Rabat – Berlin’s foreign office has issued safety instructions for German tourists traveling to Morocco, which the German embassy in Rabat published on January 31.
Germany warned against traveling to “the border regions with Algeria and generally beyond paved roads.”
The instructions made an exception for routes to the near-border towns of Zagora, Erfoud, and Merzouga, some of the most popular tourist areas in southeastern Morocco for experiencing the Sahara desert.
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However, the German authorities recommended that trekking tours in the mountainous regions and off-road tours in the desert areas of Zagora and Merzouga “should only be undertaken in groups and with registered local guides.”
“The security situation for such tours should also be queried daily by the Moroccan police authorities.”
The German foreign office feared risks of terrorist attacks since Morocco saw the violent murder of two Scandinavian women near Mount Toubkal in the Atlas Mountains in December.
“Despite significant security measures, there is a risk of terrorist attacks,” reads the statement.
Berlin’s foreign office also advised its citizens to avoid travelling to Morocco’s southern provinces in Western Sahara for fear of kidnapping and due to the absence of a German consulate in the region.
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“Traveling to the territory of Western Sahara is strongly discouraged. The boundary wall between the part of Western Sahara controlled by Morocco and the one controlled by the Polisario Front is restricted area,” reads the safety instruction statement.
The statement also noted “a threat of mines and undetonated ordnance of all kinds” on Morocco’s border with Mauritania beyond paved roads.
Germany advised tourists to avoid street demonstrations and crowds due to “violent clashes between demonstrators and security forces” that occurred recently in some “unauthorized demonstrations.”
The authorities admonished German tourists from travelling to the Rif Mountains “alone” because of some “occasional harassment” by drug dealers in the area where cannabis is grown.
They “strongly discouraged” the purchase and possession of drugs.
