Does packing stress you out? It can be a bit overwhelming to know what to pack when you are going to a country that is very different than your own. Traveling is such a joy, it really is - you get to meet people from different walks of life, experience different weather conditions, get a taste of the life people live outside your hometown or country. A vacation or visit will generally last more than just a few days of course, which is why you need to make sure everything is neatly organized, well kept and within reach when you need it the most.
Presented in this article is a comprehensive list of items to pack before setting out to Morocco. Always check the details of your trip while deciding what to pack. In addition, some items on this list may not be needed on your particular trip to Morocco.
If you’re wondering what to pack for Morocco, then it probably means you already understand this isn’t going to be like packing for your average trip. At this point, I mostly wear the same clothes all the time (sue me) and I’ve traveled enough to know what I need to bring just about anywhere.
Even though deserts may come to mind when you think of traveling to Morocco, there’s much more to consider here. Yes, it can get super hot in Morocco, but it can also get super cold too. You’ll experience the hottest temperatures in Morocco between late March and October mostly, but that also depends on where in Morocco you’ll be. Yes, there are deserts but there’s also the snow-covered Atlas Mountains and ski resorts.
While packing for trips is mostly basic stuff, Morocco holds a bunch of new and exciting activities you’ve probably never packed for before. Camel trekking and desert camping, for starters. Where will you be heading in Morocco?
Read also: What to Wear: Morocco Edition
It is recommended that you try to keep the luggage weight under 23 kilos (or your airline restrictions). You also need to factor in the weather conditions and time of year when you decide to travel.
To minimize stress, with a private tour, one of our Morocco experts can walk you through exactly what you need to bring for your personalized itinerary.
Understanding Morocco's Climate and Culture
As a woman, I stressed out a lot about what to pack for Morocco. Morocco is a majority Muslim country with a government based on Islamic law and societal norms and expectations based on Islamic traditions and beliefs. Regardless, as one of the more progressive Islamic countries out there, Morocco does not require nor expect female tourists visiting Morocco to follow the same norms, if you are not Muslim and/or will not be entering any religious sites.
However (a very big however), despite what the official/unofficial Morocco dress code is, you should always learn about, consider, and do your best to respect the local culture of the place you’re visiting. This goes for Morocco and literally all other cultures everywhere on the planet. Always ask before taking someone’s photo here.
So, when figuring out what to wear in Morocco as a woman, always err on the side of conservative. These aren’t hard and fast rules, but they are the guidelines for visiting Morocco respectfully. In this post I’ll show you what I wore as a woman in Morocco and give you some concrete examples of what you can add to your own Morocco packing list.
Read also: Discover Essaouira, Morocco
I visited Morocco in early March-that transitional period between cool weather and warm weather when packing is probably the hardest. It was overcast and chilly in places like Casablanca, Chefchaouen, Meknes, Rabat, and Fez. It was pretty cold (and super windy) overnight in the Sahara, but we never needed to turn the heat on in our tent. Average March temperatures in these cities hover around 55°F at night but barely flirt with 70°F during the day.
It was here that I coined the terms “inside pants” and “outside pants” because I was indeed wearing two bottom layers most of the time. But it was warm in places like the Dades Valley, Merzouga, Aït Benhaddou, and most definitely in Marrakech where temps finally hit over 90°F. As far as precipitation, it rained just two days out of my two weeks in Morocco-in Casablanca and Chefchaouen. Even then, the sun came out for the second half of the day.
The main things to remember when coming up with what clothes to pack for Morocco: keep it loose; keep it long. The majority of tops I own are either tank tops, crop tops, or tight tops. So for Morocco I had to make sure I had some that were long enough to cover my butt when I wanted to wear leggings, had sleeves to cover my shoulders, and enough material to obscure what my body actually looks like.
Essential Documents
Before diving into clothing and gear, ensure you have all necessary documents:
- Visas - if needed for the trip
- Passport
- Vaccination records
- Flight tickets or e-ticket
- Voucher for trip confirmation
- Travel insurance - insurer details, policy number and your emergency contact number (24 hours).
Luggage Options
A lot of travelers conveniently carry their luggage in a backpack. An overnight bag sporting a shoulder strap is also ideal for light traveling.
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Backpacks with wheels or smaller bags are also great, particularly if they have carry straps. Consider carrying a daypack for water and a camera.
The list includes:
- Padlocks and keys
- Daypack / small backpack
- Soft luggage, bag with wheels and straps or backpack
Clothing Essentials
On trips, particularly long ones, pack clothes that are easy to wash and dry up fast. Women ought to pack skirts that cover the knees completely, while packing scarves for visiting places of worship such as churches or mosques.
Military or ex-military style clothing and equipment is strictly not recommended in a lot of areas. Pack a couple of fancier clothes for those nights out.
The list includes:
- Jeans, shorts or trousers
- Practical walking shoes
- T-shirts and cotton shirts
- Socks and underwear
- Washing line - if you are going rustic
- Washing detergent (Bio-degradable)
- Long trousers
- Sweater, warm anorak or microfleece
- Swimming Suit
- Dress Clothes - for nice restaurants
The key to packing for Morocco (especially in March) is layers. I brought a bunch of lightweight t-shirts that I could wear on their own and a couple of lightweight pullovers to wear over them when it was chilly. I also brought a leather jacket to wear over that for the really cold days.
When deciding what to pack for Morocco as far as bottoms are concerned, I was indeed concerned. All the pants I own are tight-fitting. Turns out joggers are perfect since they’re not super flowy but they aren’t skin-tight either. I wore these with my standard-length t-shirts. These I got from Amazon are great quality and also lightweight so you can wear them in warmer weather. But because there were many cool days as well, I actually ended up wearing my thin workout leggings under my joggers so I could wear them more often. I also packed some fleece-lined leggings for comfort on the cooler days but only wore these with my long t-shirts so my butt was covered.
And simply because I didn’t want to look like I was on my way to the gym for my entire trip, I also brought along two pairs of “dressier” lightweight flowy pants. I didn’t pack any dresses for this trip, mainly because I knew it was going to be on the chilly side most of the time.
Local women dress conservatively, but you’ll see a wide range of styles.
If you need more information about what clothes to pack in Morocco, check out our What To Wear In Morocco Guide.
Here's a sample packing list for women:
- Sun Hat // You’ll definitely need a wide-brim hat to protect you from the rays.
- Light Scarf // I pack a scarf on every trip but you’ll definitely want a few throughout Morocco.
- Tunic // I paired a few different tunics with white leggings or tucked them into a maxi skirt.
- Long Tunic // Perfect for a nice dinner, or as a cover-up to the hotel pool!
- Maxi Dresses // You can’t go wrong with multiple, lightweight maxi dresses.
- Leggings // I rocked white leggings A LOT on my trip.
- Flowy Pants // Who doesn’t love a comfy pair of flowy pants?!
Personal Health and Hygiene
Don't forget these essential health and hygiene items:
- Contact lenses and solution
- Sunglasses
- Insect repellant
- Lip salve or lip balm
- Feminine hygiene products
- Sunscreen - high protection, rated over 25 (it can sometimes be difficult or expensive to find sunscreen in Morocco)
- Prescription glasses
- Personal prescriptions or medication
- Hat or wide brim hat
- After-sun moisturizer
- Paracetamol and/or aspirin
- Travel sickness tablets
- First aid kit
- Anti-diarrhea pills - always consult your doctor beforehand
Electronics and Cameras
Capture your memories and stay connected with these electronics:
- Camera
- Extra Batteries
- Phone
- Phone Charger
- Adapters for world plugs
- All cords
- Kindle - check out our recommended reads!
Cash and Money Management
Stay organized with your finances:
- Trip Kitty; in cash
- Pouch or money belt
- Money, in the form of cash or credit cards
Camping Gear (If Applicable)
If you plan to camp, these items are crucial:
- Travel pillow
- Inner sleep sheet
- Head torch or lamp
- Personal mattress or thermarest
- Warm sleeping bag that accommodates you well for at least 3 of the 4 seasons.
- Ground sheet/polythene sheet; if you prefer sleeping under the open sky
Wet Weather Gear
Be prepared for unexpected rain:
- Small umbrella
- Waterproof bags ; rain protection while walking
- Waterproof trousers
- Rain coat
- Windproof and waterproof jacket
Slumber and Sleep Items
Ensure a comfortable night's sleep:
- Eye mask
- Ear plugs
- Night clothes or sleepwear
Personal Items
Don't forget these personal necessities:
- Bathing towel
- Small mirror
- Toiletries
- Shaving equipment
- Mobile phone; make sure you have international roaming access
- Small sewing kit including safety pins
Additional Clothing and Accessories
- Cropped leather jacket - You could substitute a light down jacket or a warmer fleece here if that’s more your style.
- Light rain jacket - If there’s rain in your forecast, otherwise I would skip it to save space.
- Underwear
- Shoes take up the most space in your luggage so only bring the pairs you can get the most use out of. If you can’t wear them more than a few times each, leave them behind.
- Sorel duck boots are perfect for all tougher activities and conditions: city sightseeing on ancient streets, rainy days, colder weather, and hiking.
- Scarves and pashminas - Even though you can certainly buy these in Morocco, I went ahead and brought my own in case I didn’t like anything I found and because I didn’t know when I’d have the time to shop for one. I regret nothing.
- Anti-theft purse - Literally, I never travel anywhere without my full travel safety kit, and anti-theft bags are a big part of that. I have bags from both Travelon and PacSafe and love them all.
- Sunglasses - If you’re looking for great quality sunglasses at Walmart prices, check out the brands Sojos and Carfia on Amazon. I’m a repeat customer of both.
- I brought along a baseball cap to Morocco simply because I always have one in my carry-on to keep the air from blasting into my eyeballs on the airplane.
Toiletries and Health
- I also travel with Emergen-c (one packet for each day of my trip) and Liquid IV hydration packets to make sure I’m getting enough hydration.
Electronics Accessories
- Plug adapters - Thankfully, Morocco uses the same outlet configuration as Europe.
- Phone lanyard - So you won’t drop your phone from way up on your camel. So you won’t lose your phone while taking videos out the window of the moving car.
Miscellaneous
- Refillable water bottle - You can’t drink the water in Morocco, so I highly recommend buying a large water jug to keep in your hotel room or vehicle and refilling from it each day. Buying bottles of water every single day is so wasteful in plastic, money, and time. Pro tip: If your bottle doesn’t have a clip on it, get some small carabiners. I had my bottle clipped to my purse half the time, but the time I didn’t it fell off my camel. And that’s a long way down.
- Quick-dry towel - Because hotels in Morocco provide just one towel per person. Call me a diva, but I need one for my body and one for my hair.
- Books - I love guidebooks and always recommend them for airplane reading and to get all that extra sightseeing info like restaurant recommendations, background info, and more. I also always get one of these pocket-sized customs and culture guides for every new country I visit.
Even though you should dress modestly in Morocco, you can still pack a bathing suit to wear in the pools at your riad or resort. If you’ll be visiting Morocco in the summer, definitely bring a bathing suit (and a cover-up).
If there’s one thing I didn’t pack for Morocco that I wish I had-it’s a pair of slippers. Most of the hotel room floors in Morocco are stone or tile; they’re cold; sometimes they’re wet; and they aren’t exactly squeaky clean. While my friend Amanda flaunted her slippers and clean feet all I could do was write down: “BRING SLIPPERS NEXT TIME UGH!” so I would never forget to pack these.
WHAT TO WEAR IN MARRAKECH: FULL PACKING GUIDE FOR YOUR MOROCCO TRIP 2025 🧳👗
What to Leave Behind
What you decide to leave behind largely depends on what you plan to buy in Morocco. For instance, I ended up buying a custom-made leather jacket in Fez. Another thing to leave behind is more than one scarf or pashmina. I’m so not a scarf person and I still left Morocco with two additional scarves I bought there.
Lastly, if you plan to buy jewelry in Morocco, then definitely don’t bring a bunch with you.
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tags: #Morocco
