Road conditions in marocco in March?
 

Hi,

I'm planing a trip by motorbike to marocco in March. I'll have about 4 weeks in country. While I have a bit of off-road experience I do not go there for the dirt roads. I certainly want to see the beauty of the country and some of the more remote places but would prefer to avoid having to mount off-road tires.
Also March is quite early in the year which might mean snow in some places or gravel soaked gravel roads.

I know this is quite a generic question and conditions will vary a lot.
What kind of conditions can be expected in March? Is is recommendable to go on road tires or would this limit me to the really big roads?

Thanks for your thoughts and recommendations.

David

Www.two2cape.ocm

David,

Expect it to be wet, therefore depending on where you are there may be the possibility of mud/gravel slides onto the mountain roads. Very wet weather will see the roads being washed over in the Wadi/Ouds which you will be able to get through with care. Further south it will be much dryer but still not very warm. I did a March trip to Morocco about 7 years ago, the other three I've done since, in Jul/Aug have been better. If you can only go in March still do it, it's a great country, just prepare appropriately. Get the ferry to Tangier Med (not any other) as this is currently the best crossing point.

Enjoy your trip, it's a great place.
Simon

Normally I would say it could rain, but more likely not. It could snow but probably only around Azrou/Ifrane (80km south of Fez). With some luck it will be mainly sunny and in the middle of the day quite warm in the sun, but chilly in the mornings and evenings. If there's no sun it will be chilly all day—viz "Morocco is a cold country with a hot sun."

However weather varies and it's impossible to predict what it will be like, especially in the middle of a massive El Niño oscillation.

The further south you go, generally the warmer it becomes. Keep your eye on weather forecasts for various places in Morocco and if it's cold in the north consider hopping onto the motorway to Marrakech and then over the mountains to warmer climes. My favourite winter destination is Tafraoute in the Anti Atlas mountains, see below (filmed in February).



My first two suggestions for Morocco are always
(1) don't be too ambitious with distances, and
(2) try to avoid the N (national) roads where possible and instead ride on the R (regional) and P (provincial) roads which are both quieter and often more scenic.

N, R and P roads are almost always tarmac. Road tyres will limit you to tarmac or graded pistes. A good compromise choice is a mid tyre such as Metzeler Tourance. Personally I ride Continental TKC 80s most of the time and they are OK on tarmac.

Hi Tim and Simon,

this is exactly the type of information I was looking for.
thank you very much.
I got some almost new Anakee 3 on my bike now. Would say they are quite comparable to the Tourance that you recommended.

Sounds like i could get along with them quite well if I avoid the dirty-dirty roads.

Now my only challenge is to get there. I'm thinking about taking the ferry from Genoa but that means crossing the Alps end of Feb. Well if the winter stays as it is now that would not be an issue. there is another ferry from the south of France but for some strange reason this one seems to suspend operation in March / April.

Will see...
Looking so much forward to it!

David

I might be there in April. (as my trip plans change constantly ).
I will ride down to the Ardèche at easter. I´ll take the route du soleil, down the Rhone valley.
It´ll be a bit chilly in the Rhine Valley and the Jura (as always when I pass there :rain:
But if you are beyond Besancon, the weater will get more and mor pleasant.
In the Provence you take a left turn until Genova, the ferry will take two nights.
From Tangier take the R road to Chefchaouen [tschauwenn].
Take a break, you´ll arrive there at around 1600 o´clock.
If you like a nice 420 friendly hostel run by a scotch guy with his wife and son (who is a hell of a help with everything), book two nights at Daar Scotlandee.
It´s not easy to find, but it´s worth searching.
In Marocco you´ll almost always find a place with acceptable weather.
And this year you can´t forecast anyway, bc. of the El Nino.
You can reach almost all destinations on Tarmac, but sometimes there is roadwork in progress, and the detour is worth a hard cross circuit:thumbup1::palm:
Good luck and I wish you a good time!