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Morocco 2009 |
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Morocco is certainly Europe’s nearest African neighbour with glimpses of settlements and traffic clearly visible across the Straits of Gibraltar. Yet Morocco is a very different world. In its 700,000 sq. km there are long sandy beaches for the fun loving watersport enthusiasts, towering snow capped mountains with ski resorts, expanses of barren desert for the intrepid traveller, ancient cave drawings and striking Roman ruins for the historian. Along with crowded weekly markets, ancient dwellings, primitive agriculture and quaint mud built houses (ksour). There is the pink Morocco of the spring almond blossom, the green Morocco of the olive tree plantations and fertile valleys, the creamy white dwellings and the deep black Morocco of a Saharan night. The senses record the mixed spices of the souq, the smell of mint tea and donkeys linger in the air, the taste of tagine and the sound of the mosques calling the faithful to prayer. Morocco is not a place to look at; it is a country to be absorbed! From its agricultural land in between Fez and Tangier, to the Atlas Mountains, which carve the country in two and then down to the Sahara desert which flows into the Atlantic ocean, Morocco’s terrain is one of the most diversified and adventurous in the world. Our adventure starts in Estopona, which is on the coast road between Malaga and Algiciras which is where we board the ferry for Ceuta to start our amazing adventure. Our first overnight stop will be in Meknes or Timnay, this will have been a long day so I am sure you will eat and go to bed!. Moving on down from Ifrane and Michliffen where the huge cedar forest begin, this is the ski capital of Morocco and the tracks and trails through the forests in the foothills of the Atlas are amazing. Down to Kinifra, Ifrane and Rich,  before starting our journey through the Todra Gorge (if you have seen pictures of the Grand Canyon then this Gorge is similar) Onto Nkob where incredible views and fantastic mountain roads await you! Co-ordinated by: Pro-Trax Off Road Adventures, Cromwell House, 2 Debdale, Stoke Albany, Leic’s, LE16 8NX. Website: www.lroac.com, E-Mail: lroevents@aol.com Phone: 01858 535552 Fax: 08701604729 Before we reach Zagora you see a noticeable change in the environment and terrain as palm trees start to emerge and the obvious sign of sand replaces the stone and dust of the mountain trails. Zagora as been a trading town for thousands of years, on the edge of the Sahara it is home to nomads, Berbers and travellers from many nations who use it as a staging post for the Sahara. From Zagora we head south to Mahmid and west towards Form Zguid (The Dakar Highway) We start crossing dry river beds, dried up lakes, sand dunes, rocky trails and take mountain trails as we follow in the tyre tracks of the Paris-Dakar rally . We follow closely the Algerian border through dry salt lakes, small dunes along the route to Form Zguid, with the occasional stop at Military check points. Into the desert for the first time you will be amazed by its bareness and lack of sand as the ground seems black from the sunburnt pebbles. The route is sometimes slow and time consuming so I expect to stop for wild camps a few times on this trip. From Form Zguid we head, on road towards Tata and Guelmim, south of Guelmim and north of Tan Tan we turn right towards the Atlantic Higway, and take an amazing 40-50 kms drive across the cliff top with the Atllantic ocean crashing beneath us. Then down on to the beach for a wild camp in dunes and some beach driving. Heading north on road towards Agadir we turn inland towards Taroudantt and on to the famous Tazi n Tiznit mountain road, Morocco’s second highest highway, before arriving into the hustle and bustle of Marrakech. You have the choice of camping or using a mixture of budget hotels, and spend a few nights under the stars in the mountains and desert,  Where we will cook food purchased on route or brought with us. This is a moment to enjoy where around a campfire tales are told and lifetime friendships forged.
The entry payable to us will be £995 per vehicle based on two people in one vehicle this also includes your entry fee, all camp site fees in Morocco, and a guide vehicle , this way you also live the event! We will of course try and find campsites close to hotels for those wish a little hospitality and comfort. The remaining hotels and campsites are at your own expense. Additional passengers are charged at £150 each which includes all of the above. . The fee payable to us is based on having 6-vehicles minimum for the trip, we will also negotiate special discount deals for you with P&O for the ferry from Portsmouth to Bilboa, I expect this again to be around £545 return next year based on one vehicle with a berth for 2 people. Our 2009 Moroccan Desert/Coast Adventure will leave Portsmouth on October 16th-Nov 3rd Al dates may vary by a day either way as and when P&O confirm sailings All of our safaris are designed to be achieved with well-prepared and unmodified vehicles, we are there to assist and help you achieve this at a sensible cost. The LRO Adventure Club support vehicles and guides will be on hand to assist and recover should any situation require it. We will carry basic medical equipment, recovery equipment tools and some spares but only for 200 & 300Tdi Land Rovers, we require you to carry certain items, see equipment and parts list later. Before leaving get all oils changed, a good service and have a good visual inspection of the vehicle done, make sure brakes are good enough for the whole trip, and the clutch is up to desert driving. The terrain and driving conditions will vary as we get further south, from fast motorways to winding coast roads, once in Morocco tarmac and gravel prevail in the north, with shale and gravel tracks becoming more predominant as we get into the Atlas mountains. Once into the desert we get sand, volcanic rock, and the dreaded desert thorns, if you are unlucky! Momentum is the key with most off-road driving and certainly is a technique that will need to be mastered once in the sand. Most days our average speed across tracks and desert will be between 15 & 30 mph but once onto main roads we should sustain 45-55 mph depending on the type of road and traffic conditions. All terrain or even road tyre patterns are suitable for the Moroccan safari, but please ensure your tyres are in good condition with at least 75% wear left, the desert and barren surrounds are infamous for causing damage and excessive wear to tyres. You must be able to cover 250 miles in Morocco without refuelling so please if you think you require it bring along one Jerry can, and check the seals! We work on 20 mpg for petrol and 22 mpg for diesel engines in Morocco. LRO’s Adventures staff on these trips are all experienced off-road drivers with a good knowledge of vehicle mechanics and possible problems. But careful checking and sympathetic driving will minimise wear and tear on the vehicle and tyres. Vehicle documentation is very important, as are passports, driving licences, MOT’s as well as a green card for Morocco. Please bring original paperwork along and 2 photo copies of all documents just in case, it is worth while bringing along 2-3 passport sized photo’s as well, again just in case. If the vehicle is a company vehicle please make sure you have a letter giving you permission to use and drive the vehicle during the dates we are away. Insurance can be bought at the Moroccan border. We also ask all entrants to take out travel insurance and vehicle breakdown cover, you will not get breakdown cover for Morocco but we will do our hardest to get any broken down vehicle back to Spain. Camping equipment is down to personnel preference but make sure your tents and sleeping bag are up to cold or even freezing nights in the desert? Camp beds or insulation sleeping mats are good, but of utmost importance is to ensure you take some tent pegs that are extra long and of a type that can grip in soft sand as well as pegs for rocky stony ground!!, I have seen standard ones come out and the tents have blown away on a windy night! Cooking and eating utensils are a must and make sure you bring or stock up with food in Spain (Estopona supermarket) before we arrive in Morocco. A 20-25 litre water container is recommended as a minimum requirement. A good first aid kit with aspirin if you are not allergic to it, diarrhoea tablets/powder, sun cream and a sterile emergency medical kit. Torch and flashing light, flares, high-energy survival food (Kendal mint cake), and binoculars. Some of our staff have basic expedition medical training and we will carry a comprehensive first aid kit. For maps, the best you can get locally to you is the Michelin map of Morocco but Stanfords in London do better and higher detail maps. CB radios are a must and very helpful but are illegal in Morocco so if fitted please make sure they can be taken out and hidden along with the aerials and cable when we cross the border into Morocco. Vehicle equipment:
Spares:
Each evening we will check our vehicles over and grease them occasionally, if you suspect a problem on route stop and check. The group as a responsibility for all its members, we can help each other. We recommend that if this type of adventure is new to you then you should join us on one of our 4x4 driving courses which Pro-Trax run weekly and which we will give you 20% discount. Also approx. 5-6 weeks before we leave I will arrange a meeting for each safari somewhere in the midlands so we get to know one another and possible introduce ourselves to travelling companions. This safari is not and will not be allowed to turn into a drunken romp across the desert; anybody not sticking to the rules and regulations of the trip could endanger themselves and other travelling companions. We reserve the right at anytime if necessary to eject anyone from the event who is causing a nuisance or intentionally upsetting the smooth running and happiness of the safari. REMEMBER A WELL SERVICED AND WELL PREPARED VEHICLE IS A MUST Please bring suitable outdoor clothing and boots for a varied climate and terrain!, you can never tell what the weather will do these days! ADDITIONAL MOROCCO SAFARI ADVENTURE INFORMATION 2009 THOSE WHO JOIN US WILL RECIEVE COMPREHENSIVE INSTRUCTIONS AND A LIST OF ALL REQUIREMENTS.
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