Ramadan 2027 on the desert tour

When is Ramadan 2027 in Morocco?

Expected from about 8 or 9 February to about 8 or 9 March 2027, with Eid al-Fitr on 9 or 10 March. The exact dates depend on the moon sighting.

Astronomers can predict the new moon; they cannot announce Ramadan. The UAE's Astronomy Centre, quoted by The National, expects the month to begin on 8 February 2027 and to last 29 or 30 days, with Eid al-Fitr on 9 or 10 March.

In Morocco the call belongs to the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs. In 2026 it watched for the crescent after sunset on 18 February, received confirmations from regional delegates and army units, and declared Thursday 19 February the first day, as Hespress reported that evening. Expect the same in 2027: a confirmation the night before, not weeks ahead.

Does Morocco change its clocks for Ramadan in 2027?

Probably. Morocco went back to GMT for Ramadan in 2025 and 2026, and the 2027 dates will be announced only days ahead.

The 2026 precedent: on 10 February the Ministry of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform announced that clocks would go back to GMT at 3 a.m. on Sunday 15 February and forward again at 2 a.m. on Sunday 22 March, per Hespress. In 2025 the switch ran from 23 February to 6 April, according to Morocco World News, which calls it the country's "annual switch to GMT during Ramadan". Expect about a week's notice, or less.

What that means for you: your pickup time is local time, and local time moves by an hour. If you booked weeks earlier and your tour starts within a few days of the change, confirm the pickup time with the operator the day before. Check that your phone and any alarm clock show the same time on the morning of pickup.

Where do you eat lunch on the desert tour during Ramadan?

Lunch is not included on any of these tours, and MWN Lifestyle reports that many local cafes and restaurants close in the daytime during Ramadan. Bring food and water from Fes.

On a normal day you pay for your own lunch at a stop on the road. In Ramadan, MWN Lifestyle puts it plainly: "During the daytime, many local cafes and restaurants close." In Fes and Marrakech most restaurants stay open for visitors, according to Journey Beyond Travel. Day 1 of this trip is not Fes or Marrakech: it is Ifrane, Azrou and the Ziz valley, 7 to 9 hours of small towns.

Our advice: buy bread, fruit, nuts and big bottles of water in Fes before pickup, and eat in the vehicle or somewhere out of view. The law is about Muslims: Article 222 of Morocco's penal code punishes a person "commonly known to be Muslim" who breaks the fast in public, as Morocco World News explains. Non-Muslim visitors are not covered by it. Eating a sandwich in the middle of a village square in front of people who have not had a sip of water since dawn is still bad manners.

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Will your driver be fasting during the tour?

Most Moroccans fast in Ramadan, so your driver may well be fasting. Be considerate, and do not expect him to join you at lunch.

If your driver is fasting, that means 7 to 9 hours at the wheel on day 1 without food or water. Nobody will ask you to fast. Small courtesies help: do not offer food at noon, keep the snacking low-key in the vehicle, and ask on the morning of day 1 how they want to handle sunset if you are still on the road. A stop of a few minutes for him to break the fast is a fair thing to offer.

Sunset falls in the early evening in February and March, around the time day 1 reaches the camp, so the driver may break the fast on the road or at the camp. Agree it with him in the morning.

Is dinner still served at the desert camp and the hotel in Ramadan?

Expect so. Every listing includes dinners and breakfasts, and none mentions a Ramadan exception. Confirm with the operator when you book.

Dinner is an evening meal, so it should suit the fast. What a given camp serves is its own choice: the listings promise dinner, not a menu. Vegetarian? Tell the operator when you book, Ramadan or not.

Alcohol is the real difference. According to MWN Lifestyle, you should not expect to find it "in any part of the country, including liquor stores, for the duration of the holy month." Rules for hotels serving foreign guests vary: Bladi reported in February 2026 that sales to foreign tourists had been allowed in Fes that Ramadan, and that some were calling for the same elsewhere. None of the listings includes drinks. In Ramadan, assume a dry night in the dunes.

Is Ramadan a good time for a desert tour from Fes?

Yes, if you plan for it. February and early March bring mild days and cool nights in the dunes, and the evenings in Fes and Marrakech are a highlight.

Weather-wise it is a good window. The 1991-2020 normals for Errachidia, on the day 1 road, give 18.2°C by day and 4.6°C at night in February, and 22.1°C and 8.8°C in March (NOAA and WMO data via Wikipedia). Pack for cold camp nights, as in our 2026-27 season post.

The trade-offs are small: fewer lunch options and little alcohol. Shops "close up right before sunset", says Journey Beyond Travel, and "after iftar, cities during Ramadan evenings are lively," in MWN Lifestyle's words. If you can, spend the night before pickup in Fes and the night after drop-off in Marrakech, and see both cities after dark. If your start date falls on Eid al-Fitr, a public holiday, confirm the pickup with the operator first.

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