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Possible trip to Morocco in 2020


nickwalk

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  • Platinum Member

Hi all

 

Having been to Morocco twice now and each time thinking what a great holiday it was; with epic landscapes and fabulous off road driving, we have been lucky to make friends with a certified Moroccan guide and thus, our idea is to now plan an adventure to Morocco at the end of July 2020 (school holidays). Am still working on the route but hoping to include the following:

 

Meet outside of Algeciras in Spain before catching the ferry to Ceuta on the northern tip of Africa

Visit the Roman city of Volubilis

Explore the souk of Fez and surrounding vineyards

Camp in the high cedar forests (7000ft!)

Stay at a Berber hotel at the foot of the dunes of Erg Chebbi and maybe take a camel ride in the morning

Drive through the Todra gorge

Relax in the seaside town of Essaouira

Visit the famous city of Casablanca

Chill out on the Atlantic coast at Moulay Bousselham

Depart Morocco at Tangiers to begin the journey home through Spain

 

Adventure would be a mixture of camping and hotels and you would need a Jeep that ideally has low range, all terrain tyres and underbody protection. Total nights in Morocco would be 12 and additional nights on route through Spain including our meeting point at Algeciras. Please be aware that as we will be travelling in August, this trip might not be suitable for anyone who suffers from heat exhaustion or related symptoms (please refer to World Health Organisation guidelines). Am in discussion with JOC about how costs and logistics would be managed but for now, am really keen to get an initial expression of interest from JOC members as to whether Morocco is for them or not!

 

Any questions, please ask.

 

Cheers

Nick, Sara, Alex and Cracker Jeep

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Hi Everyone,

 

Huge thanks for Nick, Sara and Alex for taking the initiative on this! Yeah it is a trip for 2020 but given the scope we really need to gauge interest now! So, if this looks like something you really could see yourself doing, something you would seriously be a part of the maximum of 8 rigs, then let us know in the next two weeks. If we have enough interest a LOT more legwork by passionate JOC club members will begin to gather more specifics for the proposed trip.  Just a taster, some pics from their previous expedition.

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AlfredoStuck

depending on the cost , I would be interested.

Roughly - how much did it cost you last time?  Are we talking below £5k per car (two people) or more than that?

... rough indication, not a contractual quote ... :)?

 

Thank you

Alfredo

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AlfredoStuck

i meant to ask, how much mechanical expertise and tooling is needed?

I am able to do some basic jobs (oil, filters, hubs, auxilary belt), but not much else.

Also I have a few basic tools, but nothing fancy.

 

... not sure my AA cover would go as far as that ...

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Hi Alfredo

 

Would certainly be looking at below £5k but that of course does not include any mods you would want to make to your rig before departing! ?

 

In terms of mechanical know how and tools, we've taken two Jeeps to Morocco now and never had any major issues with them apart from a rear brake light bulb however, we are looking into having a support vehicle with us. 

 

Cheers

Nick

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Nick were you at the Jeep bash in Wales ?  I was in Red TJ took you laning on last day if you were.  We went to Morcooco (2 guys 1 Landrover)  . I know you have been  but for folk reading this  its a lot of miles to cover  in 2 weeks.  Nick dont you fancy Chefchaouen on the trip.  For me that was one of the highpoints of the trip. Casablanca isnt meant to be all that either.  

 

Very good friend of mine writes for the overland journal and has been to Morocco overlanding a dozen times. Hes always happy to throw in any help if you have any questions as well

 

Be good to see this trip got off the ground.  Morocco is an amazing place and very friendly.

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Am indeed one and the same! Agree it is a lot of miles but can be done at a fairly leisurely pace and of course, route is only a proposal at the moment. Can change places we visit as well so could add Chefchaouen or swap Fez for Meknes. 

 

If you're up for the adventure, Morocco is a fabulous place to go!

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We have been thinking of taking our caravan to Morocco for sometime however as we have a 2012 Jeep WK Overland Summit that is our pride and joy and not too keen on doing rough stuff as did plenty of that when living in southern Africa in my youth.  Unfortunately August is a peak period and campsite costs and ferry costs can be high due to school holidays.  Heat is not an issue for us as 40C was a regular occurrence.  Enjoy the visit.

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The overlanding season seems to be around April in Morrocco.  When I went in  july / august the camp sites were deserted.  We drove through France and Spain then just hopped on ferry across from Spain.   

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Hi Nick

i could be interested in this adventure. 

I have been to Morocco twice and Casablanca, albeit with work and not my Jeep. 

Casablanca definitely not all that to be honest, but the rest sounds awesome and would be one hell of a trip and adventure.

Keep me posted

Kind regards

Bob 

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Hi Bob

Thanks for your interest and just waiting to see if we get any others wishing to go before taking a decision on next steps. Will for sure keep you updated.

Cheers

Nick

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Hi Everyone,

 

I too would be interested in doing this, hopefully there is enough interest!

 

Cheers,

 

Jack

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Probably the best route is to get ferry to Santander or Bilbao and then use toll roads to southern Spain to catch ferry to Morocco.  Near Madrid take the ring road to avoid going into Madrid.  Loads of campsites along the way and cheap if you are an ACSI member as can pay less than €18 a night including electric! Also many sites have small bungalows that you can rent.   I would think that you would need to allow at least 3 days for crossing Spain as ferries arrive in at ports at about midday so a while before you are off the ferry although it can be done at a big push in 2 days.

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Thanks Jack for your interest. Have about 4 people so far which is great but need a few more to get us going. 

 

We travelled down the west side of Spain and did it in 3 days at a fairly leisurely pace aka. cruise control!. Ferry over was quite short (one night) but it depends which one you go on as there are two different types that make the crossing. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Just seen this post (not very attentive). Would love to go back to Morocco again, but the July /August dates are less than ideal. If it gets changed to spring or autumn, would be very interested, but midsummer, even with aircon, will be just too much for us. We would be sailing in the Baltic then, anyway.

We did a similar itinerary in 2014, with an unmodified WK Grand Cherokee, and never got stuck, no breakdowns, nothing broken except one puncture. Absolutely stunning country for independent travel by 4WD, and everyone so friendly, too.

 

As for the journey down, if you have the time, there is some interesting driving when crossing the Pyrenées, the only boring bits are at the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts. Pick up the Autovia Mudejar from Zaragoza to Valencia, A7 to Alicante, and motorway to Jaen, Granada and Malaga, most of which are toll free. 

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