Tim, a great read. Will be setting off to Maroc in 2 weeks. Absolutely cannot wait. Is there any where similar to the Lhay waterfalls but farther south? These sorts of areas look perfect for a detour to? Additionally can you also share your wealth of knowledge as to some good fossil locations? Searching for waypoints but am struggling to find? Thanks and safe travels.


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Thanks for sharing that with us Tim, an interesting read and great photos.

How did you get on with the mousses? I looked into fitting them for a trip a few years ago but was put off because with time and heat build up they eventually fail and collapse, similar to having a puncture. They're changed every day or two on the rallies!

Bouarfa and Iche
I really excelled myself with Hotel Sahara in Bouarfa which was just 60 dh/night. Once the customers in the cafe area had left I was invited to park the bike inside overnight at no charge. But you get what you pay for—the hotel wasn't heated and I have to say it was really cold overnight. I carry a JetBoil stove to make coffee and soup, and when packing in Spain I had seriously thought about throwing in one of our fleece-covered hot water bottles. Big mistake not to do so.

My plans for the next day were to visit the last of the railway sites, then head due east to Iche, the easternmost point in Morocco, before taking pistes south to Figuig.



As I approached Bouarfa station there was half a dozen young lads hanging out on the roof and around the buildings. They were extremely interested in what I was doing, why was I there, and we spoke for quite some time about a wide range of subjects in a mixture of French and English. An interesting interlude.



The tracks into the station had been torn up, so clearly the end of the line was some way north.



Following the line back I came to where the tracks crossed the main road. I knew there was an interesting viaduct about 12km along the track so I tried riding along the rail bed for a short while but it was really hard going.



I went back to the tarmac and found a rough track across from further down. After 7km the viaduct finally came into view.



I reckoned it might be possible to drive across the top of the viaduct. But once I managed to get the bike up to the rail bed I came to the conclusion that would be a pretty stupid thing to do...



I found a much better route back to tarmac and continued east to Iche.



I am fascinated by the strata of the rocks and if I had visited Morocco as a child before making choices on subjects to study at school I might very well have become a geologist.

So why am I parked on the left side of the road when I'm riding on the right? It's to do with the camber of the road and the side stand, I really need to get a small amount taken off the bottom, and at the same time add a wider foot. Why do all motorbike manufacturers fit such tiny feet on the sidestand?



Iche was a lot further that I remembered. It's a tiny place surrounded on three sides by Algeria. This is the oasis on the final approach.



Literally the end of the road. The rocks of the low rise on the left are Algeria, and you can see a lookout point towards the middle of the photo. Taking photos in border areas is of course a no-no and I was approached and asked to delete it.

Which I did. But seeing as I had a data connection the photo had already been uploaded to the cloud and sync'd with my other devices. And with the latest version of iOS any deleted photos aren't removed from the phone but instead moved to a deleted photos folder. How long before border guards become aware of technology changes?



As you can see above, Iche is more easterly than even Figuig. I was planning to head to Figuig on the dark cyan route but with the fuel shortages I had encounted I had a rethink. I would be riding further into a dead end and if I couldn't get fuel I'd be stuck. So I decided instead to head west in one big hop to Errachidia. Normally I would take side roads and wander around more, but it was still quite cold, even in the midday sun, and I was eager to get further west and south into the warmth.

Iche to Errachidia
For some reason there's a dearth of fuel stations along the N17 and N10 main roads. There's a station in Figuig, another in Bouarfa where I had filled up the previous night, and the next is Errachidia. Some maps show fuel in Bouanane and Boudenib but this is a figment of someone's imagination. So the only way to make the hop was to go back to Bouarfa to refuel then it would be a 270 km leg to Errachidia.

There are a couple of fuel stations off route to the north at Tajjite and Talsint which could be used and this would be a more interesting route anyway. I maintain a database of more than 320 Moroccan fuel station waypoints which can be downloaded here. I've concentrated on rural places and as many 'fuel from cans' as possible.

Edit: Mr Ifan has kindly given me the waypoints of a couple of 'fuel in cans' spots in Boudenib, so I will add these to the database.

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__________________
"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)

Great report Tim

We had a look at driving over the viaduct but chickened out, its a long way up and no edge protection, we did follow the railway north through the ridge before reaching the road again

The front was getting a bit lumpy towards the end of the 7,800 km, but we hadn't actually seated it very well when it was fitted. I'm taking a replacement to Spain with me in May and will see what caused the lumpiness.

There's lots of swimming places around, where were you interested in?



This is Cascades Atiq at Tissint.

__________________
"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)

Errachidia
Errachidia is pretty much just a coffee break town for me. I once stayed overnight when we were following the Dakar Rally in 2006. All the hotels were full and we ended up sharing a small double bedded room between five guys—not a pretty sight. This time I stayed in Hotel M'daghra and after three nights of cold hotel bedrooms I succumbed and forked out an extra 70 dh for heating. But at least this meant I could do my washing.



An unusual example of graffiti written in Tamazight (Berber). Probably reads, "clean me".

Fuel stations
Before checking into a hotel I normally refuel so this is one less job for the morning. In populated areas there's many more fuel stations in Morocco than in Europe, probably as the high cost of fuel (compared to earnings) means drivers don't put much into the tank each time they refuel. Practically every fuel station in Morocco has attendant service. There are a few that accept credit cards, but generally Morocco is a cash society and the attendant carries a wad of notes in his pocket.

If you are prepared to visit several fuel stations you can quickly make change by asking for small amounts of fuel and handing over a 200 dh note. Asking for 'cent vingt dirham' (120 dh) will typically result in change of a 50 dh note, a 20 dh note and 10 dh coin.

Unlike European fuel stations there's no sweetie shop attached, though in some places there will be a mosque for travellers to pray, and sometimes an attached snack bar.

Hotel procedures
I'm not looking for much out of a hotel when I'm travelling, if I'm only staying one night it's really just a 'bed in a box'. Clean sheets and hot water are essential, western loos and preferably ensuite is good. Many hotels have free wifi, though sometimes this doesn't extend to the rooms.

I always ask to see the room before agreeing to stay, on the basis I am likely to get a better room that way. If you don't speak any languages just point to your eye with your finger, then up to the room. If the receptionist is any good he/she will show you several.

Confirm there's hot water and check if there's a towel (serviette in French). Check on the parking arrangements. If you want to make an early start the next morning and need an early breakfast get this agreed to before you accept the room.

You need to complete a police registration form. I have a fiche system for the passport details and I just hand over one of those—I certainly never let the receptionist hang on to my passport, there's a chance he/she will forget to give it you back and you'll have to retrace your route the next day to retrieve it.

My luggage is organised so that the twin aluminium panniers hold items that I don't normally need overnight (tools, first aid, food) and all I need to bring to the room is my roll bag and tank bag. When you bring your luggage up to the room check the bed in case there's a rubber undersheet and if there is remove it otherwise you'll wake up horribly sweaty halfway through the night.

Get your trail clothes off, do any clothes washing as necessary, then shower yourself and change into clean clothes.

Clothes and washing
I tend to travel with three sets of clothing, one that I am wearing and two spares. In cool weather or with high-tech anti-bacterial materials you can go two days with the same wicking layer. On this trip I had some long-sleeved fluffy Wed'ze skiing garments from Decathlon. These are amazingly comfortable with a fleece-type feel from the 'brushed stratermic component' whatever that is. You need light coloured clothing, I know bikers like black so the dirt doesn't show, but black t-shirts get way too hot in the sun when you take off your jacket for a coffee stop.

Sinks often don't have plugs in Morocco, so I carry sink two different-sized plugs with me plus a travel wash line with dual elastic strands that don't need clothes pegs. You can buy sachets of washing powder from small shops, ask for 'teed' (Tide). Try to avoid your hands getting immersed for too long in the washing solution as it doesn't do them any good. After washing and rinsing, wring the clothes out thoroughly, then lay a towel on the bed, arrange the clothes on top and roll them up together like a swiss roll. Then put the roll on the floor and walk up and down on it. This will remove most of the remaining moisture, and you can then hang them up.

If the clothes still aren't completely dry in the morning, wear them down to breakfast and your body heat should finish the job, then you can pack them when you get back to the room.

__________________
"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)

Errachidia to Merzouga
Until now I had been 'far from the madding crowd' and hadn't seen a single traveller or tourist, but now I was about to head towards prime time tourism in the area around Merzouga and Erg Chebbi. This would be an opportunity to drop the luggage and ride free for a couple of days and, as the temperature was set to rise, maybe also have a swim and sunbathe. There's some 70 accommodation options in the western lee of the dunes. As I was going to be there for three nights I decided I'd treat myself, so I used booking.com to obtain a reasonable 400 dh/night dinner, bed and breakfast at Hotel Kanz Erremal.



I rode south from Errachidia following the lateral oasis of the Ziz river, using side roads parallel to the N13.



A very short ride today. What is laughingly called the R702 is mainly piste. The tarmac approach to Merzouga is on the N13 via Rissani.



And then rejoined the main road shortly before the artesian well of Bord Yerdi. The difference between a geysir and an artesian well is that a geysir only spurts sporadically, whilst the well is constant.



The water is heavily contaminated with iron, so not suitable for agriculture



When I reached Erfoud I cut across south west following the old piste that used to be the access to Merzouga before the tarmac road was laid. As you can see in the photo the piste is heavily corrugated due to the axle tramp of trucks.



Eventually I reached Kanz Erremal and had an extremely short dip in the freezing cold pool.

I did some checking on the bike and luggage, worked out a route for the following day, then chilled by the pool the rest of the day before enjoying a wonderful meal in the evening. Being a traveller is such a tough life!

.

__________________
"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)

Thanks Tim, that was a good read with my breakfast this morning.

Circular tour to the ruins of Hassi Bahallou
Refreshed by the half day break, I was up to see dawn breaking over the camels and sand dunes.



The previous evening I had carried my aluminium panniers to the room, and the only luggage for today was my tool roll on the rear rack and food and water in the tank bag. It was cold that early in the morning so I wore my heated jacket under the armoured jacket.



There's now a fuel station on the tarmac road into Merzouga so first stop was to refuel and have a coffee—I had skipped breakfast.



The route I had planned was south on tarmac to Taouz, then south west to Ramlia. From there follow the dry Rheris river valley north to the ruins of Hassi Bahallou which is thought to be a Portuguese fort, and then east heading back to Merzouga. Altogether about 200 km, with about 150 km of that off tarmac.

As you can see from the map there's fuel in cans at Ramlia and Jadid, though I wouldn't need that. Also a series of at least eight accommodation options on the way to Ramlia, and it would be perfectly possible to use one of these as a base for a couple of days of exploring.



There was a series of heavy storms in Morocco last November, in some places as much as 200 mm (8 inches) in 24 hours with consequential massive flash floods. One result is that this spring the desert is alive with flowers.



Lots of trucks on the first part just past Taouz.



The climb out of the end of a dry lake bed.



Coffee pause in Ramlia. The bike was performing beautifully. I was already very pleased with the handling with full luggage but when travelling light it is an absolute delight. There was some method in my route planning for the day, the piste heading west from Ramlia towards Zagora area crosses the Rheris river bed which depending on what the last rains did to the track can be up to 6 km of nightmare fesh fesh sand. I went and had an explore and quickly returned, then turned north for Hassi Bahallou.



Approaching the ruins of Hassi Bahallou.



Exploring Hassi Bahallou.



In the ruins I found a familiar plant—wild rocket. Tazahkt in Berber, harra in Darija, arugula in American English and rucola in Spanish and Italian. So many words for the same plant. Unlike the salad rocket variety it's a perennial plant, more spicy and pungent with more jagged leaves. For the remainder of this trip I nibbled extensively whenever I saw it.



There was deep sand on the first section back from the fort but then the track became lovely and smooth. In this video you can see the beautiful lilac wild orchids over the hillsides.



Camels grazing amongst the orchids.

I had intended to explore the Ouafilal hill fort and rock carvings on the way back, but I left them for another trip.



The half-board meals at Kanz Erremal were delightful and well presented, this was an elegant (and massive) salad for starters.

For higher resolution photographs and maps check out the original postings at the Morocco Knowledgebase

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__________________
"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)