| COUNTRY INFO |
| All information in these pages is designed to help touring bikers in a particular country. It is mainly bike specific and may or may not be current. Most information is based on my own personal experience. More general information on any country can be found at sites like Lonely Planet |
| Depends. Crossing at Ceuta or Melilla is easier than doing the ferry AND the crossing all in one hit at Tangier. Procedure is available at www.sahara-overland.com |
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| Ease of entry - |
| Green card insurance in the EU can often be extended to Morocco but check prices. Local insurance is minimum 10 days, one month cost 804 dirhams at the border. When I renewed for another month in Agadir, it was 627 - you may want to purchase the minimum and extend it later. To buy new insurance, ask at assuances offices for the one that deals with 'frontier assuance' - most won't. Is it necessary? They demand proof of insurance at the border, this is the only place I was ever checked in 2 months. It may only become an issue if you are involved in an accident. |
| Insurance - |
| Petrol - |
| - Lead free 95 is available almost everywhere, except for south of Tan Tan Beach. - 9.21 dirhams per litre in March 2002. - 4.7 dirhams tax free SOUTH (but not AT) Tan Tan Beach. - frequency - a 200 km range is enough for most travel. The biggest stretch is Dakhla to the border, although... Note that 2 stations now exist in the final stretch between the turnoff to Dakhla and the Fort at the border to Mauri, one 100km from the turn off, one 250km. The second one was still being built in April 2002, but wasn't far off completion. |
| Road conditions - |
| - generally very good, could easily do all marked roads with street tires, including the run to Erg Chebbi IMHO. - pistes vary greatly, note that some of Chris Scott's descriptions in Sahara Overland of GPS routes are written more with a 4x4 in mind, the sand may be more difficult than is written. If you are carrying luggage try and get advice from other bikers if possible - Moroccan's ride 50cc mopeds and haven't got much of a clue as to what is possible and what isn't on a big bike, but will always give you advice... |
| Almost nothing. I only saw two bike shops with bigger bikes the whole time I was there, both in Casablanca, and the bikes outside looked like they'd be dipped in oil, and dragged behind a truck. The one nearer the coast apparently has a mechanic that was trained by Yamaha, I met a couple of guys who spoke well of him but I have no personal experience. GPS of one bike mechanic - N33 36.162' W007 38.365' |
| Parts availability - |
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| Recommended reading - Sahara-Overland, by Chris Scott |
| I saw nothing at all for bikes, save for a 4.00 - 18 that wouldn't help too much. Look at getting your tyres before you leave, Malaga in Spain seemed to have quite a few neumatico stores, most tyre stores sell both. A hard dual sport tyre would get you everywhere, and through many of the pistes, or dirt road. Running in the desert, you will encounter and you'll need full knobs and a light bike. |
| TYRES |
| Morocco |