Trailblazer Guide Books

Trailblazer guidebooks provide practical information on specific routes… in less accessible parts of the world.
 - Wanderlust

Morocco is a year-round destination but, depending on the season, some regions will be more agreeable or accessible than others. The short version is this: in summer the desert will be extremely hot; in winter tracks over the High Atlas may be closed, and at any time of year heavy rain can render mountain tracks impassable. Flooding or its consequent damage is the least predictable but most likely cause of inaccessible tracks and briefly closed main roads in southern Morocco.

Some guidebooks suggest the spring thaw sees a high risk of floods across the Atlas. It sounds plausible but in fact anywhere in the world, mountain snow melts steadily and there's not that much of it in Morocco anyway. A sustained period of heavy rains will have a much greater impact and this can happen at any time of year, but most commonly in late summer to early autumn. In September and October 2008 the north-east corner of Africa was hit by weeks of extremely heavy rains which led to scores of fatalities along Morocco's Mediterranean coast and in the east of the country.

There's not much you can do about flooding, but unless you know better or are habituated to high temperatures (as bikers from the Iberian peninsula might be), on a bike you'd do well to avoid Morocco in mid-summer, or at least plan to stay in the mountains.

Climate patterns
The Atlas mountains, the Sahara and the Atlantic Ocean, along with the Mediterranean Sea, all help make the Moroccan climate as regionally diverse as its landscapes. The snow-bound summit of Jebel Toubkal (North Africa's highest mountain) is just 200km from the dunes of Chegaga and many routes in this book can take you from 2500m (8000ft-plus) passes down to the baking desert in a couple of hours. On one trip in April I experienced scorching 40˚C winds south of Foum Zguid and met some bikers a few days later who were riding through snow over the Rif Mountains at around the same time. In a car with air-con, heating and wipers, the weather is not such a big deal, but on a bike – with or without an engine – it certainly is.

North of the High Atlas the country experiences a predominantly Mediterranean climate of hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. Snowfall is likely in the Middle Atlas with winter rainfall most prominent north of Casablanca and particularly in the Rif. Heading south from the Mediterranean ports from November to March there's a one-in-three chance you'll get rained on any one day. By the time you get to Marrakech it's less than one-in-five and over the Atlas in Ouarzazate the chances of getting wet are negligible. Ouarzazate is Morocco's driest and hottest big town and can experience temperature extremes of 58˚C (though not necessarily in the same year) and an annual average of less than half an inch (<12mm) of rain. Places further from the sea and at lower elevation like Figuig or Zagora are probably a little drier and hotter still.

The wettest and coldest town is the alpine-style resort of Ifrane at 1665m/5463ft in the Middle Atlas, with average daily lows barely above freezing from December to March and with a lot of rain and snow from November to April. If you find yourself heat struck in mid-summer Morocco, head for Midelt (1515m/4970ft) or the cool cedar forests of the Middle Atlas.

The desert wind
In the desert, winds are almost always present and when strong and from a certain direction can take the edge off your experience by reducing visibility to a few kilometres and rendering all landscapes hazy. The season begins in February with hot sand winds blowing for days at a time. As the months progress and temperatures rise, summer skies are often muddied by the heat-borne, dusty haze.

In my experience the term sandstorm is often misused for conditions that are merely very windy with some dust and sand blowing about; a pretty permanent situation in the Sahara which occasionally escalates to the sand wind described above. Just like a regular thunderstorm, a true sandstorm is a relatively short and intense event, lasting maybe a few hours. It will be associated with a wall of sand coming at you and engulfing you briefly in zero visibility. A sprinkle of rain often accompanies this dramatic event. Although, like thunderstorms, they're more common at the height or end of summer, in 30 years I've only experienced this twice in the Sahara. One time was in May 2008 near Merzouga when, with little warning, a tsunami of sand hundreds of feet high rolled towards us and wrapped the rocking car in a sandy fog.

In southern Morocco I find the most violent sand winds seem to come predominantly from the south or south-east in the transient seasons of spring and autumn, bringing with them the dust from the Western Sahara plateau. Such a day can often end in rain which quickly rinses the skies, bringing a following day of ragged clouds and clear air until the next front comes through.

The Atlantic influence
While the Atlantic coast of Morocco sees the Sahara unroll to its very shore from Tan-Tan southwards, temperature extremes are mitigated by ocean currents. Places like Essaouira and particularly Agadir have the most agreeable climates in Morocco, with moderate rainfall and temperatures all helping make Agadir the country's main beach resort. Down in the Western Sahara, Laayoune recorded 44˚C one day in June 2007, but generally the ocean suppresses such extremes and summer temperatures here don't usually exceed the mid-30s˚C. Dakhla (a special case, situated as it is on the end of a peninsula) never sees frost and gets temperatures above 30˚C on no more than a couple of days a year. At this time, however, right along the Atlantic Route strong winds as well as cloud and fog are regular features.

And when not to go
Particularly on a motorbike or bicycle, avoid the Moroccan Sahara between June and September. At this time from Tangier southwards anywhere in Morocco below 1500m can have a 40˚C day and south of the Atlas these sorts of temperatures occur daily for a month or two.

In winter expect to get rained on in the north as well as in the High- and Middle Atlas ranges where snow is also a distinct possibility above 2000m. However bad that might get, at this time at least you have the benefit of knowing that this book's routes south of the High Atlas (ie: most of them) will probably experience near ideal conditions: clear skies but with little chance of getting dangerously dehydrated while riding a bike.

In between these seasons – October to November and February to March – you have the greatest chance of exploring anywhere without getting comprehensively frozen, soaked or baked. Late autumn in particular can be a good time with light winds, warm temperatures and clear skies.

Good weather websites covering Morocco include www.weatheronline.co.uk/Morocco.htm and uk.weather.com/global (click 'North Africa') which features sunrise and sunset times (see box on previous page).