Morocco
 

Hey all,

Im after some information, I am planning a trip to Morocco in June this of this year and wondered if anyone on the forum has already done something similar and can pass on any advise about what to wear, what to take, what not to forget and what to look out for. etc.

all and any info welcome.

my website MAD TOURS details where I am planning on going whilst in Morocco.

many thanks

Martyn:palm:

Hi Martin
Welcome to the hub

I went last year and yes it will be HOT
This is about the best place for info about Morocco

Morocco and NW Africa - ::. UKGS'er.com .::

And the only advice I would give any one is to ride nice and slow out there or they will get you!!!!!!!!!! If you think there are some bad drivers in this country you ant seen nothing yet :eek3:


Link to my phots
Bob Fred's Photos - Morocco | Facebook

Hi Martin

After spending too long listening to Tim Cullis' extremely interesting talk on Morocco at last year's HU meeting, I also am planning to ride there, but later than you, in about September. The summer temperatures should have dropped a bit by then and the Atlas Mountains shouldn't be too cold. My daughter and her boyfriend are going next week and will travel around the country by train and bus. I have no real plans of where to go whilst over there only I will be taking my Pan so gravel is most definitely out for me.

Bob

I really enjoyed your photos. I guess I should ride my R100GS-PD, like you did, but it won't be ready in time.

Paul

Morocco June
 

Hey.
June!
Take lots of water bottles and suncream!
Have a good trip though, pop into "Bikers Home" in Ouarzazate if you get a chance, great pancakes!
Dave.

Hot.. very hot..
 

June will be hot.. so yes, ensure you have lots of water and drink plenty..

There are lots of posts on the ukgser site and somewhere on there a guide about getting through the custom's areas and what forms etc you need and what its likley to cost.. help to avoid getting ripped off.

Can still be pretty cold at night as lack of cloud cover in the evenings mind..

Lots of new tarmac been put in over past couple of years and lot of former piste now smooth as silk.

All the best..

John

I've been in June before (and July and August) and on the assumption that it will be hot would suggest the following

1. Keep your body clock on Spanish time (two hours later than Morocco) so that you get up before first light and are on the road by dawn.

2. Try to get to your destination mid afternoon latest. A swimming pool is more important than a bar!

3. The Atlas Mountains and the Atlantic coast are likely to be more bearable, avoid places like Zagora and Erg Chebbi which might be 50+ degrees.

4. Take a hydration rucksack and plan to drink a minimum of 4 litres of water per day (dehydration affects riding concentration).

5. Take a buff to wear across your mouth/nose to stop wind and sun burn and generally keep things cooler. Lip salve as well.

Tim

You're going to have such a good time - Morocco is a brilliant place to stretch your touring feet - I went last year (Journey To Morocco - just in case ;-)) and it was fantastic.

I can't recommended the HUBB search tool enough - there's a wealth of information here on HUBB for Morocco - it's a recurring thread and someone always has something new to add - so have a look through the older threads to glean some useful information.

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/search.php

The biggest thing for me was knowing how much things cost and being firm with 'guides'. If you're confident then go look for a hotel yourself, don't get led around by a guide who deposits you at a carpet shop! Water is very cheap, but you'll get stung - no way to avoid it - expect to pay anything up to 10 euros but it can be bought as cheap as 1 - always check the seal on the bottle.

You may find the tourist parts of the country difficult at first, but once you're past those it really opens up, the people get more friendly and the countryside blows you away.

Tims Morocco database was my first port of call - Morocco GS Knowledgebase - ::. UKGS'er.com .:: - and you'll get lots of information from there you'll find invaluable. When you enter Morocco it's probably worth paying for someone to take you through - watch them carefully and learn - then on the way back give it a go yourself :-)

Get lots of small denominations of cash - only having 100 and 200 MAD notes means you have to pay quite large 'tips' - I always found 50 sufficient - less in smaller towns or where someone had just shown me to a hotel - sometimes you have to be quite firm and say thank you quite a lot before your guide gets the message you just wanted him to show you a hotel and here's a euro!

How long you going for?

m

I will be out in morocco next week so I will let you know when I get back. I am going to be on 4 wheels though but I cant see that should make too much difference. We are flying out to marrakech hirring a car heading out to ouzarate (so i will check out bikers rest) then through the mountians and across to essorioa on the coast b4 heading back to marakech for the last 2 days. Ive booked the accomadation off the net and it all looks great and seems very reasonably priced. I took matts advice on the guides and parking attendants issue but as with all arab africa you need to stand your ground and not get bothered by things as its such a different way of life.

:cool4:

Matt is a bit generous, so here are some guidelines!

€1 is currently worth 11 dirham, and £1 is 15 dirham. The best way to make change is to ask for 120dh of fuel (cent vingt dirham SVP) and give 200dh. This way you get a 50dh and 20dh note and a 10dh coin in your change.

When wondering how much to give someone or pay for things, bear in mind that a manual labourer in Morocco earns 80-100dh per day, whilst a woman doing menial work may earn only 40dh.

In deciding how much to pay an overnight parking guardian I take into account how many vehicles he is looking after (and can expect to earn) and pay either 5dh or 10dh. Once I was asked for 40dh, so I took back what I had given and refused to pay anything.

A pack of cheapo chocolate biscuits costs 0.50dh, a loaf of bread is 1.10dh. For 2dh you can get a local equivalent of a KitKat bar. A 1.5-litre bottle of water is 4.5 to 5.5dh, tea about 3 or 4dh, milky coffee 5dh. A tin of sardines is 3dh. For a good guide to other prices stop off at a Marjane hypermarket.

Tim

A salaam o alaikum

The HUBB is stuffed with info on Morocco. Just be cautious in the Rif mountain area, especially if you go off the main roads. There are various accounts of serious trouble there, from hashdealers and police accomplices. However, Morocco is changing very fast and this problem may be lessened. But youre right to see Morocco now, for it's becoming less "exotic", year by year, than it was. I love it however, and visit when I can, by bike or flight.

It's still amazing to find such a different culture so close to Europe.

Oh! and brush up your French or Arabic before leaving.

tim,

you are the hero. thanks for the prices. would be really helpful.

Also quite useful to learn a few words of Arabic, makes everything cheaper, and makes life easier in general. If nothing else, just a few greetings and numbers. I'm not as experienced as others in desert travel, but I found that down south, a lot of prices were only displayed in Arabic numerals.


http://www.dar-us-salam.com/images/l...NumberBook.jpg

Besides, you can never have to many arrows in your quiver!


Joel

PS - I agree strongly with the chapstick advice! One without lanolin preferably.

It has been said! Knowing how much stuff costs is really really handy though.

m