Thanks all for the information.

We finished with the police in Smara with a pack of paperwork to present to Customs in Laayoune. We have been assured that this is everything we need.

We tried to get the wreck sold etc but either they didn't understand or it wasn't a problem according to the police

Now in Laayoune to see Customs in the morning. Fingers crossed it's straight forward and what we've been told is correct


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All sorted out now. Owner has paid 2200dH duty on the wreck and is cleared to leave Morocco. I'll update more details later


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Well done, Mark - that's a good outcome.

Happy trails,

Peter

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Atlas Overland - Specialist adventure tour company providing off-road holidays for 4x4 enthusiasts in Europe and North Africa.
Tours to Morocco, Iceland, Arctic Circle, Portugal, Alps, Pyrenees, Eastern Europe, Corsica, and UK weekend tours.

So a summary of our experience.

Moroccan Army Police Fire Service and Recovery truck arrived at the scene about 4.5 hours after the incident. We were roughly 60km south of Smara at the time and about 3 hours drive.

We had to return with them that night which meant 3-4hours on very badly corrugated military piste in the dark.

Processing by the police was fairly reasonable. Can't really work out why they needed to know the owners grandparents names but hey it's Morocco!

They originally told us we didn't need to see Customs and they would clear the TVIP. Later this changed.

The police produced a report but kept the vehicle Registration documents and TVIP (this is a problem!) and gave us a sealed letter for customs in Laayoune.

We then drove to Laayoune and today saw the Customs people (location listed in iOverlander now). They informed us the police should not have kept the documents but they sorted this out although it did delay things somewhat. Eventually they calculated the duty to be paid as 2280dH (1000 for Police 1200 for import duty on the wreck and we're not sure about the rest. A nice shiny receipt was issued the TVIP cleared and the owner free to leave.

The police took 6 hours to deal with and Customs about 4. Long winded and overly complicated but not too bad considering language barriers etc and the problem cause by the police keeping the documents


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Sorry to read this, but glad you got it sorted.

Dare I ask what happened, were you off piste or on a Gandini track? I'll understand if you don't want too answer.

Safe travels, Mark

I have occasionally met Spaniards with a trailer carrying the remains of their rolled over 4x4s back to Spain, from Mauretania and from Western Sahara.
My experiences with moroccan customs as a tourist have been very positive the last six seven years. They've been immensely helpful, but also formal and strict.

We were on a P road which I believe forms part of one of the Gandini Routes. The rest will have to wait until the owner decides to post the details


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OK, many thanks fully understand. My last 4x4 trip; I planned to spend 2wks on Gandini tracks in WS, but as a solo vehicle and in a Landy (not jokes please )

I was advised by some local knowledgeable friends, that it might not be the best idea I've had. And humbly, regrettably, did "safer" tracks.....and the water pump broke a few days later. Lucky, is not the word.

Had the same dilemma a few weeks ago on a moto south of Smara.
Easy to plan big back home; another thing once you get to the sharp end with 600km in front of you. Technically it may well be possible, but relies on nothing going wrong at all. And as we have seen, stuff happens.

Turned back from a couple of northern pistes too.

imho knowing when to turn back is a key skill, unfortunately in the UK a lot of people learn their offroad skill at a pay & play site and when they apply that in an overland situation get into a lot of trouble

My 'navo' and I always travel alone in our LR Def as we are retired and it is usually to difficult to co-ordinate with others on dates etc.

We are experienced desert travellers so being on our own is not an issue in itself.

HOWEVER....we drive defensively off road and never rush around against the clock which can be a problem for others on a tight schedule or,with to much adreneline coursing through their veins behind the wheel. We never speed, as above 60km/hr on piste you risk rollover. I was taught to drive on graded roads by a professional company in Oman who's own policy was not to drive above 80km/hr.Most of us found this too fast for the prevailing conditions.The piste conditions can change in a flash and reactions above this speed are unpredictable.

Vehicle breakdown is the biggest threat to travelling alone.Our LR is 5 yrs old and kept well maintained but the risk of breakdown offroad when the vehicle is being well used is higher than normal. The chances of having the right parts for a BD are,in my experience,not good so you may have to be prepared to sit it out,while further action is arranged. We always carry plenty of water and it would not phase us to wait a while but we are flexible as regards time!

As others have said,when to turn back is a key skill,not a defeat.If an offroad track starts to look ify and/or needs a bit of work done on it,then it usually gets worse not better!

Finally,the level of 'remoteness'. We have just returned from a 4 wk trip mainly in the Seguite Al Hamra.Comparatively speaking we found this region interesting and VERY REMOTE.Some areas had plenty of bedou and others not. My general advice to others now would be not to do it alone if you can,not because of dangers but because of the high hassle and time loss factors if you did BD.

Many of the Gandini tracks for this area are remote,ill defined,not well used and hard on the vehicle. I am pleased with my trip but on reflection would only do some of the routes again with 1-2 other vehicles,strictly because of the remoteness.

We find travelling alone very enjoyable but,one has to accept the hassle that could be attached. And the risks? Well,how do you agree to rank them.It's what we all do. Shall we have a few more assessment sessions to make it all go away?