On February 7th 2024 we came the third time in our lives to Morocco.  We had been there in the years 1986 and 1987 with our little daughter (two and half years / four years) and our self equipped tiny camper Volkswagen Bully T2. We were very curious how Morocco had been changed in these 37 years. Indeed there are a lot different items like less poverty but a lot of waste, more paved streets but many policemen and much more tourism. But the people are as amiable and the landscapes are as magnificent as we had them in our memory.

In 1986/87 there had been no coffee at all - now there are mobile coffee shops nearly everywhere like the open car on the beach sand dune south of Imsouane
In 1986/87 there had been no coffee at all - now there are mobile coffee shops nearly everywhere like the open car on the beach sand dune south of Imsouane

 

This time we crossed the strait of Gibraltar with the convenient ferry from Tarifa, Spain (southernmost village of the continent Europe) directly to busy Tangier which is with approximately 1 million inhabitants one of the biggest city of Morocco.

Alfred with Marion's sister Jutta and her husband Hermann on the ferry
Alfred with Marion's sister Jutta and her husband Hermann on the ferry

 

Our start in Morocco was quite weird because it rained cats and dogs on the first days. However we could explore Tangier with our bicycles and on foot without getting too wet.

Busy fishing port of Tangier
Busy fishing port of Tangier

 

In the Medina - Old Islamic Town of Tangier
In the Medina - Old Islamic Town of Tangier

 

Little factory and shop in the Medina
Little factory and shop in the Medina

 

Ancient stairs from the waterfront to upper Tangier
Ancient stairs from the waterfront to upper Tangier

 

From Tangier we continued to Morocco's capital Rabat along the Atlantic coast with several stops. The famous cave Grottes d'Hercule is a nice excursion for Tangier's people. Many houses in the old town of Larache are painted blue. We had bad luck with the weather on the lagoon of Moulay Bousselham which is an excellent spot for bird watching but we spent a nice evening on the campsite of the Le Nid Du Hibou Guesthouse where we had an excellent Tajine - the Moroccan main dish of vegetables and some meat stewed in a brown cone shaped pot.

In the Cave of Hercules - Grottes d'Hercule. Its sea opening is known as
In the Cave of Hercules - Grottes d'Hercule. Its sea opening is known as "The Map of Africa" because it has the shape of Africa when looked at from the ocean

Jutta in a narrow alley of Larache's Medina
Jutta in a narrow alley of Larache's Medina

 

Fishing port of Larache
Fishing port of Larache

 

In Morocco's capital Rabat we found a perfect overnight staying place directly on the western wall of its Medina. Unfortunately we had to deal with a puncture on our car: We changed the wheel, a nice guy from the parking lot came with a pushcart and we moved it few hundred meters to a car repair shop. Within twenty minutes the hole was fixed with a special tire repair strip for four Euros - That's Africa. We decided to continue with our spare tire and to use the repaired one as our reserves.

We had another problem in Rabat because we had stored our passports in our car. When we came to the Royal Palace we were not allowed to enter with our ID cards. However we visited the Medina, the Kasbah of the Udayas, the outskirts of the Chellah (medieval fortified Muslim necropolis), the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, the Hassan Tower and much more of this exciting city. Remarkable is the pristine and swampy area east of the Chellah where a lot of birds spend the winter.

Old pictures - mainly of Ladies in the Kasbah of the Udayas
Old pictures - mainly of Ladies in the Kasbah of the Udayas

 

Shop in Rue Souika
Shop in Rue Souika in the Medina

 

Storks on the wall of the Chellah
Storks on the wall of the Chellah

 

Mausoleum of Mohammed V who was the first king of Morocco (1957 - 1961) and father of Morocco's independence in the year 1956
Mausoleum of Mohammed V who was the first king of Morocco (1957 - 1961) and father of Morocco's independence in the year 1956

 

Guard on the entrance of the area of the Mausoleum of Mohammed V
Guard on the entrance of the area of the Mausoleum of Mohammed V

 

Huge Casablanca is with more than 3 millions inhabitants the largest city of Morocco and its economical, financial and industrial heart. Fascinating are its contrasts between old / traditional and new / modern. We stayed two days close to Casablanca's Morocco Mall which is supposed to be the largest shopping center in Africa.

Huge ray (more than two meters wingspan) in the aquarium Aquadream in the Morocco Mall
Huge ray (more than two meters wingspan) in the aquarium Aquadream in the Morocco Mall

 

Merchant with cables and other electrical stuff
Merchant with cables and other electrical stuff

 

Modern center of Casablanca
Modern center of Casablanca

 

Market in the Medina
Market in the Medina

 

Hermann and Jutta with Hassan II Mosque which is the second largest mosque in Africa - its tower is 210 meters high
Hermann and Jutta with Hassan II Mosque which is the second largest mosque in Africa - its tower is 210 meters high

 

Apartment buildings with stamps showing Moroccan football heroes
Apartment buildings with stamps showing Moroccan football heroes

 

Approximately 180 kilometers southwest of Casablanca is the nice fishing village Oulalia where we hiked a little bit on its endless and awesome beaches to the Tomb Sidi Coramdi

Mural in Oualidia
Mural in Oualidia

 

Alfred and Marion on the beach
Alfred and Marion on the beach

 

Fierce Atlantic Ocean
Fierce Atlantic Ocean

 

Tea and Tajine over the Ocean
Tea and Tajine over the Ocean

 

Football on the beach
Football on the beach

 

The lovely medium sized city Essaouria is very touristic because it is relatively close to Agadir, Morocco's main hub for travelers. Its Medina is an UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its beaches are hot spots for kite and windsurfing. We learnt that campers are not welcomed in Essaouria but we found a perfect place approximately 10 kilometers east and we cycled to the center.

Busy Essaouira
Busy Essaouira

 

 

Cannon in the Bastion North with savage Atlantic Ocean
Cannon in the Bastion North with savage Atlantic Ocean

 

Big fishing fleet in the port of Essaouira
Big fishing fleet in the port of Essaouira

 

Approximately 75 kilometers south of Essaouira we found a wonderful overnight staying place on cliffs more that 300 meters over the Atlantic Ocean and the fishing village Imsouane. We hiked two hours along the cliffs and saw many Argan trees, which grow only in southwestern Morocco. The oil produced from the its kernels is supposed to be one of the most healthy and valuable cooking oil on earth. It takes about 40 kilograms of dried Argan fruit to produce only one liter of oil which is done mostly by Berber women in the traditional and very labor-intensive way.

Sunset on our overnight staying place above Imsouane
Sunset on our overnight staying place above Imsouane

 

Argan tree formed by the wind
Argan tree formed by the wind

 

Goat on an Argan tree
Goat on an Argan tree

 

We continued with stops on the Dune de Sable, and the nice beaches of Oued Tamri and Aghroud southwards to the fishing village Tamraght which is famous for its waves. Due to its proximity to Agadir there were a lot of other tourists.

Marion in front of the dune
Marion in front of the dune

 

Coast north of Devils Rock with a shabby barracks in the foreground and the village Tamraght in the background
Coast north of Devils Rock with a shabby barracks in the foreground and the village Tamraght in the background

 

Surfers seen south of Devils Rock
Surfers seen south of Devils Rock

 

Mural on the beach of Devils Rock
Mural on the beach of Devils Rock

 

We skipped Agadir with its thousands of hotels and millions of tourists, and headed directly to the little village Sidi Rabat. South is the entrance to the stunning Souss-Massa National Park which is famous for bird watching. Sadly there was recently a conflict between the fishermen and government north of Sidi Rabat - all houses were ruined because the administration wants to invest in new tourist resorts.

Destroyed and abandoned fishermen cave dwellings north of Sidi Rabat
Destroyed and abandoned fishermen cave dwellings north of Sidi Rabat

 

Little owl in Sidi Rabat
Little owl in Sidi Rabat

 

Alfred on the decayed viewpoint Observatoire de L'Oued Massa
Alfred on the decayed viewpoint Observatoire de L'Oued Massa

 

The star in the Sous Massa National Park is the Bald Ibis - its population increased from 200 birds in the year 1997 to more than 600 now
The star in the Sous Massa National Park is the Bald Ibis - its population increased from 200 birds in the year 1997 to more than 600 now

 

Painting of a Bald Ibis on the campground La Dune in Sidi Rabat
Painting of a Bald Ibis on the campground La Dune in Sidi Rabat

 

Our last location on Morocco's Atlantic Coast was the medium sized city Sidi Ifni which was also our westernmost point on this itinerary. Unfortunately the water was covered with an ugly white foam so we did not dare to swim in the sea.

Lighthouse of Sidi Ifni
Lighthouse of Sidi Ifni

 

Black clouds in the north of Sidi Ifni
Black clouds in the north of Sidi Ifni

 

From Sidi Ifni we turned eastwards into the Sahara desert - that's the next article.

Most of our overnight staying places and hikes are in included in our GPS coordinates file of Morocco.

 

For more pictures, please click here

For a map of our itineraries, click here

To download our GPS file of Morocco, click here

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