Yes he is already recovered.. Tho the bike is wasted..

Well, as far as I see you are also seeking some adventure in 2016 so why not join me in my Turkey trip. I am very familiar in the route from Netherlands to Turkey. We could just complete Marocco then look forward to Turkey trip if everything goes well on Marocco. I have also a friend who is also r1200 gsa rider that might join to Turkey trip. Lets keep in touch. Maybe it is better if we share the whatsaap or google hangout IDs...

This May I shipped my bike to Seville from the Netherlands and paid for approximately 350 euros for retour. I have a nice american guy who takes your bikes from home and delivers it to selected airport on a selected date/time frame. This way you don't need to pay for gas and possible highway fines, tolls etc etc... This way you will save time and money obviously but I am very open minded when it comes to adventure so I am all fine, we can also take ferry etc.

I personally want to have at least 1 week in Morocco. I want to start from Tanger down to east of Casablanca (dont want to go to Casablanca, I heard there is nothing to see there) and visit Marrakech then sahara desert and then back to Spain from Cueta. During this trip I plan to camp mostly and take hotels every 2 or three days in big cities. So it would be only Morocco for me since I have not a lot of time and I have already been in South Spain this summer. We can meet in Tanger or Gibraltar or somewhere in Spain and then complete Morocco together.

For me it is going to be stealth camping and hotels. So it is a combination.

I was hoping not to have to lug that camping gear with me this year. I am willing to do it but would prefer not to. Have you checked out hostels? They are not much more than the cost of camping and some of them are really nice. Also, renting an apartment for a few nights in a city works well. Cost is about $75 American per night split between us. Also, airbnb has private homes available at very reasonable prices.

Many hostels, apartments and homes have swimming pools, internet, and secure parking.

Slarys, that shipping the bike down from Amsterdam sounds interesting. I might want to do that, but only one way. Does the bike have to be crated?

Slarys and Micky -- I rode through Turkey summer before last. It is a marvelous place to visit. I was there during Ramadan and found it to be very interesting. If you can be with a Turkish group when the nightly party begins you will have a very good time. There is no real problem for a foreign traveler to get food during the day when everyone else is not eating. Truck drivers and foreigners are exempt from the fasting rules. Go for it. You will have a wonderful time exploring that beautiful country. If you are interested, you can read about my trip here. Start by reading the post at the bottom of each page, and then go to the next post above the last one.

Roameo -- You are our trip leader, so I am going to suggest you pick a date around early or mid April for entering Morocco, and a place where we should meet you. I am more flexible with my time than the other guys are, and I can live with whatever you choose. I think Slarys and Micky feel the same way.

If some of us can link up in France or Bilbao for the ride down that would be icing on this great adventure cake.

- We can do hostels or cheap hotels as long as they have secure parking. But nevertheless I will still take my camping gear with me since my bike has lots of space for it.
- Bike should not be crated. He has a Mercedes Sprinter van. It takes 3 or maybe 4 bikes in total. One way shouldn't be a problem.
- I am actually Turkish and was born / lived 22 years in Istanbul. So we will not have any problems with anything else I still want to check your link.
- I am very flexible with dates. It can be April or May in Morocco. Earlier is either too cold in the mountains or too hot in the deserts. From my understanding early May is very good timing.


I have still GPS data for Garmin that I can share with you guys. I also have map for Morocco this year. But we come to that later i guess.

Ok all, it seems this is expanding very quick which is great. I believe the majority of us have a fairly open time frame and flexibility.

One of the best times to ride Morocco is April/May prior to the heat and the start of Ramadan (June 6th). But this also makes France/Spain/Portugal cooler at this time of year. So my goal was at a somewhat faster pace head straight to Morocco (my bike is currently in Switzerland). Then after Morocco the weather will be perfect to hit the European coast of these other countries on the return. (You also do not want to be anywhere near the med coast during the high season (start of July).

There are challenges with riding in a group that all must consider. Flexibility being the key! You must also remember that outside of being in a group you are an individual rider and you can break off at anytime (and know one should get offend by this) if your own personal schedule requires it.

Things to consider:

1. Personal budgets
2. I would suggest you accept and be prepared for all forms of accommodations from camping/hostels/hotel etc.....You are an adventure rider do not over plan! ride the day and stay where or in whatever the situation dictates for that day.
3. Riding conditions.....This is Morocco so the point is to enjoy the back country and its challenges (off road). If you look at other riders blogs from Morocco you will see more piste than pavement. But there will also be days/sections of pavement....so expect all types of conditions and challenges. Once again we are adventure riders so expect pistes!
4. Where to go/what to see. Sometimes you may want to see/go somewhere the groups is not. You can breakout and then rejoin if you choose (once again for the most part we are solo riders so know one should take offence to this).

Here is my blog Roaming & Riding - Life Unexpected to know more about me.

*Place to meet: Algeciras (spain)

*Date April 12th (plus or minus a few days).

*Take ferry to Port Med (seems the best recommendation of a easy port of arrival on the hubb).

*Timeline> This is the challenge for me as i never plan a specific time in any place as my adventure has been multi years. But for a rough estimate i am planning on a month in Morocco.

*Route > I have not planned anything other than doing a clockwise circle route starting in Alger med. This would allow you to hit the mountains, Sahara and coast of Morocco finishing back in the north.

* For the route my suggestion as a group would be to create this big clockwise route as an overall route. Then based on your own personal timeline etc you can ride all or part of this route breaking off into your own direction as needed. This will prevent should major conflict.

From what i read in all previous response the majority of us have lots of time and like to take our time and chill and enjoy the country we are in so as a group i think we should not have to many issues.

Let me know

Ryan aka Roameo

Thanks for putting this all together Ryan. It sounds like a good plan Count me in. I, my Vstrom, and my camping gear will meet the group in Algeciras on or about April 12 (I take it we will finalize the date later). I will be coming from Germany if any of you should happen to want to link up for the trip down to Algeciras. I am happy that everything is pretty well settled. I will check back on this site from time to time looking for final details.

Ron

Question for you Roameo: How many weeks do you foresee in Morocco? I ask because my wife just told me that we have a family obligation here in Illinois on the weekend of May 13-15 that I cannot miss, therefore I need to plan out my schedule a little closer than I had first thought. I will have to make a rush trip back home followed by a return to Spain a week later. No problem except for logistics and, of course, a major un-foreseen expense.

I am thinking the earlier in April the better.

Just wanted to say 'hi' as you can probably see that I'm stalking you all!
I am thinking of touring Morocco either spring or autumn 2016 but 1) am a relatively inexperienced rider, although I have 10,000 miles under my belt in just 12 months 2) have no off road riding experience and 3) I ride a Ducati Monster 696 and have not found an adventure bike low enough for 5' 2" me
Generally I like to ride solo but think it would be nice to have some company for part of my trip .
I speak French, Spanish and Arabic which will be useful and hitch-hiked around Morocco in my student days!

The rest of us just invited our own selves on board, Anita. I think you can do the same, but it is not up to me to say. This is Roameo's trip, and I think maybe neither he nor any of the rest of us is monitoring this thread daily since the trip plans seem to be settled. Be patient. Or, you might try sending him an email which you can do through his profile by clicking on his name and following the links.

Hope to meet you in Algeciras mid April.

Hi Ron,

since I have plenty of time I will treat Morocco the same as I do every other country I visit. I stay as long or short as the moment dictates. My goal is to cross over on the 12th and have somewhat of a route picked out (flexible).

There will also be other riders in morocco at the time and may decide to hook up with them for a few days or visa versa. I have also found my routes change after talking to other riders on the road and there experiences i.e.: go there/don't go there.

Because I have unlimited time it allows me to travel this way. I may get to a city/place and decide to stay 1,2,3 days or more it really depends on the moment.

If dates coincide for someone and they want to cross on the 12th with me perfect...company welcomed. If they want to ride together only for 1,2,3 days etc great as well.

I know some need more of a plan because of time restraints and that is understandable.

if this still interests you lets talk further and develop a route together.

Ryan AKA Roameo

Hi Ryan:

At this time I plan to meet with you, Slarys and Micky on the 12th. Lets keep in touch, especially as time draws closer.

Ciao,
Ron

I am fine with 12th April or any other date in Algeciras. I can ship my bike to Seville on 11th and meet you guys in 12th. The only thing I can't manage is staying more than a week/10 days in Morocco because I have a longer trip planned in July. All I want is to see Morocco, spend some time in some big cities like Marrakech, see their culture/people, try their food and then enjoy riding on their beautiful offroads then back to the Netherlands.

Lets see how it works out in upcoming days.

@Anita, I think you will be good in Morocco with your experience and bike. I read some logs from others that some of them were there in pistes with even asphalt / touring bikes and 10k mileage should be more than enough.

I am in the same vein as Slarys - time restraints will hinder me to stay in Morocco for more than a week.
Slarys - we could come out of Morocco together and head back if thats ok?

I'm fine for the 12th in Spain - Slarys - can you possibly assist with having my bike shipped to Spain too, to save me riding all the way down through France and Spain?
Also how are you getting back? Shipping back or riding?

Micky