- Morocco - October 19, 2026
- Greece part two - October 9, 2026
- Greece - September 29, 2026
I’ve not been to Northern Africa since 1992 when I toured Egypt.
After driving around Europe and Scandinavia in an ex British Post Ford Transit converted to a camper van I parked on a side road in Islington London using public toilets in a park and cold shower in a gym until I sold the van to some Kiwi’s. Walking to the pub for a pint saw a sign at a travel agent ‘Last minute, Egypt 1/2 price’ and just decided to go.
Morocco was a riding destination I thought about occasionally but could not make a case for visiting. It is very far away and moto tours there seemed to be between 5 to 7 days which was not long enough to justify making the journey.
However I wanted to combine another ride with my Greece tour since Europe is such a long way to fly. Corsica was initially going to be my second ride however I switched to Morocco to see some different landscape and to dip my toe into ADV touring which everyone seems to be doing now.
I poured over the maps and then designed a tour which criss crosses high mountains roads with some gravel but did not make that the primary focus.
From Athens I flew to Marrakesh. Direct flights are limited departures which meant I had only one day to try get some rest and washing done and then get everything packed, but it worked ok.
Morocco is a cash society and is one of the few countries outside North America that has a true tipping culture. Long time since I have travelled anywhere that I needed to operate in cash as well needing to remember to tip.
The Australian dollar is not one of the approved currencies that can be exchanged in Morocco. I had Euro left over from Greece so exchanged that but quickly realised it will not be enough when everything is cash but ATMs are literally everywhere like they once were in Australia and getting cash that way was easy.
Marrakesh to Quazazate
The rental shop GS-Line sent a car to collect me from my hotel which I appreciated.
I’m renting a BMW GS850 Adventure for this trip. I could have gone for the 1250 but picked the 850 after recalling the guys on my Colombia ride had been fans of the 850 for mixed riding.
Bike seems fine however I note it has Mitas Terra Force tyres fitted which are “90/10″ touring tyres with wider grooves for people on ADV bikes that never leave the tarmac. I’m a bit surprised as Morocco is a big ADV riding destination and this is the Adventure model 850 with 21” front wheel. Oh well nothing can be done now. Never assume anything when booking rental bikes.
First thing I do is put it into gear without pulling the clutch and stall. That’s what riding a Honda DCT for 16 days will do to the brain.
Getting out of Marrakesh is not too bad as the shop was already away from city centre. Driving is chaotic but not fast as there are lots of police along the way pulling any speeders over.
I am missing the DCT but more so what I notice is the clutch pull on this bike seems to be binding on something which is a concern as the last time I felt this I was riding a BMW GS650 Dakar in Georgia which later snapped it’s clutch cable.
Todays route today will be my first of a few crossings of the High Atlas range via the Tizi & Tichka pass. It’s a main road with plenty of the ubiquitous black tourist vans.
I see more tourist vans at a roadside rest area cafe so choose that as my first attempt at lunch on this tour and it goes smoothly as well I can use the toilet as public ones are non existent.
Setting off I get this message which I had to use Google Translate for.
I have seen the ‘Yellow’ warnings before on BMW rental bikes when they were due for a service so decided to ignore it. After turning bike off and back on I have the engine symbol in yellow on dash added to the clutch feel on my mind as I set off.
From the top of the range at about 2200 metres I turn off to a minor road as an alternative way to my destination tonight of Quazazate.
The scenery is quite interesting even if the riding is nothing special this afternoon. Some new road being made gave me my first bit of dirt but nothing too challenging.
I chose to stay out of town at a nice Riad where I can eat dinner in house and not have the burden of trying to find something on my first night.
It’s literally in the middle of nowhere but really superb room and dinner/breakfast.
Short day with just small section of gravel to start was good for me as lots of new things to learn as well it’s 30 degrees.
Quazazate to Bin El Ouidane
Todays route takes me back north over the High Atlas on a minor route. I am expecting some one lane tar, some broken up tar and some gravel before ending with good road closer to my destination.
Bit of a surprise, the entire road over the mountains is torn up road works so much more dirt riding today than planned.
It starts out easy, graded and hard packed but some sections are in poor condition with loose shale and some uncompacted fresh graded dirt.
Very scenic and fortunately few other vehicles.
There are small sections that are new alignment and some is sealed. Many colourful hills of various colour soil this afternoon.
Roof class seating is a thing here. Have not seen that since riding in the Philippines.
Some isolated huts but just the one town along the way, a stone fortress like place sitting precariously up high. I was going to take a look but the steep dirt track up put me off.
So many land slips here and many huge stones just waiting to fall. After the scare I had on my India ride I am very wary of rock falls in this type of landscape.
Tough bit of road up to where I stopped for this photo, a steep grade with loose stones. By now I was ready for some tarmac.
Fortunately my wish is granted as I reach some of the road work that has been completed. It will be a very good road when they finish the widening and new alignment.
Still quite a long ride before I am out of the mountains. By the time I reach a shop for a rest it’s 3.00pm and I should then have realised my routes here are too long as they are based on tarmac pace, but the point eludes me this afternoon.
The remainder of my route is really good riding, first some ordinary roads but of a good surface where I can make up some lost time then a terrific hotmix low mountain pass that drops me down to a large dam where my hotel is located.
Tonight’s hotel is bit rustic but it seems a popular choice with riders as there are a few others, mostly BMW 1250 GS. All have EU or UK plates.
I meet one of the riders, Gervase from the UK. He has ridden down here via Spain.
We had chat over dinner and it was great to talk with a fellow solo moto tourer.
Bin El Ouidane to Boumalne Dades
I should have picked up yesterday that my route for today was too long but I thought well if it’s mostly sealed then it should be doable.
Gervase and I discussed the weather at breakfast and he is joining me as his route was over another mostly unsealed pass and it rained last night thus could be impassable.
The riding starts out ok, we are on wet roads which are greasy and slow going. The rain clears and the pace can lift a little but you never know what the surface is going to be around any corner here.
The weather warms to a sunny day and I am able to remove my wet gear and for awhile we are on faster flowing road but then it’s back to sections of gravel where there has been washouts or landslips.
It is scenic and not unpleasant riding but the time is slipping away with constant washouts and landslips meaning you only go a short way before back to low gears negotiating another obstacle.
I am aware we have been climbing for some time as the air temperature has fallen and it becomes more apparent we are riding now on a high plateau where we arrive at the aqua coloured Tislit Lake in otherwise barren landscape.
Refuelling at Imichil I tell Gervase that despite wanting a break I have to push on as this is only half todays route and it’s already 2.30pm. He thinks the road improves from here and we should still be off the road before dark.
The small highland villages all have clouds of smoke. When we ride through there is meat on skewers being BBQ’d over coals at roadside stalls. It smells tasty but I am not game to eat any as I have already been suffering some problems from the food.
For a little while the road does improve then we arrive at a larger town where there is a huge county fair on. Seems to be 100’s of cars and people. It’s walking pace for a few kilometres weaving around cars stuck unable to move.
90% of cars here are Dacia, and all the taxi’s are Dacia. I have a new respect for the brand after seeing the roads they are driven on and how wildly overloaded they usually are with people.
After the fair the road really turns bad. I knew the route had some gravel but there has been heavy rain here and the road is mud or completely submerged. This continues for about 20km.
It is slippery and my tyres are not ideal. I am crossed up multiple times. Gervase says his Trail Max tyres are fairing a little better. I’m concerned one of us will go down.
By the time we reach the actual improved road it’s 4.30pm.
Still a long way to go and I forgot that includes one of the highest passes in Morocco, over 3000m.
Fortunately the road is now in good order but it is 8 degrese at the top with light rain falling and heavier rain just ahead. I have thermals in my bag but I don’t want to take off all my current items in rain so we just put rain gear on and try ride down to lower altitude as quickly as possible.
It would be a fantastic ride in better conditions. As much as I was tempted to stop for photos we had all our wet gear zipped up/cinched down and heavier rain was closing in so it was crucial just to get a move on.
After this we are riding in steady rain on what would be a spectacular road in fine weather but which today was a bit cold and miserable.
Once down in the valley we encounter more flooded road sections and by now I am thinking it’s impossible to reach my hotel and I will need to just find accommodation once I run out of light.
During the day when we had cell tower reception Gervase booked a hotel at the Dades Gorge and when we reach that (above) I ponder asking if they have a room and throwing away the one I already paid for but the rain has stopped and I think surely it can’t be too much further to the end of this road so I bid farewell to Gervase and ride on.
I stop at the famous gorge viewpoint. It was already dusk and going to be dark soon. Stupidly I continue on. I should have stayed with Gervase. Short version is some very demanding night riding then I get lost trying to find my hotel located via a dirt track in the middle of nowhere like my riad on day one.
It’s 6.45pm when I stop. I am so exhausted I can barely get off the bike and almost tip it over as this 850GS has a short side stand. Even after a hot shower I feel numb.
Well I guess it’s a privilege to be exhausted by an ambition of my own choosing.
Over a fine dinner I study tomorrows route and conclude it’s impossible. There is more rain forecast tonight and it has much longer sections of dirt than today. If I cannot reach the hotel booked for tomorrow then I also will not reach the ones following that because the highway option doubles the already too long route.
I abandon my intended route and cancel the hotels knowing that I might lose some money (2 out of 3 refunded). I’m too tired to decide tonight what I will do tomorrow so I just go to bed.
Boumalne Dades to Quazazate
I’m still tired this morning from yesterdays marathon.
Rain is forecast to the east and in the Atlas mountains so I’ll be riding west.
I plan a easy ride over to Quazazate based on recommended roads from Motorcycle Diaries web site.
Riding initially south I notice the tyre pressure monitor is giving a yellow warning for the rear. I stop and check but seems ok (I have a pump with me if needed).
From the already high tablelands there is a further climb then following this a jaw dropping descent with deep canyons.
The landscape here is amazing. Like the Grand Canyon and Monolith Valley.
I am always delighted when something changes my route on tours that leads me to seeing things I never knew about.
Today is a more sensible distance so I can stop at a cafe for lunch which I hope won’t make me sick. The food hygiene here is poor but I’m hungry as breakfast was surprisingly light on at the Riad (perhaps the people before me cleaned out the buffet as I was last to arrive).
Some long straight highway next where black V8 Landcruisers carrying tourists chase me down and pass at crazy high speed then return to driving down the middle of the road like Mad Max in the Interceptor.
The landscapes here would suit a post apocalyptic movie and they actually make many movies in this region. I dare say you could shoot high speed vehicle scenes here with no interreference at all.
At the next major town I refuel and search for a place to buy a cold drink and sit awhile. So nice to not be in a rush today after the madness of yesterday.
You don’t pump your own here. Yellow bowsers are diesel, you need to look for the green pump or as directed by the attendant as there is no set rule but generally the term ‘Advanced Oil’ or yellow is diesel. Cash only and I always rounded it up to give a tip. Plenty of petrol stations in bigger towns and I saw some 1 litre bottles of fuel for sale in remote villages.
The final stretch today turns out to be a wonderfully surveyed new hotmix road. Long climb back up to the tablelands with sweeping curves and a huge gorge off to the side.
I have thoroughly enjoyed todays riding. Whilst moto touring any new place is wonderful I realise I’m not interested in doing more gravel riding here and frankly not interested in it elsewhere, including back in Australia. I already knew this but with every man and his dog spruiking the dirt I started to doubt myself. Some good learnings from coming here.
The tyre pressure monitor has switched from yellow to red and I stop to inflate the rear. It definitely has a slow leak. I cannot see anything obvious and if it remains slow loss then am not going to do anything more than top it up.
Staying in an older hotel tonight. I got a room last minute and seem to be the only guest. But I can park the bike literally at the front door and it has cold air conditioning so no complaints.
There is a Carrefour supermarket here, just for the tourists from those speeding black cars I find parked downtown along with Chinese tour busses. The supermarket has a wine cellar. Bonjour, cher ami. I get some highly rated Moroccan red wine to try and back at the hotel ask is there a pizza shop in town as I’m over the local food. Friendly woman on reception orders delivery for me. A Supreme pizza here is called a Royal.
Nice way to end the day after riding some excellent curves.
Quazazate Loop
Tyre pressure light that was green when parked is back to yellow this morning. I’ve decided with a slow tyre leak and the engine warning light and a dodgy feeling clutch cable I am going to shelve my idea of riding to the west coast.
Quazazate is a regional city with services that could assist should I need a repair but more important it is only 5 hours drive south of the rental shop if the bike needed to be transported there.
But the landscape of this region is so interesting and there is an easy all tarmac loop that includes 3 good roads from Motorcycle Diaries. I feel game to ride a little more.
The landscape makes you feel like in Hollywood western and indeed movies have been shot here.
This morning I stopped at the site used in 2006 movie The Hills Have Eyes. Quazazate also has large movie studios in the city.
Then a terrific ride over two small ranges.
Some straight connecting highway which was actually scenic in a remote desert way but hard to photograph with the phone as need to compress the scene. Then I get to ride the same fantastic mountain pass I rode yesterday afternoon with its delicious hotmix sweepers.
Superb riding today with fantastic scenery all day. This southern region is better than the Atlas mountains IMO.
Using 5 times zoom in sweep panorama from a way off embankment got something closer to what I wanted to capture. No excuse for not having my Lumix S9 here. Dunno what I was thinking.
I booked a different hotel for two nights which in hindsight was stupid. The listing showed a room with desk and kitchen but as happens sometimes they compiled images from other rooms so that’s not what I got and then it’s located next to traffic lights. Morrocan drivers all start beeping their horns a couple of seconds before the lights change to green (like Indonesia).
Serves me right for not inspecting the rooms this morning or just staying where I already was. Fortunately I packed a new pair of soft silicon (as used for swimming) earplugs which are perfect for noisy hotels and actually there is little traffic in the evening.
Quazazate
No riding today. There are a couple of things I was going to look at. A body of water, fresh spring, next to a rocky outcrop that the woman at the older hotel told me is very photogenic and the remains of the set from the first Gladiator movie. Alas I have my third dose of diarrhea in Morocco and am exhausted.
I go back to bed after breakfast and sleep on and off.
So some thoughts today on the BMW 850GS.
It’s a rental with 90,000 on the clock. The markings are worn off the buttons so it looks like it has actually done double that.
For riding on loose dirt and mud the 21″ front wheel helped a lot. The Mitas tyres lost out there but worked better on the wet tarmac where Gervase told me his 50/50 Dunlop Trailmax Raid were squirming about. On the fast dry hotmix the Mitas were ok but I was not pushing things. I much rather the feel of a 19″ front wheel on tarmac and other model 90/10 tyres. It’s always a compromise if trying to ride mixed surfaces.
It has a two position adjustable screen but the actual screen itself is so tiny switching positions does nothing. It lacks a quick shifter which would have been helpful. The side stand is way too short. Perhaps it is an aftermarket item not the original.
The seat was comfortable, the suspension compliant and the brakes adequate. I’m glad I chose the 850 over a 1250 as this bike is ample power for me and bigger would have been more work.
I’ve ridden the 700, 750, 800 and now 850 BMW parallel twins and it’s hard for me to fully describe the difference in the engines but the 700 I rode in Sicily was an older 360 degree firing engine similar feel to the Kawasaki Versys 650. The 750 I rode in Colombia and it needed to be revved but that was a fast paced ride. The 800 I rode in Sardinia and it had more torque but still spun up easy, I liked that bike. Then this 850 has more torque again down low which was nice in the gravel. I am not demanding when it comes to engine power so all were adequate for me however am discerning about engine character and remain not a fan of parallel twins.
I’m not shopping for a mid size ADV bike but the one I enjoyed most in this category is the Moto Guzzi V85 TT. Lovely engine, shaft drive, supremely confident road handling.
Lunch time I am unwilling to eat more Moroccan food but I have a packet of instant ramen carried over from Greece and bottled water so I boil up with my travel kettle and eat this. The hotel boss is nice guy and worried about me so sends a pot of green tea with fresh mint but I’m even wary to touch that.
In the afternoon I walk to the supermarket and look for more instant noodles for dinner as I figure I can’t get sick from them and am in luck as they have a few imported Korean packs.
I ride anonymously with this guy for little way tomorrow but initially spot his bike on my way back from the supermarket. Not sure if you have picked it up but the older and classic model Gold Wings are a trend/scene now on social media.
Quazazate to Marrakech
My stomach has settled by this morning so I chance eating breakfast at the hotel cafe.
Then I load up and make my way back to the bike shop via the Tizi & Tichka pass.
The climb up the southern side which I did not ride on day one is very good. It’s blue skies but as I start the descent a little rain falls from where I don’t know and then I can see clouds blowing in at a very high rate of knots.
Big mountains can have wild weather so I skip the photo stops which are full of bikers and try to get down as quickly as is safe with the road in that initial drops of rain slippery stage.
The clouds briefly catch me and I am splashed by huge drops of cold water but then I reach the bottom and can ride clear.
Some slow traffic hard to pass due to an endless stream of high speed oncoming black mini vans full of tourists but I arrive back at the hillside cafe where I stopped for lunch on day one.
I can see the rain not far behind me and checking Windy the modelling shows it moving fairly quickly towards my position so reluctantly I remount and ride on. Lunch would have been nice but not if it means falling back into the clutches of that heavy rain.
Approaching Marrakech I begin to recognise and check off things I passed when riding out a week ago. Always amazes me how well I can recall so many things like that yet I can walk to the supermarket and forget what I went there for.
I scan the shops for something simple like a bakery as I don’t want the BBQ meat skewers ever again but I do not find anything and just ride on.
Sensing I am not too far from the bike shop I refuel at a large petrol station. Many of these have a large space set aside for a restaurant but are empty. This one at least sells drinks and chips and trail bars and I can enjoy a rest in some shade.
Then it’s the last push in heavy traffic to reach GS-Line shop where I am grateful staff are waiting for me with cold bottle of water.
Easy return of the bike.
I purchased these Sand 4 gloves long time ago, before I had their laminated gloves fall apart on my Norway ride. I would never have purchased them after that experience but they have been sitting in my cupboard since 2024 waiting for a ride like this. Turns out they are terrible. I had the back of my hand cut open from these gloves such is their horrible interior. I ended up using them two days then switched to my Richa laminated gloves despite days being 30 degrees.
I threw these in the bin once I completed the ride. That makes two pairs of Rev’it gloves I have dumped on tour. Absolutely the worst rider gear.
Marrkech
I decided to only eat at the western fast food outlets in a mall near where I was staying figuring they should be better hygiene standards. When in the Philippines visiting my mate we ate at Pizza Hut and Jollibee far too much just as their food was safe.
Not so here. I became even more sick and the next day in bed. Morocco reminds me of Mexico where everything will make you sick. (which a chap from USA I met agreed with me).
Sorry to be posting these negative aspects. Some people who read my blog give critical feedback when my posts are not all rosy. This is my travel diary not a YouTube video produced to please the masses.
If you live in Europe then riding Morocco makes sense. Short flight or you can simply ride here. However from Australia I suggest riding Oman instead. You can fly direct to Dubai where you rent and then cross into Oman which has the deserts and mountains and old forts plus incredible mosques and is far less touristy than here. Oh and the food won’t make you sick.
Travel and future rides
It’s a long way home from here. Marrakesh to Doha to Tokyo to Sydney is my route – but then my flight out is cancelled which will cause a flight missed domino effect. It’s chaos at the airport, no updates from the airline. Eventually find out no flight until next day, no hotel, no compensation. Poor service from big name Qatar airways.
I get lucky and obtain a refund on my hotels in route and my flights from Sydney to Townsville were on reward points so not out of pocket there but I have to buy a new flight from Tokyo as ANA are being unhelpful. Just to change the date will cost more than a new ticket. So that’s another big name airline that when put to the test was disappointing. I shall not be flying either again.
That’s ok. I have been lucky up to now. I’ve flown 100’s of times with only minor delays and never completely lost luggage which is always my biggest worry since all my motorcycle touring gear is inside and not easily replaced at short notice before a ride.
I end up with a couple of days in Tokyo and will fly to Cairns with Jetstar. It’s barely a 7 hour flight and I’m not sure now why I wasn’t going that way to begin with.
It is beautiful weather in Japan. Just on the cusp of Autumn with mild days. I do miss the change of seasons since I left Japan and riding the countryside as the leaves change. I have considered buying another bike and storing it in Japan. Not sure it really adds up. Like buying a bike in Australia, financially it’s better to rent but that limits what model you get to ride.
As for flying long haul to Europe again, I really don’t think so. I don’t have any new countries there to ride, I dislike switchback mountain roads and have ticked off everything I ever felt compelled to see there.
Central America or South America I have no plans to revisit nor Africa. My low interest in riding dirt and how sick I get in countries with poor food hygiene are factors for my not riding more there or some parts of SE Asia.
I’d like to pivot back to riding my own country but there are so few rental options.
I am a little closer after this ride to knowing what I would buy if I end up going down that path.
Thanks for reading.
