Morocco has an ideal climate for year-round sports enjoyment. Every morning, women walk along the beach and through the Anfa and Ain Diab neighborhoods to keep fit. Morocco’s leading sports are football (soccer), basketball and athletics. There are football matches Sunday afternoons from October to June in several stadiums in the city. Horse races are held on alternate Saturday and Sunday afternoons in winter at the Anfa Hippodrome and there are dog and cycle races at the Vélodrome.

Morocco has beautiful golf courses. Membership in the Royal Golf Club d’Anfa-Mohammedia (36.10.26 or 36.53.55) entitles you to use both the 9 hole Anfa course and the 18 hole Mohammedia course. There are tennis courts and a swimming pool at the Anfa Club. If you have been a member of another golf club, bring a copy of your membership card and your handicap card. The waiting list can be long and the membership fees high. There are also courses in Rabat, Tangiers, Agadir, Marrakech, El Jadida, Ben Slimane and Settat. The course in El Jadida is considered the nicest in Morocco. It is only one hour from Casablanca and there is no waiting list.

Moroccans prize horses: so much so, that horses are not gelded. It’s helpful to be aware of this when seeking riding lessons for children since stallions can be difficult for youngsters to handle.

Tennis is a popular sport here and many clubs have courts. Complex Sportif Al Amal has the hightest number of courts with 16 and a stadium where professional matches are held. Squash Courts can be found at several tennis clubs and hotels. The Hyatt Regency and Sheraton Hotels attract most of the serious players.

Tennis Clubs see also Swimming

The skiing season runs roughly from December to April. Oukaimeden is an hour and a half by car from Marrakech and has excellent and challenging runs. The Chalet Oukaimeden offers skiing, hiking, speleology, canoeing and kayaking. The Ifrane area has three ski areas; Michliffen (20 minutes ride from Ifrane), Djebel Hebrei (10 minutes beyond Michliffen) and Djebel Abri (5 minutes towards Azrou from the Michliffen Highway.) For more information, contact the Club Alpin, 1 Rue Aknoul (ex Rue General Henrys), Casablanca Tel: 27.00.90 (Thursday evenings).

There is a dangerous undertow on many beaches and extreme caution is recommended when swimming in the ocean. The summer months record several deaths every year. During the summer, there are lifeguards along the coast with rescue boats. Also during the summer, numerous beach clubs along the coast (Corniche), with large pools, children’s pools, dressing rooms and snack bars or lunch counters are open to the public, for an entrance fee, either by the day or by the season. The C.C.C. or Sun-Beach is a very popular and expensive private club. It is open all year for members only. Miami Fitness Club is also very nice and offers a wide variety of activities, in addition to year-round swimming. There are three indoor swimming pools at the Stade d’Honneur, which is open all year. It is closed on Sundays. Some of the tennis clubs also have pools.

Swim and Sports Clubs (Associations, clubs sportifs)

Windsurfing is a popular sport in Morocco with Essaouira "Wind City of Africa" being a magnet for windsurfers from around the world. It is possible to go windsurfing on the sea at Mohammedia. If the sea is too rough, you can windsurf inland at Oued Mellah or close to Rabat. Sailing is also an option here.

Deep sea and beach fishing along the Atlantic coast is good. Trout fishing is good in many streams, especially in the Ifrane/Azrou area, where pike, perch and black bass can also be hooked. Good hunting exists with a variety of game including duck, rabbit, partridge, pheasant, turtle dove, quail and wild boar. Hunting trips can be arranged with Sochatour (31.47.19) or with Mafishco (26.96.05.) Be sure to obtain the necessary permits from the Prefecture before setting out on a hunting trip.

Cercle Amical Français de Casablanca (CAFC) 103 Av. Omar El Khayam. (25.50.05)

The CAFC is a private club which offers a wide variety of sports and social activities including: archery, basketball, billiards, bridge, pétanque, dog training, cycling, handball, tennis, ping-pong volley ball, tennis, swimming, soccer, and horsebackriding. Other activities include bodybuilding, aikido, judo, jazz and classical dance, gymnastics, yoga and Tai Jitsu. There is a miniclub for children and an amateur dramatics group. Many children’s activities are held on Wednesday afternoons. There is a waiting list to join at times.

Hotels offer some of the best fitness gyms, although there are certainly others. There are also opportunities for yoga, dance and aerobics. See also the sections on Tennis and Swimming for other sports clubs.

Grand Mosque Hassan II may be toured with a guide everyday (except Fridays) at 9:00, 10:00, 11:00, and 14:00, Adults- 100 DH, students-50 DH, and children –25DH. 22.25.63/79

The Old Medina, "Bab Marrakech" -shopping for clothes, shoes, artisanal, silver and gold jewelry (Rue de Rabat)

Place Mohammed V (with the fountain) and Place des Nations-Unies by the Hyatt (these two areas went by other names in previous years and are still marked incorrectly on many maps of the city.)

Arab League Park, Bd. Moulay Youssef.

The Corniche, offers a boardwalk, cafés, swimming areas, nightclubs, nice restaurants, movies, McDonalds, and nice sunsets.

The new Médina or Habous has a large selection of artisanal products including wood, ceramic, brass, copper, silver, carpets, and traditional clothing.

Also see our Chapter on Language, Culture and Entertainment for lists of Museums, and Art Galleries.

Between Mohammedia and Rabat there are a number of beaches including:

• Bouznika (41 kms south of Rabat)-There is a new beach area and big waves.
• Plage Essanoubar - excellent for swimming but crowded from mid-July to end of August.
• Skhirat Plage (30 kms south of Rabat) - next to Royal Palace of Skhirat. There is a nice hotel with private beach and adjoining public beach. Big waves, clean.

Between Casablanca and El Jadida:

• Tamaris beach (25 kms south of Casablanca.) The beach by the caravan park is protected and good for swimming.
• Dar Bouazza (20 kms south of Casablanca), is also called Deserte des Plages.
• Sidi Rahal (30 kms south of Casablanca and 5 kms past the Welcome to Province de Settat sign) is a beautiful beach area with sandwich bars and a boardwalk area.

For older children the countryside and cities outside of Casablanca are an incredible history lesson with Roman ruins, early Phoenician settlements, kasbahs, and camel caravans. In addition to the sports and leisure activities already mentioned, consider some of the following for your children and family.

The same way sports refresh some, hobbies refresh others. Maybe it’s time to learn something new! For some hobbies, including painting and music, see also the Chapter on Culture, Language and Entertainment. Many of the Cultural Centers offer lessons. See the section on keeping fit for hobbies such as dance and yoga. For those who like to cook, Casa Accueil, (see the Chapter on Social and Service Clubs), often offers international cooking lessons. AIWC also offers cooking classes from time to time.