Morocco

It’s the country’s economic capital, with over 5 million inhabitants. Of course, it’s best to avoid driving into the heart of this huge city in a van, as the traffic is very, very heavy. We’ll recommend a quiet, secure parking lot where you can spend the night, then it’ll be easier to get around the city by cab from the same guarded parking lot.

Visit the Hassan II Mosque, the 3rd largest mosque in the world. Visits take place only in the morning at specific times, and tickets can be purchased on site with a guided tour included. Different guides are available, with the option of taking the tour in French, English or Spanish. This is an absolute must-see in Casablanca.

It’s a true architectural jewel, 200m long, 100m wide and 65m high, representing a total of 365 meters and the 365 days of the year. The mosque was built from 1987 to 1993 above the sea, with a total of 10,000 workers working day and night. The architect is French, Michel Pinseau. A modern mosque with a capacity of 25,000 worshippers inside and 85,000 outside. The ablutions hall is magnificent, with numerous fountains. In summer, the mosque ‘s roof can be opened automatically to keep worshippers cool.

Stroll along the boulevard de la corniche, discover the old medina, the Place de Mohammed V and the nearby Arab League Park.

Parking Boulevard de l’Océan (opposite Mausolée Sidi Abderrahman) 50 dh

Basic, secure 24-hour parking with a janitor facing the ocean. Convenient to be outside the city, with a bus station nearby (an opportunity to promoteeco-tourism) and the possibility of taking a cab to the mosque and other tourist sites for 30 dirhams.

Essouira is undoubtedly our favorite Moroccan town, a fortified city dating back to Phoenician times, which became a Portuguese fortress in 1506, with its medina listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s a fishing town with shallow waters and a continuous, refreshing breeze. We recommend spending at least 3 days here, to take full advantage of this seaside resort and its beaches, tasting fresh orange juice in its little terraced cafés. This southern town is a haven of peace.

The medina, the ramparts and their cannons, the port and the return of the fishermen with a tasting of seafood and fresh fish cooked on site, the Essaouira museum. Restaurant Océan Vagabond with breathtaking views overEssaouira bay. Enjoy a cup of tea on the roof-top terrace of the Salut Maroc restaurant. The countless restaurants in the medina where you can enjoy fish: sardines, sea bass, sole and sea bream at ridiculously low prices, and other Moroccan specialties.

Surf & kitesurf lessons with Kite life Watersport school

Meet Moncef & Ariane for a sporty experience during your roadtrip, they know theEssaouira area inside out and will be able to offer you a range of activities: surfing, kitesurfing, wingfoil, yoga, etc... Thanks to Kitelife Essaouira we had a unique experience on a secret surf spot (“second beach”) and typical Moroccan cuisine with wood-fired tajines on the beach. A truly magical moment, we experienced authentic Morocco.

Guarded parking Sidi Kaouki (next to the building known as “ Le Marabout de Sidi Kaouki“) 20 dh. This was the highlight of our trip.

We decided to head out of town to Sidi Kaouki, a magnificent surf spot with a huge beach. We recommend the nearby Chez Momo restaurant for breakfast and dinner. You can also sleep in Essaouira, using park4night.

Sidi Kaouki is all about surfing, dromedaries, chill & relax, to the rhythm of the derboukas on the beach. A unique natural spot for 100% relaxation.

After our roadtrip through the south of the country to Sidi Kaouki, we start heading back towards Tangier with our first stop in the coastal town of Oualidia. This town is a real surprise, very well kept, green and with a huge lagoon that flows into the ocean. There’s a thrivingoyster-farming industry here, and you can sample oysters just about everywhere, as well as Riads and luxury hotels.

Taste oysters and seafood, take a boat trip on the lagoon (250 dh for 2 people for 1 hour), kayak and swim in the crescent-shaped bay, stroll through the village and take some great photos, hammam and massage at the Palace La Sultana hotel.

Night spot: Camping Laguna Park at the entrance to the town. 100 dh, extra 30 dhs for electricity.

We took advantage of this campsite to fill the clear water and empty the black & grey water. Very warm welcome, the manager even offered us Moroccan bread in the morning. View over the lagoon, very quiet.

It’s also possible to sleep at the motorhome park in town (see exact location on Park4night), a huge site in the heart of town, close to the fresh oyster vendors and with access to the lagoon.

Another stopover in this town south of Tangier to rest up before the end of the road trip in a BURSTNER CAMPEO van. The seafront is magnificent, with a huge lagoon, but unfortunately the town is very dirty. We recommend just spending the night here and having breakfast before continuing on your way.

For breakfast, you can go to the café opposite KABANO Beach, called Coffee Break, with its magnificent ocean view and Moroccan cuisine prepared by a Berber family. This café is located in a street perpendicular to the traffic circle at the end of town known as “La redonda” on the N27.

Redonda N27 or near the Coffee Break restaurant 20 dh

To finish on a high note, we kept 2 days of our roadtrip in a converted van in the city of Tangier, nicknamed the Pearl of Morocco. Tangier is cosmopolitan and forms the link betweenEurope andAfrica. It boasts a new marina, a huge traditional market and fast-growing economic activity, notably with the port of Tangier Med and its factories in the automotive sector.

The souk, theold medina district, Cap Spartel (15 minutes from the center, take a cab for a tour), the ramparts of the Kasbah, the Kasbah Museum, which recounts the history of the city, breakfast at the AZUR restaurant overlooking the port, the Saveurs de poisson restaurant: delicious with an intimate atmosphere, but there are only a few tables, so it’s not unusual to queue for lunch.

Luxury camping MIRAMONTE. 200 dirhams. Ultra-clean campsite, impeccable shower and toilet facilities, restaurant with ocean view. Friendly welcome. Perfect for water management and cleaning the van before returning to Spain.

The coastal road to Oued Lou from Tangier is very pretty. Oued Laou is a seaside resort on the Mediterranean side, very quiet in the off season. A peaceful sea, fishermen and some terraces on the sea front. It is a perfect place just to rest before attacking the mountains of the Moroccan rif. Good place to enjoy grilled fish, easy to spend the night in low and mid season on the parking downtown if needed.

The rif is a beautiful, green region but with a sulphurous reputation for its intensive cannabis culture. On the road between Oued Laou and Chefchaouene, you will find some hostels where you can park your van and spend the night in the middle of nature. There are sometimes other travelers in van, it is always a good opportunity to exchange experiences.

The waterfalls of Akchour on the road to Chefchaouene are famous and quite touristy. There are two possible ways, the classic road which will leave on the left to join the small waterfall (30 minutes of walk) and the big waterfall (2h30). Another possibility, to follow an arm of the river by taking the departure on the right for a more technical hike where you should not be afraid to get wet, to climb rocks but which is really worth the detour. Indeed, we go up a turquoise water during at least 1h30 until discovering the splendid bridge of god, at the end of the course.

Sublime Moroccan city clinging to the mountain at 600 meters of altitude. It is a true jewel of Moroccan heritage, we jump back in time by walking through its medina where all the walls are blue paint. There is even a small river that crosses part of the city, perfect place to quench your thirst with a fresh orange juice. A walk on the heights towards the mosque will allow you to contemplate the city and its arid nature at sunset.

Restaurant : Chourafa.

Asilah is a fishing village 40 km south of Tangier. It is an extremely pleasant place on the Atlantic coast, you could stay there for a week without any problems. The medina is quite small, we find ourselves there, there are many works of art on the walls which gives a special touch to this city. A wall protects the city from the storms and gives a real cachet to the whole. There are many Spaniards who have chosen to live in Asilah, they can be found in the alleys of the city.

Don’t miss the Daya café facing the ocean, perfect for the early evening.

VanBreak will have the obligation to make you an authorization of exit signed by our care to present to the Moroccan customs to facilitate your entry with the van in Morocco. The other documents to prepare are :
– Copy of the vehicle’s papers (provided by the renter)
– Copy of the rental contract (provided by the rental company)
– Passports
– Boarding pass (this is a document provided by the boat company during the online check in, this document is to be presented to the authorities to enter the boat with the van)
– Passenger health form (provided by the boat company to be printed and filled in)

Please note that when you go through customs, it is important to get your “customer card” which will be requested by the customs upon your return. This card must be scanned and sent to vanbreak info@vanbreak.com. It is very IMPORTANT to keep this card that you will have to leave in the glove compartment of the van on the day of the check out of the van on your return to Malaga. Drones are forbidden in Morocco.

Little tip, if you took your drone with you for this trip to Morocco, it is possible to leave it at Tarifa Box based in Tarifa : https://www.tarifabox.com/?lang=fr

Camping Villsom offers quiet, shady pitches just 30 minutes from the historic center by bus (stop next to the campsite).

Downtown parking lots are still noisy and often very small. The ideal place to spend the night is at Alcala de Guadaira, just 20 minutes‘ drive from the town center, where you can enjoy the peace and quiet and the view of the ruins of the village’s ancient castle. The motorhome park at the port of Gelves along the Guadalquivir, equipped with washing machines and other services, on the banks of the Guadalquivir! The attendant will welcome you 24 hours a day for €15/night.

The following nightspot is also ideal for a quiet night’s sleep not far from the city center: La Rinconada .

We strongly recommend to our customers to sleep in campsites, RV parks or any other appropriate spaces for vans and motorhomes. The use of the park4night application is strongly recommended in order to anticipate the best spots to spend the night during your roadtrip, it is very important.

When visiting cities, we recommend parking in closed and guarded parking lots on the outskirts of the medina. There are many options, usually close to the center, with people on duty all the time to ensure the safety of the vehicles.

For example, in the city of Asilah (40km south of Tangier), there is a large guarded parking lot at the fishing port and at the entrance to the medina, which is a perfect place to park and go for a walk in the old city. It costs 30 dirhams for the day and 45 dirhams for the day and night.

In the countryside, there are some inns or restaurants that offer travelers in vans to spend the night in their private space for about 30 dirhams (or 3€), it is a very good parking option with the possibility to meet Moroccans or other travelers and often enjoy a good couscous or tagine.

In Moroccan cities, especially Tangier, you can buy SIM cards to equip your phone and use the Internet locally. The best is to opt for the Orange brand, which offers a good coverage of the country. The use of a WIFI router is also very practical, just buy a SIM card to equip your box and broadcast a private WIFI accessible via a password that you can define yourself.

Finally, we recommend that you get in touch with your mobile operator to anticipate the possibilities of a package to activate during your stay in Morocco.

Here are some tips on places to visit during your stay in a van to help you plan your adventure.

• Places to recover the Van : Vanbreak Malaga
• Minimum rental period: 14 days
• Activation of the insurance Morocco (30€ / day)
• Activation PREMIUM insurance
• Kilometric package: 150km / day (0,49 cts / additional kms).
• Bedding kit (pillow, sheets, mattress protector) included.
• Camping equipment + kitchen accessories included
• Cleaning included