My mother and I are usually desperate guys. Our motto is: we decided – we did it. That’s why we got together in Morocco very quickly. When we saw cheap airline tickets, we didn’t hesitate, we took them right away.
We had 14 days in Morocco, and we started planning them in advance. We chose the following route: Casablanca – Rabat – Chefchaouen – Fes – Merzouga – Emlil – Marrakech – Agadir – Legzira – Essaouira – El Jadida – Casablanca.
In this article I will only talk about the car, roads, navigators, and where to stop along the way.
We booked a car on Facebook, model Renault Clio 4. And it was a great choice, it never let us down, all the documents were in order, and the owner is responsive and conscientious. And it saved us a lot of money, because it runs on diesel.
Navigators we used: maps me, sygic, osmand,
Google Maps often did not orientate at all, so they can be immediately excluded from the list. Sygic or Osmand is convenient on roads and highways, but in cities and, especially, in medinas, only Maps Me. If you need to drive through the city, and it is not a direct through route, then it is better to immediately switch to Maps Me, because Sygic can lead you to a brick, and even to a dead end, claiming that there is a road there.
And now more about the roads themselves, as well as which routes to choose.
Casablanca – Rabat. Having received a car in Casablanca, we headed to Rabat. Relying on reviews that claim that there is nothing to do in Rabat, we planned to go there in a flash, and then immediately to Chefchaouen, for which we left more time, again relying on reviews. In another article I will tell you why you should not spend a lot of time in Chefchaouen and it is better to stay a little longer in Rabat.
There were no incidents on the way. The navigator guided us along the N1 highway , and we arrived quickly, enjoying the beauty that surrounded us. In Rabat, we left the car in one of the residential areas, so there were no parking attendants, and we did not pay anyone money (somewhere around the Hassan quarter).
- Rabat-Chefchaeun. It was our first day in Morocco, and the navigator decided to instill maximum fear in us so that we wouldn’t get into trouble again throughout the trip.
Sygic took us to the A1. We decided to agree with him, because we didn’t have much time, it was getting dark soon, and we wanted to get there faster. Of course, we were very happy for the first part of the road, but on the second part, the tin began to rust. The navigator took us to a tight serpentine (later we found out that it wasn’t the worst, but the experience wasn’t the best either), the road was narrow, not lit (this is the case everywhere, by the way). He took us through some small villages filled exclusively with men. Due to the darkness, bad road, and frequent turns, we drove at a speed of 20 km per hour (R410).
If you don’t want to repeat our fate, then choose the right routes: N4, N13 . Or you can take a risk on N1-R408-N13. Take a risk, because any roads marked as R may turn out to be country roads with no asphalt (even on major routes there is sometimes no asphalt, but more on that later).
- Chefchaouen – Fes. Routes N13-N4 We had already planned this route more carefully, because we did not want to repeat the previous night adventures. not for sale).
- Fez – Merzouga. N8, N13.
The road took a whole day. In general, feel free to add 2 hours to any number that the navigator offers you so as not to make a mistake with the time you will spend on the road.
On the way out of Fes, we bought alcohol at a store – Carrefour Market
(As we noticed, alcohol is sold only in this chain and only under this name).
What to see on the way:
– Ifrane, an “alpine” ski town. We didn’t have time to stop and look around it as planned, but it is very beautiful and aesthetic.
– Observation deck (coordinates – 33.4655456,-5.16363)
– Monkey Forest ( 33.4207687,-5.1780572 )
- Merzouga – Emlil. Routes N13, N12, N9, R2010, R2005,
Almost immediately, on the N13 highway, you can go to the Tahiri museum of fossils.
We really liked it, free entrance. You can buy souvenirs at the exit, but this is optional.
If you have time and desire, you can head towards Ait Ben Haddou (near Ouarzazate), a location for many filmings, including “Game of Thrones.”
I advise you to plan your route so that you can complete the last part while it is still light. We were unlucky again, it got dark, and the serpentine of nightmares began. The asphalt ended in some places, there is no lighting, the roads are narrow, and the turns are sharp. And, of course, the trucks somehow managed to pass anyway.
We chose Emlil as our final destination, not Marrakesh, because we were planning to climb Toukbal, as described in another article.
Emlil at night by car is also not for the faint-hearted, the streets are 1.5 m wide for a pedestrian.
- Emlil-Marrakech, road r203.
We left in the morning, arrived quickly. - Marrakech – Agadir (Tamraht).
Here we chose the A7 toll road . We got there quickly, but paid a lot. We only got stuck on the roundabout around Agadir and there, considering everything, there are always traffic jams (we got stuck there twice).
- Agadir (Tamraht) – Legzira N1, R104
Seriously, don’t turn off these roads unless you want to end up on some weird car trails! Even if the navigator insists. We almost got lost once, but we immediately turned back.
- Legzira – Esseouira. N1
Since we were going to Legzira just for a walk, and it was the same day we left Agadir, we didn’t make it to Essaouira. We spent the night on the way at Hassan House . This is a very cool place, they have a beautiful interior inside, the owners are just incredibly nice and hospitable, and they cook wonderfully. I highly recommend it.
What to see on the way: goats climbing trees. Google writes this place – 31.3924,-9.7216. 00 am.
To avoid paying parking fees, in Essaouira we parked the car near the Carrefour Market supermarket.
- Essaouira – El Jadida, N1
In the Esseira area (before and after) the police are very strict! We were stopped three times in this area! Extreme speed, be careful!
The navigators tried very hard to send us to the toll road. For at least half an hour, they suggested turning back and taking the toll road.
- El Jadida – Casablanca (airport), A1
We had a flight that day, so we chose the toll road, we got there quickly, in about 1.5 hours. They picked up our car from the airport parking lot (it’s paid, but it’s very inexpensive).
Have a good trip!