Advice on Morocco Welcome?

[VLN1970]

Hi

I have just joined this forum and hoped that I may get some advice on a trip we are planning to Morocco.

We are going mid March for a few days and wanted to travel to the Atlas mountain area on our 800GS's and give them a try out. We have never ridden outside of Europe before and just wondered if anyone had any tips for things we should look out for. Places to stay, see, do, avoid, useful bike shops, anything at all really.

We are going to ride down to Gibraltar on our road tyres and plan to swap over to some TKC80's before catching the ferry, so if anyone know's of place that we can get this done would be very helpful.

Any advice would be more than welcome as we have no plan other than go there and do a bit of trail riding!

Many thanks

Terry

[Tim Cullis]

Hi Terry and welcome to HUBB.

In addition to all the threads on here, there's a pile of Morocco info on UKGSer Morocco forum in particular the Knowedgebase and the thread on completing temporary import forms before you leave the UK.

I normally change my tyres in Azrou (50 miles south of Fez), maybe someone will come along with a place in Algeciras.

If you have Garmin GPS units and Mapsource you should download the Marok Topo map (details in the Knowledgebase). The are obviously loads of trails around, but the weather has been poor recently so it's quite difficult to advise on conditions. To give you an idea of what I mean, one trail that took 2.5 hours before took 17 hours when I did it again.

The Middle Atlas between Azrou and Khenifra has some easy stuff you could cut your teeth on.

Tim

[Eric DN]

The knowledgebase provided by Tim is very useful and exhaustive.
I would like to add, be very careful on the roads. Roads are more dangerous than tracks, don't ride too fast and stay concentrated all the time avoid to ride by night.
On the other hand Be cool and don't stress and enjoy, as they say "makach Mouchkill '' means "no problem", the most dangerous over all is to become addict.

[liberec]

Originally Posted by Tim Cullis

Hi Terry and welcome to HUBB.

In addition to all the threads on here, there's a pile of Morocco info on UKGSer Morocco forum in particular the Knowedgebase and the thread on completing temporary import forms before you leave the UK.

I normally change my tyres in Azrou (50 miles south of Fez), maybe someone will come along with a place in Algeciras.


Tim

Hello Tim and Cris

to Tim
We are four bikers from Greece on 1200GS and will reache Algeciras 16/3/09. Our plan was changing tires somewhere in Algeciras, but if you know some good and safe place in Azrou, it will be better. Can you tell me please where exactly we can find it in Azrou? And [if you know] if we can left tarmac tires for ten days there and rechange them for our return?
Thx for very good guide for Morocco in your knowledge [ukgser], I read this website very often, even I'am not member. It helps very much and I'am more ready after reading it.

to Cris
Hello Cris, I was waiting for Morocco Overland edition, but it will be May and our trip is in two weeks. Some other way maybe? If you have some "pro-edition-exemplar", I will send you money in any way you want.
if possible, contact me lukes1960@hotmail.com


To both
It is do-able make Merzouga-Zagora on fully loaded GS or it's better take some support 4x4 for luggage? We are average+ offroad riders? I' am thinking about Rheris riverbed....


Thank You in advance

[Linzi]

Hi, you can view the conditions a few years ago at Youtube.com Put in Ramlia Morocco and you'll see road bikes just making it. Linzi.

[Tim Cullis]

Azrou is a particularly friendly little market town (Tuesday market) at the northern end of the Middle Atlas range. It's about 1450m above sea level. Close by is the Mischeflin ski resort in the caldera of an extinct volcano, wild troops of barbary apes and the King's Summer Palace at Ifrane.

The Cedars Hotel in the main square is a good overnight base at just 80dh/night (showers and loos in corridor) . Azrou means 'rock' in Berber and next to the rock is a new large mosque.

From the Cedars walk/ride past the mosque and little restaurants and at the junction near the bus depot there's a tyre place opposite. They've done tyre swaps many times for me and my riding companions. You'll need to negotiate hard beforehand and I guess something around 50dh per tyre is good to them and cheap to you.

And if your tyres are directional make sure they are fitted the right way round--guess why I warn of this!

Leave the tyres either with the tyre place or at the hotel.

Tim

[liberec]

thx a lot Tim

video on YouTube? I will search.

[liberec]

Originally Posted by Linzi

Hi, you can view the conditions a few years ago at Youtube.com Put in Ramlia Morocco and you'll see road bikes just making it. Linzi.

if you mean this YouTube - River between Taouz and Ramlia, I saw it some month ago, but it is toooooo easy

it must be somewhere there some difficult riverbed about 1km in exhaustic fesfes I heard...

[Linzi]

Hi Liberec, if you like I can contact a local from Ramlia who can tell you of exact conditions on that piste. His family also has an Auberge on the route where you can buy petrol, get water, stay overnight and eat. Do you want me to ask him? Linzi.

[liberec]

Originally Posted by Linzi

Hi Liberec, if you like I can contact a local from Ramlia who can tell you of exact conditions on that piste. His family also has an Auberge on the route where you can buy petrol, get water, stay overnight and eat. Do you want me to ask him? Linzi.

it will be great Linzi, if you have some contact there

I have wrote already a greeting and question to aghbalou ramlia and also hotels piste merzouga Zagora hotel Auberge Lac Maider maroc
about 1 month ago, but without answer from both of them

[VLN1970]

Thanks for the advice Tim and Eric. It looks like we are not going to have enough time to make it over to Morocco now after all, so we are heading for Portugal instead.

At least I will have more time to plan the Morocco trip for later in the year.

Thanks
Terry

[Linzi]

Yes Aghbalou Auberge is the place. They offer accomodation, food, fuel and advice on the piste. They offered me help with my road bike over this section if needed and how to go north towards Todra afterwards, so are very helpful. Try again, the e-mail must have got lost. Linzi.