Really struggling guys

planning to take 4 4x4s into morocco for just 12 day(plus 2 half days to exit morocco and make some time in Spain)

really struggling to get some ideas about where to head and i'd really like some advice please.

We want to do lots of off roading, we are self sufficient for up to 5 days, and want a good mix of beautiful country, mountains, and sand. Seeing both of the latter is key, but spending some time on a nice beach and seeing marakesh and other places would be nice too. Looking to rough camp 3/4 days and then find a riad or similar.

any help with both general areas and specifics of stuff we could likely fit into our admittedly short time period woudl be really good!

cheers

Jim

I spent 11 days in Morocco in 2006 with a group of 4x4s (I was on a bike) and although there were some long days, it's feasible to do/see what you are proposing.

Morocco is actually far bigger than you might imagine, so If you want to see Marrakech, I would split the country in two and forgo the Cedar Forest and south east corner (Todra Gorge and the dunes at Erg Chebbi) this time, and concentrate on getting south quickly and spending time seeing Marrakech (as you mention) and crossing the Atlas mountains due south of there - see this thread for example: http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...779#post220848.


It is quite feasible in your time frame to get to the sand south of Foum-Zguid, and cross the large ergs near Mhamid and Lac Iriki (far larger and more remote than the playground that Erg Chebbi/Merzouga has become to be honest).

There is also a fantastic hotel (the Asalay) in Mhamid that you really should stay a night at... Then you could return via Zagora, Quarzazate and see Ait Benhaddou on your way north, taking the Take the Tizi-n-Tichka pass (N9) back to Marrakech, before the long haul home.

That's what I would do in that sort of time frame, especially if it is your first time in the country.

xxx

ps. if you haven't got it already, the Michelin National Series map 742 is excellent for helping plan your route x

excellent- thanks for the detailed reply- has given me something to work on now!

is it realistic to try and plan a day on the coast somewhere for those people that want a relaxing day?

How many suitable 4x4 tracks are there in the Atlas- or can you just find whatever tracks you want and follow them? does anyone care where you drive in teh Mountains, as long as you aren't in a field or someones back yard!

A popular stop off is Asilah on the northern Atlantic coast (only about 40kms south from Tanger) - it is a typical beach resort (hotels etc) but has a nice old town too I understand...

You could stop there either on the way down or way back if you are sailing from Tanger. Depending on the time of your ferry - typically it's nicer to stay at Asilah the night/day before your sailing, and just drive up to the port in the morning?

Alternatively, if you had to get a later ferry on your way to Morocco, then perhaps head for Asilah that afternoon and then you could make Marrakech in a day from there?

Personally I would use Asilah as a stop off on the way back (just incase you are running short of time) - it would be a welcome rest before the big push back across Spain...

As for tracks and trails in Morocco - the place is riddled with them! Most of them (that are navigable by 4x4) are technically roads anyway, so you shouldn't be upsetting anyone (obviously as you say, if there are gates and signs, you should respect private property). However, a good number dead-end as they are primarily for access, or taper out to nothing more than a goat track or footpath.

The Michelin map (and others) shows many of the through routes, the GPS tracks from Olaf moreso - if you download the maps into Mapsource, you'll see a number of trails that aren't on the map, or are indeed through routes afterall etc.

Chris Scott's book has lots of piste routes in that you may also want to study while planning your route, but again - don't get hung up trying to do everything in one trip - it is a big place!

In just two weeks, you'll have more then enough of an adventure just sticking to the routes shown on 742 to be honest!

xxx