Morocco (coastal) in Aug

[AP Adventure]

Hello,

I'm planning for a trip through Morocco and hopefully more in roughly a month. Unfortunately July-August is the only time I can leave and travel as I will have to be back in Europe some time around the start of September.

The temperature in Morocco and the whole of North Africa is very hot during these two months; my question is: is it so hot that it's going to prohibit one from traveling during that time?

I will be traveling solo on a motorcycle and plan to mostly drive along the coast reaching Dakar.

Thanks a lot for your time.

[IanC]

I've been there in August a long time ago, though I was mainly on tarmac to Nouadhibou (nearly!) and back. So not much hard work and plenty of draught :-)

I'd say it's doable but not particularly pleasant if you're working hard off-road. Though it will be a lot better than being inland.

[tony johnston]

The problem will be how to get cool at the end of your day.nylon tents will be a nightmare.do you have to get to Dakar or,can you not pick say three or four centres to stay and ride out from.you could be on the road by 6am,back for a sleep and then up again for an evening ride even though the sun will go down early.bottled water can be found on all the roads but be careful about salts loss.stay away from any thoughts of off roading on your own at that time of year.enjoy please

[AP Adventure]

Thank you very much for your answers.

I am seriously considering the possibility of putting off the Morocco trip and going for something lighter but nonetheless exciting like a Balkan trip down to Turkey (I will be departing from Northern Italy).

Happy riding

[Tim Cullis]

Turkey won't be any cooler. Nor Spain. Don't know about the Balkans.

I've been to Morocco in the summer months several times and on one of these I turned back. You could be very lucky with shade temperatures in the low 30s. Or normal with high 30s. Or very very hot with low 40s—at this stage you have to ride with your visor closed otherwise it's like playing a hairdryer into your face. The record for Marrakech is 49.7ºC.

The real problem is these are just shade temperatures and you need to add the effect of the sun. You must NOT wear a black jacket, you need light colour especially on the shoulders. And ideally a lightweight 'air' type suit. Soaking your jacket and trousers with water every hour or so helps refrigerate your body, so carry spare tap water for this.

It's vital to cool your body over night, so ideally you need hotels with a swimming pool and air conditioning. Chug-a-lug a half litre of water as you set off each day in the pre-sunrise twilight—it could already be 25ºC—and have breakfast an hour or so later. As Tony suggests above, try to find somewhere to swim and snooze in the middle of the day (2pm to 7pm).

The coast and the mountains are cooler. You need to be drinking 3-4 litres of water per day. Ask the hotel to stick the next day's water into the freezer. Beware of drinking Ciel bottled water (by Coca Cola) as it has so much chlorine you can be sick. Sidi Harazem is also rich in minerals—I'm told it's good for cleaning false teeth!

It's reckoned that by the time you feel thirsty you are already dehydrated, yet just 5% affects your judgement. The following exchange of texts between me and my wife in July 2011 indicate how it can creep up on you (and this was in northern Morocco).

Tim: Don't want to worry you but I'm not very well mentally at the moment which
is probably why I've 'retreated' to Azrou. Confused thoughts, can't remember what
I've been doing, much thinking going off at tangents.

Irene: Can you go to the people you know there who will be sympathetic? I don't
think you should be on your own if you are feeling vulnerable. Could you stay at
xxxxxxx? Let me know when you get this.

Tim (next day): I've realised it's dehydration. I've listened to my notes on my
voice recorder and my speech is frighteningly devoid of expression and very slow.
Since then I've drunk one litre of coke, 1.5 litres of water, five banana milkshakes
and will keep pumping in liquids and salt/sugar the remainder of today.

The point in the exchange above is that despite my past experience of dehydration, once it hits you lose the ability to detect that you are in trouble.

[tony johnston]

Ride the old road along the Black Sea,a fab route.Then Trebzond and up thro the mountains to Erzerum,dowm to the Med and all the way back to Istanbul along the coast

[AP Adventure]

Thank you very much Tony and Tim (I have checked out morocco-knowledgebase, truly a treasure trove of info on Morocco).

Tim, your experience especially seems quite troubling, which is why I have ultimately decided to discard the Morocco/NA trip for the time being, and postpone it until I can depart with more favorable weather conditions.

I have purchased a map of the Balkans and some (I had most of what I needed in that regard) camping equipment; I am also in the process of acquiring an old Yamaha XT 600 which I will use for my travel.

[priffe]

Altitude is your friend