To all of You a safe motorbiking season!
We, Stef/Geert from Brussels, have been working on a Morocco-tour
since december, and the more details on paper,the more we are motivated
to start the journey. There's certainly room for more candidates, reason
why added below initial routing and dates.
Interested? Give us a sign and tell You all about it.
Also thanks to Demito, who's report was of great inspiration--------geert


We have intention to arrive Tanger thursday,april 1st at 11h00,morning
with ferry Grand Navi Barcelona-Tanger (24hrs)
Departure for return ferry expected monday, april 12th at 2355.

th: Tanger-Chefchaouen 150km

fr: Chefchaouen-Fez 237 partial offroad with scenic routes and avoiding rif-mountains

sat:Fez-Guercif-Missour 344 sealed road and brandnew from guercif to missour
take fuel at guercif for at least 200km
Fez-Azrou-Middelt-missour is nicer but will be considered on the spot
due weather conditions
sun: Missour-Boudnib-Arrachidia 288 track highly recommended yet not too difficult--fast gravel at first
two dry riverbeds to cross---stretch of sealed road around Tajite---hit
the main road again in Tazzouguert, splendid views, get prepared for
your first camels.
mon:Arrachidia-Merzouga 184 will probably choose for the road via Erfoud
alternative offroad with portions of loose sand/fesfes (duration 2days or more)
tue: Merzouga-Zagora 250 at first n12 and offroad at Tazoulait or Alnif
alternate portion by keeping n12 as unable to confirm my offroad-talents
wed: Zagora-Ouarzazate 190 sealed and very scenic (vallée du Draa)
stayover at "the bikershome" owned by Peter (garage/tools/repair)
thu: Ouarzazate-Telouet-M/kech 210 at Telouet very scenic but narrow roads and many 4x4

fri: M/kech-Agadir via Asni 250 sighseeing guaranteed (Tizi-n-Test)

sat/sunday Agadir-Tanger 900 probably highway all the way
the idea is to drive 400/500kms per day to enjoy a very relaxed evening.


Total distance 3003kms is an estimate of course; i would like to add following:
we have pretty much correct data about gasstations (unleaded) enroute, places to stay overnight.
Priority given on clean sheets and doorlock, aswell as safe parking for bikes.
However playin with idea of taking with me small tent,sleeping gear...
The route is set for 80percent, as a novice i am always in for more offroad
but do not want to spoil my adventure.
nd last but nt least, we welcome our "enthusiasted".... fellow-riders and are
willing to wait a couple of hrs at the border...
Should we be too numerous, we can split enroute, take other tracks etc..
and lookin forward yet for the evening chat...

Stef/Geert
geert/email geertvdgucht@yahoo.com

Hey Stef/Geert,

Glad to see your post.
I am planning a simillar trip from Ireland to Morocco around the same time so our paths may cross.
At the moment I am going alone but I had intended putting a simillar post here on the HUBB to see if anyone wants to tag along. I have nothing finalised yet but i was thinking:

• ferry from UK to Santander on either the 21th or the 28th of March,
• two days to cross Spain,
• Malaga - Nador ferry,
• 10 days in Morocco.

I am not an off-raod expert but I was hoping to do as many pists as possible. Certianly I intended to try:

• Midelt - Cirque de Jaffar - Imilchill followed by one of the Gorges
• Zagora - Merzouga

I also hoped to camp out as much as possible, especially in the southern half.
Your itenary looks very good. I will keep in touch and if I travel on the later date in March, perhaps we will meet up at some point.

Hi Orujo,

We are set to arrive in Tangier on the 1st of April. If I'm not mistaken, you should be set to arrive in Nador around the same time?

If you would like to meet up then we'd certainly welcome you! Looking at a map, Fez or Guercif looks like a good place to do so, maybe around the 3rd of April.

What do you think?

Stef

Hi all,

We (3 belgians and 3 dutchmen) are taking the night ferry from Almeria to Nador or Mellilia on 26 april. We are staying 10 days in Morocco to do some pistes.
We take the pistes over plateau du Rekkam (from North to south) and come to Merzouga. Take piste from Taouz to Tagounite (aloung Algerian border). Stay in Mhamid. Then drive over tarmac to Zagora. Then piste to Nekob,then piste to boumaine Dadès. Then amoung atlas mountains and cirque du jaffar to Middelt. Then if we have some time left again plateau du Rekkam to Nador.
We will do 90% piste.
grts
Peter Penson
desertexpress
peter.penson@telenet.be

The Midelt to Imilchil route via the Cirque du Jaffar used to be 30+km of piste, then 20km tarmac in the middle, then 30+km piste.

The southern section of piste is now tarmac and whilst much of the piste is presumably still there, without regular local traffic it will become unusable.

__________________
"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)

In 2008 the king off Morocco has visited that area at the time i was there and never seen the morocains work so hard with trucks and crains to make good tarmac roads for the visit off the king. He has invested a lot off money even with the help off the european union to make the roads better and bring more travellers to Morocco. Even some places ( par exemple Agoudal) high in the atlas has got electricity now. It is good for tourists but for us bikers and pisteriders it is not.It is going to get worse for us because for max. 100 euro you can fly from Brussels to Agadir now.
grts
Peter Penson
desertexpress
Picasa Web Albums - peter.penson - Marokko 2009
Travelmaniacs Marokko 2004 Peter Penson
Marokko 2007 Peter Penson
Marokko 2008 Peter Penson