MS3 on a big bike
 

Hi folks. First post here, but a long time lurker.

My buddy and I are hitting the Morocco for the first time. We will arrive to Tanger Med on April 29th. I got the "Morocco Overland" from Amazon (great book, two thumbs up) and I gathered as much info as I could, here and throughout the YT. So most of the route is already planned (Chefchaouen, Midelt, MH21, MH1, MH10). I have some doubts about the Sahara part.

We would love to see Erg Chebbi, of course. But we would also like to see the glimpse of some real desert. Without suffering too much. :) We are on two Ducati DesertX, loaded (but not overloaded, we pack reasonably light). Mid level riders.

So my idea is to take MS3, From Alnif to Merzouga. We are not in a rush, so we can devote two days to it. What can we expect in early May? Also, if I am correct, there is no fuel between Tazzarine and Merzouga, on this route?

From Merzouga we plan to take it easy - Desert Highway to Ouarzazate, then towards Marrakesh, Casablanca and back to Tanger Med.

Thanks for all the info and suggestions!

N.

Hi,

Currently on the edge of the desert now on the North side of Erg Chebbi, I scouted the South to see if I could reach the camps, however the first I got to were empty and had it a couple patches of sand which gave me a wobble, so turned and went back to town. I am quite loaded up on a BMW 800GS and not the best off-roader, so your milage may vary.

I did find on the North side of the dunes a place that was a little more open and easier to access and staying at Kasbah Leila, which has been great so far, they have a hotel or tent/huts right next to the dune. If going here, it is identifyable by the towers and barrier, which was up when I got here. Luckily they were not full and had a space after I was let down by the place I had booked.

MH10, did some of this today before my nav went rouge and took me on a different trail part way, if it carried on like mine, should be a nice trail if you have some off road experience you should be fine.

Regards MH3, I haven't been yet, but intend to go up and around to Sidi Ali and try a bit of it and see how I get on, if it is sandy I'll turn back as I am solo and not the best off roader, with 0 sand experience.

Thanks! Much appreciated.

Enjoy your trip!

I think MS3 is a great choice for a taste of the desert.
We did a version of it in Feb in a car and I remember thinking this must be what most people think the Sahara looks like ;-)
Perfect place to get some money shots of the X-bikes and get out before anything bad happens!

Not been this way for many years. I get a feeling the green section (p150 book map) east of Taghbalt to OJ is different orientation or also sealed so we followed a different route just east of Tazzarine, along a slow stony track ESE with sand-drapped ridges and washed out-oueds (will be fine on Ducatis), crossing one asphalt road? till we intercepted the now asphalted N-S road via El Fecht winding down to OJ.

There is a shop in OJ now, and a cafe/auberge? May have fuel by the bottle too. I am sure an X has a 200+ km range, no?
Here the good bit starts down to the Zagora-Merzouga transit. Isolated acacias and distant jebels until the tyre junction of MS6. The dune at KM105 has been sanitised.
Across Lac Maider to Sidi Ali Korati ('Tafraroute' in the book) ought to be dry by now. It sure wasn't in Feb a week after the rains - we had to do a broadside U-ey with mud splattering everywhere <2km from Ali then took 2 hours to work out a way back via the low dunes and crust capped saturated clay.
I heard Rheris crossing was no drama last week on an old XT600 - then carry on to Erg Chebbi.
The problem is - unless you are a seasoned Iberian or similar - any drama in May temps will eat away your water quicker than you can drink it. Remember isotonic tabs too,
If it's all a bit much from Sidi Ali you can pick up asphalt back north to the Alnif - Rissani road. Or even pick up MS4 brown route back to OJ (prob still piste) and make it a less clobber day trip. No one goes this way.
As often said here, don't bother with moto camping clobber. Morocco has more inexpensive auberges than tourists to fill then.

Lac Maider is still flooded

Excellent, thanks for the info. I have better picture now.


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Here a video of MS3 from a few days ago with 690R and T7.
Expect some pushing!

https://youtu.be/Lp4yqvGQuCI

I think from what I glimpsed in Ep 1 that the old piste along the south side of the oued remains. So follow the book's RD.

It was two weeks' ago - but there's a straight forward workaround if anyone is interested. DM me and I'll share my GPX from doing the journey the opposite way (Merzouga - Zagora).

Ed

DM sent.

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