Morocco Travel » Morocco Travel

Marrakesh Map and Transport

admin — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 05:03:08 +0000

Once in the city, and despite its size and the maze of its souks, Marrakesh is not too hard to navigate. The broad, open space of Djemaa el Fna lies right at the heart of the Medina, and almost everything of interest is concentrated in the web of alley ways north and south of the square. Just to the west of the Djemaa el Fna is the unmistakable landmark of the Koutoubia minaret – in the shadow of which begins Avenue Mohammed V, leading out through the Medina walls at Bab Nkob and up the length of the French-built new…

Marrakesh – Getting There

admin — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 04:43:06 +0000

Arriving at the train station, on the edge of the new town Gueliz, a petit taxi is a good idea, unless you fancy a fifteen-minute walk to the Gueliz hotels, or a longer walk or bus ride to the Medina; the taxi fare should be no more than 15dh ($20) to the Medina, less to hotels in Gueliz. The bus stop opposite the station to the Place de Foucauld, alongside Place Djemaa el Fna. The youth hostel, on the other hand, is very close to the station – just five minutes on foot.

The gare routiere (for long-distance bus…

Tafraoute – Getting There

admin — Sun, 02 May 2010 17:28:23 +0000

Approached by beautiful scenic roads through the Anti-Atlas from Tiznit or Agadir, or on a newly surfaced and less traveled road from Igherm and Tata, Tafraoute is worth all the effort and time it takes to reach. The town is the center for villages built among a wind-eroded, jagged panorama of granite tors – “like the badlands of South Dakota”, as Paul Bowles put it, “writ on a grand scale”. To the northwest lies the Ameln Valley, with its many villages built below or high among the quartz range of the Djebel el Kest. A striking feature on it is…

Tafraoute – Moving On

admin — Sun, 02 May 2010 16:17:29 +0000

Leaving Tafraoute, follow the “new road” out past Agard Oudad, turning left around 3km south of the village. This road climbs over the hills, with superb panoramas back across Tafraoute and the Ameln Valley, to reach TLETA TAZRITE (15km from Tafraoute), which has a souk on Friday – not Tuesday as its name implies.

From here, a new surfaced road leads south to the massive palmery at Ait Mansour, and will eventually continue all the way to Akka. Heading east from Tleta, the road is also surfaced, but quite broken up. Following it past the modern village of TARHAT (Taghaout)…

Mirhleft

admin — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 15:10:47 +0000

Heading south from Tiznit to Guelimim, you have a choice of routes: a fast inland road across scrubby desert via Bou Izakarn, where the road to Ifrane de l’ Anti-Atlas and the Tata oasis heads off east into the Anti Atlas; or a more circuitous journey along the coast, by way of the splendid old Spanish colonial port of Sidi Ifni. Most people will probably choose to do one route down and the other back, which is a good idea, especially as Sidi Ifni often turns out to be an unexpected highlight for many visitors.

Tiznit to Sidi Ifni: Mirhleft

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Guelmim – How to Get There and Move On

admin — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 05:10:14 +0000

Arriving by bus or grand taxi, you’ll probably be dropped at the gare routiere, though night CTM services and some grands taxis may drop you elsewhere. At the heart of the town is the Place Bir Anzarane, with the main cluster of hotels and cafe-restaurants to its north.

There is a tourist office at 3 Residence Sahara out on the Agadir road (Mon-Fri 8.30am-noon & 2.30-6.30pm; ®048 872911). In addition, the town has six banks (BMCE, Banque Populaire, Credit du Maroc and WAFA have ATMs) and numerous shops, several of which specialize in Saharan “antiques” mainly carpets and jewelery, but…

Car Rental in Morocco

admin — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 07:06:49 +0000

Car Rental

Car rental in Morocco can be expensive, from around [220/$375 per week or [36/$65 a day (there’s usually a three-day minimum) for a basic car with unlimited mileage. You will be expected to leave a large deposit, and petrol prices are high. However, having a car does pay obvious dividends if you are pushed for time, allowing you to explore unusual routes and take in much more in a lot less time. This is especially true in the south, where getting around can be quite an effort if you have to rely on local buses. Driving yourself also…

Driving in Morocco

admin — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 01:15:44 +0000

There are few real problems driving in Morocco, but be aware that accident rates are high – in large part because much of the population is not yet tuned in to looking out for motorized vehicles. You should treat all pedestrians with the suspicion that they will cross in front of you, and all cyclists with the idea that they may well swerve into the middle of the road. Your fellow motorists may also be rather careless in their driving, particularly in towns, which can make negotiating city streets a rather hair-raising experience.

However, with that in mind, daytime and…

Buses in Morocco

admin — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 22:16:31 +0000

Travel by Buses in Morocco is marginally cheaper than taking a taxi, and there are far more regular routes. Traveling on public transport for any length of time in Morocco, you are likely to make considerable use of the various networks.

Taxis are likely to do a journey in about two-thirds of the time a bus would take (though CTM now runs a few non-stop express buses). Buses, on the other hand are safer and more comfortable, though on some older buses leg room is extremely limited and long journeys can be rather an endurance test for anyone approaching six…

Taxis in Morocco

admin — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 21:36:28 +0000

Collectively, taxis are one of the best features of Moroccan transport. They operate on a wide variety of routes, are much quicker than buses (usually quicker than trains, too), and fares are very reasonable. They are also a good way of meeting people and having impromptu Arabic lessons.

Taxis in Morocco are usually Peugeot or Mercedes cars carrying six passengers. Most business is along specific routes, and the most popular routes have more or less continuous departures throughout the day. Consequently, you don’t have to worry about…