Hi All, I would like to ask someone who visited Marocco in February/March about the weather. What to expect ? Any rain ? How the desert look like during the rain ? Thanks, Marcin.
i was there in march/april and it was fantastic although i did get freezing rain and even snow in the atlas mtns which closed a pass for a day.i waited out the huge hail storm and then went thru the next day .i didnt take my heated vest purchased in alaska which in hindsight was a mistake .go and enjoy.my tip would be to enter via tangier med its a new port and free of hassle.bon chance
What about riding along the desert ? And how it is look like during the rain ? Is it like typical motocross/green line mud ?
Czesc, Marcin, hopefully this will be of some help. This is from my Moroccan trip in last week of March 2012. You need to be prepared for the whole range of temperatures. We started and ended in Spain (Malaga) and it was ghastly hot by then: I'd say 35C on return about 1st of April. Northern section of Morocco was pretty warm, too, but once we entered Atlas Mountains it cooled off a lot. We hit some rain: several powerful downpours where we had to hide out, but otherwise we had a day or two of mild, rideable rain. It was quite cold then, about 5C and I had a base layer, wind liner, textile riding suit and a rainsuit on. When re-crossing Atlas on return, we actually ran into some snow flurries. On the southern side of Atlas (Quarzazate) it was much warmer, but nothing like southern Spain. Probably 20-25C. Here is my friend in an Aerostich and with a base layer underneath. Regarding sand: it is very much rocky gravel along our route (Errachidia to Marrakesh). Hopefully this picture gives you an idea. If you ever were in the US Southwest - it was very similar to what you would see in Arizona / New Mexico. Not beach sand. One thing about the desert is that following a rain there is a lot of brisk water coming down slopes in the mountains - or pooling in terrain undulations in the desert. To me, Northern Africa was quite wet! So, be prepared for very wide range of conditions. I used a textile suit (from Rev'It) that has some mesh panels that can be exposed via zippers. In hottest conditions I used just the suit with some long riding underwear (lycra, to allow the suit to slide against skin). When it was colder, I zipped in a wind liner. I never had the need to use the quilted thermal liner - the external rain suit made it warm enough. Regards, Robert.
Morocco is a country of weather extremes and outside of the summer months is not at all predictable. "A cold country with a hot sun," is the best descriptionif there's sun it will be warm in the middle of the day, chilly early morning/evening and cold at night. If there's no sun it will be cold all the time, even more so at altitude, and there's a *lot* of altitude in Morocco. Having said all that, I shall be there from mid January through to probably early March. I will have handlebar muffs, gouchos, and electrically heated jacket, so not so affected by the cold. The south tends to be warmer and I'll be spending some time in the Anti Atlas.
October/Nov is like the same as Feb/March.....kind of... Have a look here to see the topography if you wish.... http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=841901&page=2 .
wow... thanks WIBO !!!! how was a KTM 990adventure like ? any problems ? We go on the end of Feb to avoid overheating on my KTM. I will fit my beast TKC80 on the front and D908RR rear so I hope it will help me on the desert...
The Katay will be just fine...no problems at all...it's what it's made for......your tyre choice will be just perfect......enjoy...
Just a small refreshing of the thread... and additional question: What about insurance in Marocco ? My European Motorbike Insurance doesn't cover Marocco.
You can buy it when leaving customs in Tanger Med...there's an office to your left hand side. Don't let them sell it to you in euros...give them Dirhams after getting money out in the Terminal building(you'll need to ride past the insurance office,get money and ride back to the office) Two of our party took out insurance....can't remember the price but it was cheap..I can find out if you wish. :) .
I will appreciate if you can find out the price. Also - we will probably cross the ferry on Friday afternoon - is there a big problem with workhours in the offices ? I have been told that Saturday-Sunday it is a big problem everywhere around. Small update - I forgot mentioned that I will be crossing from Gibraltar to Ceuta and then directing south to Tetouan so just thinking if someone have done similar route and can give me some information about buying insurance on the Ceuta's border or around my route.
I'd say there's the same type of office at the port as there is in Tanger Med. I remember the office was about to close at about 1800hrs or it might have been 1900hrs...probably standard practice? The price was about £50-£60 for 4 weeks.
Ok, now is the time to think about myself... Any recommended Travel Insurance ? I have checked a few from gocompare and unfortunately they don't cover motorbiking :)
Wow.. nice.. not too sure what to choose in section ACTIVITY TYPE.. I have choosen LEISURE ACTIVITIES and next I have to choose: Motorcycle touring (roads) or Motorcycle Treks .... Shame I cant use both because my trip will cover road and offroad. any advice ? also I have found another website www.holidaysafe.co.uk and just wondering what is that: Emergency medical expenses £10,000,000 Hospital benefit £400 Hospital benefit per 24 hours £20 I just wondering is it covering all costs in case of for example accident on the bike and if I have to be taken to local hospital... is that mean that all is covered in hospital upto 10milion pounds or 400pounds ?
If you buy insurance at the port for road riding then snowcard can be used for off road excursions? :)
