Morocco - family trip
 

Hi,

I am planning to go to Morocco in April with my young family (age 3 and 1 yrs) in my massive Defender 130. I am planning to get the ferry from Portsmouth to Bilboa, then travel to Algerciras and into Morocco - achieving 10 days in country before we have to make the return journey.

I have a few questions for those overland ninjas, with PhDs in Morocco:

1. Any tips for travelling with a young family in Morocco?

2. Any ideas for the route from Bilboa to Algerciras?

2. I have in mind a route following the coast to Essouira, inland to Marrakech, thenn Ouarzazate, Todra gorge, Midelt to fes and back up North to the ferry. Is this achievable in 10 days without spending huge hours in the LR? Does anyone have distances/ timings for the legs?

4. Finally and a big one for my wife: is the route OK in the event of a breakdown? as a single vehicle is there sufficient traffic that I could reasonably get some help?

If there are any Morocco veterans living in the NorthEast (near Darlington) would you fancy meeting up for a beer and chat?

Cheers

Guy

Going rate is 20 Camels for the wife and 50 for each of the kids don't take anything less as they like to haggle.

But seriously...

There's a complete Morocco Guide on this very hub written by our own lovable Tim Cullis's, read it and re-read it then take some notes.

Just take the same precautions as you do at home, don't let them out of your site for a second, always carry a phone that has your Embassy’s number for that country and make sure your valuables are with you including documents. Make some contact plans for people at home, you know set times when you will call and if you don’t they send out the alarm so that people will start looking for you.
Don’t go to places you don’t know, if someplace looks dodgy then consider it to be and give it a wide berth, if you’re going bush then give the local police your route and give then a date when you will be back, take lots of water 33% more than you think you might need is a good measure.

If I was you I'd also carry a walking stick at all times (a good weapon at a pinch as it’s always in your hand) but then again I’m really paranoid and I don’t have a family with me to protect, but I still don’t go anywhere unless semi armed.

All in all it’s generally a safe country for travellers, but always try to be prepared as usual some will agree with me some won’t but I don’t care as long as I feel safe, so the same should apply to yourself.

Lee

Hi

I don't agree with the previous answer. Moroccans are not agressives, you don't need carrying such of weapon.
Some times kids can be a little bit agressive if you don't give gift such pens sweets etc.. but it's a bad habits given by tourists and they are just kids. Morocco is a safe country, more quiet in less touristic area.
Touristic activity is very important for Morocco, in the arabic culture, children are kings don't worry for them, it's a good way to have contact with locals.
Regarding your car Land Rover is very commun in Morocco and they are very efficient to fix every kind of problems, In Zagora I saw English guys with Land who came specially in this garage to get prepared their car.
The main risk in Morocco is to become addict.
Eric
Two 400XR in Morocco

Morocco in a 130
 

2. When we did it, we followed the main route from Bilbao, over the Sierra Nevada mountains, through Madrid, down past Granada, then onto Malaga and the coast. There are a few toll roads near Madrid and on the coast, but they are only a few Euros. It's Motorway all the way and the signage is good, we hardly used our map or SatNav.

I'd suggest a stop off half way, especially with a young family. We did the whole run in a day going down in 12 hours. Coming back we broke off in Granada for the night.

4. Your route is taking you through areas which are the main tourist routes in Morocco. you'll see plenty of French camper vans right up to the bottom of the Todra Gorge.

I really don't subscribe to the "going armed" approach. Most Moroccans are friendly, welcoming and very generous people. Some Moroccans may appear to be in your face a bit when trying to sell you something, or offering their "Guiding" services. You'll find that raised voices and aggression will get their backs up, whereas a smile and a polite No thank you will do the trick and you can often then go on to have a real conversation with the person. Of course if you can mutter these few words in French, or even better, Arabic - this will go a long way.

Finally if you decide to stop over in any of the many roadside Auberges, chances are you'll be very well looked after, fed tagine, and perhaps even entertained with music and song by your hosts.

P.S. We went over in March, and most of us were seasick in both directions on the Portsmouth/Bilbao ferry. The Bay of Biscay can be rough then. One of our party hates ferries so he used the Channel Tunnel and drove through France (long driving day), but he was quicker than us in both directions.

Bilbao - Algeciras
 

Head from Bilbao towards Miranda de Ebro and then to Burgos (about 2 1/2 hours) - some slow climbing involved.

Then head south to Madrid (you will not have to enter Burgos). Bypass Madrid taking the ring road which takes you east of the metropolis. Avoid the centre of the city at all costs. Probably about 3 hrs in a Defender from Burgos.

N.B. The mountain range north of Madrid is not the Sierra Nevada.

Head south to Granada (about 5 hours) then on to Malaga (1 1/2 hours) and along the coastal road to Algeciras (2 hours).

Apart from local traffic around population centres, Spanish people do not travel great distances by road unless there are public holidays - check for that - so, in general, you will find the two lane motorways with quite light traffic. If you try to drive around Madrid at the beginning or end of a bank holiday weekend then good luck as it will be very slow going.

If you need any more details, just send me a message.

Tim

Hi

My trips around Morocco have been on two wheels rather than four ..... however, agree completely with others in saying that Moroccans are by and large a generous, welcoming people, particularly in the south and away from the touristy hotspots! I'd suggest perhaps giving the Rif mountain area to the north east a miss ....... renowned for Hashish production and the locals can be somewhat intimidating to passing travellers ....... though reports suggest things are getting better of late .... increased Police presence etc.

As has been mentioned, you will find kids very persistent in asking for stilos or bonbons in the more rural areas. Personally I try very hard not to get sucked into this ...... by all means smile, joke, be friendly, but this sort of "begging" helps neither them, you, or the travelers coming after you. Instead help them and their families by spending your cash at local markets, hotels, shops, and tip when you feel it's really deserved.

Bilbao to Algeciras = approx 630 miles. A very long drive with two young children ...... why not split it into two days? and arrive at the ferry reasonably fresh!

For what it's worth, by all means have a planned itinerary, but bring to it some flexibility. You may find you arrive at a place you really like .... use it as a base to explore the surrounding area, and if that means not ticking off somewhere else on the list, you can always see it on another trip.

Don't know what your French is like (mine's dim & distant O Level!) ..... but really worth trying to use what you can - plus throw in the odd bit of Arabic as a bonus!

Have a great trip.

Great advice from you all, thank you very much for taking the effort to reply.

I have been doing a bit of off line reading and travelling with children seems to bring the benefit of breaking down barriers and 'opening doors' as they are a universal constant.

Does anyone have ideas of distances between the towns of Essouira, Marrakech, Ouarzazate, Todra gorge, Midelt and Fes? I take 'mystics' point of being flexible in a plan, but I just want to work out distance/ times.

We were planning to take two days to make the trip from Bilboa to Algerciras, any ideas of a decent camp site to stop over in half down?

Cheers

Guy

Morocco is a great destination with young kids and in my opinion a much “easier” destination than Europe. The N.African welcome and hospitality you will enjoy as a family will amaze you. Its great with kids and much, much safer than anywhere I have very been in Europe.

I started our oldest gently in Morocco at 2, the youngest in Egypt at 14 months and we keep on going back to different parts of the Sahara 3 or 4 times a year for various reasons. Now at 7 and 3 1/2 respectively I guess they may have quite a bit more “Hardcore” Saharan experience than most…. On the other hand I find it easier, safer and more relaxing than taking them to France.

Some tips for traveling in Morocco with young kids born from hard experience. It’s a bit like planning a full scale expedition but its mainly all common sense
- make sure they drink enough (take re-hydrations sachets in case they don’t)
- shade if your camping – an awning or a family tent you can easily put up with out the inner
- light weight travel cot if your staying in hotels
- light weight push chair for confining the youngest one in – useless for pushing round towns (take a back pack) but great for strapping them into when you don’t want them to move about too much (you can also use a rope and a stake but this is less PC) Reigns are also good for toddlers in towns as they can trip up a lot.
- “First Years” travel high chair booster seat thing for cafes – its invaluable as it will fit any chair and takes up very little space.
- first aid kit, lots of Capol ect.
- twice as many nappies as you think you will need (the local one are rubbish) Moltext “Eco” nappies create much less rash than normal disposables when its hot.
- special bag on the roof for used nappies - boy do they smell when its warm!
- three times as many wipes as you think you will need.
- lots of small cheap toys you can stash and produce daily.

Don’t bother with bottled water unless the kids get a stomach upset, Moroccan water is generally OK. If your worried about water use steri tabs rather than bottled as Morocco is drowning under a sea of discarded plastic Sidi Hazem bottles. 9 trips so far with the family to Morocco and only one tummy problem which was probably down to eating too many dates. Busy local cafes tend to be more hygienic and have fresher food than “Tourist” restaurants and if your worried, stick to things that have been fried, boiled or baked.

It will take you at least a week to stop getting freaked out when they touch something, put it in their mouth, someone feeds them something, people touch them, talk to them, give them things or they start to look peaky and sweaty or even when they just play in the dirt out in the desert. This is normal and you will start to relax and enjoy your self once you realise nothing bad is going to happen (but it does take some time!)

Route from Bilboa to Algeciras – as said above long drive, with kids allow 2 days and follow the motorway down via Madrid to Malaga then down the coast to Algeciras. We find the campsite in Granada (nice) about right for a stop either way.

Your route in Morocco is very do-able in 10 days with lots of time to spend exploring and relatively short days in the car for the kids. You could also grab a few days on the edge of the desert with this itinerary – contact me if you want specific distances or routes, places to go with the kids ect. As mentioned above I’d avoid the Riff in the North but you won’t get hassled too much about Hash with the kids about. I would say that the hassle you get with kids in tow is minimal compared to that of a group of adults.

Times very approximate and include stops ect
Essouira to Marachesh – 3 hours
Marachesh to Ouarzazate – 4 to 5 hours
Ouarzazat to Todra – 3 to 4 hours
Todra to Midlet - 2 days by piste depending on the road or one long day via Errachidia
Midlet to Fez - 4 hours

To put your wife’s mind at rest, the route above will be fine in case of a breakdown but this can be minimised by making sure your cars well serviced first. Take some spares and a basic tool kit – Even out in the desert in the middle of nowhere there is a surprising amount of traffic. Get European break down cover then you can put the Landy on a truck or limp back to Spain if its really bad and get the Landy back from Spain to the UK. If your worried, rent a sat phone and take some local numbers as well as phone numbers for spares suppliers in the UK (2 days DHL UK to Ouarzazat)

I’m based in Cornwall so can’t meet you for a beer – but feel free to mail me any questions and expect evangelical replies about overlanding with kids! – best thing I ever did was not stop travelling when the family grew.

What a great post from dwair - excellent information!

Just want to add that I recently got the Michelin map 742 which covers the whole of Morocco from Waterstones for £4.99.
Most people posting in the HUBB recommend this one and it certainly covers the whole area including down south into the "old Spanish Sahara".

Hi
Wife of Guy here. Thanks very much for that reply- it must have taken you ages. We have already looked on ebay for the First Years booster seat!!
I do have a few more questions if that's ok.

About the nappies- where can we dispose of them over there- any ideas?

Did you visit any campsites in Morocco? We have roof tents and are planning to camp and use hotels where there aren't any campsites. If you have any specific info such as names and/or locations of good hotels and campsites that would be useful.

You offered to give us specifics of routes and good places to go with children- if you can be bothered this would be helpful.

All the best
Guy's better half

Hi,
Morocco is such a big distination.Not aggressive things except the children soemtimes when they are asking for pens....So to avoid such hassling from the children ,you can bring some pens,sweeties.Something you need to see is the region of merzouga and the offroad piste from there to Zagoura;u can have a look at our website Welcome To Aghbalou Ramlia Auberge
you can email us for more info.have nice time in Morocco

No problems with questions

Nappy disposal – This is quite hard if you want a low environmental impact and we have always compromised. Use a bio degradable nappy and sack and off load them into campsite bins / town dumpsters when ever you can. This rubbish is generally then discarded outside the town / village limits to an open tip but at least it will rot down. If your wild camping, please don’t be tempted to burn or bury – many of wild camps I have used over the years have been wrecked by European groups using this practice (mainly UK, French and German looking at the origin of the waste)

Camping – we tend to use about 75% rough camps and 25% campsites (for showers ect) but we have also used hotels in the past. Good campsites recommended with kids – Meknes (nicer than fez), Ouarzazate, Taradount, Zagora (either D’ Amerzrou or La Montagn but not Sindibad) Todra - L’Atlas (first one going up the road) Hotels, if you can drive about a bit – there’s generally quite a few options to fit what ever budget. On the whole they are all very family friendly. Don’t worry about roof tents and kids – ours adapted fine although the toddler has to be tethered to the back at night to stop him escaping (no problems with the ladder but he has a bit of a wanderlust at the best of times…)

Things to do with the kids…Well your oldest anyway – under 2 and I don’t think they really mind what you do! In all honesty Morocco is not a really great venue unless your prepared to make a bit of an effort. Then it can be really fun. We tend to go inland first then drive back along the coast as the kids love the beach.
Go out early in the morning food shopping in the souks with the kids – lovely way to meet people
Rough camp round the back of Erg Chebbi (de-stress and let them run wild in the dunes for a day).
Rough camp in the woods on the East between Ifane and Khenifra (lots of Barbary apes to watch)
Very good restaurant behind the campsite in Ouarzazat (get there early at about 7 when its quite and the staff will entertain the kids while you have a nice meal)
Marrakech – eat at the stalls in the evening and your kids will be treated like stars, also the Palais el Badi is a nice place to sit down, de-stress and let them run around. The Tanneries are worth a look (if only for the smell – our kids love this!)
Donkey rides – Just about every where but the best are at Torda and Sidi Kaouki on the coast. Go for a walk out of any town and hitch a lift back on a cart.
Oualidia for the best safe beach in Morocco – good safe swimming and you can buy then cook fresh crab and lobster on the beach – OK campsite too.

Possible route – driving a bit every day but 10 days isn’t very long. If you could stretch to 14 it would be better – if you kids are like ours they will spend most of the time in the car asleep and wake up when you stop which is a bonus.
Ceuta – Meknes (or Fez)
Meknes – Azrou
Azrou – Rissiani (Erg Chebbi – avoid the village!)
Rissiani – Zagora (take a couple of days, follow the desert pistes and camp in the desert)
Zagora – Todra via the Tizi-n Tazazert
Todra – Marrakech
Marachesh – Essaouira
Essouiria - Oulidia
Oulidia – Ceuta

Dwair,

once again many thanks for the help, we really appreciate the time you have taken to respond. I have managed to change the ferry timings and now have 12 days in country, so the route you have suggested might just about be on! The only concern Wife of Guy has is going on a piste in the desert, but I think we can work on that...

I will probably have to do the route in reverse as I have to be picking up my nephew halfway through the trip.

Once again many thanks for taking the effort to respond, we will be printing out the pages to take with us - they are that useful

all the best

Guy

dwair

Yeah, maybe in 20 years. It's all over the place, a trademark of human habitation.

???

Roman

I think you have missed my point here.

I was talking about using bio-degradable nappies which in the UK take less than 6 weeks to break down. (with less humidity I guess they would take much longer, but still not as long as a standard disposable that could be measured in 100’s of years) In my opinion its better to stick these in a bin and introduce them to a less than perfect Moroccan refuse system than it is to burn or bury and leave the remains out in the countryside to be exposed by the wind or animals.

Please allow me to have a general rant about all the rubbish that being left in the desert…

Over the last 20 years, I have seen many rough camps (people generally seem pick the same places to camp for the same reasons) in spectacular wilderness settings all over the Sahara basically wrecked by discarding their waste in what I can only think of as an irresponsible manner. Dig a hole – burn your waste in it – cover it up, and at some point in the future the chances are it will end up exposed and scattered. I’m not saying that local refuse systems are perfect, far from it but at least you can say an attempt has been made to confine it to populated area where in theory it could be dealt with rather than leaving it in a area you have probably visited primarily because IS a wilderness.

With an improved tourist industry, Morocco is getting more and more visitors every year who go out into the Atlas or the desert to enjoy the experience. With growing numbers visiting say the eastern side of Erg Chebbi and camping in the dunes – a burn / bury approach to personal waste management clearly isn’t working very well. Walk around the more accessible dunes for a day and I hope you would be shocked at the amount littler, cans and half burnt plastic of European origin that is lying around in the sand. 20 years ago and with fewer visitors (and before the general tidal wave of plastic bags and water bottles) It felt like a wilderness, 10 years ago it wasn’t too bad, now its maybe starting to get spoiled.

The scary thing is I could say the same about the more attractive parts of some of Mauritania, Mali, Algeria, Libya and Egypt that you may want to go and visit. The only way that most of this rubbish gets there is down to us (or the guides we have to employ) so maybe we should take a bit more care over the desert that we all enjoy? All you have to do is take your rubbish with you and stick it in a bin. It wont make a difference to the villages and towns, but it will make a difference to the desert.

We have just returned from a similar trip (Td5 double cab 2 kids 12 and 14), taking the same ferry route. The journey from Bilboa to Algerciras took 14 hours with 2 very short stops . We went straight through Madrid with no problems at about lunchtime. It is a very long drive. I recommend a hotel in Algeciras (Hotel Riana Christina) about 50 Euros per room and it is adjacent to the port. Do not buy ferry tickets from touts en-route but do it at the port. The fastcraft to Tangiers takes 45 mins and cost 250 Euro return. Tangier port is a nightmare, you will need patience, as you cannot circumnavigate the process (you do not need fixers) all the paperwork happens at the exit gate, just wait your turn (it took us 4 hours). We took the moterway all the way to Cassablanca and stayed at the Ibis (there is an Ibis Hotel on the Marrakech turnoff). The road from Tangier to Marrakech is now all motorway and very good with modern services. WATCH YOUR SPEED ) around Rabat and the fast changing traffic lights (we got fined 40 Euro).

We went to Marrakech (4 nights) then across the Atlas to Foum Ziguid then took pistes north through Mahmid to Erg Chebbi (5 nights), before returning to Tangier and home. Brilliant drive and we were accompanied by a VW van which we towed through the sand. No problems. The locals everywhere were delightful (security was never an issue). We wild camped away from villages and met a few nomads (all great). Fuel was easy to come buy (cash only ((there is a cashpoint just outside the gates of Tangier Port)). We took bottled water and out water purification tablets.

The main roads are patrolled by a breakdown service and as far as other precautions we just had medical insurance etc. I can honestly say that Morocco was great and never once did we feel worried. We travelled extensively through Southern Africa this summer and yes here there were very definitely security issues. I' am not sure about traveling with very young kids as there is a lot of driving (3500 miles return to Portsmouth).

One last thing the P&O ferry broke down thus adding an extra day to our journey. This ship is a dump compared with Brittany Ferries. Take an electric kettle and adapter and you can save yourself a fortune on this boat.

Have a great trip
Best wishes Ian

souks
 

Dwair's spot on! We were there when our elder was 2 1/2 (and I was 6 months pregant with #2), and found everyone extremely friendly and helpful - having kids along really does open so many opportunities in terms of contact with the locals.

One bit that I haven't seen mentioned yet is that your 3 year old may be old enough to do a bit of negotiating in the souk for some toy - with you hovering in the background of course, but it's great fun to explain to the kid how the process works, give them a small bit of money, and watch them negotiate down the price of a stuffed camel or something. We did it in morocco when our older daughter was 2 1/2, and just recently in egypt (our girls are now 8 and 5), and both times it was one of the highlights of the trip for them. All the vendors we've encountered take it in great stride, and often the kids negotiate a better deal than I could have. My younger this last time kept getting things for free because she was so "cute" - and she was a very tough negotiator. The funniest was when we were leaving the souk and still being approached, she'd just smile winningly at the guys, hold her hands out palms up, and say "no more money" ...

Word of caution, though: once taught the fine art of negotiation, the kids keep using it when they get home:

"Can I have 4 Skittles?"
"No, too close to dinner. You can have 2."
"Ok, three then. Thanks."

Sigh...

Have fun!

[quote=

One last thing the P&O ferry broke down thus adding an extra day to our journey. This ship is a dump compared with Brittany Ferries. Take an electric kettle and adapter and you can save yourself a fortune on this boat.

Have a great trip
Best wishes Ian[/quote]

Been reading this post with interest as off to Morocco on the 9th March just your post on here about the P&O Ferry how much of a Dump is it Ian:confused1:
As was looking forward to a rest on here on way to Spain :funmeterno: :oops2: maybe we should have went down through France with a bit more driving

Dave :thumbup1:

family trip
 

HI All
What a great thread this has turned out to be.:thumbup1:

I'm off to morrocco 12 march plym to santander £448 returning 31st march

It will be my second trip but this time i'm taking my wife in our discovery and our itinery is wide open.

regards to All

Gren

The P&O ferry is very 1970's. The food is like school dinners and the 'live' entertainment could have you jumping overboard. Just take loads of books and hide in your cabin... Ian

Hi - Guy here,

many thanks for the responses - there has been some superb advice. It is a shame I have already booked the ferry - otherwise the Plymouth/ Santander route would be getting my money!!!!

I was speaking to Simon from MPS4X4 who came up with a top notch suggestiion for those with families - which was to take our old baby clothes to trade/ give to the locals. He said that the state of some of the young childrens clothes was pretty bad.

Out of interest is anyone else on the Bilboa boat departing on the 26 Mar and returning on the 15 Apr????

all the best

Guy

Seems like some excellent advice so far. The only things I would add are -

In the event of a breakdown which is fairly unlikely, get in to a mindset that it doesn't need to be fixed instantly, its okay if it takes a day for someone who can really help to come along, its not like the Uk where you can phone the AA and have a response in an hour, but if you get into a mindset that its okay for it to take a bit longer and just enjoy where ever you are, however odd it might be. We have had some quite cool experiances in places that I would never have chosen to stop but have done due to mechanical issues. If you get into this mindset then its take loads of the stress away. Equally not getting hung up on keeping to an timetable. Obviously have enough supplies to be able to camp for a couple of days - eg water, food, etc. Chances are it won't happen.

Regarding the wife and pistes, well we've been trans africa, we've been back to Morocco since plus loads of other offroad experiances from Norway to Australia and the wife who is brilliant with the general overlanding thing, absolutely loves it but still starts stressing when the vehicle goes offroad. Even onroad I noticed her praying in the back seat in the Alps only last week as we inadvertantly four wheel drive drifted on a 180 hair pin bend on ice. We still go and do it and she chills out after a bit.

Have fun.

Yep, quite agree: try to imagine that you are retired - good practice anyway for that greeeeeeeeeat day!

suggestion
 

i m a moroccain saharain boy,i live in Mérzouga village in the South Est
i think with 10 days you can see ,chafchaoun,a bleu nice city,after you go to Fes,a nice beautiful city for culture .after midelt,you will see mountains and minerals.after you can go to the desert of Mérzouga.spend one night with camels in the oasis .after you take road to ouarzazat,vist of the famous Kasbah of ait benhaddou.after you go to Marrakech for to see the red city with all the architecture of morocco.after you go to Essaouira nice quiet city with many of fish plates.in the end you acrross all the cost for leaving morocco by Tanger.

i think it will be a quick visiting,but it sound good plan for 10 days.
if you need informations about Mérzouga desert email me in :ibrahimtouareg@caramail.com

best regards,
ibrahim

Superb thread
 

I'm heading off there in April - with 4 yo son & pregnant wife (Classic Range Rover - 300tdi conversion & Sankey tool trailer). We are planning to take it real easy from Bilbao (Sailing April 4th from P'mouth). Wending our way down through Portugal, maybe take 3 weeks for that bit - flexible while in Morocco, I hope to be able to set up in one place for a week or so before we move on. That said my other (better) half could hate it and want to come home, who knows. I will point her to this excellent thread - thankyou to all that have made it so and for OP for asking the question!

Very excited, 3 month holiday can't wait.

Anyone have any views as to whether I ought to paint the trailer - it is in military olive green at the mo, don't want to give the wrong idea...

All the best & safe travels
TT

Thanks for a most useful thread, we will be passing through Morocco in October with our 4 and 2 year old sons.

I'd just reiterate the warning about the Rif mountains - you don't want to go there with a family! It's a LOT of hassle - trying to explain to the kids why everyone is trying to force you off the road while yelling "Hashish" at you could be tricky!

That said, the Mediterranean coast is great - but better to reach along the coast rather than driving up from the South through the Rif.

That's the only downside to Morocco - apart from the usual overdevelopment along the coast... To have a day in a costal 'tourist' area which hasn't been trashed try Essaouira if you need to give the family a break from 4x4 (some people seem to like to spend time away from the car apparently!)

On the ferry - get a cabin in the middle of the ship - we got put in the bow in a force 10 - when I finally got them to move us I could hardly get into the cabin to collect our bags - it was like being in an out of control lift with someone hammering on all the sides!

Even on the pistes there is a surprising amount of traffic - local taxis, trucks etc, so don't worry too much about getting stuck with a breakdown in the desert. As long as you have a little French (or a phrasebook!) you will be able to chat to passing drivers (if you are parked they may well check to see if you are ok on a piste) and you will find people are very friendly and used to 4x4s - but they are also used to Swiss 4x4 drivers paying outrageous prices for bread etc in villages on the pistes - apparently the Swiss don't negotiate - people kept telling us 'that's what the Swiss give us' - three euros for a flat-bread etc!

Get the Marokko Topo maps for GPS - GPS Vector Map Morocco
and you can use them for checking you are on the right road even if you don't plan to do remote pistes - getting the right road out of towns can be as difficult as any navigation (and in Spain it's a real problem - very poor signposts in Spanish cities)

The last thought is to pack a couple of 5 litre water bottles from the supermarket - that way if the kids (or you) have stomach problems then you have 'safe' water which doesn't taste odd - trying to get a sick child to drink water tasting of chlorine tabs might be a problem! Otherwise the water should be fine, but obviously be sensible - a dirty tap in a toilet in a filling station might not be the best place to fill up!

And above all - have a good time - Morocco is a great destination with really friendly people and good Land Rover mechanics! (look for smart, clean garages and you should be fine - many are tidier than a British garage!)

Have fun!
Tony

Just got back and all the points are covered. But try and drive the 501 over the High Atlas pass its a great road. On route 31 from MK over the mountains you get lots of chaps jumping out of the shadows trying to sell you Crystals its all good fun but they do get worringly close to the vehicles.

Found A metro cash and carry in Marakech just show your passport and they give you a temporary pass. Full of fresh produce and bulk buy water etc.

Enjoy, its a crazy beutiful place and well worth a visit. The road from Marakech to the coast feels dangerous so just take it easy.:cool4: