Morocco 2026 : recap…

It would be difficult to summarise almost three months in a few lines, but one thing is certain: this trip broadened our horizons, in addition to offering us breathtaking landscapes and unforgettable experiences that we will cherish for a long time. From vast deserts to sand dunes, from the snow-capped Atlas Mountains to cedar forests and their macaques, not forgetting the hospitality and generosity of the Moroccan people, here is a brief summary of the main highlights of our expedition in the Sahara, in search of the famous Moroccan fennec fox…

Contents

• Our itinerary
• A few statistics
• Highlights
• Redefining how we see the world…
• And now?…

Our itinerary…

(Click on the video to view it, view it in full screen by clicking on the corresponding icon…)

Highlights…

Our adventure took us along the border between Morocco and Algeria (undoubtedly one of the most heavily guarded in the world… 😜), from Nador on the Mediterranean coast to Tan-Tan, on the edge of Western Sahara. We then left the desert landscapes behind to cross the country again towards the north through the Atlas Mountains, where cedar forests and snow gradually replaced the sand.

Our initial plan was to follow the TMT (Trans-Morocco Trail), a 4×4 route that crosses the country from north to south along dirt tracks. We quickly realised, however, that the TMT would take us away from many “wild” areas, so we ultimately considered it only as a guide and charted our own course. This allowed us to discover the province of Eastern Morocco, a true gem still untouched by tourism, with its oases and high plateaus and vast rocky plains.

Morocco has very few areas of sandy desert (ergs). In fact, the Sahara as a whole is only 20% dunes, the rest being a stony desert (reg). A visit to the Merzouga dunes was therefore a must, and we were lucky enough to be there outside of peak tourist season, because all this must all look a lot like Disneyland otherwise… Thanks to Hassan, we were able to settle down in the middle of the dunes, alone in the world, contemplating the magical colours of the sand at dawn and sunset.

Our journey through southern Morocco treated us to kilometres and kilometres of dirt tracks, some incredibly smooth (smoother than a highway), until we reached the ocean where it took us 4 hours to cover 20km on a rocky track where it was impossible to go beyond the first gear… We also significantly improved our driving technique on sand (you learn quickly from your mistakes…)! 😅

Before our symbolic crossing of the Draa Valley, we had to make a mechanical detour to Agadir to replace a differential seal, before heading back the way we came to rejoin the vast desert landscapes and entire days without encountering anything but groups of camels. We had our share of sunsets and “wow” moments when, around a bend in the track, we discovered a new valley, as immense and desert-like as the one we had just crossed, but also just as spectacular… We weren’t lucky enough to see water in Lake Iriqui (we were there a year too late), but we were fortunate enough to be able to cross it literally through the middle on a vast plain of dried mud, with only impressive mountains on the horizon as our guiding light.

Just before reaching Tantan, we were tempted to continue further south and explore a few more valleys in this incredible region, but our drinking water supplies were dwindling (not to mention our diesel ones), and we ultimately decided not to push our luck…

Finally, we reached the ocean, another world in itself, with its great white sand dunes plunging into the waves at Plage Blanche, or the cliffs of Cap Drâa, right next door, with their troglodyte fishermen’s houses.

To go back north, we followed the Atlas Mountains along their entire length, which, in winter, meant a few U-turns and detours due to snow-covered passes. But there again, besides Morocco’s highest peak, Mount Toubkal (4,167m), we discovered completely different but equally splendid landscapes, from the “striated” mountains of the Anti-Atlas to the alpine peaks and lakes of the High Atlas, passing through the cedar forests and their macaques in the Middle Atlas.

In comparison, northern Morocco seemed much more densely populated, but between the agricultural areas and the industrial outskirts of the major cities, we still managed to find a few wild spots where nature still offers stunning landscapes. To end on a more urban note, we also stopped in Chefchaouen, another pleasant surprise since, surprisingly, there weren’t too many tourists when we were there, before heading to Tangier for a final stroll through the medina before boarding the ferry to Tarifa and returning to Europe…

Redefining how we see the world…

Beyond the incredible landscapes, this trip was, above all, a human experience. If there’s one lesson to be learned from Marvin’s first steps in Africa, it’s that travel allows us to better understand the world, to move beyond prejudices, and to realize that reality is often far removed from the idea we might have of it or that is conveyed to us by media outlets not always very reliable…

During those nearly three months in Morocco, and barely off the ferry, we saw our preconceived ideas crumble one after another. Contrary to everything we had read online, we found an open and welcoming country, where hospitality and generosity seem to be ingrained in everyone’s DNA, from the poorest to the richest. Ultimately, we came to the conclusion that there must be two Moroccos: the Morocco of mass tourism, where everything has to be negotiated, where trash litters every nook and cranny, and where children run towards tourists to ask (or even demand) a dirham; and the Morocco we were fortunate enough to experience, far from major cities and tourist routes, where prices are the same for everyone, where there is no more litter in nature than anywhere in Europe, and where children also run towards tourists, but simply to say hello with a big smile, expecting nothing in return.

Eastern and southern Morocco charmed us with their authenticity. We were always welcomed with open arms, and we were surprised to see that even the poorest people didn’t hesitate to offer help or to share their bread with us, even if it was the only thing they had to eat. The people of the Atlas Mountains, like all mountain people, are more reserved, but just as generous and welcoming after a few minutes of chatting.

Most people who have traveled to Africa have returned changed and/or charmed. Their eyes light up when they talk about this continent, and they usually end up letting out a long sigh like: “Aaahh! Africa…”.

Of course, Africa is a vast continent and Morocco is probably not truly representative of every corner of the bush, but after this trip, we better understand what these people feel, and how baffling and attractive this continent is.

And now?…

Now, we’ll probably need to spend some time removing the sand that’s gotten into every nook and cranny of Marvin. We’ll also need to quickly check that everything is in order, and that the miles of desert track haven’t caused too much damage to the mechanical parts.

We’d like to tweak a couple of things about Marvin to make it even more comfortable, but that should all be sorted out quickly. It also seems the WhatsApp Channel idea worked quite well. It’s certainly allowed us to stay in touch, even with a sometimes limited internet connection. We’d like to see how we can improve it further, based on your feedback.

And then, of course, we still have 8 months before 2026 ends, and quite a few places left to explore! More than our previous trips, no doubt, this stay in Morocco made us see the importance of traveling and meeting others to get a more real (even if inevitably incomplete) idea of ​​things.

In other words: the question is not whether we will leave again, but when we will (and where to 🤓)… So it’s only a matter of time!

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EVERYWHERE, WHEREVER YOU GO, PLEASE, LEAVE NO trace!

– Always travel on public ways and obey the signs.
– Limit noise and interfere as little as possible with wildlife.
– Respect the others.
– Leave rocks, plants and other natural features as you found them and respect historic sites.
– Take your waste with you and throw it into the appropriate containers, in the nearest village.
– Do not camp inside protected areas and do not make any fires.