Touring Morocco
Thinking of touring with a caravan to Morocco over this winter, has anybody recently visited there, is it safe?
Comments
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Di,
Did you ever go? We were thinking of doing the same this year. We have to be at a wedding in Toledo in the middle of October and thought that we would just keep going south afterwards with the idea of spending December in Morocco. Any thoughts would be much appreciated. Driving a Santa Fe and towing a 7m Fendt.
Many thanks,
Bob
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My sister and I went there for a couple of weeks in September. We hired a car and travelled quite a distance, mainly in rural areas, in the atlas mountains. People most welcoming and no feelings of danger. When you stop the car to admire the view, you do sometimes get someone running down the hill trying to sell fossils or something, but they go away if you shoe you are not interested. At ancient ruins / Kasbahs there is nearly always someone who offers to show you round. You can tell them you're not interested in a guide and they do accept this.
The main thing to look out for is the condition of the roads. Most are absolutely fine but if you are going up in the mountains, some that are supposed to be made up are not and very bumpy in a peugeot partner. You could not do it in a caravan. Also, when we were there, there was a landslide and we had to wait a few hours until it was cleared. Apparently this is not uncommon!
Even in a city like Marakesh you do not get any hassle that feels dangerous - just a few rather pesky and persistent young men / boys who will also leave you alone if you are firm with them.
Lovely country but I don't know if there are many campsites?
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This guy posts on a couple of forums about his winter travels to Morocco which you might find worth a read. This Link is to just one of his trips but if you want to see more I can point you in the right direction.
David
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Katie/David,
Thank you both very much for your contributions. Having spent some time in the Middle East, we are quite used to being gently harassed by people wanting to either just be kind or sell you things. We have a little bit of Arabic - tourist only but enough to politely say that we are ok!
David, I found the blog your link refers to about an hour ago. His outfit is similar to mine and shows that all things are possible although I am not sure that I would tackle the Atlas Mountains with such enthusiasm having seen some of his photographs!
What you have all done (including Val) is show me that our thoughts are not crazy and that towing a caravan round Morocco is feasible.
Many thanks
Bob
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I have also spent some not inconsiderable time in the Middle East in some pretty backward spots and having been there, seen that and got the "T-shirt" we were fairly hesitant about visiting yet another Arab country. However, something must have sparked an interest in visiting Morocco and we decided to take an escorted tour and were glad we did for the help that was offered and for the extra interest that was gained from it.
Our visit was in 2010 in less troubled times and you can read about it >here<. My advice would be to be guided by what the foreign office say. Visit their >web site< for the latest information.
peedee
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Thank you all for your inputs. At this stage it is only a feasibility study as we won't be leaving UK until the back end of August. We tend to make things up as we go along almost on a day-by-day basis with the minimum amount of waypoints and timelines - hence our rather roundabout route to Sicily last year. Obviously, if we do carry on to Morocco, then I need to make sure that we have adequate insurance cover before we leave UK and keep abreast of the FCO advice. We may not go and instead we might spend the time exploring Spain and Portugal - at the moment our plans and ideas are wholly flexible. What your inputs have shown me is that Morocco is feasible. Whether it is a crazy and foolish idea or an exciting adventure is another question!
Very many thanks,
Bob
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