Road Trip to Morocco | Travel the world with @thepassenger

Hi Steemians!

Today I would like to share with you my road trip in Morocco during this past September. We started from Tanger and we returned the car in Marrakech. After returning the car we did the mount Toukbal ascension and also left a couple of days to visit Marrakech. Thus, our route through Morocco is clearly from North to South, and in total we spent 15 days in Moroccan territory. Let's go!

Morocco is an incredible destination, but to enjoy the country you will have to go with and open mind and ready for the lifestyle of a developing country and that still has a long road ahead in several aspects. The basic premises are the respect for culture and religion (Morocco is a fairly progressive country) and take your trip with philosophy and relaxed, since sometimes the experience can be a little intense. If you are a lover of good eating, surely you will enjoy a lot of Moroccan gastronomy and in general the landscapes of the country will leave you open-mouthed.

Let's begin with the logistics of the route through Morocco!

FLIGHTS

Morocco. So close and at the same time so far. It seems difficult to imagine that when you are only a hour and half (or less) in aircraft of the Spain. We flew from Madrid with a modest €30  flight from Ryanair Madrid-Tanger. The flight lasts little more than one hour and usually rates are very competitive. Ryanair, Vueling and Air Maroc offer several direct routes from Spain and other countries in Europe to Fez, Tangier, Casablanca, Nador, Agadir and Marrakesh, so the chances of finding a cheap flight are quite good. 

The return flight was a Marrakech-Barcelona with Vueling somewhat more expensive since it took us €85 per person. As always, you can find cheaper flights on Skyscanner.

RENTAL CAR

To rent our car for the road trip to Morocco we book it trought the site Rentalcars, which I recommend without doubt, when you need a vehicle. We needed a car with A/C and available to rent in the center of Tangier (to avoid having to go to the airport, since first we spent a few days in Tangier in our friends house) and that could be returned in the Centre of Marrakech. Mission impossible? No! Europcar has office in the center of both cities so it was exactly what we needed. We rented the car for a total of 8 days with the Rentalcars full insurance which is a little cheaper than the one offered by the company. You really need that insurance as driving in Morocco can be a little crazy sometimes. 

The price breakdown is as follows:

-Duration: 8 days on September 13 at 10 AM on 20 September at 6 PM

-Rental price: €144 - €18 per day

-Price of the all-risks insurance: 94-€11.75 per day

The car assigned was a Fiat Punto diesel  kind of veteran with about 90.000 Km. We did the review of scratches (there were too many to write all them down) so I dedicated myself to photograph the whole car to have a proof of the status of the vehicle. Seen with perspective and knowing the places where we went with the poor car, perhaps I would recommend that if you can afford it you rent a cara little more offroad of the Dacia brand (which is everywhere in Morocco) like the Dacia Sandero or the Dacia Duster.

ROADS AND DRIVING

The road network in Morocco is quite complete and will allow you to get to any place normally through an asphalted road. Sometimes it will be better paved than others and  the bumps will be your fellow travelers for hours. Many roads are single-lane so you have to go constantly overtaking cars, vans, trucks, huge trucks and people on a motorcycle, bike, horse carriage or donkey. 

There are also some highways although mostly they go along the coast. The speed limit on these roads used to be around 80 - 90 Km/h and there are police officers with mobile radars everywhere, hidden behind any tree or on small hills. They catch me two times with overspeed. I was only 5 and 8 km above the limit, in the middle of the desert. One fine I did not need to pay it but the other one was 200Dh. 

It is normal for people to ask you to stop on the road to carry them so hitchhiking is widely used. We carried a man whose car had broke  in the midst of the Atlas mountains  and a guy who we are in the middle of nowhere going to his town.  The kid wanted to pay us the ride, which of course we did not accept! His French was rather limited, but the face of astonishment and joy had no price when we refused his money... so if you want to make someone happy just bring them on board.

Driving in the cities can be difficult and more or less everyone does what they want. Only traffic lights are kind of respected. In terms of parking, there are some guys in the street which will ask you for a little money to look your car. That is inevitable, do not try to not pay or you will have problems. The price for one night varies between 20-30 Dh depending on your negotiating skills. There are also free parking areas further away from the zone of influence of this people. 1 Liter of gasoline cost about 80 Dh, which is about € 0.80 to change and fuel station areas are quite common and easy to find, although in some sections in the desert you can spend more than 50 Km without seeing one, so watch out!

Summarizing, if you like the adventure and the road trip experience a road trip in Morocco by car can be a fantastic experience.

OUR ROUTE

Our 10 days Morocco tour started in the center of Tangier. We left Tangier heading toweards our first stop, Chefchaouen. This small town is situated on a hill and is characterized by the intense blue color in which are painted all or almost all of the houses in the village. It is very pleasant to stroll through the streets and see the local life on a small square. It is one of the top tourist destinations in the area, so it is necessary to move around a little bit to fully appreciate the local life without the tourists.

After Chefchaouen we went to Moulay-Idriss, a sacred town to the Moroccans, who go each year in procession to visit the mausoleum of Idriss which non-muslins can't visit. Nevertheless, it is a place close to the Volubilis Roman ruins and an interesting stop if you want to visit them. The next stop on route was Fez, imperial city where we spent a couple of nights,  with our car parked in one of the accesses since it is not possible to access the Medina with car. Fez is Morocco at its finest, for better and for worse, and certainly one of the most spectacular cities that I have visited. 

From Fez, we started one of the longest day of travel to the South. First we passed by Ifrane, a kind of curious town that looks like a Swiss-French mountain village.  The next day, after changing a blown tire, we drove to the area of Tinerhir and the Todra River with its spectacular gorges. It was a long day of driving, but we were able to reach the oasis-palmeral of Skoura where we spent the night. In our case we did not visit Merzouga to go into the wilderness of the desert, since we had already visited it on other occasions. The next day was marked by the tortuous road to Marrakech, across the atlas from Ouarzazate by the pass of Tizi N'Tica, the highest in North Africa with 2260 meters. The highway is spectacular although we must anticipate you will find many trucks and driving is not easy as the road is in really bad shape. 

Be careful if you go there in winter season, since it often snows. We spent that night in a hostel in Marrakech since we wanted to get to Essaouira but it was too late. The next morning we traveled 3 hours to Essaouira and relaxed for a couple of  days on the beach and nearby areas before returning the car back to Marrakech. 

In total we drove for 1417 Km and we spent about € 120 in fuel. You can click on the photo below to see the whole route :)

TRAVELER EXPENSES

Time to talk about money!

Traveling can be always cheap or expensive but generally speaking Morocco is a fairly cheap country for the Western traveller. Prices for a normal room will range from 15€-20€-€35 depending on the degree of comfort that one needs. You can also find international hotel chains (at much higher prices) and fantastic Riads, specially in low season (may-september) for as low as 15€ per room, breakfast included!

In some places you can negotiate the price of the room or the inclusion of a rich breakfast in the morning. Remember that negotiations areeasier if done with a smile on your face. The use of internet is everywhere and you can even buy a SIM with 4G with pretty cheap rates. To make reservations, we recommend Booking or because you will be able to cancel the room 90% of the times. With this link they give you €15 discount on your next booking and also 15€ to the author! This is what we spend during the trip:

WHAT TO SEE AND DO IN MOROCCO?

Morocco, whose name in Arabic means the West country and in Berber God, Earth is located in the North of Africa,  just 14 km from Spain (excluding Ceuta and Melilla) and separated by the mythical Strait of Gibraltar. Borders with Algeria and the Mediterranean to the East and Mauritania to the South mostly in the territory known as Western Sahara and currently in territorial dispute. Morocco has over 1800 Km of coast, so one of its biggest attractions will be the beach and coastal villages. 

For lovers of mountain ranges you will find the RIF and the Atlas. As we come to the South of the country, we are approaching a real border, no draw by men but by nature. Yes you are right, the Sahara. The third largest desert of the world, whose territory is shared by 11 countries, begins to be seen in locations like Merzouga and extends far beyond where the view reaches. But if all this natural variety seems  short to you, or you are more loving  urban life, there are different and amazing cities, each with its own personality. Places such as Tangier, Fez or Marrakech will make you enjoy every day Morocco and will show you the Moroccan culture at its best.

BEACHES AND COASTLINE

While our route through Morocco was mostly in the interior of the country we were able to visit two coastal towns. The first one was to Tangier which has amazing beaches just 20 minutes from the city. You can also vvisit Asilah, and the beach area located more to the South of this picturesque coastal town. You can also visit the cave of Hercules, which is about 5 km south of Cape Spartel. 

The second coastal area we visited was many kilometers to the South, in Essaouira. This small town of around 70000 inhabitants, also known as Mogador, boasts an oriented medina, whose historical centre is heritage. The port of Essaouira is very important for the fishing industry, and each day you can attend the lively fish market at the port. Close to it there are many stalls that will cook for you buy at cheap prices.

About 20 km south of Essaouira we find the beach area of Sidi Kaouki, ideal to enjoy miles of beach with no one more around than  you. The tremendous wind which almost always hits this area is becoming a blessing for  sports like surfing or kitesurfing. In general the beaches are nearly deserted so if you like tranquility will you love. Other beach areas that we did not visited but can be very interesting are near Tarfaya, located to the South of Agadir.

CITIES AND TOWNS

The territory of the current Morocco has been inhabited since approximately 10,000 years, and that's a lot of time. Phoenician, Roman, Sephardic, Jews, Arabs and Berbers have inhabited these lands to set up the current Moroccan culture. Various dynasties such as the Almohads and Almoravids created the four imperial cities of Morocco: Fes, Marrakech, Meknes and Rabat, the latter is today the capital of the country. 

Meknes and Rabat not visit them this time but if we did it with Fez and Marrakech.

FES: is a pretty big city and the religious capital of Morocco. Divided into three areas, the most characteristic is the huge and labyrinthine medina of Fes el Bali. The other two areas are the Ville Nouevelle and the medina of FES El Jdid. The medina of Fes is the largest pedestrian area of the world and a true microcosm of urban life and the Arabic and Moroccan culture. The medina is divided into different neighborhoods each one dedicated to a trade and that form the so-called souks or markets. The medina is a maze, with streets dead-end everywhere. We took a while to find our Riad, but ultimately got to it asking people. So often kids will want to guide you for a few dirhams and it can be an option if you can't find your place.  We stayed at the Riad Diwan, a nice room and a generous breakfast for € 20 night.The city itself is a market where you can buy a lot of craft products outdoor (at the moment still not produced in China) after haggling. Remember that the key to haggling is to take it as a sport and as something what you enjoy.  You should end up getting a price that comes close to half of the offered at the beginning, unless the initial price is obviously a scam. To know if the price is good, there are several guides on the internet, or you can ask someone you trust like your hotel manager, which will give you a real price.

Marrakech: situated at the foot of the atlas, is one of the city most tourist developed from Morocco. Its location on the doorstep of the desert and near the coast makes it an ideal destination from which to move and perform various activities.The highlight of the city is its Souk and above all its town square, Djema-el-fnaa square surrounded by shops and cafes and that at night emerges in all its glory. We spent a really fun night eating in one of the stalls of the square and enjoying the games that you can play in the square which ressembles  a kind of traveling circus, very curious. 

Tip: do not look to face the ladies of henna or you will you have over your in half a second, faster even than the sellers of the restaurants. The negative note is that during the day they exhibit animals such as monkeys and snakes being mistreated. 

Remember: not just in Morocco but in any place, if you do you photos with animals caged or tied you are helping  poaching and mistreatment of animals some of them endangered.

As for accommodation, you will find multitude of offers in Marrakech. We have accommodation in three different places in Marrakech. The first, highly recommended for backpackers, Hotel Corner whose price in a new, shared room of 8 beds was € 6 night with breakfast included. The second, as the hostel was full was the Riad Salma de Groot for €15 for a double room with shared bathroom and a super breakfast included. This Riad is certainly not the most beautiful of the world but for its price, the breakfast and the friendly gentleman who runs it make it a good choice or alternative to the hostel if you want your own room. Finally, we visited the Riad Lea, the most luxurious of the three to €30 night in double room with bath, breakfast and a terrace with jacuzzi, perfect for aftertrekking and the hot of Marrakech.

Tangier: Just an hour by ferry from the peninsula, Tangier is the gateway to Africa. Strategic point for many years, today is one of the Moroccan cities with faster growing and that can be seen on the route from the airport to the city centre. The medina of Tangier is very nice to visit and from the top we see Europe in a viewpoint shaped by Phoenician tombs. As discussed in this post, Tangier has several attractions nearby and we recommend it as an interesting destination for a weekend getaway. As for accommodation, it is more expensive and worse in quality than other cities of Morocco. We stayed only one night in the Hotel Mauritania, a hotel quite vintage but that for a night is enough.

Essaouira is a small coastal town and which stands out for having its medina facing the ocean. Located three hours from Marrakech and two of Agadir, is famous for its walls and is an important fishing port. If you're a seafood lover this city will get to your heart at more than reasonable prices. We stayed at La Maison du cinema, quite a peculiar accommodation with a fantastic terrace at €30 per night with breakfast and private bathroom.

Moulay Idriss is an interesting stop, especially if you're visiting the ruins of Volubilis. In this lovely village nestled on a high hill we stayed in the Kasbah Senjaji for €18 the room with breakfast and private bathroom.

Other During our Road trip to Morocco we spent the night in some other places.  In the road to the South we spent one night in the Kasbah Jurassique, a Kasbah-hotel next to the spectacular road, with swimming pool, dinner and breakfast for € 40 for two people. Another notable place is the Palmeraie of Skoura, heritage of Unesco and a green oasis in the midst of so much desert. We stayed at the Auberge Migusta with spectacular views of the Palmeraire. We only recommend this place if you go by car and above all, the most important thing, is to get up to see the sunrise from the terrace.

FOOD, DRINK AND TOURISM

Food in Morocco is quite varied and you can test many types of dishes. The most typical and omnipresent is the tajine, whose main characteristic is the fact that the ingredients are cooked  in an oval bowl of baked clay, which gives it a flavor quite smoky. You can find fish of several species (never pork, of course), meat or vegetable only. In Tangier, we recommend a small restaurant called Chez Hassan Bab Kasbah, rue de Kasbah number 8. Another typical dish, in this case a soup, is the Harira. You can cook it in different ways, but all those which we tried were delicious and it's normally a very healthy cocktail because it's cooked with meat, lentils, chickpeas, tomatoes, carrots...

In terms of drinks, the star is certainly the mint tea. Usually at the price of 10 Dh and the best one was in Tangier. Moroccans are very generous with the amount of mint that use and the tea is terrific! As for beer, wine and spirits are not available normally unless you are in a expensive hotel. What you can do is buy in the alcohol stores and drink your beer on your hotel, never in the streets. The Casablanca beer is one of the best and the bottle costs around €1.5 approximately. We did not taste wine but there's some production in some areas of Morocco and a bottle costs about €10. At Marrakech we take a cocktail in a bar called Le Salama and each cocktail costs €5. Other tourist activities usually consist on losing yourself in the medinas, shopping, visit some ancient Kasbah or sleep in the desert. In Fez, it is interesting to see the leather workers, but prepare for the strong smell around the place.

TREKKING AND ASCENT TO THE TOUKBAL

During our trip to Morocco we spend a couple of days to do the trekking to the summit of the Toukbal, which with 4167 meters is the highest mountain in the country and the highest in North Africa. It's a long trekking, which we did in 2 days but kind of exhausting. 

We walked around 25 km each day and it's pretty step. You can sleep at one of the 2 refugees in the base camp and start the climb around 5 am to see sunrise. Then you can stay at Imlil to get forces back.

Do not think you can do that trek in less than 2 days!

SOME OF MY PICS

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And you, have you ever traveled to Morocco? Are you planning on doing so? 

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