Hi, This is my first time using the forum so I hope I'm doing it correctly!
My partner and I are arriving in Casablanca on the 12th October and then intend to go on to Marrakech on the 14th.
I have just realised the 14th is the end of ramdan and on reading the lonely planet guide on Morocco it suggests that travel through the country is hard at this time. How hard is hard? Will we still be able to get a train to Marrakech or should we try to go the day before. We don't really want to be stuck in Casablanca for a few days as we only have 2 weeks in Morocco before heading to Southern Spain.
Alternatively would it be better to go straight to Spain from Casablanca and then do Morocco. Our itineray is obviously quite flexible - the only certainty flying in and out of Casablanca from/to Australia.
Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks
The actual end of Ramadan cannot be known for certain as it is determined by which day Ramadan begins, which is determined by the sighting of the new moon, so in all probability, you will be arriving on the day Ramadan ends and Eid-Fitr begins. "Hard" in this case means that publiv transport is often strained to the maximum as people from all over the country travel to be with their families. The Eid celebration lasts about three days, at which time, at least where I live in Fes, many things are shut. Train is probably your best option for getting around but you will need to try and get tickets in advance (unfortunately however, you can't buy tickets outside of the actual train stations themselves, and these no more than three days in advance).
Ramadan is "due to finish" on the 12th but can be up to 48 hours early or late. It depends on the view of moonrise as seen from Mecca.
Dave
Thanks very much for both your information.... guess we'll just be wingin' it and see what happens.....
Cheers
PS This forum is fantastic!
Actually Wilco, each country's Imams determine the start of the holiday. There was a case a few years ago where Ramadan started in Saudi and yet did not until the next day in Morocco.
Which is also funny because there are some Moroccans who refuse to follow their own imams and fast early with the Saudis as well. Apparently Meknes started Ramadan a day later than the rest of the country one year because the guy who was supposed to watch the moon was lacking in eyesight. Just hearsay.
trusted partner
