It has better listings for everything else.

Pretty good info on the cities I went to, and pretty good maps, BUT horrible connection and transportation information -if you don't want to get ripped off in Morocco it is essential, for example to have some idea of the prices for taxis from, say the rail station to the medina - and this guide does not give those as Lonely Planet does. Also was quite vague about connection information between cities. Overall, I was disappointed with this guide and found it wasn't terribly practical for use 'in the field'.

I bought this book a couple of months before my trip to Morocco at the beginning of 2009. Even though this book was published in late 2007, the prices and information are still accurate. I decided to purchase the rough guide because my previous experience with a Lonely Planet guide book left me broke (underestimated prices) and with inaccurate information.

The Rough Guide to Morocco contained a lot of practical information, great advice for food, lodging and activities; the prices were accurate every time. The historical and anecdotal comments within the text are very helpful and useful, not too much, but a great way to further your understanding of what you are seeing, especially if you aren't the type to find tour guides everywhere you go.

I highly recommend this book, and if you are thinking of traveling to Morocco soon, don't be afraid to buy this book because it was published in 2007, you'll still find it very accurate now. (Just as a side note, two women traveling alone in Morocco isn't the best idea, you won't be in danger, but prepare for major, almost debilitating harassment)

I must say I was a little sceptical at buying this at first because having read the rough guide to Turkey and finding it reading like it was written by some spoilt brat college student (Referring to Sunni Muslims in Turkey as "Poe faced" for example) I was actually looking for a lonely planet edition on the country as the lonely planet book on Turkey is excellent however, this books is great.

First of all its nothing like the rough guide to Turkey. The authors of this book are not only sympathetic to the country (Sometimes to the point of being over the top) But it actually seems they have taken the good time to do some serious travel and research into the country instead of just a whistle stop tour of cheap hotels and the odd ex pat student bar.

All the major cities are covered and most importantly the places of the greatest interest (Fez, Rabat, Tangier, Marrakesh, Casablanca etc) The manners and customs of the Moroccans also well covered with plenty of what to do and what not to do when you travel around the place. Some issues though they do seem to be a little over sensitive as I previously mentioned, examples of these are the fact that other than the Mosque in Casa non Muslims are not allowed in any Mosque in the country so the authors just go on about what you can see from the outside (Presumably the authors think that anyone outside of Morocco reading the book is a non Muslim) one particularly comical comment is regarding a Mosque which is cordoned off to prevent "Christians and stray animals" getting too close!

Another issue is the authors obsession with the Berbers (Much as Travel books go on and on about the Kurds (As though no other minority exists in the country)) It gets to the point you would think the Berbers are some kind of exotic endangered species rather than just ordinary people who happen to live in the country. I mean you would never find a travel book of the UK going on and on like this about the Welsh or Scots or even Asians or black people for example. One other point is that the Arabic phrase section at the back has no Arabic translation so while you may learn a few words you will be stuck for trying to read any road signs or even learn the basic alphabet.

There is plenty of further reading provided, lots of advice, lots of listings of hotels (Though one thing worth pointing out they dont mention any prices and you should know that when they say budget in this book expect no toilet, awful washing facilities and bedding you wouldn't give to your pet. Believe me, pay the extra for a decent hotel) They also cover a fair bit of south Morocco (Though after reading this book why anyone would want to go there God alone knows)

All in all a very good book.

Although not as well known to the wider world as, say, neighboring Algeria's rai and Kabyle Berber musics, Morocco is still a major power house in the Arabic-speaking world. In fact, pop singer Samira Said is Moroccan. But this CD goes further into Morocco's musical roots, revealing everything from the trance music of the Gnawa brotherhood to cutting edge Arabic electronica to the rootsy urban chaabi. Really, as far as samplers go, this is a pretty good mix of Moroccan music.

The selections definitely lean more towards the traditional (or at least, neo-traditional) and less toward the pop, and the compilers seem to have knowledge of REAL Moroccan music. A definite plus there. The tracks include big names like Nass Marrakech, Nass el Ghiwane, Jil Jilala and Bnet Marrakech. Contemporary Gnawa trance music is very well represented by the great Hassan Hakmoun, as well as remix artist U-Cef. Jewish folk singer Emil Zrihan showcases the country's lesser known minority. And theres a wonderful track by Fatna bent el Houcine as well. All in all, this is a very authentic taste of Maghrebi music, and one thats readily available to boot! So pull up your bornous and grab a cup of mint tea and bowl of couscous - this is the next best thing to actually visiting Rabat, Casablanca or Fes.

I bought this book from amazon.com and then noticed exactly the same edition in my local bookshop for a similar price but in the strong paperback binding (versus the weak paperback binding as sold by amazon).