Godlykepower Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 Is it worth going all the way to Morocco for only 2 weeks?? I obviously want to drive in the desert, but what would anyone recommend doing so that I got a good feel for the country. Would it be better to just stay in one particular area? Is it worth going that far at all? Trying to convince my girlfriend she should do London to Cape Town with me next year, and reckon this might be a fairly good introduction to Africa for her! Any ideas?? Martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darren Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 I did Morocco in '02 for a couple of weeks and the whole trip was a great experience. Getting there (and back) safely is half the challenge! To be honest, if you're wondering about the distance now then London to Cape Ton is going to come as a real shock to the system. I'd have thought a jaunt to Morocco would be considered an ideal shakedown trip before embarking on the big one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmgemini Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 This is not a post to put the frighteners on anybody, I do think you need to know about it http://www.landroveraddict.com/smf/index.php?topic=368856.0 I woulsd still go and enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeagent Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 We went in 2006, I'd highly recommend it to anyone.. We were in Morocco for 10 days and had a bit of a lightning speed tour... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eightpot Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 It's worth considering Tunisia as well - if you're after sandy desert there's only a small patch of builders sand right down in the south of Morocco, but a short drive into Tunisia gets you into the good stuff, proper Saharan sand. The Atlas in Morocco are stunning though and well worth the visit, as are the salt flats in the south. Doable in two weeks but only just, with a lot of driving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eightpot Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 ....and DONT EAT THE KEBABS.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeagent Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 you could try the Kebabs, if you fancy a trip into the murky gap between life and death... I'm sure Eightpot will be able to elaborate... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godlykepower Posted March 19, 2008 Author Share Posted March 19, 2008 To be honest, if you're wondering about the distance now then London to Cape Ton is going to come as a real shock to the system. I'd have thought a jaunt to Morocco would be considered an ideal shakedown trip before embarking on the big one. I never said I was wondering about the distance. I was wondering about the time frame. When I/we do London to Cape Town, I will be taking 6 months off work, so am VERY well aware of the distance and timing involved, and therefore there will be no shock to the system. My point was, that I get 5 weeks holiday a year, and already have commitments for 3 of those weeks, and was wondering if it was worth going to Morocco for such a short time (Ok, I guess there is an element of distance in that!) I really think that Morocco could be the tool I need to get my girlfriend onboard for the Big One. This will not be a shakedown trip either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diff Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 I never said I was wondering about the distance. I was wondering about the time frame.When I/we do London to Cape Town, I will be taking 6 months off work, so am VERY well aware of the distance and timing involved, and therefore there will be no shock to the system. My point was, that I get 5 weeks holiday a year, and already have commitments for 3 of those weeks, and was wondering if it was worth going to Morocco for such a short time (Ok, I guess there is an element of distance in that!) I really think that Morocco could be the tool I need to get my girlfriend onboard for the Big One. This will not be a shakedown trip either. You can do it in two weeks, but, if you want to spend enough time in Morocco in the interesting bits, you will have to do very big mileages/very long days of driving across europe. You could go by ferry to Bilbao to avoid driving across France, but you still need to drive through Spain, and account for the time spent on the ferry. Best bet is to work out how long you plan to take getting there (and back) and subtract this from your 2 weeks. Don't forget, thrashing across Europe in a Land Rover for 12 or more hours a day for several days may not be the best introduction to Overlanding for your girlfriend! A more leisurely pace might win her over, but you will have the best idea of what will/won't put her off. The other option for a taster is to fly drive. This will get you where you need to be, though you will be hard pushed to hire a vehicle with equipment in Morocco. A Landcruiser without equipment is about £750 a week (you may find a cheaper 4x4 - particularly if you are prepared to use a smaller vehicle). You could take some basic camping equipment with you as part of your luggage on the plane and then travel around staying at campsites and the odd auberge as the fancy took you. It is always worth doing the sums to see if it is worth while. You have the potential to save at least 4 or more days of travel time across Europe. Regards, Diff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinks Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 Morroco is awesome!! Me & my sister have been twice, went once in 06 and again last year. Personally i'd not hang around getting into Morroco, get there as fast as you can & spend as much time in the country as possible, its well worth going for 2 weeks. Most of the local people are really nice & pretty helpful, some can be a little intimadating if you let them. Sand is totally wicked to drive, its addictive! I really really dont see how your girlfriend could not like it out there, infact I dont see how anyone could not like it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest diesel_jim Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 You could always drive over to southern Spain,and send her on an airoplane, meet her at Gibraltar or Malaga, then it's only half an hour or hour & half (depending on which airport you go to) drive down to Tarifa or Algeceras Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darren Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 I never said I was wondering about the distance. I was wondering about the time frame.When I/we do London to Cape Town, I will be taking 6 months off work, so am VERY well aware of the distance and timing involved, and therefore there will be no shock to the system. My point was, that I get 5 weeks holiday a year, and already have commitments for 3 of those weeks, and was wondering if it was worth going to Morocco for such a short time (Ok, I guess there is an element of distance in that!) I really think that Morocco could be the tool I need to get my girlfriend onboard for the Big One. This will not be a shakedown trip either. Sorry, I guess I was picking up on your "Is it worth going that far at all?" comment. Your initial post also didn't give any indication of your level of experience so you'll have to excuse me if my comments had a bit of a Grandmother/egg sucking tinge to them. In the context of convincing your girlfriend to go on your London to Cape Town jaunt though, I'd definitely say it's still worthwhile. If she's never done it before then it'll be a good taste of what living out of a vehicle is like and the culture change between Europe and North Africa will be a useful experience. If you are considering going via the Portsmouth-Bilbao ferry then it's worth taking note of when the crossings are. They have a six day turn around which means they dont sail on the same day every week anymore. This can mean that in order to have enough time to reach the sandy bits of Morocco you could end up leaving on a Wednesday or Thursday night and returning on, say, a Friday, which might not fit in with the amount of holiday you have available. I'm going through a similar logisitcal exercise myself, at the moment, for a trip to Spain in October. If you do want to go that way then I can recommend a company called Allsports Logistics, tel. 01873 850025, for ferry bookings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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