10-Day Family 4x4 Off-Road Trip through Morocco

The journey to Africa starts at your doorstep, optionally via the ferry port of Genoa with two days ferry ride to the ferry port in Tangier/Morocco, ferry port Barcelona with one day ferry ride to the ferry port in Tangier/Morocco, or the ferry port in Algeciras with about two hours ferry ride through the Strait of Gibraltar to Tangier Med in northeastern Morocco. Upon arrival, it is already pitch dark, the 'customs procedure' usually takes one to two hours until we reach our hotel not far from the Tangier Med port via the 'deserted' road!

The next morning, the sun of Africa rises, the off-road convoy heads towards the Sahara, the route along the northern mountain region leads on-road over a 'mix' of decaying minor roads/tracks and well-developed highways towards Marrakech. In the morning, we are awakened by the warming sun, out of the sleeping bag, into the adventure.... or maybe just first a cup of hot coffee with a view of the endless horizon?! After breakfast, we enjoy the last sip of coffee and set off through the picturesque districts of Rabat-Sale-Kenitra and Rabat-Fes until we eventually reach the eighth district Drâa-Tafilalet in southern Morocco, where we take time for a tea ceremony with a Berber family, if we are invited again. We take our time to explore active mines, bathe in river springs, visit film sets, and discover many of the other endless possibilities on our 4x4 off-road journey through Morocco.

There are places where you wake up and are really not quite sure if it is a beautiful dream or reality. On our 4x4 off-road tour through Morocco, we will rest at a stunning canyon and get to know the immediate surroundings. This includes a bat cave, crossing a wide riverbed, and 'immersing' ourselves in a vast sea of palm trees. The kids will have plenty of time to explore the surroundings without annoying their parents, build dams, or look for scorpions. We visit quaint souks and check out rustic production sites of fossilized rocks. We will learn where and under what conditions fossils are extracted in Morocco on a small tour through the stone desert. We drive from mine to mine and even go underground. After about a week, we reach the vast sea of dunes Erg Chebbi. At the foot of this massive natural spectacle, we will spend the night in Berber tents and be lulled to sleep by drumming.

On our 4x4 Morocco trip, we have enough time to not pack up our tents one or two times. The big ones can dig in the sand while the little ones watch the spectacle from the dunes. On the double-humped camels (husbands/fathers), we slowly trot along the dune ridge in the evening light and enjoy the silence. We experience the sunset over a traditional meal and fall asleep in the middle of the sea of dunes. Packed with adventurous experiences, we continue towards the Atlas Mountains. Civilization meets us again and greets us with the famous Todra and Dades gorges. We drive through tremendous rocks with our 4x4 vehicles and have plenty of time to take small stops to capture these beautiful memories with our cameras.

We can plan our return journey to the north individually and have many options available. Our 4x4 off-road journey through Morocco takes us through the Atlas Mountains with its incredible landscape and some beautiful mountain lakes. Depending on the weather and road conditions, we will either take the crossroad in one of the neighboring gorges or decide on a mountain pass that leads us to idyllic mountain lakes. Our off-road tour leads us into the cedar forests and it is exciting to observe how the north of Morocco becomes noticeably greener. Surrounded by the lush green of the forests, we set up our camp at the monkey lake. Here our kids have plenty of space to roam and let off steam. With a bit of luck, we will be able to observe monkeys that have the same intention. Depending on how much priority the big cities of Morocco have for you, we can plunge into the hustle and bustle or stay far away from it. If you decide against Meknès or Fès, it means back to the cedar forests. There we can go swimming in springs or visit a waterfall with a freshly squeezed orange juice in hand.

Our tour is drawing to a close. The 'caravan' continues to the north of the country, through a large national park full of cork oaks and winding roads the off-road convoy trudges through a fantastic landscape that is again completely different from the south of the country. Just as the desert and the Atlas Mountains belong to Morocco, so does the sea. Before our ferry departs from Nador in the evening, we do not miss the chance to take a detour to the coast. Lost in thought, we drive along the picturesque coastal road and slowly say goodbye to Morocco. On Wednesday, the ferry departs from the Moroccan mainland to Algeciras/Sete/Barcelona and to the ferry port of Genoa. At the ferry port of Sete and Barcelona, you will arrive on Thursday. In Genoa, the ferry arrives on Friday around noon, giving you plenty of time until Monday morning for work. If you join the tour, the most relaxing way is to book the ferry directly with OVERCROSS along with your trip.