Morroco in November
 

Yes I know the days will be short, but the day time temp's will still be nice.

So three to four weeks in Morocco on my own bike a Honda CB500X

I'll get a green card on arrival, so I will need four weeks of travel insurance in case of a problem. Any recommendations for this.

Plus I picked this up somewhere

Cueta - Chefchaouen - Fez - Erfoud - Todra Gorge - Boumaine du Dades - Ouazazate - Marrakech - Tizi n'Test Pass - Taroudant - Agadir - Essaouira - Rabat - Tangier - Cueta

I will travel with a sleeping bag, mattress and tent, but would prefer to stay in cheap places with a room and bed.

Any advice will be welcome, I was planning to ride to India but my Iranian visa was rejected, and now I have other plans for later in the year and early new year.
I can speak perfect French and English and a few local words also which is handy.

Sounds like you are all set. Beware that many of the road numbers changed in 2018 and Google has yet to pull its corporate finger out and update its Maps product. Apple Maps and OpenStreetMap are up to date.

I always recommend getting off the RN (national) routes and instead travel on RR (regional) and RP (provincial) routes instead where possible.

This is a route plan starting in Fez and heading south through the Middle Atlas that incorporates lakes, karst scenery, 'little Switzerland', volcanos, wild monkeys, cedar forest and a massive river formation, finishing at Khenifra.

The altitude varies between the 400m of Fez reaching 1750m at Ifrane and ending at 1000m in Khenifra. Despite being a route through the mountains the Middle Atlas is very much a plateau highland with no steep ascents and few dropoffs. The route map is at https://tinyurl.com/fez-khenifra

From Khenifra travel east towards Midelt and then on to Erfoud. Alternatively head south for Imilchil and Agoudal where I have stayed several times at Auberge Ibrahim. All these routes are sealed and easy riding on quiet roads.

--------------------

Leave Fez on the RN4, there are some cave houses that you *could* visit in Bhalil but they are not easy to find as most have house-like outbuilds at the front which makes them look like ordinary houses. If you are a fan of Itchy Boots you will see what they are like in this video.



Sefrou is the cherry capital of Morocco and has a medina with crenulated walls, good place for your first coffee stop. As you climb slightly from Sefrou towards Annoceur you might spot huge kilns on the right of the road which is where the local limestone is 'cooked' with the local cedar wood to make quicklime that it used for building cement. Quicklime was at one time used for theatre stage lighting, hence 'in the limelight' expression.

Past Annoceur take a right onto the RP5106 through an area of orchards with nets over the trees against the frost. Take the right fork at the next two junctions heading for Dayet Aoua (dayat is a seasonal lake, which might be full or empty). Pass by the left side of the lake, then when you reach the main RN8 road turn left for Ifrane (pronounced ee'fran), crossing a bleak karst limestone plateau.

You pass the beautiful university of Al Akhawayn as you enter Ifrane, lessons here are given in English and there are many foreign students as well as the children of affluent Moroccans.



Ifrane was built in the 1920s during the French protectorate very much in the model of the British hill stations of India, to give families somewhere to retreat to in the melting pot of summer. Ifrane can get heavy snow in the winter and the houses have steep roofs in the style of the French Vosges mountains which is why Ifrane gets referred to as 'little Switzerland'—but should really be called 'little France'!

I've then shown a little detour to the right to Ain Vittel (ain is spring, Vittel is one of the mineral waters of Morocco). On this detour you descend through a water meadow which is a popular picnic spot for locals, then end up at a (normally) impressive little waterfall.

Regaining the road you will pass the lion of Ifrane on the right (carved from a limestone outcrop in the early 1930s), carry straight on with what is now the RR707, you might then get a glimpse the King's palaces through the trees to the left. Fork right at the next junction onto the RP7231, driving through the cedar trees. After about 5km take a small road to the left signposted Michlifen and you will start to descend into the caldera of an extinct volcano which is used as a ski resort in winter months. You ascend via a separate road passing the King's ski lodge on the way.

As you approach the main RN13 you will probably make out other ski runs on the side of Jebel Hebri to your left, this is another volcano. Turn right (north) onto the main road and after about 4km you will reach a crossroads with souvenir huts where you are more or less guaranteed to see the macaca sylvanus monkeys (aka Barbary apes).



More to see and do around Azrou: In praise of Azrou and the Middle Atlas mountains

From the 'monkey crossroads' take the P7217 opposite the sales huts, this is a lovely quiet and relaxing drive through the cedar forest. It's very much a volcanic zone and you will see many volcanic vents that have plugged and filled with water (aguelmam).

When you reach the junction with the P7311 you could turn right/north for another coffee in Ain Leuh. Ain means spring, leuh is wood, and the 'spring of wood' name refers to the huge quantity of high quality cedar in the area. Otherwise turn left/south and after a while you will reach source of the Oum er Rbia (mother of springtime) river. Most of Morocco's rivers rise in the Middle Atlas which is known as the 'Tower of Water' and the Oum er Rbia is Morocco's longest river.

You need to park and walk gently uphill for about ten minutes until you see the river emerging, fully formed, from the rocks. There will undoubtely be a chance for more refreshments here, but probably steeper prices.



Regaining the P7311 route continue south with an optional detour to Aguelmame Azigza that in the summer months is a popular wild camping area for the locals and visitors alike. This video starts at Azigza, then shows the drive to Oum er Rbia.



Continue south to the junction with the P7306 where you turn right/west. You are still in the beautiful cedar forest but as you descend towards Khenifra the cedars give way to the evergreen holm oaks that are found at lower altitudes. I have waypointed the Atlas Zayane hotel which is an adequate but rather modern soul-less place, so if anyone finds somewhere nicer to stay I'd love to know.

Zayane is the name of one of the Amzigh tribes (the King's mother is Zayane). In 1914 the Zayane confederation won a large battle at Hebri, south of the town, against the French who lost 600 troops, more info at Wikipedia Zaian War

Thanks Tim, I PM'd you a few days back on UK GS ER, but guessed I would catch you here. much appreciated.

November weather can be a lottery, last year most of November was low 30’s, I’ve never had really bad weather in November.

Lac afenourir near Azrou has completely dried out since May, there’s also a big new reserve for wildlife between the main road and the lake. but there’s so many good little roads and tracks there’s always something to see

Ha... just seen your message on UKGSer.

Happy to help with any other advice. Mainly, get off the main roads and find the real Morocco. With good French you will have no problems.

Thanks
 

Thanks Tim for sharing all this experience.
I hope that I can use it i the future.
Even I can't go to Marocco now...it is on my wish list.
Then this will be very valuable
:thumbup1:

Thanks very much:thumbup1:

Hi Rowsi:

Tim has given you great advice in his lengthy post above, there's not much any of us can add to that.

Based on what you wrote in your first post (language skills, you understand the vehicle insurance requirement, etc.) it sounds like you will have no problems at all. Lodging in smaller villages is usually quite inexpensive so you should have no problem sleeping "indoors" if you don't want to pitch your tent.

You wrote "I will need four weeks of travel insurance in case of a problem." I'm guessing that you mean personal health & accident insurance. I think the easiest way to get that cover would be to buy it from a provider in your country of residence or your country of citizenship.

FYI, there are ATMs all over Morocco that accept bank cards (debit cards) associated with the Maestro or Cirrus ATM networks. So no need to travel with a lot of cash, you can always find an ATM nearby and suck some local cash out of it. Typically the ATMs charge a flat fee (maybe €2 or similar) for each transaction, so make just a few larger withdrawals, rather than multiple small withdrawals.

Have a great trip!

Michael

Thanks Pan, noted.

A little very gentle offroad experience.

Have a look at this map and you will see some round things. These are huge deep volcanic vents that litter the landscape south of Azrou. I am very much into plate tectonics, volcanos and earthquakes, so these fascinate me.

If you would like a little exploration, when you reach Jebel Hebri volcano, turn left onto the RN13 instead of right, then take a track on the right about 800-1000m further on. These vents are about 1.5km down the track.

In Itchy Boot's drone video below you can see an aerial view of Jebel Hebri on the right of the screen at 5:22. And then at 6:30 you see the track I mention above and also the volcanic vents.



More on the volcanic landscapes of the Middle Atlas. 'Ha' on the map is Jebel Hebri and the triangles are the vents.

ATMs
 

Attijarawafa Bank ATM limit is now 8000 MAD per day.

OK so a plan is formulating, boat to France in my Van mid October with Motorbike and Bicycle inside. Go to Belgium, then South of France for a weeks cycling, drive then to a brother in law who lives near Toulouse, leave van there and ride down to south of Spain where I will get the boat to Morocco, I will then stay 21 to 28 days riding around taking my time. Then boat back a few days back to Van and come home. I guess in total two months.

Moroccan road numbers
 

To quote the great Mark Harf: 'Ymmv' but...
Even before the 2018 change, in my experience road numbers had little value on the ground and not much more in the planning stage. Most travellers are looking for a destination name not a road number, and unlike UK and Europe, in southern Morocco road numbers rarely appear on road signs, be they at junctions or showing distances. Older mileposts do show, but many are barely legible now. The only place you'll find road numbers is on maps: old and new and online.
Knowing – or wondering if – you're riding the R504 now called the RN4 will be near impossible to ascertain from roadsigns and of little value compared to a sign saying 'Foum Zguid 87 [km]', for example. Or whether the road is asphalt or gravel – best done by scanning ESRI (Apple, Bing) aerial imagery.

In most cases the 2018 shake up only changed the prefix, so the 'N10' became the 'RN10' etc, but elsewhere if there was a new number, I am fairly certain no one has gone around Morocco updating mileposts and occasional road signs. Certainly not in the south.

Nevertheless, worth mentioning that since the 2019 edition, the popular RK-H map (2023 edition, imo barely changed) shows both old and new numbers which is probably the best way to do it. It would be good if Google did something similar, but it doesn't help that maroute, the state's official road incident/closure website/app uses Google mapping.

Uh, I think there is a flaw in your plan, and the flaw is that if you leave the van in Toulouse at the beginning of November, then spend a month or so riding down to Morocco & riding around Morocco, that then takes you into mid December for the beginning of your ride north back to Toulouse.

It might be awfully friggin' cold in Spain then. There is some pretty high ground between getting off the ferry from Morocco and arriving in Toulouse, and you might encounter some winter weather at higher elevations.

What you might want to consider instead is riding south from Toulouse to Morocco at the start of your trip, but instead of taking the short ferry from Tanger Med to Algeciras when you return, take the ferry that runs from Tanger Med to Barcelona. That way, you only have a 400 km ride to get back to Toulouse, instead of a 1,400 km ride, and you avoid the need to cross mountain ranges & high plateaus on the return trip.

The Tanger Med to Barcelona ferry is operated by GNV, an Italian outfit, and it runs twice a week (Mondays & Wednesdays). I've taken that ferry before, it's not exactly what I would call a "luxury trip" - the route caters mostly to Moroccan families resident in Europe who are visiting friends & family back home.

I do suggest you book a private cabin so you can enjoy some peace & quiet and get a decent sleep during the passage. Trust me on this, the boat is noisy & full of kids. A private cabin is not cheap, but it is absolutely worth the price.

NB I have also ridden south from Madrid to Algeciras in mid-March - roughly the same climatic conditions as mid-December - and froze my nuts off during the first two-thirds of the trip, despite riding a fully faired Honda PanEuropean with heated grips, a heated seat, and wearing a heated vest.

Michael

Point taken, I will see. Thanks, I am fairly used to riding in Northern Europe all year round. But yes a point well made.

No doubt about it: inland on your way south for the variety of nice riding, scenery, history, etc. But hug the coast heading north a month or more later, and if you’re lucky you won’t hit too much cold or rain. Time that last bit crossing the border around whatever inclement weather might be predicted.

I once hit heavy snowfall just slightly inland at minimal elevation in November: forward progress plummeted, it got dark, I got lost and marginally hypothermic. Try not to schedule too tightly.

Hope that’s helpful.

Mark

That was indeed my plan, for Spain I guess you mean.

So, loading bike into Van today and leaving tomorrow, hope to be in Morocco by the 7th of November, if anyone else is around and wants to hook up for a day or two..

Do I take the tent? Do I take sandals or trainers for apres Moto, I will have enough clothes for cold temps.

New tyres fitted Mitas E07+ which are probably more adventurous as far as terrain is concerned than I will be...

Anything Else?

If hooking up is your plan, best take some condoms

+1 re what Michael said .November in mid Spain is / can be flipping freezing .

For sure, going northbound from Algeciras to Toulouse via the eastern coast will result in "less cold" temperatures than a straight shot north through the middle of the country, but the economics don't favour doing that vs. taking the ferry from Tanger Med to Barcelona.

It's about a 1,200 km ride from Algeciras to Toulouse via the eastern coast if you stick to the coast (meaning, go through Cartagena, Benidorm, etc.). Although that ride can be a really enjoyable one - it's very scenic - those roads are not expressways, so you will need at least 3 days and 2 nights to make that trip. Add up the cost of fuel, meals, and 2 nights hotel enroute, and it's pretty much the same as the cost of the ferry from Tanger Med to Barcelona.

You are an experienced traveller, so it's your call how to do the return trip, but based on my own experiences, one tends to get a wee bit tired of it all at the end of a long tour, and sometimes it's best just to eliminate as many undesirable variables (meaning, winter weather) as possible on the homeward bound portion of the trip. Keep in mind that there is one variable that you cannot avoid, and that is the weather on the Barcelona to Toulouse portion of the trip. Unless you elect to do a lengthy detour through Girona and Perpignan, you are going to have to cross the Pyrenees on your way to Toulouse.

One last "head's up": Double-check to ensure that your insurance policy includes coverage for Andorra, that little gas station & discount cigarette shop country on the border between Spain & France. Many European-issued policies don't include cover for Andorra, which appears as 'AND' on the green card. It is an unusual exception to normal insurance policy practices.
Personally, I wouldn't bother. Accomodation in Morocco is quite inexpensive, and not having to carry the tent, sleeping bag, and all that other crap will greatly reduce your baggage load and logistic/security concerns. Not to mention that at this time of year, days are short, and I don't think you want to be setting your tent up in the dark, or cutting your daily activities short in order to set the tent up during daylight hours.

Have a great trip!

Michael

Good advice. Thanks

I have made it to mainland Europe, now in Belgium. South of France this coming weekend. Then head off.

Morning, today is the day I set off, had the bike serviced in Carcasone yesterday. Today, just before the bad weather sets in I will cross the Pyrenees and head down a bit into inland Spain.

Well, inland Spain was an adventure I ride through storm Ciaran in one memorable day. One of the hardest I ever put on a bike. Arrived at Tarifa and have boat to Tangier tomorrow morning. Once there I'll start following my itinerary....

Now in Chefchoen, nice place, still need to find a map of the country. And my Maroc Télécom sim card is not working properly and I have not been able to suss it out yet.
Fun and games

Well done for getting through the storm in one piece, the winds have been fierce! Good luck with getting yourself sorted, please take photos :)

Now into Fez, took a fairly back road way, virtually no traffic, and some nice views. Will stay here tomorrow too so I can look around, if I get bored I will go for a spin for an hour or two.
photos, I'll sort something out

The French language ‘thing ’was a bit of a mystery to us.
My wife speaks fairly good French so we thought we’d be fine but, apart for officials and one posh hotel no one seamed to speak it. They all spoke Arabic.
In the north they spoke Spanish, everywhere else they spoke English more than French.
My wife’s farther was a fluent French speaker, having lived there, so her accent is excellent - French people think she is French until they realise that she’s not fluent so it wasn’t an accent thing.
I’d be interested to know other peoples experience.
Oh! And a proper write up please……including photos ������

I made the same experience, currently in Morocco. I m Swiss and I speak fluently French, although with the typic accent. Best chance to find French speaker is asking older men, generation 50+. They learnt in school or even worked in France.

French, indeed I speak very good french but actually have still to find many here who can get past the basics, not a problem just a remark.

I got ripped off in fez someone broke into my room and skimmed off a bit if cash. I told the owner but did not go to the police, did not fancy the possibility of rough justice. Just a glitch in my trip.

I arrived in Erfoud yesterday and today had a great spin on and off road. Tomorrow I head off to todra gorge and boumalne Dada. I'm pretty much following Tim's route, actually so far I am.

https://balooz.com/begians-in-the-desert/

For today's photos, I met a bunch of Belgians

Just some clips from today

_____________________________________

EDIT by Tim Cullis, I edited your video link and it now plays. What you had before was
{YOUTUBE}{url}https://youtu.be/Q6H8CLFi0Uc?si=8RNDnCjsok7Prg24{/url}{/YOUTUBE}
(except I changed '[' to '{' so you can see the code).

All you should have between the opening and closing Youtube bits is the actual video reference which in your case is Q6H8CLFi0Uc

So what I have changed it to above is {YOUTUBE}Q6H8CLFi0Uc{/YOUTUBE}

Hope this makes sense

I am two weeks in
Chefchoen 2 days
Fez 2 Days
Erfoud 2 Days
Boumalne Dades 4 Days
Tata 1 Day
Tafraoute 3 Days

Well now, I am pondering, either head down to Tan Tan and maybe a quick jaunt into Western Sahara. Or, more likely, tomorrow Tiz n Test pass, staying in the countryside, then some r and r at Essaouira. Before deciding on the return leg, possibly back through the Atlas

Any ideas, recommendations?

If i was you i would give Tan Tan a miss, there is nothing there. and go to Sidi Ifini. The most relaxed place in maroc ! stop at Hotel Bel view ( by park at the top) you can get bear at the hotel and eat the best fish at the market .
I stopped here for 8 days doing nothing , highly recomended !
Kbeer

You could head for Sidi Ifni first, on the Atlantic coast due west of Tafraoute. This was a Spanish possession until 1969 and there's a lot of lovely Art Deco buildings. My favourite hotel there is Suerte Loca (crazy luck), in which rooms are from about 200dh.

On one trip I intended to stop two nights in Suerte Loca and ended up spending eleven! Some photos.

Down the steps from Suerte Loca to the sea level is a beach bar in the grounds of the Hôtel Ait Baamrane where I like to watch the sun go down whilst sipping a beer.

EDIT: Ha! So two of us were typing at the same time, with the same recommendation!

Off to maroc on tuesday for my 56th time, but backpacking this time and i will be going to the best place ! Sidi Ifini for a "few " days
Keith

With the weather forecasted to get cold next week I would take that into consideration when planning.

Some of Moroccos best desert tracks are in the triangle from Tantan, Smara and Assa. I’m heading across that way over the next 3 days

A lot depends (as always) on your interests and abilities, but "head down to Tan Tan and maybe a quick jaunt into Western Sahara" suggests a couple of long days without much in the way of scenery or cultural interest in order to tag the Western Sahara. With a limited amount of time in Morocco, I'd skip it unless you have a compelling reason you're not revealing [edit to add: like for example solo exploration of tracks out on the desert, per The Warden]. The haul from Tan Tan Plage to Tarfaya and from Tarfaya to Laayoune is hasn't as much to offer as elsewhere.

IMHO, of course.

Off to Maroc Monday with a friend, driving my Spanish-plated Panda 4x4, am staying at Suerte Loca the nights of 25 and 26 November, maybe also 27 before moving on the Tafraoute.

Definite dip in the weather coming, yesterday in the Spanish mountains it was 24ºC with hot sun, next week just 14ºC, but still with sun.

Morocco is predicting a similar dip but from a higher starting point, with forecasts for next week of Rabat 20ºC, Marrakech 22ºC, Sidi Ifni 19ºC.

Seeing as London might be as low as 9ºC I'm quite content. :Beach:

Ooh I stopped looking as there seemed no interest. Anyway all good I am still here. Today in imilchil and it is fecking chilly indeed. I am heading north and heading home. I guess a few days left. Had a bit of bother off road alone yesterday, but I survived. The cb500x has been great, and happy enough off road too, until I dropped it thrice....

https://youtu.be/2o90XfCNz2M?si=rxf0Gi2kNgbcIHG1

Made it to Fez after getting lost off road, happily a Berber family set me right, great experience.

I guess I might go to chefchoen then the boat. Any other ideas, is Tangier worth a night?

I said it was getting cold in the mountains!

If you've done Chef then Tangier is well worth a visit and a little closer to the port for onwards travel

Tangier is definitely worth a night.try and stay in the old town and enjoy the street food and the old medina :scooter: