Morocco: Plage Blanche ,Oued Aounet el Ksab and the Sahara

Next Dates: April 3rd to April 17th 2010

Grade: 2

Plage Blanche, Oued Aounet el Ksab and the Sahara Route

DAY 1 Tarifa to El Jadida. Journey time of 4hrs 40mins approx.

We will meet the evening before at the Hotel Dos Mares where Neil Hopkinson will run through today's roadbook. Our last meal on Spanish soil is at a nearby restaurant before an early night!! to ready ourselves for Morocco.

The port of Tarifa is only 10 minutes away and it is here that we take the fast ferry to Tanger. Nowadays Moroccan customs is but a formality, the days of waiting three or four hours to get all the paper work done are well behind us and within an hour of arriving in Africa you will be speeding on a very modern Paege that runs along the Atlantic coast to El Jadida and the Ibis Mousafir Hotel. This hotel looks out onto the Atlkantic and is an ideal place to rest after a day on the roads of Morocco.

DAY 2 El Jadida to Essaouira. Journey time of 4 to 5hrs approx.

After breakfast and a briefing on today's route you will head South crossing rural Morocco all the way to the coast at Essaouira. On the way you will cross a river and drive on a gravel piste across the hills near the sea. This gives you plenty of practice with the roadbook because the junctions on the piste may have changed slightly because the locals often forge new tracks across our route. By late afternoon you will have arrived in Essaouira and be settled into a hotel Villa Quieta which is beside the beach. This fishing port is incredible. In the harbor the fishing boats are moored almost on top of each other in a haphazard fashion and there are fish for sale everywhere. The sky is full of gulls looking to snatch a fish that has been disgarded onto the quay. During the evening it is a delight to wander around the blue and white alleys of the town. Shops abound and it is easy to get carried away and fill your car with Moroccan gifts.

DAY 3 Essaouira to Aglou Beach. Journey time of 4 to 5hrs approx.

The temptation is to linger at Essaouira's beautiful fishing port but what is to come is just as exciting, so reluctantly you will start your engine and drive South again, getting ever closer to the Sahara. Our route runs along the coast and near Agadir the road clings to the side of the High Atlas as it plunges into the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. Half an hour or so after Agadir you will be able to practice your roadbook skills again as the Impala route takes you across fields towards the sea and the small village of Aglou. The Hotel Aglou Beach is a delightful place that was built during the heyday's of the "hippy time" in Morocco and it still exudes that air. After another exciting day you will be able to enjoy a gin and tonic to the sound of Atlantic knowing that the journey south will slow as tomorrow the pace slackens as most of the time our route is off road.

DAY 4 Aglou Beach to Beau Jerif. Journey time of 4 to 5hrs approx.

Sidi Ifni perches on a headland overlooking the sea and it is here where you will re-provision for the next three days. The first off road track, some 12km after the town takes you down to the sea and along the sand. Halfway is a ship that was thrown onto the beach in the 1960's during one of the vicious Atlantic storms, she is rusting away quietly now. Depending upon the state of the tide you will either drive on the sand below her resting place or climb on loose sand onto a track above her. The tracks eventually head inland across low hills towards a river crossing near Fort Bou Jerif. This campsite is absolutely magnificent and you will have the option of staying in the Hotel if you would like to. When you stop to absorb the surroundings it seems surreal. We will be staying here until tomorrow afternoon so you can just sit, relax and soak it all in. Pierre has owned it now for three years or so and his staff always cook a good meal for us to enjoy over a glass of wine or three!!

DAY 5 Fort Beau Jerif to Plage Assaka. Journey time of 2 to 3hrs approx.

After a relaxing morning enjoying the sunshine and essence of Fort Bou Jerif you will drive across the hills towards the sea and the Oued Assaka. This river before the rains is benign but becomes a dangerous raging torrent at the first whiff of distant rain. We have to take care when we cross it, but an Impala support car will be there to ensure that no harm becomes you. As we get to the Oued estuary the track can sometimes be under water so extreme care is needed to get to our camp on the beach below the cliffs.

DAY 6 Plage Blanche to Oued Aounet-el-Ksab. Journey time of 4 to 5hrs approx.

After a night wild camping on the  beach we pick up a track which takes us to the top of the cliffs. The track that we follow zigzags from the sea to river crossings inland before popping out at the Plage Blanche. You will see numerous birds and ground squirrels along the way. At the beach you will begin a twenty kilometer drive along the sand close to the sea. We have to travel as the tide is falling as the sand is to soft to drive on on the foreshore. Impala support will be at points on the beach where small rivers flow into the sea, the dips are difficult to see and you could damage your car if you hit one.

After an exhilarating drive the roadbook leads you up a river to a wild camp in amongst some dunes where you will still be able to hear the sea.

DAY 7 Oued Aounet-el-Ksab to Tata.  Journey time of 4 to 6 hours approx

We will leave the sea behind us today and head East to the Sahara. After two hours of desert and river tracks you will be on the tarmac again near the village of Notfia. We have to use the road to bypass a very sensitive military area. This by no means detracts from the adventure as the route to Tata is a very beautiful one of mountains and oasis towns. We use the Hotel Des Sable close to the outskirts of Tata.

DAY 8 Hotel Des Sable to Tisinit. Journey time of 6 to 7 hours approx

Two hours after leaving the hotel you will turn right near the village of  Mrhimina and into the Oued Tissinnt. This is a river that is close to our understanding of the word. It always has some flowing water in it and you will have to pick a route along its length for a few kilometers. we always get a car or two stuck here but again the Impala support will be on hand. The desert changes in character here as we come close to Lac Iriki. Some of the mountains look as though a giant has dumped a load of rocks. We are wild camping again tonight in a vast valley some twenty kilometers from Foum Zguid.

DAY 9 to 11 Lac Iriki to Hotel Azalay.

Lac Iriki is a fantastic place to drive. The lake bed is completely flat and in places smooth enough to drive at very high speeds. You will also experience sand tracks and rivers as well as the dunes of Chegega which are two hundred meters high, we will be driving deep into its heart. The last day and a half is almost all dunes from high to short and steep and confused, you will arrive at the incredible Hotel Azalay a consummate sand driver.

DAY 12 Hotel Azalay, Mhamid.

Today is a rest day after the excitement of the desert. You will be able to service your cars in preparation for the long drive back to Europe. We have a fantastic mechanic at your disposal,Said and his brothers have maintained and repaired Impala cars for many years and can be trusted completely to do an excellent job. Their skills at repairing vehicles with few resources are superb and have to be seen to be believed.The afternoon will either be spent relaxing or you could enjoy a route that we have put together to visit the village of Bono which sits beside the Oued Draa and is at least 700 years old and may be a 1000 years old.

DAY 13 Mhamid to Marrakech. Journey time of 8 hours.

Eight hours north of Mhamid is Marrakech and we have booked you in at an hotel close to the heart of the Medina. You will be able to explore the Place'D Fna(Place of the Dead)and enjoy either its mobile restaurants where the waiters try to coax you to eat at their restaurant over all of the other one hundred or, you can find behind elaborately carved doors, some very good but expensive restaurants serving traditional Moroccan food and entertainment.

DAY 14 Marrakech.

Marrakech has some magnificent gardens to visit, Jardin Majorelle which boasts a magnificent restaurant where we would recommend you enjoy lunch and La Menara which is very picturesque and relaxing. You may prefer to enjoy a horse drawn carriage ride through the streets but you will enjoy the essence of this amazing city.

DAY 15 Marrakech to Spain. Journey time 7 hours

There is a new paege which has allowed us to enjoy the day before in Marrakech. Tanger is only seven hours driving away and it is possible to easily catch the late afternoon ferry from Tanger to Tarifa in Spain.

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Conditions to Expect in Morocco

Sahara Desert

Temperatures will range from 45°C at the hottest part of the day to 15°C at 2am
· Sunshine all day. Shade is important
· Warm wind from a zephyr to force 8
· High winds will mean that sand will be airborne
· Stones (small to large), flat rock, dry lakes, sand rivers, mountain passes and sand dunes 200 meters high
· Camps are basic. Hotels vary from good to excellent

High Atlas, Anti-Atlas and Cedar Forest

· Temperatures will range from 35°C during the hottest part of the day to -5 °C at 2am
· Weather is variable but generally warm and clear (tends to be colder in the Cedar Forest)
· High winds will mean that dust will be airborne
· Rock or sand track abound. Flat rock, mountain passes and if it rains very slippery mud will be an interesting challenge
· Camps are basic. Hotels vary from good to excellent

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The Impala Roadbook

In order to give our clients an exciting adventure without the constraints imposed by a convoy system, we use roadbook's set out in the following manner:

The roadbook has been designed to be used in conjunction with any maps that you will be required to buy for a particular safari.

Every morning you will be given a briefing on the days route outlining any caution as well as fuel, food and cultural stops. We will also advise you of the crucial waypoints that must not be missed.

The Roadbook Explained.

1. Notes. This section has important information such as 'enter river bed'. We also put symbols here to indicate a food, fuel or photo stop.

2. GPS. The actual position that corresponds to the tulip diagram in latitude and longitude.

3. Tulips. These diagrams indicate the direction to travel, the arrow indicating the track or road to take. Any track or road with a double line across it means that you should not travel that route.

4. Kilometers. We split kilometer markings into 'Partial' and 'Total'. The partial is the amount of kilometer from the preceding tulip or GPS co-ordinate. The total is the amount of kilometer traveled so far that day or since the kilometer were zeroed.

It is important to use all of this information together as you will experience slight discrepancies in both the final GPS numbers and kilometers. This is quite normal and is often no more than the difference in your cornering lines or where exactly you zeroed the unit.

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Navigational Equipment

You will need to purchase the following navigational equipment. If you are uncertain as to what to get just ask us and we will gladly advise you.

· GPS
· Compass
· TPC maps (TPC H-1B,H-2A, G-1D) Ordinary Maps (Michelin are good).

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Options Avaliable

There are two options available for Morocco:

Taking your own car

This is the most popular option as Morocco is an ideal adventure destination to take a standard off road car.

No modifications are needed, the only non-standard criteria are to have a fuel range of 400 miles which can be achieved by carrying one or two jerry can's.

We also recommend fitting of differential guards.

Car Hire

Morocco has many four wheel drive hire companies hiring Jeeps and Shoguns. We will hire the car and deal with all paperwork.

When we hire a car for you a deposit will need to be left with the hire company. This will be from £1000 - £1066. A credit card can be used for this.

The deposit is intended to cover your excess, which constitutes your maximum liability in the event of anything happening to the car while you are hiring it. You will be required to pay for any damage, including to tyres or windscreen that occurs to the vehicle up to the excess amount.

When the car is returned to the airport the deposit will be returned to you as long as there is no damage. One of the Impala staff will look at the car with you while the car hire company is checking for damage.You will need to get a return flight from Europe to Marrakech. We will advise you of the dates on booking.

Contact Neil or Louise on 07930 910870 to discuss this option or e-mail us at neil.impalaadventures.com

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This adventure will cost £2700.00 For a car with two passengers.

Look what we include:

Booking

Right click on one of the below links and select "Save Target As" to save a booking form to your computer:

Offroad Safari Booking Form (as Word Doc for PC)

Offroad Safari Booking Form (as pdf)

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