Outdoor activities in Morocco

Skiing

Morocco doesn’t immediately spring to mind as a skiing destination, but the High Atlas Mountains are reliably snow-covered from late January to early April, with good skiing at Oukaïmeden
Off-piste skiing is popular within the High Atlas, particularly within the Toubkal massif, where the Toubkal Refuge is usually filled with groups. Most off-piste activity is ski mountaineering, but skinny skis (langlauf) are good within the Middle Atlas if there’s snow, during which case the Azilal–Bou Goumez–Ighil Mgoun area is feasible . Snowboarding is additionally gaining in popularity at Moroccan resorts.

Riding

The established base for horseriding holidays is Résidence de la Roseraie at Ouirgane, which runs trekking tours into the High Atlas (bring your own helmet). Another stable offering horseriding is Amodou Cheval near

Fishing

Morocco has an immense Atlantic (and small Mediterranean) coastline, with opportunities to rearrange boat trips at Safi, Essaouira, Moulay Bousselham (near Asilah), Boujdour, Dakhla et al. .
Inland, the center Atlas shelters beautiful lakes and rivers, many of them well stocked trout. Good bases include Azrou (near the Aghmas lakes), Ifrane (near Zerrrouka), Khenifra (the Oum er Rbia River) and Ouirgane (the Nfis River). Pike also are to be found in some Middle Atlas lakes (such as Aguelmame Azizgza, near Khenifra), and a couple of of the large artificial barrages, like Bin el Ouidaine (near Beni Mellal), are said to contain enormous bass.

Watersports and swimming

Agadir offers opportunities for sailing, yachting, windsurfing and diving, while Taghazout, just to its north, has become something of a surfing village, with board rental and board repair shops and a few great surfing sites (see Surfing around Taghazout). There are lesser surfing centres at Sidi Ifni, Mirhleft, Kenitra, Bouznika Plage (between Rabat and Casablanca), El Jadida, Safi, and even Rabat. together with your own transport, you’ll scout out foreign places all the way down the coast. When they’re working, all breaks are often busy in high season (Oct–Feb), when deep lows come barrelling east across the mid-Atlantic. Wet suit-wise, an honest 3mm will cover winter months (although a thermal rash vest keeps things snug in Jan) and it’s also worth bringing booties, unless you enjoy digging urchin spines out of your feet.
For windsurfing, the prime destination is Essaouira, which pulls devotees year-round. Online weather information for surfers and windsurfers are often found at w windguru.com/int.
The Atlantic are often very exposed, with crashing waves, and surfers, windsurfers and swimmers alike should watch out for strong undertows. Inland, most towns of any size have a municipal swimming bath , but women especially should note that they have a tendency to be the preserve of teenage boys. within the south, you’ll be hooked in to campsite pools or on those at the posh hotels (which often allow outsiders to swim, either for a fee or if you purchase drinks or a meal).

Golf

The British opened a golf links in Tangier as far back as 1917. Today the country has an international-level course at Rabat, eighteen-hole courses at Mohammedia, Marrakesh, Tangier, Cabo Negro, Saïdia, Larache, El Jadida, Essaouira, Agadir, Fez and Ben Slimane (Royal Golf, Av des FAR, BP 83, Ben Slimane t 0523 297225), and nine-hole courses at Meknes, Ouarzazate and Bouznika (near Mohammedia, Route Secondaire de Bouznika Plage, km22, t 0537 625371). Further information on courses are often found online

Football (soccer)

Football is vital in Morocco and therefore the country may be a growing force in international football. The national side has made the planet Cup finals on four occasions, and was the primary African team to succeed in the finals (in 1970), and therefore the first to progress beyond the group stage (in 1986). Morocco has won the African Nations Cup just one occasion (in 1976), but reached the ultimate in 2004, and can host the tournament in 2015. Moroccan teams are very successful in African club competitions within the past, though the last Moroccan side to win the African Champions League was Raja Casablanca, back in 1999, though Wydad Casablanca reached the ultimate in 2011. Moroccan clubs have done better in recent years within the Confederation Cup (equivalent to Europe’s UEFA Cup), which was won far and away Rabat in 2005, FUS Rabat in 2010, and MAS Fez in 2011.
Moroccan clubs compete in an annual league and therefore the (knockout) Throne Cup. For an extended time there was only one full-time professional team, FAR (the army), but the 1990s saw the introduction of sponsorship and variety of semi-professional sides, whose big names include Wydad (WAC) and Raja, the 2 big Casablanca teams, plus FUS from Rabat, MAS from Fez and Hassania from Agadir. The result’s a reasonably high standard of skill within the Moroccan league, but unfortunately Moroccan clubs are unable to afford the cash commanded by top players in Europe, with the result that the simplest Moroccan players find yourself in European clubs.

Other sports

Morocco has two marathons: the Marrakesh Marathon and therefore the even more gruelling Marathon des Sables.
Most four-star and five-star hotels (especially in Agadir and Marrakesh) have tennis courts, though equipment, if available, isn’t often up to much, so you’re advised to bring your own racket and balls.
Paragliding is increasingly popular within the south of Morocco, around Tafraoute and Mirhleft especially , where there are thermals even during winter. Paragliding, hang-gliding and paramotoring trips, with instructors, are offered by Paraglide Morocco (w paraglidemorocco.com) and keenness Paragliding (w passionparagliding.com).
Also popular within the south is hiking , particularly within the region around Tafraoute, and at Todra Gorge, where Rock & Sun (w rockandsun.com) offer package tours for knowledgeable climbers. Claude Davies’s comprehensive Climbing within the Moroccan Anti-Atlas: Tafroute and Jebel El Kest (Cicerone Press, UK) has marked-up photos and detailed descriptions of Anti-Atlas ascents.