ALONG DUSTY ROADS (/)

21 THINGS TO KNOW
BEFORE A
MOROCCAN ROAD
TRIP

We spent a long time worrying about how we would manage to see some of the best parts of Morocco on
our two-week visit. This was our second time in the country, and we were determined to make it to the Sahara
Desert from Marrakech, whilst we had also heard such great things about the scenery high in the Atlas
Mountains that we knew we couldn't miss it.
 The only way to do it all, and to do it in a way which gave us enough freedom, time and flexibility to have
the sort of adventure we had dreamed of, was to rent a car and have our very own Moroccan road trip.

It was the best decision we made.

Road tripping through Morocco however is not without its challenges and idiosyncrasies. Here are
our 21 things to know before you take the plunge and set out on the great open road.

WHY TAKE A ROAD TRIP IN MOROCCO?

Followers of Along Dusty Roads and our travel philosophy

(https://www.alongdustyroads.com/posts/2017/4/17/how-to-travel-better) will know that we aren't fans
of taking tours unless it's wholly necessary or delivers a unique perspective on a place; we much prefer
making our own way or taking public transport. However, in Morocco, it seemed like our options were
limited.

The public transport system to the desert would necessitate a few 12 hour bus rides, and the schedule
between key parts of our itinerary was often limited to early morning or evening departures. This would have
meant making a lot of compromises and inevitably spending more time in the bus than out on adventures -
something you can only tolerate if you're travelling long-term
(https://www.alongdustyroads.com/posts/2016/4/3/16-entirely-wrong-assumptions-to-make-before-a-
long-term-trip).

It's understandable therefore that multi-day desert tours (https://www.getyourguide.co.uk/sahara-desert-

l10178/desert-safaris-tc37/?partner_id=2A6MSUC &cmp=SaharaTours) leaving from Marrakech (and
other major cities) are the most popular option amongst short-term visitors. The standard offering lasts 3
nights, and follows a prescribed route via Ouarzazate - with prices starting at a very reasonable £80 per
person (https://www.getyourguide.co.uk/sahara-desert-l10178/desert-safaris-tc37/?
partner_id=2A6MSUC &cmp=SaharaTours). However, the convenience of such a tour is often outweighed
by your inability to be spontaneous, the need to always rush to the next place and the inevitable presence of
somebody in the group who you don't like! It also means A LOT of time stuck in your bus covering over 1,000
kms in a short space of time.

Renting a car meant we could plan our own route, take the time to stop off where and when we pleased,
head off the beaten track and get to know Morocco in a much more intimate way over a longer period of
time.

This is what you need to know before doing it yourself.

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THINK...

So, give us your best guesstimate for our combined car rental, insurance and fuel costs for our 1,400 km
round-trip across 6 days.
Got it?

Ok - all in - the costs associated with car rental totalled just under £200 GBP! Split between two of us, that's
comes to just £16 each per day!

#2 ...BUT YOU WILL HAVE RENTAL COMPANY ISSUES

That cost however doesn't factor in the stress and frustration associated with actually renting a car in
Morocco.

Spending the night trawling through Trip Advisor reviews of car rental companies available at Marrakech
airport left us feeling very very very fearful. Aside from any linguistic barriers, there appeared to be so many
things that could and would go wrong.

People had turned up to find no car available, or that their pre-selected shiny vehicle was actually a rust
bucket on its last legs. There was confusion and concern over insurance coverage. Intentional omissions when
recording damage so that further charges could be made when the car was returned. Deposits unreturned for
no apparent reason. Paperwork in a language they couldn't understand.

And this wasn't just at one company - each one in the city had no shortage of travellers advising that they
wouldn't recommend them to anyone after their experience.

Nevertheless, we needed a car and this was the only (legal) way to secure one. We decided to book via
Auto Europe (http://www.autoeurope.co.uk/index.cfm?aff=alongdustyroads), a UK-based aggregator
which brings together all the various local rental options in a destination and provides a secure booking
platform. It had the cheapest offers we could find on-line, but our main reason for choosing them was so that
we would have greater certainty over our insurance coverage in the event that something went badly wrong -
we didn't want to depend on something purchased at the rental desk on the day and only understood via our
interpretation of French and Arabic.

Picking up our car from the local company highlighted that the paranoia of previous visitors was not
misplaced - we had a beaten and scratched automatic, when we had supposedly ordered a relatively new
manual. However, the research of the previous night meant we came prepared for scams and tricks, and we
requested each scratch and cigarette burn on the fabric to be forensically detailed on the paperwork and
insisted that we be allowed to take a video of the car's condition.

It may have felt like overkill at the time, and didn't exactly allow us to strike up a friendly relationship with the
dealer, but we are so happy we did it. When returning the car nearly a week later, the attendant
remembered us but still tried out a few tricks - thankfully reading about the unfortunate experience of others
meant we were able to anticipate and deal with these issues.

CHECK CAR RENTAL PRICES AND AVAILABILITY IN MOROCCO

(HTTP://WWW.AUTOEUROPE.CO.UK/INDEX.CFM?AFF=ALONGDUSTYROADS)
#3 YOU NEED TO BE AN EXPERIENCED DRIVER

We wouldn't recommend driving in Morocco to anyone who isn't a reasonably confident, reasonably
experienced driver. There are no shortage of challenges and obstacles on the roads (more on that later!),
and it can be very stressful at times; taking a rental car round dozens of single-track hairpin bends in a few
hours or down a busy motorway where the lane markers are just a 'guide' really isn't the best idea if you
already struggle to drive in the UK or Europe.

Oh, and remember, they drive on the right hand side of the road over here! If it's your first time driving on the
wrong side (we're British, we drive on the correct side, deal with it) then you will get used to it quite quickly,
but just go slowly and keep your wits about you those first couple of days.

#4 OBSTACLES COME IN ALL SHAPES, SIZES AND SPECIES

Stubborn donkeys, children jumping out to try and sell herbs and rocks, hitchhikers (real and fake), men
literally standing in front of the car trying to get you to visit their restaurant, thirty camels crossing (no joke!),
cyclists and groups of men out walking on the road in pitch black, many cats and gossiping chickens, packs
of mules and herds of goats, epic sandstorms, Europeans in oversized camper vans, massive slow clunking
trucks on mountain passes, scooters and clapped out motorcycles winding between the traffic, young and old
women carrying back-breaking loads, drivers who don't think sticking to a single lane or giving you an inch
of space is a good idea, pedestrians who don't seem to understand that crossing a busy motorway isn't a
great idea. And more donkeys (and a paaaaartridge in a pear tree!)

These are all obstacles we encountered on the roads of Morocco. So, yeah, pay attention and keep your
eyes peeled - it is hectic out there.
#5 PLAN YOUR ROUTE IN ADVANCE

We all love the idea of complete spontaneity but, as everyone knows, half of it is made up for Instagram or
only available to people who are travelling for a decent amount of time. The reality is that if you have your
flight back home in less than a week's time and plan on making it to the desert, then there really isn't time to
drop all your plans and go where the wind takes you.

Before setting out, we did quite a lot of research to come up with what we felt was not only a perfect route,
but also a manageable one (https://www.alongdustyroads.com/posts/2017/7/26/morocco-road-trip-
route-itinerary). We had a rough idea of which area we'd be sleeping in each night and a clear idea of the
sights or places we wanted to see along the way - if you don't do this, trust us when we say you'll inevitably
end up chasing shadows and miles and missing out on some great things later on in your route.

#6 KNOW YOUR FILLING STATION ETIQUETTE

We had one scare up in the mountains when we thought we had only about 30km left in the tank - but that
was more of our own fault rather than due to a scarcity of petrol stations. The country is in fact very well-
stocked, with filling stations in even some of the most isolated parts (for example the one just outside the
Sahara desert in Merzouga).

When you pull up to the pumps, there will always be an attendant who will promptly arrive. Let him/her
know either how much money you want to spend on fuel or whether to just fill it right up, and they'll take care
of the rest. As I always have lots of paranoia about putting in the wrong type of fuel, note that the word in
French for petrol is 'sans plomb' and diesel is 'gazole'.

As ever, follow the golden rule of never having less than half a tank at any point on the road trip if you can
help it.

At the stations, we always gave a couple of dirham to the attendant (we're not sure if anyone else does this in
Morocco, but these guys didn't seem to mind).

#7 DIESEL IS MUCH CHEAPER THAN PETROL

A taxi driver in Marrakech said we should get a diesel car because it's always so much cheaper at the filling
stations than petrol - and he was absolutely right. However, renting a diesel car was a lot more expensive
up-front so we opted to go ahead with the most economical petrol car we could find.

The cheapest prices were always at the company stations which starts with a Z...unfortunately I can't
remember the name (let us know in the comments!)
 PLAN YOUR MOROCCO TRAVEL BUDGET
(HTTPS://WWW.ALONGDUSTYROADS.COM/POSTS/2017/4/8/MOROCCO-TRAVEL-
COSTS-BUDGET-PRICES)

#8 CITY DRIVING IS HECTIC

Andrew never enjoys driving in cities, but he discovered about 7 new swear words whilst dealing with
Moroccan traffic in the metropolises. The infrastructure in terms of the actual roads, traffic lights, signage and
roundabouts (they love a roundabout in Morroco) is generally good, but the actual rules of the roads here
are sometimes very difficult to understand for a foreign driver.

Take, for example, a two-lane motorway. It should be perfectly easy to navigate, but those two lanes often
become 4 or 5 vehicle wide (with a mixture of car, truck, scooter, motorbike, donkey and cart, cyclist) with
everyone jostling for position. You can imagine just how fun that becomes when you're pulling up to an un-
signposted roundabout?

We recommend you try to keep your driving time in cities to an absolute minimum - they will present one
of the most frustrating and stressful aspects of the whole road trip experience.

#9 ARABIC, BERBER & FRENCH > ENGLISH

On your road trip, unless you speak Arabic or Berber, then French is likely to be your best bet. We are
actually pleasantly surprised at how well and how widely English was spoken in certain remote areas, but
French was always our first go-to language with police, petrol pump attendants and hostel owners.

#10 BE HORNY

Now, the use of the car horn is a pretty common practice in Morocco and, from our experience it appears
that each honk has a special meaning which may not ever be very obvious to you. It might mean 'thanks for
letting me pass fellow driver' one moment to 'get the hell out of my way you bloody idiot'. I'm sure some
people in cities just honk for the sake of honking and to make the time pass.

Also, did you know that the best way to solve a traffic jam is to honk non-stop?

However, as with our driving on Scotland's epic North Coast 500

(https://www.alongdustyroads.com/posts/2016/6/21/guide-to-the-north-coast-500-nc500-road-trip-
scotland-highlands) route and its single-track mountain roads with ridiculous blind hairpin bends, I tended to
honk to let anyone coming round the corner know that I was also coming around the corner and that it would
probably be a good idea if we both slowed down and, you know, went to the proper side of the road.

You know, roads like this one.

At least, that's I hope they thought I was telling them - as explained, the secret language of the car honk has
several meanings and dialects in Morocco.

#11 BE THE CAUTIOUS DRIVER

We actually didn't have any bumps, scrapes or accidents over the seven days - something we consider to be
a minor miracle. To be honest, we were both really concerned that an accident of some scale was inevitable
on this road trip.

For any future Morocco road trippers, our main piece of advice is that, although it can be tempting to hit the
road like a local and throw all your good habits out the window, the best approach is to be the cautious
driver on the road.

If you're not sure of what's around the bend, honk that horn. If playing 'chicken' on single track roads, be the
person who gives way. If you're not confident about entering a roundabout, wait until you are and drown out
the blaring horns behind you.

Now, I write this having not always completely followed my advice because, in Morocco, sometimes you
have to adopt some local practices to get by and navigate your way around the city traffic but, as a rule of
thumb, be the sensible driver in each situation and you will hopefully avoid any major issues.

#12 AVOID DRIVING AT NIGHT

On our first evening, we were taking a back road to reach our hotel outside Ait Ben Haddou. A late
departure from the rental firm, a few too many stops to take photos and underestimating the quality of a back
road route meant that darkness had fallen and we still had a couple of hours driving ahead through winding
mountain roads.

Those obstacles we mentioned in point #4, are still very much present after dark and become all the more
treacherous; groups of men out walking at the side (or in the middle) of the road, dressed in dark robes,
would suddenly be lit up by our headlights. Dogs would cross out of nowhere. A cyclist with no light would
veer into our vision. The worst 'near miss' however was coming down the mountain pass and seeing several
boulders right in front of us, scattered across the road.

It is actually legal here to drive without headlights at nights if you drive slower than 20 km/h (but we
wouldn't recommend you test it out!) and on a number of these back-country mountain roads, yours will be
the only light source.

Although it may be unavoidable due to underestimated distances (see point #14) or uncontrollable delays,
try your best to avoid leaving too much driving until after nightfall. If there is heavy rain and you're on
mountain roads and darkness is falling, then please don't take the risk and just stay in the next place you pull
up at.

#13 LEARN TO LOVE (OR AT LEAST NOT HATE) MOROCCAN DRIVING QUIRKS

As will no doubt be obvious by now, there are some curious driving habits in Morocco. Some of the most
perplexing and deeply engrained are:
Driving in the middle of the road: The story goes that the middle of the road is less well worn and has
much less potholes, and I can vouch for this on certain stretches. However, this habit frustratingly continues
onto fantastically modern 4-lane highways with nary a pothole in sight.

There are two lanes guys - use them!

Letting you know when to pass: Although most Moroccan drivers are not fans of using indicators on
roundabouts or junctions to, you know, let you know where they're actually going, they love to use them to let
you know when you should overtake. This is quite common practice but always be sure to check your own
perception on how safe it is to overtake before hitting the throttle.

Big cars never give way: Yep, it definitely makes sense for us in our rented Kia Picanto to go through that
pothole and go off the side of the road rather than for you in your fancy 4 wheel-drive jeep sir!

#14 DON'T UNDERESTIMATE DISTANCES

Even if you follow our advice in #4, it doesn't always go to plan when you're actually on the road trip. What
appears like a quick 20 km on the map may transpire to be on a narrow, winding country road littered with
potholes. Or, like we experienced, an entire stretch of road might actually be under maintenance, meaning
that you have to drive for nearly two hours at snail's pace on loose gravel in the rain.

Given that it's not recommended to drive at night here, your best bet is to leave earlier in the morning so that
you can at least buy yourself an extra hour or two to play with throughout the day. If you are dreadfully
behind schedule, then we recommend catching up time on a new motorway - it may mean you have to skip a
gorgeous mountain pass but sometimes you have to opt for the road more travelled. We did exactly this on
our penultimate day and we're so glad we took the diversion on the lovely new tarmac.

#15 KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH MOROCCAN POLICE

We don't think we've ever met policemen who were as polite and friendly as those in Morocco.

For road-trippers, it's important to know that there are a lot of police checks around the country, and you're
likely to experience at least one a day when driving. Surprisingly, we were never stopped or questioned
once (they seemed to be more interested in trucks) and this was really unexpected given that tourists in rental
cars can be easy targets.

All the police stops were clearly sign-posted in advance and you need to approach slowly being coming to a
complete stop until the policeman waves you on, or asks you to pull over. As we discovered at each stop, the
Moroccan Police Academy needs to put a bit more thought into hand-signal training as the signal for 'on you
go, there's no worries' looks awfully similar to the universal signal for 'please can you pull over'.

On the couple of occasions when we did pull over out of confusion at said hand signal, the policemen were
all extremely polite and friendly. Remember, a nod, a smile and a wave goes a long way in a foreign
country!

Lastly, make sure you keep all the relevant documentation for the rental car and your driving licence easily
accessible.

#16 SPEED CHECKS AND SPEED LIMITS

Separate to the above police checks, Moroccan police are very fond of speed traps. This will consist of one
or two coppers on the side of the road with a handheld speed-gun and, from the couple we passed, it's clear
that not everyone discovers this in time! Other drivers will often flash lights (one of life's unspoken rules of the
road) but save yourself the worry and just respect the speed limits.
The only trouble with that approach is that, often, we had absolutely no clue what the speed limit was on
certain roads - it chopped and changed quite a lot and we'd often go for miles without seeing a sign
confirming whether we were breaking the law or those drivers were justified in their incessant honking! As a
general rule of thumb, the speed limits (unless there is a sign indicating something different) are:

• 60 km/h within urban areas

• 100 km/h outside urban areas including expressways (voie express).

• 120 km/h on highways

On the spot fines are issued for speeding and, the whole experience would put a dampener on your whole
trip, so just drive sensibly and stick to the limits. And, of course, wear your seatbelt at all times, stay off your
phone when you're driving and don't drink-and-drive!

#17 TRY TO PARK SECURELY

On our last night of the road trip, we ended up staying in a small town with some very basic hotels above
cafés being the only option. This sort of thing isn't a big deal for us usually but, it was a Saturday night, we
had arrived after dark and there was no secure parking for our rental car. As seemingly the only Europeans
in town, we were both concerned about leaving the car overnight in the street (and many people had
warned against this in forums), so we ended up paying the elderly 'gardienne' 10 dirham to keep an eye on
it and he advised us where was best to park - not the ideal option but it made us a little less worried. Of
course, everything was fine in the morning.

Nevertheless, on your road trip it is definitely worth only staying at places which can offer you with parking
on site (most booking sites (https://www.booking.com/index.html?aid=1185138) will provide you with this
information). And don't leave any valuables in the car overnight or when it's unattended.

In terms of parking in cities or towns which you are only passing through, there are usually plenty of parking
lots. If parking up by the pavement, then note that green and white or yellow and white stripes on the kerb
means you can park, whilst red and white means you can't. Often there will be a person who hangs around
the cars, offering to help you park and acting as a self-appointed attendant. Just tip them a couple of dirham
rather than trying to dispute the merits of their service. Note that it's not uncommon in places for people to try
and wave you down - it's often to just try and sell you something or give advice you may not actually require
so, heartless as it may seem, try to avoid stopping.
#18 SO. MANY. ROUNDABOUTS!!!

This became a running joke for us. With Emily in the role of navigator, she'd let Andrew know if there were
any major turnings to take. Unfortunately. roundabouts seem to have become every Moroccan town
planner's favourite new toy (without telling Google Maps about them!) and, well, you can imagine that
sometimes led to some arguments and confusion between us.

'Ok, turn left here'

'Which left? It's a bloody roundabout with two lefts'

'Um'

Thankfully, aside from those pesky roundabouts, signs and directions for most places you're likely to visit on
any trip to the desert or to the coast are plentiful and clear.

#19 FAKE HITCHHIKERS AND BREAKDOWNS

We saw a lot of local hitchhikers and a number of breakdowns (those damn potholes huh? See, what you
want to do is drive in the MIDDLE of the road....!). but they all seemed quite legitimate. Apparently
however, there is a relatively common roadside scam involving these people. It all seems a little hazy and
curiously non-threatening in that they don't try and rob you or anything, but rather get you to drive them to
their mate's shop where they charge you over-inflated prices.

Either way, as with most road trips in countries where you don't know the system or speak the language, you
likely aren't the best person to help someone broken down and you should think twice before picking up any
hitchhiker.

#20 STAY HYDRATED AND TAKE TOILET PAPER!

On our first trip to Morocco, we paid a man to drive us for five hours in 40 degree heat to Chefchaouen.

Andrew had heat stroke for two days and Emily passed out unattended on the roof.

Taking this year's road trip in March meant cooler temperatures overall, but we made sure we always had a
couple of bottles of water on board - in summer we can't tell you how essential this is! A great addition to
your Moroccan packing list is this water filtration bottle (https://amzn.to/2GjaXeq) which make clean
drinking water from virtually any source, including rivers.

Also, toilet stops are best taken in petrol stations which usually have some good quality bathrooms. However,
even they will often lack toilet paper, so always carry a few rolls in the glove compartment. Lastly, it's not a
bad idea to pick up some road snacks as shops can be few and far between on some stretches.

#21 POTHOLES AND HAIRPIN BENDS

When we think about driving in Morocco, the first set of images which come to mind (apart from those 40-
odd camels crossing right in front of us) will involve trundling up mountains in 1st or 2nd gear, ducking and
diving to avoid potholes and taking on over a dozen hairpin bends in half an hour.

In the mountains or on countryside roads, the surface is often littered with potholes of varying size and depth.
In a rental car, these conditions hugely increase your chance of a tire blowout, so pay attention and avoid
them as much as possible.

As for hairpin bends, all we need to say is that after three days driving along our route, you will be an
absolute pro at taking these on. Clarkson, eat your heart out.
AND ONE LAST THING....

I'll admit, we were really really worried about driving in Morocco.

And, reading some of the above tips and experience, you might think it wasn't actually that enjoyable.
However, let us put your mind at ease and state unequivocally that we LOVED this road trip.

Every stressful period. Getting stuck in a flooded road. Driving at night in the mountains. Avoiding donkeys.
Shouting at bad drivers. Working out how gears work in an automatic car. Weaving in between potholes for
two solid hours. The challenge of driving a Kia Picanto on a road it doesn't belong on.

You're renting a car in Morocco (http://www.autoeurope.co.uk/index.cfm?aff=alongdustyroads) to have

these sorts of challenges, and they all come together with the beautiful vistas and moments of serendipity to
give you a multi sensory experience of country as vibrant and hectic as Morocco, something you simply can't
have when seeing it through an air-conditioned bus window with set stops and set routes.

So, our advice? Rent that car and take that road trip through Morocco! Check out prices and availability for
rentals from Marrakech, Fes and elsewhere in Morocco here (http://www.autoeurope.co.uk/index.cfm?
aff=alongdustyroads).

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Preview P O S T C O M M E N T…

Shamim A month ago · 0 Likes

I’m here now, doing it all alone... keep telling myself “Don’t look down.!!”
Those hairpins could plunge you to death so quickly, so it’s wise to say... try not to travel alone!
Drove from Marrakesh to ouarzazate, heading to Zagora tomorrow..
God help me.!

Emily A week ago · 0 Likes

Those roads sure are something else! Hope you made it in one piece :)
 James Liew 3 months ago · 0 Likes

Hi, thank you for the post. It provide many infos on what is like to drive in Morocco. The pros and
cons of renting a car, speed limit, police spot checks, mountain roads...etc.

As I will be planning to go to Morocco in october with my wife and daughter. My daughter request
me to drive in morocco as this will be a good way to visit many places at your own pace and time. It
will be a GREAT challange to me as we drives on the lefthand side of the road in singapore. Still
considering to take up the challange. As a cab driver driving more than 12 hrs a day, driving is not a
problem to me. Only problem is: the drivers there don‘t follow highway code, many pot-holes on
some roads, car renting scams......etc....., these are the things of the past in the old days..
Thank you once again.

Andrew 2 months ago · 0 Likes

Hi James,

Our pleasure, and we're delighted that you found the post useful! We are sure you will be fine
given your experience - we hope you can make your own Morocco road trip happen!

Liliana 4 months ago · 0 Likes

We are visiting Morocco in November and your tips will certainly help us. Thanks

Andrew 2 months ago · 0 Likes

Happy to help Liliana!

Zenobia (http://www.zententia.net) 5 months ago · 0 Likes

(http://www.zententia.net)
Hi! I found this post in preparation for a March road-trip through Morocco. I've found it so helpful,
thank you so much!
 Andrew 2 months ago · 0 Likes

Hi Zenobia,

That's so kind of you to say - it's our pleasure to help you plan for your own road trip!

nasmedo 8 months ago · 0 Likes

Hi andrew greetings from greece,we plan to visti morrocco in november,you advise us t rent a car at
morocco or before out arrival?

Andrew 2 months ago · 0 Likes

Hi Nasmedo,

Definitely before your arrival.

Jakub 9 months ago · 0 Likes

Hello, thank you for this post! But I have question. Have you tried sleep in car? It's safety or better
options is find a some sleepover?

Andrew 2 months ago · 0 Likes

Hello,

No, we stayed in accommodation each night. We don't recommend sleeping in your car.

BRIAN 11 months ago · 0 Likes

You guys are doing great work. I'm a big fan. I'm also a travel photographer for a high end travel
company (so I read a lot of travel writing). I would love to bend your ear for a bit. I'm scouting some
hotels in Tangier and Chefchaouen but then I want to fly to Agadir, pick up a car and head south. I
have a wild idea of finding a spot to open a riad as a retirement option. I can find very little info on
 the western coast. Is driving just a bit easier? Will really bad high school french get me by? Mostly, is
it worth it? A crazy idea? I've been to the rest of Morocco a few times (North / sahara) so this is new
to me. Can we tawk?
Thanks
Brian
Brian McGilloway
Wilderness Travel

Andrew 2 months ago · 0 Likes

Hi Brian,

So sorry for our terribly late reply, but thank you for your incredibly kind words about our
work. Really bad high school French goes a long way alongside your English. And as for your
crazy idea, we say go for it (although the best people to advise on it would be current ex-pats
in Morocco who will have already gone through the various obstacles which may lie ahead
for you!)

Jasmine (Your World Traveller) (http://yourworldtraveller.com)

11 months ago · 0 Likes
(http://yourworldtraveller.com)

Thanks for sharing. Love the look of your blog. I am still on the fence about hiring my own car or
hiring a driver. What's your take on the driver option? I don't like the latter because there is less
privacy and you have to account for extra charges like driver's food and accommodation plus
tipping. But I am also worried about rental car scams and the condition of the car. Would renting from
a big car brand like Avis help? I am not sure if they have it in Morocco. Just asking.

Emily 8 months ago · 0 Likes

Hi Jasmine,

Thanks for your comment! We would DEFINITELY recommend the rental option instead of the
driver one (of course, this is assuming you are happy to drive etc). The rental car scams are a
pain, thought it's possible to limit their likelihood/impact, but I'd still take them and the
independence it provides over the driver option (which can present its own set of annoyances
and potential pitfalls). We have heard and read negative feedback on rental car companies
big and small in Morocco, however renting with a recognised international brand should
provide a level of comfort on standards and, importantly, recourse if something goes majorly
wrong - it isn't guaranteed however and we preferred the up front saving by going with the
local company and being extremely diligent in our checks before taking out the car.
 We hope that helps and, whichever you choose, we wish you a safe and memorable
adventure!

Jp 11 months ago · 0 Likes

Great article. I've been to Morocco twice and it led me to want to to a third time and have the
freedom that can only be had through a road trip.

I do wonder about one thing though and I'm not sure if you were in this position or not, or have any
information on it, but I'm wondering if travelling as an unmarried couple posed any issues in terms of
sharing a hotel room, particularly in the remote areas. Any info welcome!

Andrew 11 months ago · 0 Likes

So glad you found the article useful!

You're absolutely right about the road trip - it's honestly become our favourite way of
exploring a country.

Regarding the room, we encountered no problems travelling as an unmarried couple. In fact, it

was never even asked.

Have an amazing time in Morocco!

rachael A year ago · 0 Likes

This is a really great post and super helpful! Thank you for sharing your experience! I'm from the USA
and going to Morocco with my 17years old daughter in June for just a few days (main focus of the
trip is Spain). I have so far spent countless hours trying to figure out the travel arrangements in
Morocco. Since we have such limited time, we can really only see Chefchaouen and Fez, so I don't
want to be restricted by the time tables of the trains and buses. As much of an adventurer as I am, I
was hesitant to try and drive in Morocco even though I did it and survived in both Ireland and
Greece. I researched the private taxi option (tangiertaxi.com) and that will cost us around 450E
(Tangier to Chefchaouen--> Chefchaouen to Fez--> Fez to Tangier). Renting a car is anywhere from
112-256E on the AutoEurope link you posted. But its really not about the cost. I want the adventure.
My concern with renting a car is that I speak neither Arabic or Berber. Tiny wee bit of French. So I
had a couple of questions I would love your opinion on! 1)Do you think that would be too much of a
language barrier to try and swing this? From my reading various blogs, it seems that not a lot of
people speak English. In this respect, language, would it be better to just hire the taxi? 2) Even if I did
go for it with renting a car, did you get the full comprehensive insurance coverage? Its so much more
expensive. But in Ireland nearly every blog I read said that the chances of you incurring damage
 were around 100% and that one would be a fool not to have the comprehensive coverage. Just
wondering what your experience was on this.
Again, thank you so much for such an informative post, it is so appreciated!

Elena (https://travelingbytes.com) A year ago · 0 Likes

(https://travelingbytes.com)
Thank you very much for writing about your personal experience. I spent days perusing forums and
discussion boards regarding Moroccan car rentals and peculiarities of driving. After a week in
Casablanca, I can easily see the pitfalls and quirky local "habits," but your post helped with better
understanding what might happen outside of big cities.

Andrew A year ago · 0 Likes

Our absolute pleasure Elena - we did the same as you before arriving there, so we knew that
people would have the same feelings and fears as us before renting! We hope the rest of your
time in Morocco went well.

Safe travels.

Anna (http://www.apricotsandadventures.com) A year ago · 0 Likes

(http://www.apricotsandadventures.com)
This is such a great article! My boyfriend and I are heading to Morocco next week and decided to
rent a car and have been pretty nervous about it all going wrong. So good to see that you guys loved
it!

Andrew A year ago · 0 Likes

Hey Anna,

Thank you so much! We hope your own car rental adventure in Morocco went fantastically
well and you made a whole bunch of travel memories :)

Safe travels,
 Sophia Rivera (http://vmtenterprises.com/) A year ago · 0 Likes

(http://vmtenterprises.com/)
Hello there, I'm a travel enthusiast and I do different road trips very often. Now, I'm looking to do a
road trip in the Morroco. I have got the overview for the same after visiting this article. Thank you very
much for sharing.

Andrew A year ago · 0 Likes

Thank you so much for your comment Sophia - we're glad that article has helped you plan
your own Morocco road trip!

Safe travels.

Ale (http://alessioleo.com) A year ago · 0 Likes

(http://alessioleo.com)
hey guys this seems like a really cool article about driving in morocco! unfortunately i havent read it
because the font on your desktop website is too small and bothers my eyes. please consider
readability when writing! cheers ;)

Andrew A year ago · 0 Likes

Hi Ale,

Sorry to hear that. We do consider readability and have put a lot of time into a layout which
meets our style preferences and usability for our readers. May I ask what browser and
computer you're using? If you are struggling to read it, it may because the zoom level on your
screen is zoomed out; just bump it up to 120 or 130% and hopefully that will fix it for you :)

Matthew A year ago · 0 Likes

Which car company did you end up using?

 Emily A year ago · 0 Likes

We booked a car from LocationAuto via AutoEurope. We genuinely wouldn't book direct with
them though. If you read through enough of their reviews, you'll discover that they have a bit
of a reputation but booking via a third party meant we were completely protected from a
number of their tactics.

Zahir A year ago · 0 Likes

Thanks for the information. One question ? How about GPS Can you rent rhemtulla at the airport ?

Andrew A year ago · 0 Likes

Hi Zahir,

Our pleasure. We used Google Maps on our mobile as our GPS, but you can definitely rent
them too. It costs a little bit extra but is essential.

Babar 2 years ago · 0 Likes

"Surprisingly, we were never stopped or questioned once (they seemed to be more interested in
trucks) and this was really unexpected given that tourists in rental cars can be easy targets. "
Surprisingly?? What exactly do you mean? "easy targets" for what? Shakedowns? The police were
going about their business - please keep your prejudices to yourself. Do not spoil an otherwise good,
helpful article.

Andrew A year ago · 0 Likes

Hi Babar,

We know and have met at least a dozen people who have had incidents of that nature driving
in Morocco - sharing that is based on experience, not prejudice. Further, with so many
checkpoints throughout the country, we were also surprised that at no point was our rental
vehicle stopped just for a routine documentation check etc.

We're glad you enjoyed the rest of the article however.

 Kind regards,

Radek 2 years ago · 0 Likes

Hi
Searching google for driving in Morocco I get to Your blog...and It`s really helpfull - after reading it
we decide to spend our whole trip in rented car :] as we usualy do...
Got one question...which month U travel by car in Morocco ?? We going april 2018 and wondering
about road condition (floods etc)

Caro (http://carodekoster.com) 8 months ago · 0 Likes

(http://carodekoster.com)
Hello Radek, me&partner are planning to go April 2019. Can you give us advice about where
to rent?

Emily 2 years ago · 0 Likes

Hi Radek,

So great to hear our blog has been useful :)

We were there in February and although we had some heavy rain on one of the days when
we were driving on particularly bad roads, as long as we went slowly, it never became a
problem.

Have a fantastic road trip - this country is made for them!

Chris 2 years ago · 0 Likes

Thanks for sharing, very nice read. Gonna be useful for us driving around next month. Do you have
your route plan somewhere?

Andrew 2 years ago · 0 Likes

Thanks Chris.
 Our Morocco road trip route is in this post --->
https://www.alongdustyroads.com/posts/2017/7/26/morocco-road-trip-route-itinerary

Laura 2 years ago · 1 Like

Thank you for such a beautifully written and informative post. May I ask, you mention at the end that
you had previously utilised a driver, as oppose to this time hiring your own car. What would you
recommend when travelling from Rabat-Chefchaouene-Fez-Merzouga-Marrakech? (For 10 days)
Iread that private drivers were not too expensive? Laura :)

Andrew 2 years ago · 0 Likes

Our absolute pleasure Laura, we're delighted that you've found it useful.

We did use a driver to take us to Chefchaouen on a previous visit to Morocco - that was just a
one-way trip for about 6 hours. Personally, we wouldn't enjoy having a driver for 10 days (it
would feel a little awkward / intrusive for us) but I do know that it's a popular and relatively
affordable option in Morocco. Let us know how it works out for you :)

Safe travels

Faran (http://travelforumrah.co.uk/) 2 years ago · 0 Likes

(http://travelforumrah.co.uk/)
a well written and detailed post about Morocco with amazing photos! your journey must have been
such an adventure...keep posting

Andrew 2 years ago · 0 Likes

Thank you very much Faran! You're right - it was a great adventure. We've got lots more
guides and articles on travel in Morocco coming up in the next few months :)

Brian 2 years ago · 0 Likes

The perfect post about driving in Morocco! I'm so happy I found this before our road trip there next
month.
 Andrew 2 years ago · 0 Likes

Hi Brian - happy to hear it! Safe travels and driving!

Dee (https://vanillapapersblog.wordpress.com/) 2 years ago · 0 Likes

(https://vanillapapersblog.wordpress.com/)
Amazing photos! That must have been such an adventure, and such a road less travelled.

Andrew 2 years ago · 0 Likes

Aw, thanks so much Dee - was certainly a great adventure! We've got lots more Morocco
guides and photography posts coming up, so keep an eye out for those :)

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