We left Munich, Germany for Morocco. The last couple of weeks before our departure had been very busy with last-minute preparations. Some of our equipment and parts hadn't arrived on time and we had to improvize. The suspension arrived too late for us to get it through technical inspection and registration. And the tires hadn't even left the manufacturer in the US yet. Nonetheless, we were eager to hit the road.
Our 2,400 km drive took us through Switzerland and France to the south of Spain. What we didn't know was that the Swiss started fall vacation that weekend and we lost half a day in traffic. But we made it to Algeciras in time to take the ferry to Tanger, Morocco.
At the border things were a bit hectic with filling out papers, getting car insurance, exchanging money (you are not allowed to bring in any Dirham - Moroccan money). We didn't really like Tanger too much so we got cheap diesel and left for Tétouan. We were stopped by police at a roundabout for ignoring the right-of-way. I didn't know you had to STOP there. We talked a bit with the cop and after telling us a few times how expensive tickets were in Morocco he didn't want any money after all and welcomed us to his country :-).
We pushed on south to Meknès and Fès and visited the ruins of Volubilis, an old Roman settlement, on the way. We enjoyed exploring the impressive palaces, mosques and medersas (religious centers of learning). Most medinas are a maze with their tiny alleys and walkways. In Fès a sudden downpour converted the main passage into a torrent within minutes and locals and tourists alike were astounded and amused by the spectacle. After enjoying another delicious meal and a "thé has maint" (supposedly English translation of the famous Moroccan mint tea), we headed south through the mountains where our thermometer showed a chilly 6 degrees C at an elevation of over 2,200 meters. The continuing thunderstorms accompanied us for two days throughout the Middle Atlas. Unfortunately, the constant downpour made many minor roads impassible so that we had to skip our scenic drive along the famous Cirque de Jaffar. As we continued to head south towards the Sahara, we were hoping for an improvement in the weather.
However, the rain was following us and the road was flooded in several areas. Whenever we stopped at a cafe for a thé à la menthe, we were chatted up by locals who usually ended up offering their services as a guide or wanted us to visit their shops. Though we appreciated these contacts with locals, who always treated us with the greatest hospitality and kindness, it sometimes became a little cumbersome. The children here are especially annoying as they have come to accept tourists as wandering mixtures of banks and Santa Claus, and expect free handouts and gifts at all times.
Having left the mountains behind us, we followed a river through an amazing gorge, at times stark and barren, then suddenly an oasis full of date palms and green, fresh grass. In the area of Rissani we followed the sign for a scenic detour and discovered a short loop through a palm oasis. Every now and then, we passed a ksar, a fortified settlement built of clay and surrounded by a thick wall with a guard tower at each corner. This material is cheap and easy to handle, and the structures are supported by wood (often driftwood) and grass which gives the clay extra strength. But the wear of wind and rain shows its marks early, and if the buildings are not constantly maintained, they crumble soon. Hardly any ksour and kasbahs (large fortified living quarters up to three stories high) are older than 100 years.
We felt that we had really reached the desert in Erg Chebbi. The sand dunes area is about 40 kilometers long and 10 kilometers wide, which is nothing compared to the seemingly endless Sahara in Algeria and other desert countries, but still offers a beautiful environment to stroll through. With a height of more than 100 meters, the dunes are very impressive. At sunset, the orange sand usually turns bright red but since the sun was hidden behind a thick layer of haze, we didn't see the spectacle.
The next morning, it was overcast and soon started to rain. Not much doing in the dunes, so we continued south. Our destination was Taouz from where we wanted to pick up a track in the south-east corner of Morocco. A few miles into the trail we came to a little hut where we met some Swiss people - we had seen them on a campground a few days earlier. They had already been further into the trail and were on their way back as they had found the next river impassable. We decided to turn around and ended up joining the Swiss couples. On our return to Taouz we headed north on the main road and then started on a different route to detour around two rivers. This would eventually join us with the desired trail. We had looked for waypoints to store on our GPS but the map we had was a bit rough. It was supposed to show the tracks but they didn't transfer to the GPS :-(. So we winged it, followed a track and finally lost it. But we kept going in the general direction (as the crow flies) and actually made it to our destination.
The next couple of days we basically navigated in this manner, finding our way to our next waypoint. The scenery was awesome and made for nice photos and picnic spots. Once, we had to cross a mountain range and on the second try found a natural pass suitable for vehicles. Not following any established tracks made it just more interesting. We drove by a few small villages and were greeted by the local children with curiosity and eagerness. When we finally reached asphalt again, it felt like a great adventure was over.
Heading north, we reached a flooded bridge guarded by police which only let four-wheel-drive vehicles through. We noticed with surprise that the local police has been driving Jeep Wranglers for many years (YJ and TJ). A large group of Spanish cross-country motorcycles and quads, apparently on some kind of official rally, passed us. Then, way too soon, it was time to part from our Swiss friends as they needed to head north to drop off one member of their group at the Marrakesh airport, whereas we intended to explore some of the nearby gorges. We said our good-byes in a gathering sandstorm and went different ways.
Follow us along as we explore more exciting backcountry in the next issue…