tour reports » Morocco tour 2022

I thought it might be useful to give some up to date info on crossing to, entering in and riding around Morocco 🤓

Crossing.
We crossed from Algeciras to Tangier on AML ferries (£126.94 return each), there’s 12 crossings a day and essential paperwork (passport check & issue of vehicle import docket) is completed on board saving time through customs. The Ceuta crossing was cheaper but at the moment is dogged with border delays. It took 90 mins to cross and 10 mins to get through customs.

Paperwork
I had my original log book, my mate had a colour photocopy; both were accepted by the customs officer aboard the ferry who issued us the dreaded (if you lose it you face dreadful consequences) ‘white ticket’, the vehicle import docket. We had to produce this before our passport was stamped on the boat and then at four checkpoints going through customs. This has to be kept safe and produced and stamped when leaving Morocco (otherwise the vehicle may be impounded, the driver arrested, etc.)

Odd rules
No photos of customs area. No drones, they’re still confiscated on arrival.

Insurance
Just out of customs, there is still an island of kiosks. About 5 banks with ATMs and currency exchange counters and the Insurance broker kiosk (the last one in the line). We had to pay in cash, £ & € accepted at a decent exchange rate so I paid in sterling (which was at a better rate than euros). Options are 10 days:£60; one month: £80, you can get longer but I wasn’t interested in that one.

Apparently some home insurance providers will provide cover for a fee (translation required) but mine wouldn’t.

It was third party only.

Useful tip
By the kiosks there was a mobile phone network promotion giving free pay as you go SIMs. Taking a spare phone, or even better a mobile router for a data only SIM to use your own phone for WhatsApp calls, I think is a good idea. Who wants to pay £1.49 a minute for calls from their mobiles these days?

Fuel costs
Cheaper but not that cheap. About £1.60/ltr.

Useful tip
Keep an eye on the fuel price at the pump. Some attendants are very quick to fill the next customer and then make up the price you should pay. Happened to me once, but I knew the price and eventually he gave the right change and we exchanged a knowing smile. My mate was ripped off just off the ferry.

Police
Fifteen years ago I remember arguing with police, refusing to give baksheesh. This year, a complete opposite. We probably went through 50 police choke points entering and leaving towns and major roads. We were never stopped, just had a lot of waves, smiles and salutes. My mate noticed that a lot of officers saluted me going through. It was weird and endearing (then I realised that on approach I raised my internal visor which must have looked like a salute, which they then returned😎)

Roads
Pretty good. Tizi N Test is my new favourite road, fast twisties on the ascent with good tarmac and no traffic, tired tarmac at the peak (but the views are worth slowing down for) then new tarmac on the descent (going south to north). Epic. Since there are faster roads to Marrakesh, and it used to be all ‘tired’ there was no traffic and it was just, playtime on a bike.

Anyhow hope this was useful as an update on biking in Morocco.

🏍🤓🏍

Playing with uploads….

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Without great success 🧐