Off-road tour through Morocco
Impressions of past off-road vehicle trips
Off to the desert!
An off-road tour through Morocco that is relaxed, strenuous, adventurous, romantic, cold and hot all in one. The start and end of this off-road trip is the ferry port of Tangier Med, north-east of Tangier, although it is generally up to you to decide from where you travel from mainland Europe. The main thing is that you make it to Tangier to drive with us in your 4x4 into the desert. From Tangier we will spend 14 days in the varied landscapes of Morocco. This off-road trip takes us over extremely scenic tracks, over the middle and high Atlas, to the edge of the vast Sahara. Depending on our wishes, we can enjoy this lonely region for two or more days before we reach more touristy paths again, because the large dunes of the Erg Chebbi in the far east and the Erg Chegaga on the border to Algeria are a must and a picture book destination for every Morocco traveller. The advantage of our fully equipped off-road vehicles is their flexibility. Whenever possible, we treat ourselves to a hearty Moroccan lunch, but cooking together with our own supplies is also fun. Except for the first night, there are no fixed hotel nights on the tour, so we will mostly stay outdoors. Due to the rapidly developing infrastructure, there will always be stretches of road on this off-road tour which we will drive on in a new way. It is important for us that this tour is an adventure and not a planned, all-inclusive holiday experience.
Whether AT or MT - our off-road vehicles feel at home on Morocco's slopes.
Arrival day 1 & 2: Tübingen - Barcelona - Ferry
Each participant can plan their journey individually, but we will be happy to book the ferry for you and help you plan the route. Possible meeting points along the route are at OVERCROSS in Tübingen, at the ferry port in Barcelona or on the Moroccan mainland, more precisely at our first accommodation in Tanger Med. Those who wish can join us directly from Tübingen and travel together with us. On the first day, we will drive to Spain where we will spend the night. The next day we will drive to the ferry port early in the morning so that we don't miss the 10:00 am ferry to Africa. We spend the rest of the day on the ship, which arrives at the ferry port of Tanger Med in Morocco the following day.
Day 1: Arrival in Morocco and official tour start
Our ferry arrives on the Moroccan mainland in the late afternoon. From here we drive to our accommodation and meet all the participants who have chosen a different arrival route. Over a first dinner we all get to know each other and discuss the tour ahead before we head south in our off-road vehicles the next day.
Docking the ferry in the ferry port of Tangier Med in Morocco
Day 2: Tanger Med – Chefchaouen
From our accommodation in Tangier, we drive the first off-road kilometres to the blue city of Chefchaouen where we set up our first camp.
Chefchaouen die blaue Stadt im Rif Gebirge ist unser erster Stop auf unserer Geländewagenreise durch Marokko
Day 3: Chefchaouen – Fes
Today we travel through the Rif Mountains in the north of Morocco to the royal city of Fes, about 200 km away. There will be enough time to see Fes and to buy some souvenirs in the huge medina. The majority of the route will be on gravel roads, alternating with coarser stony ground.
Through partly rough riverbeds with and without water, our off-road vehicle journey leads through the Rif Mountains
Day 4: Fes – Erg Chebbi
On this long stage we drive over the Middle and High Atlas Mountains and reach the Erg Chebbi dune field near the oasis town of Merzouga in the late afternoon. The dune field is a real highlight and those who want can take a refreshing dip in the pool in front of this breathtaking backdrop to get some rest after the exhausting day of driving.
Our accommodation has sand and a pool with a view of the Erg Chebbi dunes.
Day 5: Erg Chebbi - Erg Chebbi
Today is at your own disposal. If you wish, you can drive a round in the sand with the off-road vehicle or circle the sea of dunes, or simply lie lazily by the pool or go on a dune hike. In this sandbox near the Algerian border, there is certainly no room for boredom.
In the dunes of the Erg Chebbi you can gain your first sand experiences with your off-road vehicle.
Day 6: Erg Chebbi – Mhamid (Wild Camp)
Today we leave the dune field Erg Chebbi and drive to the next oasis town Mhamid. Today's routing takes us along deserted sand tracks, lonely off-road stretches and wide plains until we set up our wild camp at a suitable spot far away from civilisation and allow our Land Rovers, Jeeps, Toyotas and co. some well-deserved rest.
Dromedary meets off-road vehicle Landrover Defender 130 near Ramlia in Morocco
Day 7: Mhamid – Erg Chegaga
We leave our camp as we found it and drive on to the second large dune field of the Erg Chegaga. The terrain alternates between stone and sand until we reach the dune area, where we dare to approach somewhat higher dunes with the 4x4. We are allowed to shovel, because one or the other off-road vehicle will surely dig itself into the sand here. Since 10 km can take a few hours here, we look for a suitable place to spend the night and set up camp.
Loaded with firewood we navigate through the dunes of the Erg Chigaga in search of a suitable place for our bivouac.
Day 8: Erg Chegaga - Erg Chegaga
We use today's sandy day to really let off steam in the sand with the 4x4 vehicles before returning to the stony civilisation the next day.
Our route takes us over the dunes of the Erg Chigaga to the oasis town of Foum Zguid.
Day 9: Erg Chegaga – Foum Zguid
The sandy adventure continues towards the oasis town of Foum Zguid. After we have fought our way out of the dune field and crossed the dry salt lake - Lac Iriki, the road becomes stonier again. We pass the military post and then drive to the oasis town of Foum Zguid where we set up camp.
With your 4x4 over the slope into the sunset
Day 10: Foum Zguid – Boumalne Dadès
Today, we reach the town of Boumalne Dadès via dirt road, from where we have the perfect access to the two gorges Gorge du Dadès and Gorges du Todra, which we want to cycle through the next day. We set up camp and look forward to the next day's adventure.
On stony tracks through Morocco's rugged landscapes
Day 11: Boumalne Dadès – Tinghir
The Todra and Dadès gorges are on the programme today. Both impressive gorges are mostly asphalted, but two off-road connections between the two gorges are not. We drive over a dizzying off-road pass and dry riverbeds from one gorge to the other and reach the town of Tinghir in the evening, where we camp for the night.
Off-road over hill and dale, this off-road vehicle tour through Morocco will not leave you bored.
Day 12: Tinghir – Midelt
Via the small town of Agoudal, we reach today's highlight, the Cirque de Jaffar, over which we drive on rough ground and through a long dried-out riverbed to Midelt. Here we set up camp and reflect on the last few days in Morocco, because in two days we will board the ferry that will take us back to Europe.
The Agoudal Pass with its bizarre rock formations is a real highlight of this off-road vehicle tour
Day 13: Midelt – Chefchaouen
We drive back to the blue city via the middle and high Atlas. This time there is a little more time to visit the beautiful city in the Rif Mountains. A last dinner together before we say goodbye the next day and leave the African continent behind us.
Offroad erreichen wir das Rif Gebirge und werden mit atemberaubenden Aussichten belohnt
Day 14: Chefchaouen – Tanger Med (Ferry port)
After a last breakfast together, we take it easy for the last 100 km to the port, before things get typically hectic again at the port. We say goodbye and start our journey home, which can be booked to Algeciras, Barcelona, Savona or Genoa, depending on the date.
Sunset in the desert - Until the next off-road adventure
We see our focus in nature off the beaten track and in the tranquillity and enjoyment of the impressive landscapes - pure Morocco. The exact route can easily be changed on the way, we are off-road, i.e. mostly off the road and deliberately seek the adventurous nature experience on our off-road tour to the edge of the Sahara!
Outdoor, off-road and freedom: the dream of an adventure holiday can come true - with OVERCROSS!
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