Spring is the season most people are told to pick, and for once the advice holds. Between March and May the whole country is comfortable at the same time, which happens twice a year at most. Marrakech sits around 24 to 31°C in the day, the Atlas is walkable again, and the coast has not yet filled with summer crowds.
But the real reason to come in spring has nothing to do with comfort. It is water.
What spring actually changes: the waterfalls run
The High Atlas takes most of its rain between February and April. Our own records put Imlil at around 67 mm in March and 62 mm in April, against 8 mm in July. That water comes down the valleys a few weeks later, which is why the Ouzoud falls are at full volume in spring and reduced to a thin curtain by August.
If you came to Morocco for the waterfall photograph you saw online, it was taken in spring. We say this plainly because visitors arrive in July expecting the same thing and are disappointed. The Ourika valley follows the same pattern: the seven waterfalls at Setti Fatma are worth the climb in April, less so in September.
The temperatures, month by month
| City | March | April | May |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marrakech | 24° / 9° | 28° / 12° | 31° / 15° |
| Essaouira | 20° / 13° | 22° / 15° | 23° / 16° |
| Merzouga | 25° / 11° | 29° / 16° | 34° / 20° |
| Imlil | 15° / 4° | 18° / 7° | 22° / 10° |
| Fes | 21° / 9° | 24° / 11° | 29° / 14° |
| Chefchaouen | 17° / 7° | 21° / 10° | 24° / 12° |
Two numbers deserve attention. Imlil at 15°C in March is cold if you are walking at altitude, so pack for it. And Merzouga climbing from 25°C in March to 34°C in May tells you that the desert season closes earlier than the rest of the country.
Where spring is the best choice
The Atlas mountains. Snow leaves the passes, the valleys are green, and the almond and cherry blossom runs through March. Imlil and the Toubkal trailheads are at their best.
The desert. March and April are the last comfortable months for Merzouga. Nights are still cool, days are warm rather than punishing. By late May the camel rides move to sunrise and sunset only.
The waterfalls. Ouzoud and Ourika, for the reason above.
What spring does not solve
It rains. Chefchaouen takes around 164 mm in March, the wettest month of its year. The Rif is green because of it, but a week of blue lanes under grey cloud is a real possibility. The Atlantic is also still cold: Essaouira sits at 20 to 23°C in the air and colder in the water.
Spring is also the busiest season after autumn. If you want the desert to yourself, you will not find it in April.
What to pack for a Moroccan spring
The mistake is packing for one climate. A March day in Marrakech starts at 9°C and reaches 24°C, so you need layers rather than a single choice. In the Atlas add a warm mid-layer and a waterproof: Imlil takes more rain in April than Marrakech does all spring.
For the desert, spring nights are still cool. A fleece is enough in April, less so in March.
Ramadan, and why it may fall in your spring
Ramadan moves through the calendar by about eleven days a year, which puts it in spring for several years running. Tours, transport and hotels operate normally, and our own trips run as scheduled. What changes is the rhythm of the towns: restaurants in the medinas may open later, and the evening meal fills the streets after sunset.
Many visitors find it the most interesting time to be here. Others prefer to avoid it. Check the dates for your year before booking, and ask us if you are unsure.
A spring week, if you want one
Three days in the desert while it is still comfortable, two days in the Atlas for the water and the blossom, and two days in Marrakech. That order matters: the desert closes first as the season warms, the mountains stay good into June.
If you only have a day, take the Ouzoud falls over anything else. It is the one thing spring does better than every other season.
Common questions
Is March too early to visit Morocco?
No. March is warm in Marrakech at around 24°C, and it is the wettest month in the Atlas, which is what fills the waterfalls a few weeks later. It is cold at altitude and the desert nights are still cool, so pack layers.
What is the weather in Morocco in April?
Marrakech averages 28°C by day and 12°C at night, Essaouira 22°C and Merzouga 29°C. April is the last comfortable month for a long desert tour.
Does it rain a lot in Morocco in spring?
It depends where. Chefchaouen takes around 164 mm in March and Imlil 67 mm, while Marrakech takes 47 mm and the south almost nothing. The north and the mountains are wet, the desert is not.
