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Morocco. In the summer. As a female. So, how am I supposed to dress to respect the Moroccan culture AND stay cool? Because let’s be honest, this southern girl is in the camp of “less is more” in the summer. Seriously, I was initially quite worried about this. But, I found the answers and so it’s time to show you what to wear in Morocco for women especially in the summertime!
I should take this opportunity to say that I also packed in a carry-on size bag for my entire trip. I mean, I still checked it with the airlines so that sounds somewhat easy, right? Until I tell you my trip was nearly a month-long and covered travel all over Morocco as well as a week in Paris. Don’t worry, I had the same thoughts you are having right now. Let me guess….has she lost her mind? I felt like I had when I was packing, but I felt quite accomplished when I actually achieved this feat!
Trip Details
I spent a total of 18 days traveling all over Morocco at the end of June and beginning of July. Afterwards, I flew to Paris for another 7 days there for a total of 25 days. We visited Marrakech, Essaouira, the Sahara Desert, Fes, Asilah, Rabat, and Casablanca. I would categorize the trip as luxury adventure since we stayed in this unbelievable riad in Marrakech and glamped overnight in the Sahara Desert.
My Luggage
Morocco Packing List: Stars of the Show
Here’s a list of everything I packed to wear in Morocco.
1 | Caftans
Hands down, THE MOST IMPORTANT AND USEFUL thing I packed. Definitely pay attention to these!
Girls, these Riviera Sun Caftans are GOLD in Morocco! They are very light and airy making them perfect to deal with the heat while keeping you covered. Also light and airy means they are ideal for packing. I highly suggest 2-3 of these.
They are quite colorful as you can see and have beautiful necklines. Even so, we thought we’d blend into the Moroccan culture wearing these. Well…that didn’t exactly happen.
Not only were these perfect to wear, but they caught the attention of everyone both male and female. They all wanted to know where we got them and were quite disappointed to find out we had ordered them in the US!
TIP: They run very large and have a drawstring cinch waist so order the smallest size you think you can get away with.
2 | Boho Harem Pants
The second most important thing I packed!
If you are planning an excursion to glamp in the Sahara desert, these Boho Harem Pants are a must. They are also very light and easy to pack and I took 3 pairs with me to Morocco.
Believe me, you don’t want to ride a camel in a dress no matter how long it is. These pants were absolutely perfect. Thanks to Amanda from Kevin and Amanda for the heads up on these.
3 | Dolman Shirts
And you might be asking yourself what kind of shirt do I wear with those?? I was asking myself the same question. After a long search I found these Dolman Tops and decided to try them out. I took 2 of these in black with me. They were perfect!
All of these items rolled up nicely and fit into the top two rows of only 1/4 of my carry-on!
4 | Sheer Kimono Cardigan
I took this sheer kimono cardigan in the event I needed to cover my shoulders or knees if I wasn’t wearing the caftans or the Dolman top. Yes, it was long enough to cover my knees! It’s also great for a head wrap and it balled up small enough to fit inside my purse.
5 | Teva Sandals
I bought these Teva sandals a few days before I left and wore them a couple of times before the trip to break them in. I was looking for something like a flip-flop but a little more sturdy. Also, I didn’t have to worry about them coming off while I was riding the camel.
You might also like: PACKING LIST FOR SWITZERLAND IN SUMMER
Morocco Packing List-The Supporting Cast
In addition to above, this is a list of everything else that was in my (carryon-sized) checked bag:
Clothing
- 1 SS short dress
- 2 sleeveless maxi dresses
- 5 pairs yoga pants
- 3 SS tee shirts
- 3 SS tech tees (breathable and moisture wicking)
- 2 tank tops
- 1 raincoat/windbreaker (this one goes on every, single trip with me)
- 14 pairs underwear (we did laundry)
- 5 sports bras
- 2 regular bras
- 1 pair pajamas
- 2 pairs socks (1 pair for bedtime, 1 pair for the plane)
- 1 pair flip flops
- 1 pair of Toms (that I didn’t end up wearing on this trip)
*SS is short-sleeved
Beauty/Hygiene
- toiletries
- makeup
- oil absorbing sheets
- chapstick (it gets windy in the desert)
Specifically For the Desert
The protective pouch is on the right. My day pack is on the left.
- Phone dry bag pouch to protect from sand (usable through the plastic)
- gallon sized ziplock bag to protect computer (didn’t end up using but still recommend)
- mini travel flashlight
- 1 LS tech tee (to have long sleeves as sometimes it can get really cool at night in the desert)
*LS is long-sleeved
Miscellaneous
- travel laundry bag (that came with these packing cubes)
- small packable day pack
Morocco Packing List-Backpack
Here’s everything that went into my backpack:
Electronics
- Laptop with charging cord
- Kindle
- GoPro with accessories, batteries and charger
- Canon 80D (my DSLR) with batteries and charger
- Canon SX740 HS (my travel camera) with batteries and charger
- 2 adaptors for Europe/Africa
- travel power strip with extension cord (makes things SO much easier)
- portable hard drive
- extra luggage locks
- portable phone charger
- EarPods/AirPods
Miscellaneous
- manilla envelope (see why here)
- sunglasses with case
- regular glasses with case
- extra contacts
- any medicines needed
That’s it and that’s enough!
PIN IT!
Hopefully, this helps you with packing for Morocco. Once again, I can’t tell you how thankful we were to have the caftans and the harem pants. They were inexpensive, kept us cool but covered and were a huge hit with Moroccans!
Have you been to Morocco? Do you have a key item that is a must-pack for Morocco to add to my list? Let me know below!
‘Til next time…
Trimm Travels,
Great outfit choice! I love the vibrant colorful clothes and your practical tips for luggage. overall, a very useful and informative article, nice job 🙂
Hi-Thank you! Glad you like it and find it useful! Thanks for reading! 🙂
That a beautiful sunset.
Hi Haley, thank you! 🙂
Morocco is the best place ever.
Hi Haley-It is fun! Thanks for reading! 🙂
I am thinking about going to Morocco, so this is incredibly helpful. Love the Harlem pants, think that might be the most practical and can totally see how I could wear those again once home.
Thanks for sharing.
Hi-They are SO comfortable and I agree, they are practical and can be worn after returning home. If you like the top I paired with it, it’s really comfortable and versatile too! Thanks for reading! 🙂
Sounds like you should have taken a couple extra caftans to barter with, or give yours away on the last day as you head home. I love the Case Logic bag. I always end up sliding my laptop into anyoldbag and it just doesn’t work as well.
Hi Jenn and Ed-I know…such a TRUE statement. I only wish I had thought about either of those as I was leaving. My friend traveling with me did give a dress (although not a caftan) to one of our cab drivers to give to his wife, mother, girlfriend, daughter, whomever. He was SO excited and it still didn’t occur to me. It’s totally on my radar for the future though. Thanks for reading! 🙂
I love the vibrant colours of your clothes especially the caftans. They look wonderful! No wonder you caught so many attention while wearing it. 🙂 Love your tips!
Hi Marvi-Thank you so much! We loved the pretty colorful patterns of the caftans too. But, all the attention they received still surprised us. Glad you find the tips useful and thanks for reading! 🙂
I loved Morocco and those caftans you wore; super pretty!
Hi-Thank you so much and thanks for reading! 🙂
Oh, those caftans and harem pants are everything! And I love the thought of packing them with a camel ride in mind! Morocco just sounds so mysterious and magical, and having a great wardrobe that respects the location are always a great tip to have.
Hi Amy-Morocco is a colorful and magical place, definitely. I always appreciate tips that combine pretty, comfortable clothing that respects the culture too. Thanks for reading! 🙂
I love the Caftans! Besides this being a great packing list, the Caftans are truly a must. North Africa can get HOT hot, and wearing something comfortable, airy and appropriate can be hard to come by! Thanks for sharing the link 🙂
Hi Yara, those are very true words! It can and does get very hot there and it’s hard to find something cool and respectful but these caftans and pants were perfect. Thanks for reading! 🙂
Well you certainly define travel style Heather. I can see why that dress turned heads with its color and drape. And yet it is so very perfect for Morocco and the need to respect the culture. Love the Harem pants too. Well done!!! And your goal to travel in a checked carry-on sized bag is so smart! The less you have to carry, the less you struggle with gear and lets face it, cameras, battery backups, lenses, computers, smartphone and such do not help lighten the load.
Hi Michael-Nope, they do not lighten the load. I thoroughly enjoyed the carry-on size bag. I’m not always successful with it. The trip I just returned from I couldn’t fit three weeks of what I needed for cold weather, but even so it was still light for that trip. Less is definitely more in the packing/traveling world. The caftans and pants were so light and comfortable. Thanks for reading! 🙂
That’s so very useful. Not only do packing lists always give me a little frisson thinking of the next trip, but this one has really helped me think through what I need when transiting Dubai later this year. I love your suggestions for respectful but cool clothing, and that’s something I can replicate for our trip; harem pants and long kimonos seem the way to go. Your tech bag contents are pretty much identical to mine. Now I just need to work on the carry on for 4 weeks. Doing laundry is definitely the key.
Hi Bernie-Yes, the caftans, harem pants and kimonos will be useful in Dubai too. That’s exactly where I envision me packing and wearing them next! And, yes laundry is absolutely the key to packing light. Thanks for reading! 🙂
I just love this list! The caftans are gorgeous and the harem pants so comfy and practical! Did you wear any of those in Paris? I have switched to a carry -on only gal for now. I love the ease of a light suitcase, but it definitely takes careful planning in advance especially if you are in 2 climates and 2 different types of cultures ( world-class city vs desert). Will keep this list for when I get to Morocco.
Hi Alison-I didn’t wear them in Paris as I switched to sundresses, but the harem pants would have been cute there. I totally agree that carry-on packing takes super careful planning especially if there are 2 different climates. Not sure I could do it in those conditions, but I love the light ease of the carry-on so much I’m going to try when that arises and I have more time. I tried to do it for Argentina/Chile but I didn’t have the time to carefully plan it out for those double climates. Thanks for reading! 🙂
I don’t know, somehow I never worry about packing and what to wear. I’m leaving for France for a week in a few hours and nothing’s packed :)) The only time I was worried about what to get was when I met the family of my husband-to-be, in the South of France. never had I packed that many dresses, skirts, and shoes before!
Hi Mirela-That’s awesome! I wish I could be like that and sometimes I am especially if I’m going somewhere that doesn’t require special clothes or thought. But Morocco in June definitely required thought as I would DIE in my regular clothes that would be acceptable in Morocco. If I wore long sleeves and jeans there in June, I. Would. Die. Period. That’s where the research and the caftans and harem pants came in and they were perfect and will work for any further destinations with the same requirements. Thanks for reading! 🙂