BootsnAll Travel Community

I'm a solo traveler (female) thinking about traveling to Morocco and/or Egypt in the fall of 2008 or spring of 2009, and was wondering if I could manage both countries comfortably in 2 1/2 weeks (including travel time). I would love more time, but I'm an attorney and even getting this much time is stretching it. I can fly into Casablanca, Marrakesh or Cairo, since I will be using Delta FF miles, then after spending 7-8 days in the first country, will fly to the 2nd country for the remaining 7-8 days, and return to the originating city for the trip home.

My question is - is it worth it? Will I have enough time to see the highlights of both countries? Are the flights between Cairo and Morocco fairly frequent? I usually just go to just one country on each trip (I spent a little over 2 weeks in Turkey this past May), but because these 2 countries are so close, I was hoping to maybe try for both. If it looks to be a giant headache, however, or if I'm going to be rushing madly around, I won't do it.

Any thoughts?

It is doable but my thoughts are it will be a giant headache. They are not that close unless you mean flying time relative to where you are now. Map of Middle East and North Africa See Morocco is way on the other side of North Africa. Distance is 3691 kilometers or 2293 miles from Cairo to Casablanca.

Of course, that won't be a long flight but they are not close in my book lol.

However, it is doable but if it were me, I would just one or the other. I am partial to Egypt though!

That is not much time for two complex countries. I also found Cairo to be exhausting. Between the terrible air, the hectic streets, being pestered because I was white, and the heat I wasn't "getting as much done" as I normally do. It affects different people in different ways, also being a lone female is said to bother some.

Yeah, that is kind of like a European going to Las Vegas and NYC both because they are both close together. Yeah, it makes sense to do it that way to some extent. However, the flights from Morocco to Egypt are also still quite expensive ($550 Return is a good price). By that time AirArabia.com may have their new second base open in Rabat making it possible for you to fly cheaply between the two countries.

Also a suggestion for flying: Delta asks 30000 miles extra just for flying to Africa. It is probably worth it to fly to Europe and get a cheap flight to Morocco or Egypt and save the extra miles for another trip. For instance flights to Morocco can be had for normally 15 Euros total from Madrid on easyJet. Also Jet4You, Ryanair, AtlasBlue and others (eventuely including Air Arabia Morocco) make frequent runs from across Europe for between $20-100. To Egypt there are many charter flights for as little as $60 from Britain. EasyJet will probablly fly to Egypt by the time you are going since they bought out some charter airline that has many routes there. Also check out TUIfly from Germnay as they do returns from 120 Euros.

hi there.
2 1/2 weeks is certainly cutting it close. the problem you are really going to have is travel time. Getting around takes time. Both Morocco and Egypt are amazing places with so much to see, and with that amount of time you are going to have to make some decisions. i sympathize with the dilemma. With only 7 or 8 days in each country do you want to pick a few places and really experience them or do you want to speed through and visit more places?

In Morocco, Marrakesh and Fez for sure. Do you want to relax on the coast or see the Sahara or visit the northern mountain towns. I never made it to the Sahara and i deeply regret it.

In Egypt, the Nile route of Cairo, Luxor and Aswan hits most of the historical must sees (you could probably spend years and never see it all). I have heard that the desert oasis are amazing (i didnt make it to the Sahara here either). Cairo does require time and effort. just crossing the street took me 2 days!

things to consider:
1. the red sea coast has been seriously developed. nice beaches are all but non-existent so if you want to fit some beach time into your holiday, i would do it in Morocco(i never made it to a Moroccan beach but rumored to be enjoyable)
2. Fall/winter is high season in Egypt so there are going to be A LOT of people standing in front of your camera.
3. both Morocco and Egypt are Islamic countries and traveling as a woman alone will be noticed and you will be noticed. that being said, i did it when i was 19, so if i can do it so can you. Egypt felt very safe to me. the Egyptians were very friendly and always trying to sell something. and the tourist police were alarmingly helpful. in one instance they had me wait in the police office in the train station while one of the officers went and bought me my ticket and then escorted me onto the train.

ok, that wasn't as organized as i hoped it would be. wish you happy travels, i loved both of these countries!

Just do Morocco, and come back for Egypt another time!

Well, it sounds like everyone is in agreement that I should stick with one country - so now I'm going to have to decide which country.

Brambles, that's a good idea about not wasting the extra miles on Africa, but getting a cheap flight to Europe. I was thinking about that before but didn't want to spend the extra time. But now if I just stick with the one destination, I could probably swing it.

Calidreamer, I'm not a big beachgoer - I like cities better - so that will probably influence where I go. I'm also not really big on relaxing - I like to move and do things when I travel so I'm looking for destinations that have lots to see and do. That doesn't mean I don't like small towns - I do - but generally I'm not one for sitting on a beach or in a local bar for hours on end.

Also, I realize that single women traveling alone in Islamic countries attract attention - I had somewhat the same problem in Turkey earlier this year - but I never had any real problems other than some curious stares (mostly from men). It also helps that I'm older so generally I'm not bothered by men.

Thanks for all your thoughts - they are much appreciated! Now for the decision on which country - I'll be back!

Should women wear blue jeans on Morocca?? thats all I own. lol And how long is long enough, 2 weeks?? 3 weeks??

Personally, I far preferred Morocco over Egypt. Egypt is by and large about seeing 'sights'. Cairo aside, you're mainly seeing pyramids, tombs, temples, oases, and beaches/diving in Sinai.

Morocco is far better for cities (Fez, Marrakesh, Essoira which I can never spell....). You can also see 'country sites' like date valleys, hiking gorges, and whatnot.

I found the hassle factor MUCH MUCH less in Morocco, but that may have been luck more than anything else.

Wearing jeans is fine, you're going to get gawked at anyway and they're conservative enough. They might be hot though. I was in Egypt in August and I would have died if I'd been wearing jeans.

Feel free to read my blog for egypt and morocco stories...

I liked what I read...am leaving Feb 2008 RTW with 14 year old daughter. I read your blog and it said that the mother and daughter from ustralia had an awful trip!!! Ugh? whY? I also want to hear about how you found your tour buddy...I need one for Egypt. thanks did you ever check out Casual tours with Debbie for Egypt? what tour group did you use for Morrocco? thanks you can reach me direct @ cogsil@aol.com

Hi Mardee,

Yep, I agree that you should only do one country and I vote for Morocco based on what I know about you from your blog and our conversations here. You will looooove Morocco, especially Fez and the desert ( don't miss the overnight in the sahara as it can be an opportunity of a lifetime and I HIGHLY recommend http://www.nomadsaharabivouacmerzouga.com/ for that as Alessandra is an amazing person and they do the best and it is very cheap to boot.

Go to this thread where I give a lowdown on what we did and who we picked and how it worked out. Better yet go to our blog and look in the archives for Morocco last spring for more details and pictures.

Morocco is VERY different from Turkey, but very safe and warm hearted people with great hospitality as well. ( We did not care for Marrakesh much so I would do a minimum of days there altho it should be seen and experienced). I did not travel alone, but I do not think you will have any trouble traveling alone.

The one way it is like Turkey, is that the best sights to see are spread out, so you must factor in travel time. The train is pretty good ( go first class...a must!) and cheap, but I would rent a car if I had to do it again. ( We took Grand taxi's but they are expensive and more so for a single....no seat belts on dangerous roads and 6 packed in for loooooong hours). Some say the bus is good to the desert. You can not take a train to the desert and it REALLY should not be missed.

FEZ is out of this world and like going back to the middle ages ( in the medina). Morocco is MUCH more assaulting to the senses than Turkey, so you will need a nice place to "recover" from the intensity. I can not say enough about Dar Seffarine and the people who run it and it is extremely cheap for Fez and gorgeous. The owner is from Iraq and has a PhD in architecture and has endless knowledge and passion about Fez. He gave us a tour that was beyond awesome and very interesting people stay there as well so meals are full of great talk.

If you go in the spring, book early because it is the high season. MOre than Turkey, the places you stay in Morocco are VERY important and I highly recommend the riad experience which is unique to Morocco.

Not only do you not want to miss Merzouga area, classic Saraha dunes and primitive ( and incredibly sweet and moving) Berber life, but do spend time in the world heritage area near where Gladiators was shot ( which is a half a days ride away). I could have spent a week at Kasbah Ellouz and time exploring the sites and culture there amidst people who have lived here for centuries.

You really need at least 2 1/2 weeks just to get a feel for this amazing, gorgeous country and wonderful people. Some of the cities are fine, but I would skip Casablanca or spend as little time as possible there and make Fez medina your KEY city as there is nothing else like it in the world.

Morocco is a little like going to another planet. I liked it better than Egypt, but liked Egypt to and we will go again ( together), maybe even this winter. We met a fantastic homeschool family from Egypt when we were in Selcuk,Turkey, so looking forward to meeting up with them again.

You will LOOOOOOOOOOVE Morocco!! It is a lot more "out there" country than Turkey, so do be careful on what you eat, but the delicious hot tangines are fine. We actually got sick in Turkey and not Morocco, but we were MUCH more careful in Morocco. We found we paid a lot more for lodging in Morocco than Turkey, but it is not the kind of place you want to skimp on lodging ( bedbugs, sickness, safety issues etc come up with too cheap ).

Happy planning!

Thanks, WT - I forgot that you had been there. I'll definitely check out your post and your blog again. I've still got a bit of time to decide - I probably won't be going till 2009 - but after your's and Snarky's post, I'm leaning towards Morocco.

Are you all back in Spain now? Or are you back in the states?

quote:

Are you all back in Spain now?

Yep, back in gorgeous sunny Andalucia for the winter and loving it. I am doing a lot of walking to get these extra pounds off and the beauty here never ceases to please me with the sugar cube village houses, cobble streets,blues skies, ocean and mountain views.

We are going to do another trip into Morocco though in the spring when we leave ( and a bunch of other places on next years 7 months of travel). It is a diverse and enticing place.

If you have any questions, just let me know. You were a great help when we were planning Turkey, so would love to give back!

I will definitely take you up on that - right now, I'm swamped at work, but after the holidays, I plan to devote some time to travel planning and would love to hear from you. I envy your stay in Andalucia - I loved that area of Spain and am looking forward to a trip back there at some point. I think my daughter and SIL are going back next year.

I am getting someone else's replys...don't mind deleted them but I hope someone is not looking for them...someone going to spain...not me thanks

homeschool, if you have responded to a thread, by default you (and everyone else who has replied) will get email copies of all responses to that thread. If you don't want to get the email responses, you need to change your preferences.

I'll go ahead and answer here to your question anyway...

I was actually going to do a whole blog post on them, but decided against it. A good part of why they hated Egypt was their own fault. The mother had not read one single guidebook, website or anything about Egypt so was completely 100% unprepared for the onslaught she faced. Most guidebooks will outline for you the top 10 scams like when someone says "come in my cab, the Pyramids are free today" or "the pyramids are closed today, I'll take you to my friend's shop" or "it's only 5 EP to get your photo on the camel (it's then 50 to get OFF the camel)" or "we'll stop at an alabaster/perfume/papyrus factory just for tea and air conditioning". So you name the scam, she fell for it and was completely sucked dry of money.

Second, she had a blonde pretty 14 year old daughter and was not forceful enough with the men. The daughter was dressed acceptably in my opinion -- she wasn't in a burqua, but she wasn't wearing tank tops and miniskirts or shorts, either. She (the mom if not the daughter) should have told them to "$#!@# OFF" the moment they started talking to her, but instead she always gave people the benefit of the doubt until they had been so far enough into the conversation they could say the most awful thing to her and not really feel a need to stop no matter how upset the mom later got.

At one point we were by the pool and a hotel worker (who are pretty much warned as part of their job how NOT to talk to women guests) who was in his early 20s started flirting with the daughter. I didn't say anything as I didn't think it was my place, I was waiting for a cue from the mom. When she did finally very hesitantly tell him to stop talking to her daughter like that, he of course pretended he had no idea what she was talking about and continued to talk to her inappropriately. I then stepped in and told him to stop it now and if he didn't I was going to go to his manager and get him fired for talking to a minor guest that way. As soon as someone spoke to him forecfully, he backed off right away.

So, that was why they hated Egypt.