First time in Morocco on the bike - advice welcome

[verymad]

Hello all

I was hoping to get feedback ion my itinerary from those who know Morocco better than I do. I will be riding a CRF 250.

I have a free day either in Ouarzazate or in Erg Chebbi. Which of the two places would be better to spend it?

Is there insurance available to buy at the Tanger Ville port (I have seen many reports that it is at Tanger Med, but Tanger Ville is a separate port 50km away).

Itinerary below - open to your advice and suggestions on good places to overnight:

Friday 24th - Seville to Tarifa - after work. 200km / 2.5hrs. Overnight in Tarifa.
Weekend 25/26th - Overnight in Tangier with friends (can't change this)
Monday 27th - ride to Chechaouen - explore in day and head to Fes for the night.
Tuesday 28th - Ride from Fes through Rif mountains to Erfoud or Erg Chebbi (7-8 hours)
Weds - Ride to Ouarzazate via Merzouga, Todgha Gorge and Boumalne Dades (6hr / 400km)
Thurs - Rest day or day trip from Ouarzazate
Fri - Ouarzazate to Afourar or Beni-Mellal via tizi-n-tichka pass
Sat - On to Meknes for the night
Sun - Leave early for Tangiers and return ferry. 5hr drive (300km) so leave at 8am to arrive by 1pm at ferry port. Then another 2hrs / 160km from Tarifa to Malaga. Aim to reach Malaga by 7pm.

[mossproof]

Regarding your free day, Ouarzazate is a large town with cafes, restaurants, shops etc. Short trip out to Findt oasis is ok if you want a small diversion out of town. Erg Chebbi is a big pile of sand covered in quad biking tourists and camels (or at least was pre covid when I last passed through). It does/did have a free motor museum dedicated to old 4x4s, but there's not a great deal there to occupy yourself with other than looking for a quiet dune to photograph!
Keep an eye on the weather reports - it's a bit changeable at the moment. Main thing is to stay as flexible as you can.
Safe trip!

[Tim Cullis]

The last time I passed through Tanger Ville (three years ago), the insurance office was inside the passenger terminal.

You are not doing yourself any favours with the itinerary which doesn't really allow much time for you to get a feel for Morocco, you are on the bike an awful lot, and you are planning distances that are more suitable for larger capacity bikes.

For example, riding after sunset is a real no-no in Morocco; sunset in Fez on 27 Feb will be 19:14, so you need to leave Chefchaouen at 14:30 to allow for a couple of stops having coffee or taking photos on the way to Fez. However in the morning it's going to take three hours to ride to Chefchaouen from Tanger, so if you leave Tanger at 09:00 you will have two and a half hours in Chefchaouen.

I normally suggest to people they don't stop in major cities like Fez or Marrakech unless they are going to spend at least half the next day exploring. Otherwise you will be fighting your way through the evening rush hour trying to find your hotel, only to do the same in reverse the next morning.

The Rif mountains are near Chefchaouen, so on 28 you will be riding through the Middle Atlas mountains. With toilet/coffee/food/fuel/photo stops you are probably looking at over nine hours, so hit the road by 09:00 latest, otherwise it will be dark shortly after your arrival at Erg Chebbi.

So my suggestion for 27 Feb would be to head south from Tanger on the A5 motorway to Moulay Bousselham then N27 to Meknes, then N13 to Azrou stopping overnight at either Hotel des Cedres Hotel in the middle of town or Panorama Hotel (both on Google Maps). 330 km and probably seven hours riding plus multiple stops. If you leave Tanger at 09:00 you could be there by 17:45.

The advantage of this is that it cuts 90 minutes off the next day's trek. So for 28 Feb if you start from Azrou at 09:00 you could be at Erg Chebbi (including stops) by 16:30 giving you lots of time to see the wonderful dunes.

And then the next morning you are off again... Your itinerary currently doesn't include time to see the gorges, so this is where I suggest you spend your free day. Visit Gara Medouar (10km west of Rissani) then go via Erfoud to visit the khetteras (medieval underground water canals) about 8km west of Jorf, ride up the Todra valley not just as far as the narrow chockpoint of the gorge but 10km or so further up as it's spectacular and hardly anyone goes there. Stop overnight in one of the many hotels in the Todra Gorge.

The next day ride up the Dades Valley about 60km to M'semrir, through the Dades Gorge, up the 'Tisidrin' hairpin bend section, round the 'Grand Canyon'. Have a coffee in M'semrir, and then do this wonderful ride again but in reverse.

On Sunday 5 March the obvious ferry for you to Tarifa leaves at 15:00, you need to be there 30-60 mins beforehand so leaving Meknes at 08:00 is probably OK. Spain is one hour ahead so you probably won't make the 7pm target for Malaga.

[markharf]

I'll endorse everything Tim says above: you'll be way too rushed, and you won't have time or energy (or daylight) see much of what you're there to see. I can vouch even for his details, e.g., how far up the Dates and Todra Gorges to ride, when to arrive in the Erg Chebbi dunes, and what it feels like to overnight in Moroccan cities on a hurried trip. You may wonder how I'd know such a thing...

Executive summary: pay attention!

[verymad]

Thank you Tim and Mark, sounds like I need to prioritise and cut my itinerary a little shorter. I will go back to the drawing board with your comments.

Is there any way to find the website or maps listing for the insurance office inside the terminal - the name, opening hours etc?

I'm now taking an evening ferry to Tanger Ville, arriving at 10pm. My accommodation is booked 15 mins from the ferry terminal so counting on having to leave the bike at the port, taking a taxi and heading back the next day to buy insurance.

[Tim Cullis]

Unless things have changed dramatically you and your bike will exit through the hexagonal building at the bottom right. Ride to the roundabout and re-enter the port, the long white building is the passenger terminal and the insurance office was at the extreme left (top) end of this.

I don't know about websites, but there are certainly French language suggestions from google if you search 'assurance tanger ville port'.

[TheWarden]

https://cat.co.ma/fr/assurance-aux-frontieres

The only company authorised to insure foreign vehicles in Morocco

[verymad]

Hi Tim,

I've just taken a closer route at your suggestions which sound great for the most part.

Do you think skipping Chefchaouen and the Rif Mountains I wouldn't be missing too much?

Originally Posted by Tim Cullis

The last time I passed through Tanger Ville (three years ago), the insurance office was inside the passenger terminal.

You are not doing yourself any favours with the itinerary which doesn't really allow much time for you to get a feel for Morocco, you are on the bike an awful lot, and you are planning distances that are more suitable for larger capacity bikes.

For example, riding after sunset is a real no-no in Morocco; sunset in Fez on 27 Feb will be 19:14, so you need to leave Chefchaouen at 14:30 to allow for a couple of stops having coffee or taking photos on the way to Fez. However in the morning it's going to take three hours to ride to Chefchaouen from Tanger, so if you leave Tanger at 09:00 you will have two and a half hours in Chefchaouen.

I normally suggest to people they don't stop in major cities like Fez or Marrakech unless they are going to spend at least half the next day exploring. Otherwise you will be fighting your way through the evening rush hour trying to find your hotel, only to do the same in reverse the next morning.

The Rif mountains are near Chefchaouen, so on 28 you will be riding through the Middle Atlas mountains. With toilet/coffee/food/fuel/photo stops you are probably looking at over nine hours, so hit the road by 09:00 latest, otherwise it will be dark shortly after your arrival at Erg Chebbi.

So my suggestion for 27 Feb would be to head south from Tanger on the A5 motorway to Moulay Bousselham then N27 to Meknes, then N13 to Azrou stopping overnight at either Hotel des Cedres Hotel in the middle of town or Panorama Hotel (both on Google Maps). 330 km and probably seven hours riding plus multiple stops. If you leave Tanger at 09:00 you could be there by 17:45.

The advantage of this is that it cuts 90 minutes off the next day's trek. So for 28 Feb if you start from Azrou at 09:00 you could be at Erg Chebbi (including stops) by 16:30 giving you lots of time to see the wonderful dunes.

And then the next morning you are off again... Your itinerary currently doesn't include time to see the gorges, so this is where I suggest you spend your free day. Visit Gara Medouar (10km west of Rissani) then go via Erfoud to visit the khetteras (medieval underground water canals) about 8km west of Jorf, ride up the Todra valley not just as far as the narrow chockpoint of the gorge but 10km or so further up as it's spectacular and hardly anyone goes there. Stop overnight in one of the many hotels in the Todra Gorge.

The next day ride up the Dades Valley about 60km to M'semrir, through the Dades Gorge, up the 'Tisidrin' hairpin bend section, round the 'Grand Canyon'. Have a coffee in M'semrir, and then do this wonderful ride again but in reverse.

On Sunday 5 March the obvious ferry for you to Tarifa leaves at 15:00, you need to be there 30-60 mins beforehand so leaving Meknes at 08:00 is probably OK. Spain is one hour ahead so you probably won't make the 7pm target for Malaga.