Driving in Morocco

One of our recent guests has returned from Villa Ramalah in Agadir with the news that the new motorway has just opened between Agadir and Marrakesh, reducing the journey time down from 6 or 7 hours, down to just 3 hours. This is really great news for people who are planning a 2 centre stay in Morocco with limited time.

When we were last in Marrakesh, we had a real white knuckle ride from Agadir to Marrakesh, pretty much running parallel to the new road which was being built. Our driver was driving in true Moroccan “Insha Allah” Driving style (If God Will’s), so overtaking on blind bends and double overtaking was literally placed in the hands of God. I get pretty travel sick on buses, but this ride certainly cured me of it on this trip…I was simply too frightened! Despite or valiant drivers best efforts, the journey was long and took over 6 hours.

This new Toll Road apparently is almost empty, so a nice clear run makes a day trip to Marrakesh possible, though I would always say to people to take an overnight to get the real feel of the night life in Djemaa el Fna.

The King of Morocco has made transportation and tourism a real priority in Morocco and the completion of these projects just makes the country very accessible to people. We still love the old roads and going through the little villages, but this new route offers new possibilities to our guests and extends the reach from both Agadir and Marrakesh.

Driving in Morocco is pretty mental, but you soon get into it. Each time you drive, it gets easier and its amazing how quickly you start driving “native” – especially in the use of the horn – something you would not do in the UK , unless you wanted to be beaten up in a road rage incident!. The roads are generally very good, the road signs are a bit random, but once outside the towns the countryside is wonderful. We often just stop to look at the views as they are all spectacular.

So take a trip from Agadir to Marrakesh for the day – its now very possible – Enjoy!