Navigating Ramadan

Ramadan is an incredibly important time in the Muslim calendar. During this time, followers fast from sunrise until sunset. By abstaining from food, drink, smoking, swearing and other ills, Muslims devote themselves to their faith and come closer to Allah.

During our time in Morocco, Ramadan began on the 19th February and lasted for a month. There are a few things that we’ve found that might be of use to others who travel in majority Muslim countries during the holy month.

Note - We did not fast. Through this period, Muslims rely on their faith and the support of others. I, in particular, get very hangry and without having a divine purpose for doing so, I do not wish to subject Sam or anyone else to my moods. We did however respect others by not eating or drinking in public during the fasting period. This is just polite.

Cafes and restaurants

Throughout Morocco eating (and tea drinking) places had been a highlight for us as we’ve travelled from place to place. The first thing we did when we arrived in Nador was get a fantastic breakfast and we had been eating out ever since. Food and drink was relatively cheap and easy to get hold of so we relied on cafes and restaurants. During Ramadan, these cafes and restaurants were closed during the day as people fasted.

In touristy places, such as the Marina in Agadir, there were lots of places for eating and drinking that remained open. Hotels and auberges we also found to be serving breakfast and dinner between sunrise and sunset. However, they may not serve you at sunset when the fast is broken (Iftar) as it is important that they eat with their loved ones. They may offer you alternative meal times either side of Iftar.

The vast majority of people break fast in their own homes with their family and the streets go quiet at this time. Restaurants are unlikely to be open as all the staff are breaking fast with their own families.

About an hour after sunset, the cafes come alive again with people, mostly men as is the culture, drinking coffee and watching the football. We stopped for drinks but most restaurants still aren’t serving food as it is assumed everyone has already eaten at home with their family.

A small number of restaurants offered Ftour/Iftar menus during Ramadan which you can order and break fast with the staff or other customers. These have been few and far between but have been very special occasions for us.

Shops and groceries

Shops and grocery stores in the city tend to stay open for much of the day so you can pick up supplies. Other stores especially those in rural areas, and other outlets, banks and facilities may have reduced hours and tend to be closed earlier in the afternoon.

Food shops were particularly busy just before Iftar. During our stay in Agadir, sunset was around 6:40pm and the streets were lively between 5:30 and 6:15 as people picked up their fruit, dates and other supplies for the evening meal. Everyone is very hungry by this point and the shops seem to do well. Crepes are made, fresh bread is baked and orange juice is freshly squeezed. Then, as the call to prayer rings across the country the streets go silent as everyone in their homes begins the evening celebrations.

The shops started to reopen again a couple of hours after sunset and stayed open late into the night. There were plenty of opportunities to get supplies.

We always carry a day’s food with us so had food when we needed it and had no trouble refuelling.

Events and activities

What’s on and what’s not depends on the activity you’re looking for and where you are. We were looking for music events in Agadir but were told that there weren’t going to be many events due to Ramadan. The hotels in the Marina area where the tourists are did seem to be things going on but less to our taste.

Sam found a Ramadan football tournament in Agadir that took place after everyone had broken fast. From 9pm, there were games, food and entertainment in our district which brought everyone together.

Mountain guides we met in Imlil, said that they continued to work throughout Ramadan. One we spoke to said that the purpose of Ramadan was to experience the hardship of fasting and to give up regular work and sleep all day was not in the spirit of Ramadan. He added that fasting also served as a reminder to be thankful for your health as you are able to fast (those who are unwell may be exempt from fasting).

Eid-al-Fitr

The breaking of the fast at the end of Ramadan is an incredibly exciting event. We spent ours in Laayoune part way through the Sahara. Whilst here we were invited to break fast with a family on the penultimate night, sharing food and tea, and playing card games with the children. The food was generous and delicious and the conversations were friendly and joyful.

On the final day of Ramadan, as we were walking though the local district there were lots of people out buying their last supplies for breaking fast. It felt like something special was in the air. As we were buying our own groceries, someone else in the shop paid for them and we were stunned and overwhelmed by their kindness. The taxi driver who gave us a lift back to our apartment wouldn’t let us pay for the ride. It was amazing to see the community and society pulling together and sharing after a testing month of fasting.

Travelling in Ramadan

Ramadan was not a barrier to our travel through Morocco. All that was required was a little more planning and possibly carrying more of your own food rather than relying on restaurants and cafes during the day. We did also tweak our plans a little to avoid going too deep into the Sahara during Ramadan, though others have successfully managed this on bike during Ramadan.

The generosity of people welcoming you into their homes to break fast was very special and these moments were very dear to us.