Morocco - Alone in July?

[Dazzer]

I did it once in July in 1986 and since then have gone in spring or autumn .

It was very very very Hot ,

Have a great trip its a beautify place to ride .

ps...Nothing is Boring down there apart from the main road down the west coast

[Mike54]

Moroccan security forces are very hot on terrorism but the country is now surrounded by Muslim extremists who want to exert their influence there. i noticed when i was there this year, the french are not going in big numbers anymore,why?. It does warrant keeping an eye on things for changes. One thing that has not changed is getting the runs on every visit to that country.

What evidence is this statement based on?

As for getting the runs, it is a requirement to be careful with what you eat and where you eat it from. I've been going for over 25 years and have only had it once.

[Tim Cullis]

Nobody can give you a categorical guarantee on safety from terrorism, however I echo Mike54's comment that Morocco is safer than many places in Europe. This is what I recently posted on another forum regarding the security situation,

"Nothing has changed much in the last few months on the security and safety front. The Moroccan security services have successfully broken up some potential terrorist rings, much the same as is happening in other countries. The Moroccan population remains peaceful and cooperative with the authorities and the overwhelming majority of the population do not support extremist views. But unfortunately there are nutters in every country and it is never possible to guarantee safety anywhere in the world. King Mohammed VI has been outspoken against terrorism and in his role of ‘Commander of the Faithful’ he is a major influence in Islamic affairs as well as head of state. In his recent speech on ‘King and People’s Day’, the King stressed, “Those who engage in terrorism… are not Muslims. Their only link to Islam is the pretexts they use to justify their crimes… their fate is to dwell forever in hell.” And “How could anyone of sound mind believe that the reward for jihad is a number of virgins?” The King condemned recent atrocities in Europe, saying, “I strongly condemn the killing of innocent people. Killing a priest is forbidden by religion; murdering him inside a church is unforgivable madness… Islam commands us to take good care of the people of the Book.”

[People of the Book are Jews, Christians and Muslims who all share the ‘Old Testament’]"

My main concern is heat and I appreciate that living in Spain, NB64 has an idea of the shade temperatures that can be reached. I live in further to the south in Spain, and my advice for Morocco would be to get up at first light, leave at dawn, and then find somewhere to relax, swim and sleep from 1pm until 6pm (Moroccan time). It's not just a case of drinking enough—and 3 litres isn't enough—but the core body temperature. Avoid Ciel (from Coca Cola) which is heavily chlorinated tap water.

I suggest you avoid the Cirque de Jaffar. Even if you don't meet my 'bandits' you will encounter extreme hassle and there are much better routes to explore.

Mountains are cooler due to the lapse rate with altitude gain, the coast is also cooler. Marrakech is surprisingly hotter than places like Ouarzazate, perhaps due to the number of air conditioning units?

[Duncan666]

I went on my own in August for 2 weeks this year. See previous post for more pics etc. You;ll have a great time, it's a fantastic place to ride, but can be an adventure..

Map of my route over 11 days of riding attached. It was hot, very hot reaching 48deg and not dropping, much below 30 deg at night. I had 3litre camelbak with spare 2 litres and regularly refilled the camelbak. I was always thirsty, the pistes were totally water free.

Security - I've traveled in Morocco a couple of times now. Never had an issue, in fact the people I met were helpful, friendly and welcoming.

Kit - Most of my kit was taken up with tools, tubes, pump and water. It still felt too much on the bike and was a pain to lash down on the piste. Proper ratchet straps are a must.

Fuel - Can be a bit sparse further south, fill up when you can, factor on a marked fuel station just being randomly shut/missing/empty every so often and you won't get too caught out.

When it goes a bit wrong, remember that's why it's called adventure biking B)

PM me if you want more ramblings

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[minkyhead]

it depends i think on your plans and how confidant ofr brave you are pleanty of people travel marrc solo

i personally wouldnt do the atlas trails or desert pistes alone but thats just me

the reasons that i wouldnt are pretty straightforward

dozens of times ive had to help or be helped to get my bike moving theough deep sand even with three people it can be exhausting ..on your own it would be a nightmare and any bikes clutch is in peril when it gets like that

illness i suffered a severe incect bite that made me feel very ill once and that is not easy to cope with off road
..people have had deli belly not me but with the heat and the sand its pretty dangerous.. but at least theres someone to help and keep a eye out

remote ..phone signals are generally amazingly good you get better coverage in marroc than you do in yorkshire but not everywhere ..the atlas range is huge and if you have a mishap out of cover its a long way to help

if i was still inclined to go solo i would deffo invest in one of those gps sos devices
this is just my opinion of why i wouldnt do it its not to say in anyway you shouldnt do it ..risk versus reward i guess

[Duncan666]

q

[rodyorkabr]

The site has a film of a set of fools who go on a variety of bikes in May(the 1st twelve episodes etc can be found here) http://shaw2shore.co.uk/video-gallery/#bwg2/4 the remainder 24 in total are on the 2 set DVD-Episode 12 is where it starts to get exciting..as snipers washing habits render him an ecological disaster! loads of good & "viz like" tips, along with routes etc. Tim Cullis is the acknowledged God of Morocco- he helped me greatly...If I can help...let me know..Regards Rod

[WIBO]

I'm hoping to go to Morocco next July and ride the desert and some parts of the Atlas, for example Cirque de Jaffar and wondered if anyone had any tips or advice.
I particular I would like to know about security issues or experiences you might have had.

I went last summer but on the asphalt with an CB 900 F Hornet. When I was there I realised the stuff I was most interested in was off the beaten track. I am a teacher and can only get away in the summer. I live in Spain and none of my friends have offroad bikes or can get the time off so I will go alone.

I have an XR650R with 24 litre tank and GPS. The actual riding and navigation doesn't concern me. I know what the temperature will be like and have 3L camelback so that doesn't worry me either.

Thanks in advance

Neil

Hi Neil....

As you've been before in summertime you know what the temperatures are like. I can understand your tolerance to a certain level of heat living in Spain. 35c here is a nice day for me.

I usually ride with a minimum of a full camel back and 4-5 bottles of water and thats in Autumn where the temperatures are in and around 25c. Think of almost double that. Thats taking into account water for wild camping brew-ups also.

IMO there'll be no security issues any more more than what you'd normally look out for.....in fact probably a lot less there than mainland Europe to be honest.

If it were I and obliged to take the school holidays I wouldn't try any of the desert crossings alone. If you hooked up with another group of riders by chance then perhaps.

There's plenty of trails where it'll be hard pack and scenic and if you get to eg Merzouga it's surrounded by hard pack also.

For example ...this trail,I've ridden many times,although I drop down to Boumalne Dades....is hard pack with the odd auberge en route.

http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=689110

Check www.wikiloc.com and you'll see any number of routes.


I see you're also on an XR650R... IMO one of the most perfect motos for this type of riding having owned one myself...no battery..kick start....carb....good suspension...great engine....

I know also they can be a beast to start if kick only...... (I had mine down to an art so that no more than three or so kicks after a drop was normal)

Imagine if its on its side in feche-feche ...picking it up..kicking it alive and it wont take long before you're knackered...and thirsty.


This is not taking into account any mechanical problem you may encounter..it's vast...in a group you can get to where you need to go whether by towing or by pillion.




Most unusual to come across,is the odd heavy sandstorm....only once have I had to wait it out by sitting against my moto with my goggles on....until I got going again about an hour later.



When I go in a group we have a system where if one needs help to pick a moto up a signal is given and others ride over. Once the moto is picked up we usually wait four or five minutes before we start the bike..just for every one to get their breath back and slow down. Do this three or four times in a row over half an hour and it can get tedious....again that's in Autumn.

My experience riding long distance with an XR.... the smallest back sprocket you can find to save the engine revs. You can see the size of mine..the XR will pull this size off road too..I've been on gnarley mountain trails one day and on the autoroute the next cruising at 115-120kph








Cycle shorts...cheap from Decathlon,will assist also




As Minkyhead says risk v reward...for me..hard pack if alone and desert in a group at that time of year


You'll enjoy it no matter where you end up.





www.edcontour.com








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[ollydog]

just watched this again forgotten how good it was, can i buy the dvd's pm the details

shore to shores flim clip

thanks

steve

[rodyorkabr]

"just watched this again forgotten how good it was, can i buy the dvd's pm the details

shore to shores flim clip"

thanks

pm sent...sorry to stray off topic