Please sign in to post.

Morocco: Food and water sanitation

I watched two past MNT episodes on Morocco.

RS cautioned to be selective about eating foods from vendor stands and small restaurants and to drink bottled beverages and boiled water (e.g., tea). If you don't, he stated there's a 20-40% chance of becoming ill.

Travel guide Julian Peters, however, expressed no such warnings. At most, he made a passing comment about drinking water from public fountains and gushed about the food flavors.

If you've traveled to Morocco, what have been your practices and experiences around food and water sanitation?

Posted by
562 posts

I used to travel to Morocco regularly, but have not been for some years.
I would only drink bottled water, even in upmarket places.
I have happily eaten in small places, but would not buy from street vendors.
I understand, however, that the food stalls in Djmaa el Fnaa are now much patronised by tourists, and are considered safe.
It can't hurt to take Immodium with you!

Posted by
667 posts

Whenever I travel outside the US and Europe, I follow this mantra: cook it, boil it, peel it or forget it. It’s just not worth the risk.

I also use only bottled water for everything, including brushing my teeth and rinsing my toothbrush.

Posted by
7325 posts

renee has good advice above.

I follow that closely when in any developing country, even (to varying degrees) in some parts of Europe (typically around the southern/eastern edges).

Boil it, peel it, or forget it. And sadly, no street foot. Water only from a bottle you unseal yourself or see unsealed in front of you. Tooth brushing and toothbrush rinsing, only from bottled water.

On my first trip to Morocco, I was sticking tightly to the mantra above. After a few weeks on the road, I was really craving a salad. Nothing fancy, just something with crisp, fresh greens, tomatoes, mixed veggies. In a nice-looking tourist restaurant (more upscale than I was typically eating in), I broke down and ordered one. It was delicious, satisfying, but I knew it was risky. Hours later, it hit me and I spent much of the next 24 hours in the bathroom of my flat. I felt better after a couple days but it reinforced my need to remain vigilant and steadfast.

Don't forget time in the shower: mouth closed, negative air pressure if mouth and nose are not fully closed, no drops allowed in either. Note: It's hard to break some deeply ingrained bathroom habits from home which routinely allow tapwater into your mouth/nose, so stay alert and remember all it takes is a single drop of bad water.

The price we pay for visiting exotic locations.

Posted by
2024 posts

I was in Marrakech, Ouarzazate and Zagora a couple of years ago and we had no issues. We mostly drank bottled water, but just brushed our teeth with the tap water in the hotel bathroom. We ate everywhere from higher end restaurants to the food stalls on the Place Jeema el-Fna. When choosing the food stalls, we did look for ones that were busy with locals and had a high turnover so the food didn’t have the chance to go bad.