Morocco is synonymous with adventure. And it always is, regardless of whether you are crossing the dunes of Erg Chebbi in an all-terrain vehicle, or with your family spending a peaceful weekend in the always surprising Marrakech.
It is said to be the closest of the “grand Tours” and it is totally true. Although Morocco is just 15 kilometers from Europe, the culture shock you feel when you first arrive in the country is brutal, and it happens even if you have been there before. Traveling to Morocco is traveling back in time.
In my particular case, Morocco is that destination I always have in mind and I always want to return to.
I first visited Morocco with my wife in 2009. Back then, it wasn’t a usual destination and information wasn´t that good. I bought a map and set my eyes in a little village were the marked road finished and situated as really far south. We flew to Marrakech, rented a very small Fiat Palio and set off for our first adventure in Morocco.
Our first challenge was leaving the city. Driving in Morocco is easy, but try to exit a maze without instructions and you’ll know how we felt. We didn’t carry a GPS, and to top it all off, a local policeman stopped us for nothing and we had to “tip” him so he would let us go and tell us how to leave the city.
In the beginning, you’re so out of your comfort zone that it’s natural to get defensive. You have no reasons, but it is your prejudices that lead you to that state of alert. You only need a couple of contacts with the Moroccans to relax and realize that you are very wrong and that there is nothing to fear. Their hospitality is on another level and if they can help you, they will, even when it is not necessary.
Crossing the High Atlas through the mythical Tizi n’Tichka mountain Pass was quite an experience. The road is twisted to the limit, the landscapes are breath-taking and, at that time, the holes in the asphalt were as big as the car we were driving.
The two days it took us to reach our destination and the 4-wheel drive journey to the dunes of Erg Chigaga were incredible, not to mention the night in the desert contemplating the best sky I have ever seen.
After that first trip to Morocco, I was hooked and I’ve been back many times for different kind of trips. From Hiking at the High Atlas to dessert adventures in motorbikes or 4×4 or even participating in the Panda Raid.
This last one was probably the most fun trip I´ve done in Morocco. The Panda Raid is an amateur long-distance regularity rally which takes place in Morocco every year for Fiat Pandas only.
Between four of us we bought 2 Pandas, prepared them for the challenge and with no time to test them we set off for Morocco.
7 stages and more than 3000 km, most of them off road put the cars on test, and they seemed to be working very well… at the beginning.
At the end of the first stage one of our cars was 3rd overall (out of 150 cars), but then a series of breakdowns made us concentrate in just taking the cars all the way to the finish line of the rally at the Essaouira beach and then back to Spain.
Just to name some of the problems we had, I will start with having to increase the size of the rear wheel arches with a radial saw to avoid them cutting the tyres, we changed several broken bearings, two clutches, a timing belt, fixed an exhaust pipe which seemed determined to fall in the middle of the dessert, we used a screwdriver as a gear shift when the real one fell off, etc. now I know much more about mechanics!
One of the last times we went to Morocco, we took 4×4 pick-ups. The original idea was to drive on some of the original Dakar route tracks, in the opposite direction than the original.
We crossed Spain from north to south, crossed the Gibraltar strait in the Ferry and in just one very long day of driving we arrived to the great sand and stone tracks we had seen on TV so many times.
During the next two days we did about 500 km through amazing and empty dessert tracks, and by then we were already at the feet of the magnificent Erg Chebbi dunes, and having a well-deserved beer at the Xaluca Tombuctú Hotel.
In the morning we set off for the dunes to put the cars on test, we lowered the tyres pressures, disconnected the ESP and got on with it.
Everything was going really well, until coming down from a high dune the Mercedes hit the hard floor and the intercooler broke. So, what do you do when you breakdown in the middle of Morocco? Well, basically the same you would do in any other country. You go to a local garage and pray they can have it properly fixed or at least find an emergency solution so you can make it back to Europe. No prior appointment, no waiting and always with a great smile… obviously we weren’t the first ones to breakdown in the dunes.
This was what happened to us. We lost the day, and had to return to Nador on normal roads, rather than driving the famous “Citröen Track”, the sand river and the Plateau Rekkam. The only real problem is now we need to go back to finish the route and enjoy a little bit more of the great adventure of Morocco.
As a resume, we can say Morocco is an amazing country, with a great cultural diversity and mind-blowing scenery. Moroccans are incredibly friendly and helpful; they have made hospitality one of their signs of identity.
They have also realized how important it is for them, been the border between two continents, to focus in Europe rather than in their neighbouring countries. They are changing and adapting to visitors. We have seen big changes since our first visit.
The roads have also improved a lot. Paved roads increase every year. They have realized how important tourism can be for them and they care for your safety. It’s amazing to see how the same local policeman that only a few years back would ask for a “tip” now stops the traffic for you and helps you in anything you need.
In Classics on the Road we don’t just organize tours. We love touring, and our passion is to show our clients and friends the experiences we have lived in different destinations. Morocco is on the top places of the list of places we would like to share with you. We are convinced that you would enjoy it just as much as we do.