Driving in Morocco

Background

Morocco is big. To visit all corners of the country takes time. Fortunately it possesses some of the most impressive and varied scenery that you’ll find anywhere in the World. There’s always something else to surprise you around every bend.

The standard of the roads also varies dramatically. Roads are classified into 4 categories.

Road Categories Morocco

A Roads

Autoroutes: the best available. Modern, dual carriageways complete with regular rest areas and tolls to pay to use them. Similar in standard to toll roads throughout mainland Europe (although more reasonable in their cost). Lacking the interesting sights and sounds experienced on more minor roads, but useful for covering large distances quickly. One thing to note – credit cards are not accepted at the toll booths (we nearly got caught out by this when we first arrived and set off without any Moroccon Dirhams (cash), but fortunately were able to use some Euros we had at the toll gates instead).

N Roads

National Roads: generally decent, wide, well-paved roads. These roads often connect the major towns where A roads are not available. They still go through urban areas so speed limits change regularly, slowing journey times.

R Roads

Regional Roads, with single lanes for both directions and of a mixed standard. You’re never sure what you’re going to get! These can be decent roads of a similar standard to N roads. They can however be pretty terrible – full of potholes and with crumbling sides. The worst is when they are generally good but with occasional unexpected ditches or potholes – I lost count of how many times I couldn’t slow in time to avoid crashing through these in my poor old van!

P Roads

Provincial Roads: the worst type. These are usually single track roads, often with a gravelled half lane on either side to allow for passing traffic. Like the R roads, these can also vary in standard, from newly paved and pretty decent, to having crumbling sides and consistent potholes or even whole gravel sections. They are for the most part passable in most vehicles but some mountain sections should be treated with caution and may require a 4WD (seek local advice if unsure).

Any roads without one of these 4 classifications is likely to be a gravel or dirt track that may not be suitable for non-4WD vehicles, especially over larger distances.

Things to watch out for when driving in Morocco

Police Roadblocks: These are everywhere, I presume to monitor traffic law compliance, as well as for other general security measures. If stopped you will be required to present all vehicle documents (vehicle registration, personal ID, proof of insurance, and the little card they give you on arrival at the port), so it is a good idea to keep these things handy. It must be said however, that as a foreign motorist I didn’t get stopped once during a whole month of touring – they seem keen to just wave foreigners through. The only time I had to produce my documents was when travelling in a breakdown truck with my van loaded on the back!

Speed Radar Guns: There are also traffic police armed with radar guns at a fairly regular frequency throughout the country. This is particularly true of N roads where the speed limits change regularly as they move in and out of urban areas. I once went past a camera a couple of km/h too fast and got given an iffy shake of the hand gesture by the police officer, but wasn’t stopped. I think the police are keen to improve the perception of their treatment of foreign visitors. That said, they are able to issue on-the-spot fines for speeding, so it’s important to watch carefully for speed limit changes which aren’t always as obviously signed as you’d like.

Rules of the Road: These are mainly the same as travel in most European countries. The driving style of the locals is forceful, but usually consistent and predictable and no worse than in many Southern European countries. Lanes of the road are never respected or kept to. I found it is best to just go with it and try to drive in the same way. Being hesitant is probably the most dangerous thing to do – just go with the flow and force your way through – being in a large van helped for this! Nobody ever stops for zebra crossings. One thing to watch is roundabouts – they generally work by approaching traffic giving way to traffic coming around, but this seemed to not be the case for smaller roundabouts on major roads where the major road seemed to have priority to enter the roundabout. Traffic lights on roundabouts also seem to override any normal rules in an often fairly chaotic way.

Animals on the Road: Other than on the A roads, these are everywhere. Spotting the endless sheep, goats, donkeys, cows, horses and even camels was an endless source of amusement for the kids. This is something you definitely need to be constantly aware of.

Driving at Night: My advice would be don’t. Vehicles often have defective or ineffective lights and they tend not to like to use them until it is really dark. It is also not uncommon to encounter a donkey or horse cart with no lights at all travelling slowly along the road in the dark. If you don’t really have to do it, I’d advise against it.

Driving in City Centres: This is truly an experience any driver will never forget! Driving solo into and around the one way system of downtown Marrakech will stay with me forever as one of the most stressful 20 mins of my life. Expect a crush of swerving cars, buses, horse carts, motorbikes and who knows what else. I got out unscathed and lived to tell the tale in a 6.5m long motorhome though, so anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

Insurance

Vehicle insurance is mandatory for driving in Morocco. If you plan on visiting, it is best to add the country onto your insurance policy at the time of renewal – it will cost extra but this is usually the cheapest way of doing it. Alternatively, it can be added as an extra to policies at a later date but, not only will this likely cost you more, you also need to have a green card physically sent to you in the post (you cannot just print it yourself apparently), so this is no good if your journey has already begun.

If, like us, you have not been organised enough to arrange either of those options in advance, there is fortunately the option of purchasing insurance on arrival at the port in Tangier. The downside is it only covers you Third Party, not Fully Comprehensive. It cost us around €90 for a month, or if you want it, 3 months cover can be arranged for the price of 2.

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• Author Details

Children of Wanderlust Administrator

We are Rachel & John, parents from the UK with 4 small children. After persuing separate jobs for many years, including being an experienced science teacher, we have now moved to Spain for a fresh challenge. We have always had a passion for travel and exploration. Nowadays, that means bringing our 4 children, Savannah (9), Aurora (7), Easton (5) and Tiago (3) along with us. This oftens means taking a road trip in our beloved vintage camper, touring all corners of Europe and Morocco. We hope that you enjoy reading about our family adventures all over the world.

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