After discussing for around 10 minutes he finally let us go. All in all, most of the police officers were very polite and friendly and let us pass without any problem. Sometimes we drove for a very long time without ever seeing a sign telling us whether our speed was appropriate or not. Another quite confusing part was traffic signs showing a crosswalk or school kids even though we were in the middle of nowhere.
It gave me the feeling that people simply placed signs somewhere without even knowing their purpose! By all means, please avoid driving at night. All those things I mentioned above are pretty nerve-wracking during the day. The road was really bad, very curvy with a lot of potholes.
Plus on one side there was a slight abyss without any guide rail protecting you from falling down. Trust me, despite all the slight mental breakdowns haha we got while driving in Morocco — it was definitely my favorite one so far! Thus I really recommend you to take that step, rent a car and explore the country on your own. Need the perfect route for your road trip?
Like it? Pin it! Do you want to travel like me? Here are some of my favorite travel tips and resources : Flights: I prefer using CheapOair or Skyscanner to book flights. The destination everywhere feature is perfect to find some cheap deals! Accommodation: Booking. I do love staying at a local place as well, thus I book an Airbnb every now and then.
Travel Insurance: There are many reasons why travel insurance is important and I never travel without having one. I use the simple and flexible one from World Nomads to be protected against unforeseen events. Tours: I love taking tours to explore destinations like a local.
My favorite website to book them in advance is GetYourGuide. Camera Gear: I use a Nikon D camera with an mm and a mm wide-angle lens to take my photos. This is super helpful Alina! I was with a group where we took a private van everywhere, but it was still nerve wracking with all of those bumps and winding roads. All of your photos are gorgeous! I love this post — so informative and interesting. Morocco is somewhere I would love to visit? Yikes, this sounds super scary to me!
Really useful information!! Haha it was very adventurous? Oh no sorry to hear that. The traffic in Morocco is crazy. I remember how scared I was to cross the road on my first few days in Marrakech hahah after a while you just get the hang of it. And driving is an adventure, we had an accident because someone crashed into our car but luckily nothing bad happened. Yeah especially in cities it is soooo crazy right?! Glad nothing happened tho! Great guide!!!!! I just pinned it to my Bucket List — I have been in Morocco and I was getting ready for my second trip when I had to cancel my travelling because of this crazy time.
I love road trips and your guide is very useful. Driving in Morocco is on the right hand side of the road. People ask also, is it easy to drive in Morocco? Bicyclists, mostly students going to and from the school they drive here and there. Additionally, which countries drive on the left side of the road?
The bulk of countries that drive on the left are former British colonies including South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Only four countries in Europe still drive on the left and they are all islands. You can drive in Morocco with a valid UK driving licence for up to one year. You can also drive with a valid International Driving Permit for up to one year of your temporary stay in Morocco. Any person with a valid driving licence issued in their country of origin is permitted to drive in the United Kingdom for at least 12 months.
If you do not take the test, you will not be allowed to drive. English is an emerging language in Morocco, especially in larger cities. English speakers abound in Morocco. So, though there are English speakers to be found, English still is not one of the most common languages in Morocco. You can access Casablanca with your own vehicle by driving down through France and Spain and catching the regular car ferry service that cross from Algeciras to Tangier or the Spanish North African enclave of Cueta in two hours.
Ferry companies operate multiple daily crossings and there is no need to book in advance. 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 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. 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.
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. We saw a lot of local hitchhikers and a number of breakdowns those damn potholes huh?
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.
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 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.
When we think about driving in Morocco, the first set of images which come to mind apart from those 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. 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. 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 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. Please note that some links on our site are affiliate links.
If you choose to purchase through these links, we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. By using these you are directly supporting Along Dusty Roads to remain an independent travel blog, and to provide you with free content to help you travel more, and travel better. It was the best decision we made.
This is what you need to know before doing it yourself. Got it? You know, roads like this one. 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. There are two lanes guys - use them! 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.
And one last thing Plan for your Morocco Adventure. Feb 17, Feb 1, Jun 22, Why You Should Visit Morocco. Apr 1, Our Night in the Sahara Desert.
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