What should I do in Morocco during a heatwave?

Heatwaves do happen, even outside high summer — a chergui, the hot dry wind off the Sahara, can push temperatures up sharply for a few days in spring or autumn — so it's worth knowing how to handle one. The first thing I tell travellers is that the answer is rarely 'push through it'; it's to adjust the plan. Morocco is geographically forgiving here, because cool refuge is never far. If a heatwave hits while you're inland, the single best move is to get to the Atlantic coast — Essaouira can be twenty degrees cooler than Marrakech on the same afternoon — or up into the High Atlas, where altitude does the same job.

When you can't relocate, you reshape the day around the heat the way Moroccans always have. Front-load your sightseeing into the early morning, when the medinas are cool and quiet and at their most beautiful, and save the rest for the evening after six when the city comes back to life. The hours roughly between eleven and five are simply not for exertion. That's siesta time, and you should take it seriously: retreat to a shaded riad courtyard, a plunge pool, an air-conditioned museum, or a long, slow lunch.

A heatwave is actually a perfect excuse for the indoor pleasures people often skip. A hammam is glorious when it's roasting outside — the cool rooms and the ritual leave you genuinely refreshed. A cooking class, a tea ceremony, a wander through an air-conditioned palace or museum, a leisurely tasting menu: these turn the worst hours into highlights rather than ordeals. I've rescued many a too-hot afternoon this way.

On safety, I'm firm. In a heatwave you do not do a midday camel trek, you do not hike the dunes, you do not climb in the mountains in the full sun. Heat exhaustion is real and comes on faster than people expect. Drink far more water than you think you need — carry a refillable bottle everywhere and sip constantly — add a pinch of salt or an electrolyte tablet if you're sweating hard, wear loose light cotton, a wide hat, and sunglasses, and watch the older members of your group and the children closely. Respect the heat and Morocco stays a pleasure even when the mercury spikes.