HUMM Morocco - May 13-16, 2015
 

We ran Horizons Unlimited Mountain Madness for 5 years in the Spanish Pyrenees. For those of you waiting patiently for its reincarnation, we are very happy to announce that HUMM will be run in 2015 in Morocco in collaboration with Patrick Trahan and Hana Ptackova of MotoAdventours, and supported by Touratech!

So what's a HUMM? It's a three-day, off-road motorcycle orienteering team event in the mid-Atlas mountains of Morocco. Test your map reading and navigation skills, find hidden secrets and enjoy the fabulous riding. Importantly, there is no one route - each team must find its own path to enlightenment (and the prizes)!

The trails and roads are amazing, the scenery is breath-taking, and the people are wonderful - so come on down with your friends! Even non-riders will find lots to do!

Mark your calendars now! More details here. Registration is open now!
See you there! Grant and Susan

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hum...l_bike-550.jpg

Hi Guys,

I have been lurking for sometime and this is my first time posting here. I have registered for HUMM 2015 and will be taking my 2015 r1200gsa. This will be my first big trip on this bike and I am super excited.

I am travelling from Bristol,UK and taking the ferry from Portsmouth to Santander. Take a couple of days down through Spain before arriving at Ifrane for the HUMM.

I am not in a team yet so if anyone wants to hook up in Morocco on arrival or for the trip down please let me know.




Regards,

~~~~~~
@neavey

Hi, my mate and me, will be travelling down from east Yorkshire,
are you still going ?

Certainly am. I'm in a team of 5 leaving the UK on the 8 May, doing the HUMM and then spending a few days touring Morocco.

Have you made any travel arrangements yet? You are welcome to join up with us for the trip, apart from booking a hotel in Palencia (couple of hours from Santander ferry) for the first night we haven't booked anything else and intend to book as we go.

I'm just a bit I can't find anyone on the forums talking about this !

Sorry a bit concerned

I know what you mean, I was expecting there to be lot more forum activity around the event. There is more on UKGSer but thats a mainly single thread of my own teams planning and chatter.

I just had a look on Facebook and that is quiet to, apart from yourself. Does say 27 going and 25 maybes though. I don't know where all the talk is that Patrick Trahan mentioned.

And two out of the 27 I sent a message to aren't going now !!

Hi guys, not sure what the problem is, but all is good and we even have FIM Test Event status now! :)



Talk is in many places it seems, a bit here and a bit there! If you have any questions or concerns just ask, or send me an email. Or just post it here - be assured there is nothing to be concerned about!

Updates:
Bike rentals are still available, we have KTM 450 EXC and KTM 690's available, and if you order quick you can have an F800GS, though I'd personally stick with the KTM's. The rental option makes it cheap and easy to just fly in and pick up your rally-prepped bike from your mechanic and ride all day, while he sorts it all night :)

The map book is coming together, and I have the maps beside me - it's going to be great riding, and lots of checkpoints, about 60 something, so you'll have some serious riding to do! And Patrick is heading there tomorrow to bag a few more checkpoints and double check the course.

Trophies are ordered, t-shirts lined up, and we're getting excited!

We look forward to seeing you there!

That's good to know, thanks Grant. I guess we are just getting excited and it seems a bit quiet. I am really looking forward to it.


Regards,

~~~~~~
Patrick

Much appreciated Grant, we'll be on the Sunday ferry for Santander , if anyone's about come say hello

errr, not this Sunday I hope ;)

That's a good option to get a long way easily and quickly, we've done it a number of times, or the one to Bilbao depending. Have a great ride down from there!

HUMM in Ifrane, how to get there.....
 

Hello, I am planning to go from Algeciras, to Tanger Med on wednesday 13th aearly morning, (I saw FRS ferry leaving Algeciras at 6:30), with the idea to arrive to Ifrane before 17:00 for the breifing of the HUMM. The question is: ? any one having more o less de same plan to take a ferry early morning to Morroco from Algeciras on wednesday 13th ?????, the idea is to coordinate and help eachother during in the border procedures, change money to dirhams, etc.

I am going on G650XC bike, so aprox. 100-110 km/h, I guess about 5-6 hours going by the A1 and A2 shown on google maps.

Jesus.

Hi all,
I'm in and planning to go from Almeria to Melilla/Nador and then off road as much as possible to Ifrane/Fes.
I live in Andalucia and can get from my house to Almeria offroad in about 4 hours hence that route for me.
If anyone has any offroad gps tracks, long or short, that will help me in the morocco stretch i'd be very grateful if you could send a copy to me.
Anyone else going this route that wants to meet up or ride together my house is available to doss at in the Sierra de Baza near Guadix/Baza.
see you...

sounds like a great offer Steve, we'll get this out to the rest asap - we're on the road now.

Dear All,

Info only and to add some support to this post and the HUMM.

Team Brew Dog, x4 mates on varying GSs, will be taking part; our plan is to dep UK on Fri 08 May (via Portsmouth - Santander ferry), a quick blast through Spain and get into Morocco from the Algercias - Tangier Med ferry on Sun 09 May. From here we'll be exploring and camping in the Mid Atlas area to the SW of Ifrane before arr for the HUMM. Post the HUMM we'll again be camping and venturing to the E & NE of Ifrane before heading back around to Tangier Med to catch a ferry on Wed 20 and then back to Santander for the return UK ferry on Thu 21 May.

See you on the road.

Regards.

Hey, 3/5 of Team Wrong Direction are on that ferry, we'll see you in the bar.

Will do - cheers

We are spending Saturday night in Palencia, where we are meeting up with the rest of the team, then making our way down to Algeciras on Sunday/Monday. We haven't a definitive plan, just to get into Morocco asap. After the HUMM we are going to tour down the south.

route
 

Morning all, we'll be around caceres on Monday night, and looking to get the ferry out of tarifa Tuesday midday 12/5 ,
JMA Jesus, can you make it to tarifa for Tuesday about midday?
Anyone , know what ferry your getting to Morocco? And we are also camping, and after the event heading for the Sahara for a couple of days , hopefully meet up on the road somewhere

jrh bonneville
 

JRH
check your ferry ??

Hello Vernon......finally I have booked already the ferry from Algeciras to Tangier Med on 13th may at 8:00am, (The reserva says that arrival to Tangier Med is by 8:30am, if no delays.....), because till tuesday 12th evening I will not be able to be in Algeciaras. Thanks anyway for your post.......

ferry
 

Morning, just check your return ferry ? We're sailing out of bilbao on the 21/5 not Santander
see you all soon Vernon

Yeah - got it, my bad. See you...on the road. Cheers.

Algeciras to Tanger Med 13/05
 

Hi Jesus. 2 of us making the crossing around that time. We are staying overnight in Algeciras before we cross. Maybe we can meet.

Insurance for the HUMM!
 

We've had a query from a participant to the effect that Carole Nash is problematic re bike insurance (Green Card). If anyone has information on this or can suggest another source, please post the details on this thread.

Please remember you need to have liability insurance (Green Card) for Morocco and to carry it with you when you ride. We STRONGLY RECOMMEND you also have travel medical and evacuation insurance. If you don't already have this, we can recommend World Nomads for travel medical, and Global Rescue for evacuation insurance. Both may be applied for from the bottom of the Horizons Unlimited home page.

Welcome to the global home of motorcycle travel and overland adventure travel! | Horizons Unlimited

We're flying tonight, will be out of comms for at least 24 hours. See you soon!

Re: Insurance
 

If you're not covered by your UK insurance, I thought that you could buy Morocco motor insurance at the border/port of entry. Is this not the case anymore?

Iain

Re: Re: Insurance
 

According to this thread there is an AXA Insurance booth at Tangier Med port, that should be open 24/7.

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...nsurance-81169

Iain

I'm really surprised nobody has flagged this up as a potential problem before now. Hardly any of the UK insurance companies will cover Morocco.

The answer is simple, get insurance at the border. If participants are arriving via Tanger Med (easiest and normally the cheapest crossing), the insurance booth is on the left just after customs. 62€ (~£45) for 10 days third party-only cover.

I haven't seen any mention of the vehicle temporary import forms. You can complete these and print them off before you get to the port. Might be a bit late now for some people, but instructions are here.

My friend and I, have both got greed cards through carol Nash no problems,
I'm with avis, think my friend is with someone else, see you all soon

Carol Nash is a broker, not an insurance company, so it depends who the policy is with.

I've been informed that you can easily get Morocco insurance at the border point, so no issue. "Axa Assurance" is what you're looking for there, but ask anyone at the border.

Also - having now driven from Casablanca to Ifrane, I can tell you the cops are very much in evidence, with radar guns and radios just watching for you everywhere, so watch your speed!

At the hotel now, weather is fantastic, temperature perfect, though the forecast is for hot, it should be fine here at 1500+ m altitude.

You're going to love the riding here! :)

If you want a little trip, almost still within town, stick N33 33.696 W5 07.506 into Google Maps or your sat nav.

Within town, pass the lion on your left, head towards Mischelfin Hotel but turn left just before signposted Source Vitel. Carry on past lovely water meadows and springs. Keep going and descending following the streams then you come to big waterfalls.

And a little spin to get to know the area if anyone arrives early. Take some melon for the wild Monkeys and visit the caldera of an extinct volcano.

http://www.morocco-knowledgebase.net...ou-monkeys.jpg

Head SW out of Ifrane following signs for Azrou, turn left by the Shell station on the edge of town and follow the orange route through the cedar forest. Rejoin the N8 past Ras el Ma, then turn left a bit further on signposted Cedre Gourand. That will take you to 'apes 3' on the above map. If they are not there take the limestone gravel road to 'apes 1'. Afterwards cut across country to Mischleiffen and descend into the caldera!

Some pics: M21 Monkeys, Volcanos and Yes

Have fun!

great info Tim, thanks for posting!

Morocco newbies seeking info!
 

We hope to have a few days after ‪#‎HUMM15‬, starting from Ifrane and ending up in Casablanca. Any suggestions for 'must see' in Morocco? We will be 2-up on an 800GS!

Typical things to see you can find in a guidebook, so places like Chefchaouen, Volubilis, Moulay Idriss, Fes/Meknes. But they will be busy with tourists.

Or are you more interested in scenery and nature? And how many days, how many hours of riding/visiting per day?

Good site for photos and brief write-ups: LookLex / Morocco

Enjoy the ride, but please don't feed the wild apes! Here's why: EDUCATION - Welcome to Monkey Forest

An organisation that has captured 140 wild monkeys and put them on show in the UK as a money making venture isn't where I would normally look for advice. When I was studying Arabic I spent literally tens of hours in the cedar forests in the Middle Atlas doing my 'homework' surrounded by monkeys and the thought of these creatures in a zoo in the UK isn't nice.

The text on your link reads, "Feeding of wild Barbary macaques by tourists is bad for a Barbary macaque’s health, according to research. The scientists studied macaques at tourist sites in the Atlas Mountains, Morocco, where people regularly feed them with bread, pasta, crisps and chocolate. Compared to monkeys away from tourist sites, that eat what they find naturally in the forest, the tourist fed animals were overweight, had coats in a poor condition and also harboured more parasites - all these things are linked to their bad diet. The researchers also found that feeding by tourists led the monkeys to be more aggressive to each other."

Yes, I've seen people feed them bread and peanuts, but never pasta or chocolate. Neither are particularly common anyway, pasta isn't used much in Morocco as a foodstuff and chocolate melts in the heat. I've never seen overweight monkeys either. Researchers sometimes come up with conclusions that match their preconceived ideas, but I agree that bread and crisps are not their natural diet. As for coats harbouring parasites, one of their pleasures is grooming each other and eating the parasites.

The macaques just love melons which are good for them. Melon is one of the world's health foods with several B vitamins, omega-3 in the seeds, potassium and lots of water content.

Good reply, Tim!
 

I think the main problem with feeding wildlife is that people feed them the same crap they're eating - crisps or white bread! Melon sounds very healthy!

We always overestimate how much time we'll want to ride, and already I can tell we're going to be very tired after the HUMM! So we'll rest on Sunday, get the bike (800 GS) on Sunday night, have 5 days for touring, then we have to be back in Ifrane to give the bike back, retrieve our rental car and drive to Casablanca.


We never ride more than 5-6 hours a day.


Would like to do 1 day at a market, probably Fes? The rest would be scenery and nature and wildlife. Fewer tourists would be nice, but not required.


Will definitely check out the monkeys and volcanos around Azrou, plus the springs! :D


Thanks,
Susan

The best 'authentic' market experience would be Azrou which is on a Tuesday. Azrou is the main market town of the Middle Atlas and it's a real experience watching the various trucks arriving with single produce loads, whether they be hay, onions, oranges, apples, etc. These 'wholesalers' then sell to the individual stall holders. There's areas for livestock, pots and pans, carpets, and so on.

Location N33.450425 W5.2151021 and on Google maps: http://tinyurl.com/lbasqb3

A lovely ride is through the cedar forests and limestone karst scenery of the Middle Atlas, from Azrou to Khenifra, visiting Ain Leuh (spring of wood), the source/springs of Oum er Rbia and Aguelmane Azigza on the way. Google Maps route: http://tinyurl.com/nm53obm

The next day you could head south to Cascades Ouzoud.

I was there a few weeks back and came across some very native Baraby's on the "toursit route" which heads off to the west at where Tim has marked apes 1 on his map.

These fellas were rather upset at the sight of me, but after a while they got used to me as long as I kept a good 10 metres distance. I managed to get some great shots with a little patience and as there were so few vehicles on the road it was all carm.

I found these fellows after about 6km where the road splits into two. It was a magic time! And they had babies!!!!

Sweet!
 

I'm a sucker for wild animals, so that's a high priority. The market at Azrou sounds great, not too big and close by. Thanks Tim and Dave!

HUMM 15 Day 3 underway!
 

Final preparations at beginning of Day 3. Teams are quite keen, some even have their own team stickers! :clap:


http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hum...ionSticker.jpg

HUMM15 Day 3 - Final preparations!
 

Peter Gray and Neil Rathbone of Wilderness Wheels do a final map check before heading off!


http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hum...nessWheels.jpg

HUMM15 - Day 1 Top 3 scores
 

Irrespective of classes, here are the top scores for Day 1 of HUMM15:


Berber Beemers - Ian Shersby and Olly Bassi (veteran HUMMers!) 3190
Wilderness Wheels - Peter Gray and Neil Rathbone 2705
Spanglish Riders - Iain Woolley (veteran HUMMer and previous champion) with a new team Jesus Amasene Goicoechea and Steve Wright 1954


Well done to all the participants - everyone scored!

HUMM15 - Useful mods
 

Iain Woolley has clearly done a few of these events before!


http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hum...-MapHolder.jpg

HUMM15 - Spot tracks
 

A new feature of this HUMM is that each team had a Spot tracker, which was monitored from HUMM HQ. Very interesting to watch the various team tracks!


http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hum...640-140515.jpg

HUMM 15 Day 2 ends!
 

Day 2 of ‪#‎HUMM15‬ ends, all teams present and accounted for! Reports from the teams suggest that some egos may be damaged, and emotions did run high during the day, but great fun! Some big scores today!


Scores after Day 2


Berber Beemers 8469
Spanglish Riders 7508
Wilderness Wheels 6983
Team Brew Dog 5174
Wrong Direction 4409
Team Orange 3171
Freedom Lovers 2894
Hogans Heroes 2886
First Timers 2096




http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hum...-PeterGray.jpg

HUMM15 Day 3 07:45 final preparations
 

Over 645 Class trophies!
 

#‎HUMM15‬ trophies. We had 2 classes - Over 645 and Under 645. In the Over 645 class...

First Place went to Berber Beemers (Ian Shersby and Olly Bassi) with an incredible 10,356 points! The experience of these veteran HUMMers clearly paid off, as they were also first place overall!

Second Place went to Team Brew Dog (Jim Hind, Simon Davey, Simon Walton-Prince and David Ward) with 8,103 points.

Third Place went to Wrong direction (Patrick Neave, Jeff Kirby, Mark Barrington, Pete Fox) with 7,069 points. These guys were so keen they even have their own stickers and a website for the event! Team Wrong Direction


http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hum...tionTrophy.jpg



Well done all! More to come...

Under 645 Class Trophies
 

In the Under 645 class...

First place went to Wilderness Wheels (Peter Gray and Neil Rathbone) with 10,279 points, just 77 points behind the Berber Beemers for the top overall score, which is a squeaker!

Second place went to Spanglish Riders (Iain Woolley, Jesus Amasene Goicoechea and Steve Wright) with 9,815 points. If not for the flat tire on Day 3, the result might have been much different!

Third place went to Freedom Lovers (Andreas Bengtsson and Andreas Karlsson), who came back from just114 points on Day 1 and a clutch issue to close with 3,953 points - well done guys! And they rode all the way from Sweden just for the event!

Here's all the trophies!


http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hum...5-Trophies.jpg


And the winners get to keep them! bier

Gala awards dinner - black tie optional!
 

#‎HUMM15‬ gala awards dinner! Trophies, Berber dancers, much conviviality after 3 days of riding and navigating!


http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hum...15-Dancers.jpg


http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hum...ardsDinner.jpg

HUMM Morocco 15 Participants
 

#‎HUMM15‬ participants. Great bunch of guys and good sports! Looking forward to seeing you again in 2016!


http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hum...5-GroupPic.jpg

Lost but happy!
 

Hi guys!

Hope everyone got home alright! Me and AB had a long way back to Sweden but we got there eventually :scooter: I haven't had time to go through all my videos from the event but here's a nice snapshot from my GoPro when AB is reading the map with the "help" from a friendly shepherd.

Hope to see you guys next year, this was great!

We're looking forward to it Andreas, currently working on the 2016 HUMMs right now! :)

It's going to be awesome... :mchappy:

Let us know if you have some good video, we're always interested!