The Road to Morocco – Facts and Figures

Here is some beta (facts and figures) to help other potential Moroccan adventurers…

Flights:
We flew from Geneva, however, both Ryanair and EasyJet do the usual job from numerous airports in the UK. For Tafraoute it’s probably better flying to Agadir, and for Todra Gorge probably Marrakech.

From Marrakech we took the scenic route to Tafraoute (about 10 hours!). Some of the roads had been washed away in the rain, but usually the whole route should be on tarmac. Jon flew to Agadir, spent a night in the car ( 😮 ) near Tiznit and then drove on to Tafraoute. Later, he, Rebecca and Mina drove from Tafraoute to Todra for some bolted sport climbing.

Car Hire:
We used Auto-Europe. The car was a bit of a banger (they all seem to be in Morocco), but it did us proud over the rough terrain.

Hotel:
We stayed at Les Amandiers. My advice is to phone them direct and mention that you are climbing to get a good deal (be prepared to speak French). The hotel isn’t exactly in a romantic Moroccan Riad style, and it’s a bit old fashioned, but it’s clean, the service is excellent, it sells alcohol, and it has free WiFi. Dinner costs 120 dirhams (starter 35, main 65, and desert 20). The menu doesn’t change much, but it’s not all tagine and couscous 😉 . Beer was 55 dirhams for 2 bottles – not bad for a ‘dry’ country.

Hotels and food are a bit cheaper in the centre of Tafraoute.

Alternative accommodation for climbs in the north is Tizourgane Kasbah (follow the French link, the English one wasn’t working when I tried).

Guidebooks:
The obvious one is Climbing in the Moroccan Anti-Atlas by Claude Davies. There are loads more routes now, which have mostly been logged in the many route books kept at reception at Les Amandiers. There’s also the on-line data documented by Steve Broadbent. Claude’s book doesn’t provide intricate detail of the routes, but that adds to the adventure 😛 . And of course, you can easily go and find a new route, but don’t forget to add it to the new routes book so it can be included in a new guide.

When to Go:
I would recommend early March. It was bit hot for us in late March, mostly above 25 degrees. The heavy rain in late February did provide us with a wonderful array of spring flowers…

What to Buy:
If you want to buy presents and things, I’ve heard Tafraoute is cheaper than Marrakech. Of course it’s all in the haggling, and the reality is, if you’re happy with the goods and happy with the price, then you’ve probably got a decent deal. I bought a rug (of course) 🙂 .

Essaouira
After all that climbing, and shopping, we took a road trip from Tafraoute to Essaouria, which lies on the coast about 170km west of Marrakech. The journey, via Agadir, took about 5 hours. Here are some views along the way…

We hadn’t booked a hotel in advance, but we found a beautiful Riad, Dar L’Oussia, near the port just inside the Medina.

Essaouira is a UNESCO World Heritage Listed city…

Marrakech:
And finally Marrakech. An overwhelming place of sights and sounds!

We stayed in Riad Nomades which was reasonably quiet… until the birds woke us up early. :angry:

Here are some pictures from Marrakech…

Series - Morocco

1. Road to Tafraoute
2. More Moroccan Adventure
3. The Road to Morocco – Facts and Figures