Thanks for your help; i'll make sure to get health insurance and repatriation!

Heat is going to be challenging. I plan on travelling in the morning to avoid quite literally burning. What about connection? How much are the sim cars and how often do you get good connection. I'm adamant to document this trip so it's pretty important for me.

SIM cards a free of charge but some chancers may charge you a bit for setting them up. Data is €1 per GB and the network is generally good. Maroc Telecom is better in remote areas, the organ fe and INWI having the least coverage. In the WS signal is pretty good along the coast road and very patchy inland.

If your from Marseille you will know there’s direct ferries from GNV and Le Meridionale. Although personally I would drive to Algeciras over taking a GNV ferry again.

Leo:

One thing that you need to be aware of, in other words, to fully understand, are the rules concerning temporary importation of your moto into Morocco and the obligation you have to remove the motorcycle from Morocco when you leave the country. I'm not sure that you are familiar with what is involved, so I will try to explain it. Forgive me if you already know about this.

In lesser developed countries (e.g. Ukraine, Turkey, all the North African countries), tourist vehicles are temporarily admitted into the country free of duty and tax, but records are kept of the temporary importation of the vehicle and the owner is obliged by law to remove the vehicle from the country when they leave themselves - otherwise, there are significant financial penalties imposed. The reason for this is that in these countries, there are quite heavy duties and taxes imposed when residents import vehicles, and the countries want to make sure that a tourist does not sell or otherwise leave their vehicle behind when they leave the country.

If all goes well on your trip, there is nothing to worry about: you ride in, customs makes a note in your passport that you came with a vehicle, and when you ride out, customs checks to make sure you are taking your vehicle with you. Where problems arise is when for one reason or another (sickness, injury, accident, pandemic, mechanical breakdown, urgent need to return home due to family emergency) you want or need to leave the country without taking your vehicle with you.

In such cases, you will not be allowed to leave the country without paying substantial fees for import duties, taxes, and fines. Although there are some circumstances in which you may be allowed out without your vehicle (e.g. emergency medical repatriation), you will still be obliged to eventually either get the vehicle out of the country or pay the associated import duties, taxes, and fines.

Do be sure that you understand what your obligations are in this regard, and do be sure that you have a fairly large emergency supply of cash available to you in your home bank account that you can draw on via local ATMs in case things go wrong and you have to get your moto shipped out of the country by truck or other means.

To give you a perspective on what can go wrong, have a look at this post I made about problems I had in Tunisia after I evacuated from the country early in the COVID pandemic and had to leave my moto behind because all the ferry services were shut down: Tunisia - repatriating my moto after the COVID pandemic.

Michael

Paneuropean, you need to keep up with local info! What you have posted is incorrect.

Morocco stopped requiring you to leave with the vehicle many years ago. It has been well documented here. If you wish to leave without your vehicle the you need to complete the work paperwork with customs. The vehicle must leave before 180 day TVIP expires but prior to that the owner can leave freely

We assisted with the repatriation of an injured biker at the beginning of the year. His bike is still in the WS and has another 6 weeks on the TVIP. The right paperwork just needed compeleting. .

Hi Warden:

Thanks for that correction and update, I apologize for posting out of date information.

The general point that I was trying to convey to Leo remains the same, though: that a vehicle owner needs to be financially prepared to recover their vehicle from Morocco (and other countries mentioned) if for some reason they have to unexpectedly leave the country without taking their vehicle with them.

Michael

I'm interested in hearing the reasoning behind driving through spain instead of taking a ferry?

I was going to ask how different travel youtube channels manage to leave their motorbikes there. However, apart from the fact the information is outdated, i'm glad you mentioned it as this wasn't something i had thought about.

I think that what Warden was trying to say is that GNV ferries are a pretty horrible experience and that he would rather travel overland than take another GNV ferry trip.

I understand exactly why he feels this way. I took a GNV ferry from Genoa to Tanger Med 8 years ago. It was a two-day trip with a stop in Barcelona along the way. The vessel was not well maintained, there were safety violations everywhere, the food on board was "less than appealing" and very expensive, and the ferry was packed with Moroccan families (big families, with lots of kids) who were carrying enormous amounts of luggage with them.

It was, in fact, almost hilarious to look at all the cars in the lineup at Genoa waiting to board the ferry. They were jam-packed with goods inside, and the roof of almost every car was piled high with merchandise. See the photo below (my moto is the one on the right) and look at the roofs of the vehicles - they were all like that.

I paid extra for a single cabin (highest category of cabin) for myself, and I am glad I did, because the common areas of the ship were pandemonium most of the time, with kids running & screaming, people sleeping on the floor all over surrounded by their belongings, etc.

You can expect a similar demographic on the ferry from Marseilles. I do recommend you purchase a single cabin for the journey. If you have a choice of ferry companies, DO NOT choose GNV. Having said all that, I recommend that you take a ferry from France rather than riding south to the bottom of Spain. Taking the ferry will avoid a lot of wear and tear on your moto, most especially wear on the tires. It also makes sense to take a ferry from the closest point to where you live because by doing that, you won't be fatigued when you arrive in Morocco. Spain is a big country to have to ride across.

Michael

Boarding the GNV Ferry in Genoa

That was my train of thought. Nearly 4,000 kms there and back from where i am. Would be close to 4 to 5 days, there and back. Can you recommend a reputable ferry company? It would be the first time taking the ferry with my motorbike. Any important things i should know?

GNV ferries are petty old and dirty, food is horribly expensive on board. They also have regular cancellations and long delays. Le Meridionale get better feed back on their service.

An Atlantic Route report to nearly the RIM border from just before Covid.
https://sahara-overland.com/2020/04/...antic-highway/

Desert camping sounds a nice idea but note that WS can be windy 24/7 and one of those huge 'bike hangar' tents will be shaking all night. I'd sooner use roadside lodgings while being prepared to bivi if needed (bag & mat).

It's hard to think a KLR cruising steadily down the deserted Atlantic Route won't get 10k from a set of appropriate tyres like K60s or Mitas E07. It's certainly preferable to lugging spare rubber and bikes have crossed the whole of Africa on a set of these. As it is, successfully sourcing a new tyre in RIM or southern Morocco for anything bigger than a 125 will be extremely unlikely. In my experience any inner tubes you can buy in WS with be paper thin, too. Leave with good tubes or go tubeless.

I seem to recall a 1.5L bottle costs around 50p outside of tourist enclaves. Though hard to carry, a 5 litre bottle will work out even less and tap water is free and fine to drink (except in Layounne iirc, where they transport fresh water in).
Until you get past Dakhla, every settlement will have a shop where you can buy tinned fish, cheese-like triangles, sugary drinks, long-life biscuits and other snacks plus fresh flat bread, sometimes pre-boiled eggs and whatever fresh vegetables are around. The sandwiches below cost me <€2.

Heading out so early in the season, I'd be surprised if you'll feel motivated into continuing into Mauritania which can be a lot rougher than Morocco. To enjoy a good explore of RIM, alone on a moto better to aim for December or January.

I took a packed GNV ferry from TanMed to Sete just prior to Omicron shut down (the last for months) and found it fine. Food was great and no more overpriced than any long-haul ferry (get the pre-paid vouchers). No it's not like hopping over to the Isle of Wight but 'TIA' as they say. In my experience it's exceedingly rare to be expected to share a cabin on a Med ferry with strangers.

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Adventure Motorcycling Handbook 8 • Morocco Overland 3 • Overlanders Handbook 2 • Twit

Would you recommend a smaller, more discrete, low profile tent compared to the "bike hanger" tent I had in mind? A concern I have is leaving the bike outside the tent when camping. Perhaps a smaller tent with a tarp combination for added shade and motorbike protection is more appropriate? I'm saving 5kg on weight as well by switching the set up.

Currently running a mitas 09 rear, and tkc80 front; 100% tarmac and gravel roads for now. Mitas, like you said, is holding up surprisingly well. TKC on the other hand, isn't anything spectacular.

Thanks for your input.

In addition to my previous response, how are the mosquitos in the area?

For years I have politely bitten my lip about these ridiculous 'bike hangar' tents for motorcycle overlanding applications. Thanks for giving me permission to let off stream ;-)
While I would always use a lightweight bike cover (< 500g) when on the road for reasons of bike discretion when camping or lodging, the idea of travelling far with these ungainly Zeppelins seems nuts when you think of the added bulk, weight, cost, erection time and poor stability in winds.
I hear the rationales of 'security' or 'working on the bike in the rain' but they seem lame to me.

That said, I would use a roomy 2-person tent with crossover poles so it stands up by itself in places where there is no nice grass and soft earth for secure pegging. Something like the Hubba Hubba or it's many knock offs so you can fit all your clobber inside overnight. I would also consider a tent which you can erect either the outer only (for rain / more space) or inner only (against insects) but these are harder to find.(Vaude's old Odyssee was one).

You may well find once in the desert it's far more agreeable to lie on your tent than in it.
There are no mozzies in the desert, but there may be as you near Senegal. And anyway, mozzies do not guarantee malaria.

Your tyre choice sounds spot on: longevity on the back and some loose-terrain grip on the slower-wearing front.

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Adventure Motorcycling Handbook 8 • Morocco Overland 3 • Overlanders Handbook 2 • Twit