Few countries cram in this much climate. Inside a single three-day loop you can go from Atlantic coast to a 4,000-metre Atlas ridge to the edge of the Sahara — which is exactly why we tell every trekker to pack in layers, not in outfits. Build a kit you can add to and shed through the day and you will be comfortable everywhere. Here is what we put on our clients' lists through the year, sorted by region and season.
What season are you travelling in?
More than anything else, the season you choose sets your kit. Morocco runs to four clear ones:
- Spring (March–May): our favourite window. Warm days (20–28°C in Marrakech), cool evenings, snowmelt waterfalls and wildflowers across the Atlas. Light layers plus a packable jacket for time on the hill.
- Summer (June–August): Marrakech and the interior push 40°C, so live in breathable linen and cotton. The coast at Essaouira and Agadir stays a kind 25°C on the Atlantic breeze. High summer is prime time on the High Atlas — Toubkal is at its most climbable — so SPF 50+ and a wide-brimmed hat are non-negotiable at altitude.
- Autumn (September–November): a close second to spring. Crowds thin, the air clears, the harvest colours the valleys. Pack as for spring and slip a mid-layer fleece in from October.
- Winter (December–February): Marrakech days stay pleasant (15–20°C) but the nights bite (5–10°C), and the Atlas holds snow from December. Pack for a cool European autumn plus a proper warm layer for evenings and the mountains — and crampons and an ice axe if you are aiming for a winter Toubkal ascent.
What to wear in the medinas
No law dictates how visitors dress, but dressing modestly genuinely improves how your days go. The simple rule: cover shoulders and knees in medinas, souks and near mosques, and the same courtesy applies in the mountain villages you walk through. It holds for everyone. A light linen shirt over a vest, or loose trousers instead of shorts, is all it takes.
On shoes, choose comfortable closed-toe walkers. The alleys are uneven, often damp in the cooler months, and threaded with motorbikes — trainers or slip-ons with a grippy sole do the job. If your trip pushes on into the Atlas, that is a job for your boots, not these.
What to pack for High Atlas trekking
Toubkal (4,167 m) is North Africa's highest summit, climbable in any season with the right kit — though winter turns it into a mountaineering objective rather than a walk. For any multi-day Atlas trek, these are the things we never let a client leave without:
- A proper layering system: wicking base, mid-layer fleece, windproof shell
- Warm hat and gloves — above 2,500 m the nights are cold even in midsummer
- Trekking boots with ankle support and a sole you have already broken in
- Trekking poles to spare your knees on the long descents
- High-SPF sun cream and UV sunglasses — altitude sharpens the burn
- A 2-litre bladder or bottles, with purification tablets as backup for stream water
- A compact first-aid kit with blister plasters and ibuprofen
What to pack for a Sahara overnight
The dunes at Erg Chebbi near Merzouga and Erg Chigaga near M'Hamid are among Morocco's most extraordinary nights out — and, like the mountains, they reward anyone who prepares properly:
- Layers: a warm fleece and even a down jacket for winter, when the dunes drop toward 0°C from November to February.
- Scarf or shemagh: sun cover and a sand shield for the face on a breezy camel ride.
- Closed shoes for the evening fire — the sand chills fast once the sun is gone
- A headtorch with fresh batteries
- Sealed dust bags or zip-locks for phone, camera and passport
- Lip balm and a saline nasal spray — the desert air is punishingly dry
- A power bank, since camp electricity is rarely reliable
What to buy in Morocco rather than pack
A few things are better picked up on the ground — cheaper, often better made, and a souvenir into the bargain. A cotton or silk djellaba is a versatile cover for cool valley evenings and welcome anywhere. Argan-oil sunscreen costs a fraction of European prices in any pharmacy. Leather babouches are easy on medina feet. And a local SIM from Maroc Télécom or Orange runs around US$5–8 and gives solid data across the main circuit — though do not count on a signal once you are deep in the Atlas valleys.
Documents, money and tech essentials
- A passport valid at least six months beyond your travel dates
- Travel insurance papers that explicitly cover trekking to altitude — print a copy and keep a PDF offline for when there is no signal
- A debit card with low foreign-transaction fees (Wise, Revolut and Charles Schwab all work in Moroccan ATMs)
- A working float of MAD — draw around the equivalent of US$100–150 on arrival, and top up before the last town on the way to the mountains
- A universal adapter (Morocco runs European type C/E plugs at 220V)
- A local SIM or international data plan, with the signal caveat above
- Offline maps (Maps.me or Google Maps offline) — useful in the medina's tight alleys and essential where there is no cell coverage on the trail
For kit advice tailored to a particular route, or a custom pre-trip brief built around your dates, see our Morocco travel guides or browse our private tour options.
Frequently asked
Can I wear shorts and vest tops in Morocco?
Around the coast (Agadir, Essaouira, Taghazout) and hotel pools, yes. In medinas, near mosques, and especially in the Berber villages of the High Atlas, cover your shoulders and knees — not because any law requires it of visitors, but because it draws far less attention and is plainly respectful to mountain communities who will be feeding and hosting you. A light linen layer weighs almost nothing in a pack.
What shoes are best for Marrakech's medina?
Closed-toe walking shoes with a modest sole are ideal — the medina's stone lanes turn slick when wet and flip-flops are hopeless on the uneven paving. Trainers are fine for the city. If your trip also climbs into the Atlas, a broken-in trekking boot with ankle support earns its place; do not save your first wear for the trail.
Do I need to bring cash, or can I use cards in Morocco?
Carry both. City hotels, restaurants and riads take Visa and Mastercard, but medina stalls, guides, drivers, taxis and every mountain village shop and gîte are cash-only — there are no card machines up the valleys. ATMs (GAB) in the cities dispense dirhams reliably. Draw a working float on arrival, around the equivalent of US$100–150 in MAD, and top up before you leave the last town for the hills.
How much luggage should I bring to Morocco?
Less than instinct says. Laundry is easy — most riads wash and return next day for a few dirhams, and linen and cotton dry overnight. A medium carry-on or soft duffel covers two weeks. On a trek you will live out of a smaller daypack while a mule or porter carries the rest, so a soft, squashable bag beats a rigid hard case every time.
What should I pack for a Sahara desert overnight?
Layers decide everything: the Sahara can hit 40°C by day and slide to 10°C after midnight from October to March — the same brutal swing we plan for on the mountain. A warm fleece or light down, a hat, and closed shoes for the evening are essential. Bring a real headtorch rather than leaning on your phone, plus lip balm, high-SPF sun cream, and a sealed dust bag for phone and camera, because fine sand finds its way into everything.
Is there anything I should definitely not pack for Morocco?
Alcohol in quantities that look like commercial import can be seized at customs (personal amounts are usually fine). Skip drones unless you hold a Moroccan civil aviation permit — they are controlled and confiscated at airports without paperwork. Prescription medication is fine; keep it in the original box and carry a doctor's letter for anything that could read as controlled, which matters all the more when you are days from a pharmacy on the trail.
One less thing to worry about
Every guest gets a pre-trip brief built around their route.
It carries a kit checklist matched to your exact itinerary, a mountain forecast for your dates, and our latest notes from the trail. Just ask.
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