Trailblazer Guide Books

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WHERE TO GO

Even if this is not your first trip to Morocco, chances are you’ll want to see
something of the north during your visit, at the very least one of the big cities
like Fes or Marrakech, or more manageable large towns like Asilah or
Chefchaouen, both an hour or two south of Tangier Med port.

The Standard Morocco Tour
For drivers and bikers, the standard Moroccan visit involves crossing the
Straits of Gibraltar on a quick ferry to Tangier Medport, heading down
towards the Middle Atlas or Marrakech, crossing the Atlas, often via the pop-
ular Aït Benhaddoupiste then heading over to the Todra Gorge. From there
it’s common to cross over Jebel Sarhroto Nekob via Route MH4 and either
continue south to Zagorato take Route MS6 east to Merzouga, or find some
other way to end up at Erg Chebbi. A return might include a crossing of the
Atlas such as MH2 or via Midelt with a stop in Fes. Essaouiraon the coast
north of Agadir might somehow be thrown in the mix too.
A tour like this is just manageable in a fortnight and hits all the buttons in
Morocco. It could also be described as following the main tourism axis with
the most chance of encountering high prices and hassle in the bigger towns
and cities. In the busy seasons it can also feel a bit like a procession, reducing
the impression that you’re out exploring the wilds, though if it’s your first
time, knowing you’re not alone can actually be comforting.
For Morocco, Erg Chebbi is a natural wonder for sure, but other than that,
consider using this book to find a creative way to cover the same regions, or
break off the axis altogether to do your own thing. There is more on the
regions at the start of each of the six zones from p86.

What can I do in...

These suggestions assume you’re UK-based. If you’re in Portugal or Spain you
can do a bit more; if you live on the outskirts of Alice Springs your options are
much more limited. Even then, many recognise once they get back that they
planned over-ambitiously and tried to do too much in too short a time.
For ideas of what can be done in a two-day rentalsee p75. For suggestions
on combining many of these routes into two dozen day tripsby returning to
the same place in the evening – particularly aimed at motorbikers looking to
enjoy a ride without carting full baggage – see p81-3.

A week or less
Quite a lot actually, but you’ll need to fly in and rent a vehicle out of Agadir,
Marrakech (see p73) to make the most of your time. All three cities are well
placed to make the most of their adjacent regions, giving you up to five great
days on the piste. Doing it this way will be hectic of course, but the costs may
well be the same as trying to cram a fortnight in with your own vehicle. A 

couple of days to do some routes. It’s a great way to dip your toe in the sand
and see if you like the idea of overlanding in Morocco.

Two weeks
This is the practical limit for a visit in your own vehicle from the UK or north-
ern Europe. Falling within a typical holiday allocation, it’s what many people
try, usually just once. You’ll need to get cracking and have a good plan; from
Dover to Algeciras is 2250km or nearly 1400 miles. To squeeze every last hour
from what are technically 16 days away, if the ferries line up and by leaving
work on a Friday night, you could be in Morocco by Monday lunchtime and
in the desert a day or two later. This could give you, at the very best, nine days
in the Atlas and the Sahara, or more reasonably a week on the piste with a rest
day or two or a visit to a big city or a resort. Although this is an intense sched-
ule, a week on the piste is actually a pretty satisfying immersion as long as the
weather remains good and you have no vehicle problems.
Renting a decent 4WD like a Toyota 105 for two weeks gets pretty pricey
unless you have a car full of people to share the cost, or if you choose to hire a
well-used and inexpensive 4WD you must accept the risks entailed in driving
in remote regions. The 650 motorbike rental out of Marrakech adds up to
around €600 or so a week, still pretty good compared to riding down in mid-
winter, but sometimes frustrating when it comes to additional gear.

A month
With up to four weeks at your disposal you need not dash from work to the
ferry port like a lunatic and so can enjoy a relaxing tour, ticking off your pick
of the routes in this book as well as taking the chance to visit some other places
in Morocco, Spain and France. Between Figuig and the Atlantic you could eas-
ily explore a dozen routes as well as a few of your own, highlighting the full
potential of the region and without needing a holiday afterwards to get over it.
Or of course you could make a dash to Mauritania.

More than a month
By choosing the right season and using your typical three-month Moroccan
visa to the limit, you can slowly explore the Atlas ranges and the Saharan
plains, park up in remote spots or villages that take your fancy, get to know
some locals, go trekking with them or go mountain biking and generally
immerse yourself in the Moroccan experience. Or head off to West Africa for
the winter. All you need is the time, the money and the inclination.

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