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Photo by Paul Stewart, in Tajikistan, hello on the Bartang

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


Photo by Paul Stewart,
in Tajikistan, a hello on the Bartang



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  #226  
Old 16 Oct 2015
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Route Conditions - send in your updates

Sounds about right. Closed for security. We've just spent a few day travelling from Tantan to Erfoud. Ms 7 Foum Zguid to Mhamid is open as are the pistes east to Erfoud.

A friend who was in the region at the end of September reported the area was open when he was there


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  #227  
Old 16 Oct 2015
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Sorry the point we were blocked wasn't ms8 however I was turned back on Ms8 last year.

The point we got turned back was further west. I'll dig out the coords when we get a break from crossing the atlas


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  #228  
Old 17 Oct 2015
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A Few Notes On Routes Old and New?

All done in LR Defender.All map ref are Reise 1:1,000,000.All route refs are to Chris Scott's bibl....er,handbook

Tafroute to Taraoudant.
There is a good sealed road dropping down from Ait Abdullah approx 20km East of Tafraoute on the R106.It arrives at the new N10 approx 6km West of Taraoudant. On the Reisemap this only shows as a series of unconnected tracks at best. It is approx 120km and took about 3 hrs.Views over Sous Valley are tremendous.
This means that it is possible to do a loop run Tafraoute-Taraoudant-Igherm-Tafraoute in a long day or,use the T's as bases and explore other tracks in the area.

MS2 Zagora-Tazzarine.
Road sealed 50% coming from Tazzarine so,will probably be totally sealed by next year.

MA7 Taliouine - Tazenacht
Very beautiful and quiet run but the middle third runs thro an wild Oued and the sealed road is shot to pieces at all crossings.Local light bikes and Berlingos getting through on some quite rough repairs but expect delays after rain while the shovels get out and repair the repairs.

Agdz-Tasla-Bleida-Zagora
Follow R108 out of Agdz towards tazenacht. After Tasla there is a LH turn signposted Bleida.This is a high plateau route through a mining area on a sealed road in poor condition up to the main mine at Bleida(no signs but the road ends there anyway).From here the road on the Reisemap does not exist but if you wend your way around the tailings dam on the South side of the mine you end up in a fabulous wadi run that takes you down to the N12 at Bou Rbia. Great escarpment rim run aswell. This wadi run may need a reverse for others in places but I would say was doable on big bikes unless after rain.

MH1-MH11 Goulmima-Dades Loop
Oued Gheris was in spate after rain so this run was fabulously beautiful especially with the Berber busy with harvest. All the concrete oued fords were in good nick except for one(which is breaking up) where I waited while a minibus crossed in case he needed help.I heard from a Swiss biker in camp that evening that he had turned back there two up on a big BMW.The water was up to his front hub.
The run up to Dades was stunning as was the white knuckle down the gorge itself. Probably the best run of the trip for us.

MH4-5 Tinehir-Iknioun-Tinehir

A nice loop run.Road sealed as far as Iknioun then a good graded piste back to Tinehir.

Generally
We arrived at Taouz for the MS6 run at the end of Sept during heavy rains. The road from Erfoud through Rissani and Merzouga was heavily flooded and when we reached taouz we were advised by the locals that the route across Oued Rheris was unpassable. We spent a nice hour with The Pidgeons du Sable and went on through El Jorf.
Arrived at Mhamid and were told Lac Iriki was dry but we travel on our own so did not do it this time.

Hope this helps.Happy trails.

Last edited by Chris Scott; 2 Nov 2015 at 23:22.
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  #229  
Old 24 Oct 2015
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Fuel and Lodging

Thanks to Tim Callis and his knowledge base. The gas POI's were excellent.

Morocco Knowledgebase
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  #230  
Old 29 Oct 2015
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Recently I rode along MH7 (from Askaoun to Anezal). The piste is quite heavily eroded in at least two spots near the top. There are ways to get around, but not easily (very steep and narrow). In it's current state it would not be passable by a 2WD and some 4WDs may struggle. I was just about able to get past on my F650GS, but I wouldn't want to do it on anything heavier. Lighter bikes should manage fine.
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  #231  
Old 29 Oct 2015
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheWarden View Post
Sorry the point we were blocked wasn't ms8 however I was turned back on Ms8 last year.

The point we got turned back was further west. I'll dig out the coords when we get a break from crossing the atlas


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Coords for the Army Checkpoints we encountered. At all we were turned back except the last when we were heading north, if you were travelling south I'd expect to be turned back

N29.53498 W7.85198
N29.59578 W7.75828
N29.71826 W7.65983
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  #232  
Old 30 Oct 2015
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Hi all

Just to let you guys know, finished this week routes MS4,MS12,MS11 ,all without any problem.Got lovely weather, so no complains.

About the route MS11, going from Merzouga to Aufuss, there a climb to be negotiated, I don't think a truck could fit in the narrow parts or hairpins. Also found this route hard after the climb, with lots of stones, forcing me to drive really slow ( 8~10 kph ) .


that's the end of my travel this year, if any of you want to see some pictures please visit my blog.

Tito
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  #233  
Old 2 Nov 2015
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MH1 status

Just got this:

" … about two weeks ago I was biking the MH1 route through the High Atlas in Morocco as described in your guidebook. A few km before reaching the gite in Tagoudit at km 91.5 the road was washed away for about half a kilometer. So we biked the riverbed and crossed the stream a couple of times...
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  #234  
Old 7 Nov 2015
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MW3 Assa to Draa bridge

Just heard that MW3 - 230km is all sealed but still a great route.

Look forward to doing that later.

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  #235  
Old 8 Nov 2015
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MW3 Sealed!

Wow! Thats a big suprise.I did this route in February and other than the already sealed road from Taglite to El Borg there was no sign of construction.
A great route and if sealed then another fast rout to the coast
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  #236  
Old 9 Nov 2015
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MH1 Nov2015 update

Over the last two days we made made MH1 with 2 heavy bikes (GSA1200 and KTM 1290 SA). From Midelt to Imichil no problem despite a part between 80 an 60 km before Imilchil. Street is washed away from river and route goes across river. Very challenging and not tecommendable. There is an easy detour which is not market but all cars takethis route. After Agoudal fantastic and easy trip over 2900m above sealevel peaks. Doablewith any kind of bike.
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  #237  
Old 13 Nov 2015
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Castlehe View Post
From Midelt to Imichil no problem despite a part between 80 an 60 km before Imilchil. Street is washed away from river and route goes across river. Very challenging and not tecommendable. There is an easy detour which is not market but all cars takethis route.
Guess I've ended up there in September as well. There's hardly more than a donkey trail left. Some locals told me there were some heavy rains in April and August that left quite a bit of flood damage. The detour is really easy indeed and the route is well worth it!
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  #238  
Old 17 Nov 2015
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Road out

West of Midelt about 60 K the road is washed out, not passable at this time. Made it around four bad spots with the bike and then came to one I am not sure a goat could make. Trying to figure out road number of my map but not sure if it is #9 or 11-4
R704 from Tilmi to Agoudal was a great ride this morning with stunning views and up to 2850 M.

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  #239  
Old 3 Dec 2015
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MA7 the interesting jebel section from KM48 north of the oases to the pass at KM78 is doable despite last year's rains. The inter-village section is rough, loose and steep at times. Fyi we did it southbound - i.e. mostly downhill - and therefor easier.

Pic below: MA7~KM76

MA12 - Sealed from KM93 to KM124 just before Aguinan, bar some easy diversions here through the oued as the new road's already got ripped out and seems unlikely to be rebuilt soon.

MH4 - Jebel Sarhro south - business as usual

MS5 - All sealed but seemingly deserted.

Road north of Foum Zguid to Tazenacht also in a state following last year's floods (i.e.: might not be much fun on a road bike) but now sealed through 'pipeline canyon' just before Tazenacht and north of the Agdz turn off.

The road from Tazenacht to Agdz has finally been sealed through the pass at the west end.

Tichka pass - much major widening going on just on the north side of the pass. In places adds up to a thin wet slimy mud residue on tarmac which is very slippery.

Tizi n Test road. New fuel at the village 100km south of Marrakech.
Southside road: same mixture of new two lane tar and crumbling single track and small rockfalls.
Attached Thumbnails
Route Conditions and Road Closures - send updates-km76.jpg  

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  #240  
Old 6 Dec 2015
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Excellent 2 weeks in Morocco late November. Thanks Chris Scott for the Overland book - it was a great help!
- ME1 South of Missour. We followed piste out of the east end of town which didn't match any of our maps or the OSM Garmin GPS but was great riding and arrived in the right place!
- ME7 Col de Belkassem. Easy out of Beni-Tajitte as there's a big road building project heading west for 10km. Fast, graded track. The Col seemed rocky and quite hard on big bikes (GSA1200+Africa Twin) Easiest East-West. Getting down the west side was feet-down for 200m, then great.
- ME2. Brilliant apart from a trying 150m of sand. Someone else mentioned getting slightly too East here - I think we did the same.
- MS3(?) (Tazzarine-Zagora) is all tarmac except for 20km over the col, but we rode most of the way up there on old piste which was fun.
Excellent campsite near Timganine www.camp-serdrar.com
- MS5 is all tarmac
- MS7 was excellent. We took the north trail from Tagounite which was good riding with no sand. Very rocky trail getting out to Foum Zguid!
- MA9 is tarmac for 10km from Alougoum, then graded piste with several missing bridges. Good riding
- MA3/1 day loop was great. Hard on a big bike up the shingle river bed!
- MH8 tarmac Taliouine to Askaoun. We turned right over Tizi-n-Melloul. Stunning, but hard going on big bikes. Several washed out river crossings to get over T-n-M. Great trail from Tachochte down East
- MH4 Stunning! Heading North from Nekob, great riding once you find the track. Great camp at the top. Tarmac from Iknioun-Dades
- Tinerhir-Todra- Imilchil-El-Ksiba. Brilliant. A few easy river crossings Todra end, then good road. Tizi-Tirherhouzine is new tarmac. Quite a big new road going in Tizi-Alt Ouirra end, with miles of dusty gravel, but it will soon be tarmac.

Thanks again, we'll be going back next year!

Last edited by Frost Guiding; 9 Dec 2015 at 09:40.
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