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Morocco Topics specific to Morocco, including Western Sahara west of the berm
Photo by Ellen Delis, Lagunas Ojos del Campo, Antofalla, Catamarca

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Ellen Delis,
Lagunas Ojos del Campo,
Antofalla, Catamarca



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  #1  
Old 18 Jul 2011
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uk to morocco
Hi
What are the best months to ride to morocco from the uk ?

Thanks very much for any advice
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  #2  
Old 18 Jul 2011
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It really depends what you want to do.

I have just come back from morrocco and once you get south of Ouarzazrate the heat was so hot that any more than tarmac riding was absolutely exhausting.

But then i reckon some of the pistes in the high would be very tricky earlier in the year while snow is melting at the peaks.

Also in december/ january the ride accross europe will be very cold.

I rekon between september and november should be the best comprimise.
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Old 19 Jul 2011
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I would personally say late spring (April-May) - beautiful warm temperatures, snow capped peaks and not yet too busy from tourists.

Be warned though - Moroccan weather is really unpredictable and you can get torrential rain, floods, blizzards in the mountains & general weather induced mayhem at almost any time of year from September to May.
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Old 19 Jul 2011
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Morocco is a three-season destination. Spring is best for daylight hours, flowers and greenery, my next favourite season is Jan/Feb for a winter break with deep blue skies, then there's autumn which can be still a bit scorched after the hot summer.

The other consideration is getting to Morocco. Spain can be dreadfully cold in winter months and morning temperatures even in April can be cold once inland. I normally ride with heated grips, heated jacket, handlebar muffs and goucho (scooter skirt) if traversing Spain in the winter.

Some information here on routes through France and Spain, and ferries.

Tim
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Old 26 Jul 2011
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Thanks very much for the replies folks , I'm now looking at going end of March early April , what sort of temperatures can I expect then in Morocco , I know to expect it to be cold across Spain just trying to work out what level of clothing to take , also are the Atlas mountain roads likely to be snowbound ?

Thanks

Neil
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Old 26 Jul 2011
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I was there this late March / April and had one morning at -3c and in the south / desert area it was high 30s at times. The Atlas was not snow bound although still snow around on the peaks which you could see.
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Old 26 Jul 2011
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One option I'm currently researching is to get the bike "couriered" down to Malaga and book cheap return flights on Easyjet. I reckon by the time you take ALL costs into account the cost difference between ferry/riding down and courier/flights will turn out to be quite small.

The main reason for researching this is that it would give me more time in Morocco.

Just a thought

In terms of when to go I've only been once from the beginning of April through to the first week in May. The weather was awesome.

Steve
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Old 27 Jul 2011
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If theis helps ... in the Pyrenees (where I live) on the France/Spain border, in Mar/Apr the daytime temps are usually in the high teens/low twenties.
Roger
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Old 8 Aug 2011
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Although this is going to sound remarkably unhelpful, you are going to really need a variety of clothes and shoes with you because the weather is not only unpredictable at that time for a lot of your journey, but if you are going from mountains to low lying beach areas or to the desert then the weather changes dramatically regardless of the time of year. Good luck.
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Old 8 Aug 2011
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim Cullis View Post
I normally ride with heated grips, heated jacket, handlebar muffs and goucho (scooter skirt) if traversing Spain in the winter.

Tim
I've seen loads of scooter riders in France using these skirt things and thought that something similar on my CCM would be great for winter riding. If you've already cracked the problem it could save me a lot of trial and error. Any chance of some further info and / or a pic or two
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Old 8 Aug 2011
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i leave for Spain on the 9th of September hope to be in Morocco 4 days laterso ill let you know what I find it will be the first time there
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Old 8 Aug 2011
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Here's a link to gauchos and muffs. The red 1200GS shown in the photos is mine. Since then (2006?) I've transferred them to a 1200GSA, then a F650GS twin, and now to the Tenere. It's easy enough to fix them to almost anything.

A short video showing the skirt and muffs on my 1200GSA in the High Atlas around Imlil
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Old 9 Aug 2011
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Many thanks for that Tim, exactly the sort of thing I had in mind and I'll follow up on it. Sorry to hijack the thread but I've never seen these things mentioned before in any of the mags I read or sites I frequent so I had to jump in.
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Old 9 Aug 2011
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We leave september 11 to october 9 for Morocco, going from Belgium on DRZ400's E model. At this time we can dodge the big tourist mass, and still have ok weather, as long it's not raining too much, I'm happy...
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Old 9 Aug 2011
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I should be there from the 1st october for the month
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