What if I get sick while travelling in Morocco?

In my years sending travellers to Morocco, the most common illness by far is a passing stomach upset — usually from a change of water, richer food, or simply too much mint tea and tagine in one day. If it hits you, the answer is boring but reliable: stop, rest, sip water with oral rehydration salts (sold in every pharmacy as sachets), and eat plainly — bread, rice, plain couscous, bananas. Skip the salad and the ice for a day. Nine times out of ten you are back on your feet within 24 to 48 hours and laughing about it by the next kasbah.

Moroccan pharmacies are genuinely excellent and a first port of call. Look for the green cross (croix verte); pharmacists are well trained, often speak French and some English, and can dispense a surprising amount — rehydration salts, anti-diarrhoeals, antihistamines, painkillers, antibiotics for traveller's diarrhoea — without a prescription for minor things. There is always a pharmacie de garde (on-duty pharmacy) open overnight and on holidays; any pharmacy posts the rota in its window, and your riad will know the nearest one.

If it is more than a stomach bug — a high fever, severe pain, dehydration you cannot control, or you simply want a doctor's eyes on it — every Moroccan city has private clinics (cliniques) that are clean, modern and quick. A consultation typically costs a very reasonable fee paid up front, which your travel insurance reimburses, so keep receipts. Marrakech, Fes, Casablanca and Rabat all have private clinics used to treating tourists. Your riad or our team can call ahead and arrange a taxi or a doctor visit to your room.

Two pieces of prevention save most trouble: travel with comprehensive insurance that covers medical care and repatriation, and pack a small kit — rehydration salts, an anti-diarrhoeal, paracetamol, any personal medication, and hand sanitiser. Drink bottled or filtered water, be a little choosy with street food on day one, and you will likely never need any of it. If you are travelling with us, tell your designer the moment you feel unwell; we would far rather sort a pharmacy run early than have you tough it out.