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Driving in Morocco - Morocco self-drive tipsA hire car is probably the best way to travel around Morocco and get the most out of your trip. It’s the ideal way to travel between the various modules, and on most of our suggested itineraries you’ll travel by hire car. You can set your own pace and stop wherever, whenever you want. Driving in Morocco might not be what you had in mind when you were planning your trip, but we speak from personal experience when we say; if you can drive back home, you can drive in Morocco. True, driving in any foreign country takes a bit of getting used to. The roads are different, people drive differently and some of the traffic rules are different. But most of all, self-drive is great fun, you’re free to do as you please and it really adds to the local experience. Below we’ve listed a couple of tips for driving in Morocco. If you have any questions, just drop us an email at: info@moroccotravelplan.co.uk or give us a call on tel.: 01273-322040. |
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Petrol Petrol in Morocco is slightly cheaper than in the UK, around 11 dh (90p) per litre unleaded. A full tank will set you back around 300-400 dh (£22- £30). We recommend filling up at the larger chains like Shell, BP and Texaco. A reliable local chain is Afriquia, which you can recognise by the trademark wavy blue roof. Several of the smaller, local petrol stations especially around Merzouga sell rather polluted petrol. Not exactly the best fuel for your car. There are petrol stations in practically every town but to be on the safe side try to keep your tank as full as possible. What may look like an easy 20 mile drive on the map could in fact be a winding, steep mountain road which makes your car pretty thirsty so better to be safe than sorry. |
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The petrol stations in Morocco are always serviced. Just hand over your key and say which petrol you need, usually ‘sans plomb’ (unleaded). Agree on a price, or ask for a full tank. It’s customary to give the assistant a small tip, around 10 dh (£1). The larger stations often accept credit card but the smaller ones only take cash, so make sure you have enough on you. Your hire car will be dropped off at your hotel with about 7.5 litres in the tank and you’re expected to hand in your car again with the roughly the same amount. It’s enough for the first 20-24 miles which should get you to a petrol station at the edge of the city before you head into the great wide open. If in doubt, you can always as the car hire company representative for the nearest petrol station. |
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Driving in Morocco: roads and road signs The roads in Morocco and particularly the motorways are excellent by our Northern-European standards. Things have improved dramatically over the past few since the King invested heavily in improving the country’s infrastructure. The more remote areas in the east, like the Erg Chebbi desert at Merzouga have become more accessible due to the new road network.Road signs and directions, in both Arabic and Latin script are clearly marked with distances in kilometres. Estimating your exact travel time can still be tricky though because many roads are steep, winding mountain roads where you can’t exactly put your foot down. Use an average speed of 60 km/h for a rough estimate. For more information, take a look at the Morocco driving distances. Tip: The best Morocco road map is the Michelin 742 National Map. We’ll give you all the necessary directions along with your travel documents but it’s still worth investing in this map. Available at most travel bookshops for £4.99. |
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Local traffic Drivers in Morocco aren’t quite as courteous as in the UK. You don’t need to stop for pedestrians and the traffic behind you certainly won’t expect you to anyway. It’s generally a game of ‘chicken’ and right of way is taken, rather than given so it helps being a bit cheeky. Despite the wide roads, the Moroccans seem to prefer driving in the fast lane or at least the middle of the road. Something to bear in mind on your Morocco self-drive.In the cities (especially Marrakech) the traffic can be hectic with drivers constantly switching lanes. The frenzy of zigzagging cars seems very chaotic but just keep your cool, stick to the right, check your mirrors and you’ll be fine. Driving out of the city the traffic gets a lot quieter when you reach the suburbs. On the main roads you’ll always pass through a couple of small villages. Remember the maximum speed here is 50 km/h. Around midday there are lots of school children on the road on foot or on bike, so you’ll need to slow down anyway. |
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Traffic laws and police Overall the traffic laws in Morocco are no different than in the UK and the road signs are very similar. Just stick to the rules and you won’t have any problem. There’s a lot of police on the street in the Morocco especially on the main roads into the larger cities. Occasionally they’ll pull over a car to check the papers and pop open the boot. Hire cars are generally left alone, as long as you abide by the law. Any violation, like not wearing a seatbelt, speeding or not indication is swiftly penalised and you’ll need to pay the fine up front in cash. But again, just stick to the rules and you’ll be fine. Roundabouts Pay attention when you reach a roundabout, as you don’t always have right of way. It’s indicated by the signs before you drive onto the roundabout. If you don’t have right of way, make sure to look out for the traffic on your right. It might be different to what you’re used to but you’ll soon get the hang of it. Traffic lights The traffic lights in Morocco require a bit of explanation. Red and green are obviously stop and go, but the orange light is a bit different than back home. When the orange light flashes it means stop. Running through a flashing orange light can result in a fine, as we learned the hard way… |
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Hitch-hikers on your Morocco self-drive? Not everyone in Morocco has their own car and hitch-hiking is very common. You’ll often pass people by the side of the road waiting for a lift. Especially in the more remote areas like the road between Merzouga, Zagora and Trafraoute you’ll be tempted to offer them a ride, but we discourage taking any hitch-hikers. Most likely it’ll be fine, after all Moroccans are very friendly and welcoming people but there have been a number of less fortunate cases. Hitch-hikers can try to lure you to their souvenir shop with some excuse, or to a remote place where they can rob you. An often used trick is to pretend their car has broken down. With the bonnet popped open they’ll flag you down or ask for help. It’s best to just keep driving. At times you can tell if it’s a genuine emergency, like a fellow tourist with a flat tyre but in general be cautious and just drive on. |
Morocco car hire
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