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Morocco Jan/Feb 23 Morocco Jan/Feb 23
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Photo by Helmut Koch, Vivid sky with Northern Lights, Yukon, Canada

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Helmut Koch,
Camping under Northern Lights,
Yukon, Canada



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  #1  
Old 7 Dec 2022
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Morocco Jan/Feb 23
I am heading down to Morocco in January for 5-6 weeks, wondering if anyone else is going at the same time and fancies hooking up for part or all of trip? There's a few roads I would like to try that I'm not too keen on doing solo. My bike is a modified Himalayan.I'm familiar with Morocco, my ex is from there, but I've not been for 10 years or so, and not been on the bike before. Im an old fart at 62, but fairly experienced offroad and don't mind long days in the saddle and am fairly impervious to rain, heat or cold. I am planning a mix of camping and cheap hotels.
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  #2  
Old 7 Dec 2022
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dont camp ! hotels are cheap and camp sites are grim + it will be cold at night.
Atlas mountains may have snow and very cold ... go south along coast
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  #3  
Old 11 Dec 2022
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I'm not too bothered about cold, though I will avoid any roads that might have ice on them while I am there. I use the bike through the winter in the UK so have clothing pretty much sorted out alteady. Not too bothered about campsites either, I've done a fair bit of wild camping in Morocco while travelling by car. I will stay in hotels some of the time. Its the desert which is my main focus.
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  #4  
Old 14 Dec 2022
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I've stayed overnight in the Moroccan desert in December and it's not a pleasant experience. It's absolutely bone chilling. In addition, the road over the Atlas mountains can be a muddy hell in winter. I would consider doing the trip with you but I wouldn't be camping and I would confine the route to paved roads, probably Ceuta to Merzouga, then the Todra Gorge, Zagora, Ourzazate, then towards the Atlantic coast, but I wouldn't bother carrying a load of camping gear when accommodation is so cheap and you get a shower and a meal instead of roughing it. Life is hard enough without giving yourself extra hardship, in my opinion anyway. It can be absolutely freezing in the mountains in winter and a large part of getting away in the winter, for me anyway, is to get away from cold weather, so if I was doing that journey I would stick to warmer areas. Call me a wimp but there you are... that's my take on it.
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  #5  
Old 16 Dec 2022
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Morocco in winter is a great destination compared to being stuck at home. Riding through Spain is likely to be the coldest as so much of the country is at altitude and I won't do that anymore in winter without an electrically-heated jacket and handlebar muffs. And I tend to get the Brittany ferry from the UK to northern Spain, feel free to use code S86513 to get 10% discount on vehicle and passenger costs.

The north of Morocco can also be cold and I tend to get south as quick as I can—you can ride the motorway network from Tanger, to Casablanca, then to Marrakech in one day on your Himalayan. My favourite winter go-to place is Tafraoute in the Anti Atlas mountains.


This was 11 years ago, the rocks have since been repainted.

It's an awful long time dark when you are camping in Morocco in winter and most camp sites are really intended for 'camping cars' (French for motorhomes) rather than tents, so I echo the comments above.

This was one of my experiences 15 years ago now, of camping in the desert without tent, sleeping bag, etc., in 0ºC temperature in winter. I survived, but boy was it cold.
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and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)
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  #6  
Old 16 Dec 2022
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CAMPING is great ...... park up by some river , nice and warm , great views,
no rain etc ... but 2 things
1 how many days do we get like that in uk ?
2 and as you get a wee bit older its nice to have a few comforts !

But camping in Maroc is a no no
too hot in summer
too cold in winter
and your lugging all that gear around
" basic" maroc hotel aound £7 -£12!
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  #7  
Old 12 Jan 2023
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Marocco spring 2023
Have an insurance claim being finalised for compensation to conclude before March. Plus spring is preferred for wild camping and sites.
Would love to do the full 6 weeks if mid March would suit, I too speak some Arabic and French, have off road experience and have plans to go to same regions. Happy to bimble along as I`m 63 years old, using my KTM Adventure which survived a solo trip to Kazakhstan and Georgia before Covid.
Are you buying insurance at the port in Marocco?
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Old 13 Jan 2023
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I'm considering doing this trip, but possibly leaving mid February. I reckon it's a 5 day ride from Dieppe or Calais in France, to Tarifa or Algeciras, then I estimate approximately 14 days riding around Morocco.

I would be roughly following this route:

https://www.adventurebikerider.com/w...our_Map_en.jpg

So, in total, I reckon 5 days to and from the UK to morocco, plus 14 days in Morocco, so around 24-25 days in total. I would be riding a 650 V-Strom on road tyres so I don't plan on doing any off roading. For me, it's really a road trip. Anyone interested in joining me?
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  #9  
Old 14 Jan 2023
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Turby View Post
Have an insurance claim being finalised for compensation to conclude before March. Plus spring is preferred for wild camping and sites.
Would love to do the full 6 weeks if mid March would suit, I too speak some Arabic and French, have off road experience and have plans to go to same regions. Happy to bimble along as I`m 63 years old, using my KTM Adventure which survived a solo trip to Kazakhstan and Georgia before Covid.
Are you buying insurance at the port in Marocco?
I'm heading down there next week, 23rd January. Ferry from Spain to Santander. I have to be back at work mid March, so can't delay the trip, unfortunately. Yes, I'll be buying insurance at the port. I've also taken out personal accident insurance.
Last edited by aliengrove; 14 Jan 2023 at 21:26.
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