Morocco, with its fusion of ancient charm and natural splendor, offers a tantalizing landscape for those eager to explore its wonders via the open road. From the vibrant medinas of Marrakech to the sweeping dunes of the Sahara and the rugged beauty of the Atlas Mountains, driving through Morocco provides the freedom to witness its diverse treasures firsthand.
Like any other foreign land though, navigating the country comes with its own set of challenges and surprises. In this guide, I will cover the essentials of driving in the awe-inspiring Land of Setting.
My experience comes from driving from Casablanca, to Marrakech, west through the Atlas mountains towards the doors to the Sahara Desert at Merzouga and then north through Fes and Tangier. The road trip is little over 3500 km, over the course of two weeks. For more information, be sure to check out this article on my Morocco Road Trip (coming soon).
Traffic rules basics
First and foremost, the basics: in Morocco, driving is on the right side of the road with the steering wheel on the left. So overtaking is done on the left.
All common driving requirements of developed countries are followed (i.e., mandatory seatbelts, it is illegal to drive under the influence with an alcohol limit of 0.02%, but being a Muslim country, alcohol should be avoided altogether, and the driving legal age is 18).
Speed limits vary considerably but the most common are 40 km/h or 60km/h in urban areas, and 120 km/h on highways. In rural areas limits range between 60 – 100 km/h.
As per common traffic rules with RHT, priority must be given to vehicles coming from the right, except on roundabouts which are anticlockwise, with way given to those already in the roundabout (so to the left). Outside of main urban areas, traffic moving along a main road has priority at an intersection.
Save the driving cheat sheet for reference
Road Conditions
Road conditions in Morocco vary quite a bit, depending on the specific area and whether they are highways or provincial or rural roads. Highways are in good conditions, with perfect tarmac and street illumination, whereas rural roads can vary from oddly perfect, to pretty good but with packs of sand creating very small dunes that must be avoided, to pothole-ridden messes. Also flooding can be a potential issue in the region. For most tourists, passes and highways allow to traverse the entire country, but clearly getting off the beaten path often requires a 4WD vehicle.
Driving
Driving is in my opinion good, but some might consider it overly aggressive. Given the large number of police road blocks, on the stretches of road where locals know there will be no police, they put their foot down, and might tailgate you if there is no chance to overtake. Within large cities such as Marrakesh traffic can be intense with a lot of honking and cars just trying to get through, often ignoring traffic lights or roundabouts right of way. Still, it is by no means dangerous or overly intimidating.
Police
To put it simply, there is a LOT of police (gendarmerie). I have driven in dozen of countries and had my fair share of questionable road blocks and security checks, but in Morocco I experienced the highest level of harassment in terms of number of stops. Over the span of two weeks I received four speeding tickets, half of which were correct and justified, and the fine was relatively cheap. Once I was simply stopped claiming that “somewhere” I had broken three times the speed limit and asked to pay 3 times the fine which was around twice as much as usual. I asked to see the camera recording my speed, which was met with other policemen approaching and circling me. I just paid the bribe. Another time the police block was placed at a round-about as usual (every single roundabout always has a police car), after a turn and the turn imposed the 40km/h speed limit of the roundabout earlier. Moroccan police apply the speed limit rigorously and there is leeway for a couple of km/h more or the indication that someone is slowing down but not yet at perfectly the right speed.
Therefore, you clearly need to follow the rules, but since you will probably encounter situations where even with the best intentions you will get “caught”, always carry with you cash, not only for the toll roads, but to quickly get out of these inconveniences
Road tolls
Morocco is one of those countries that has a high number of toll booths on motorways. Payment can be done through cash or card, but cash is the preferred method (MAD only). There is no automatic electronic toll payment through sensors/cameras etc. Tolls are quite expensive considering the cost of life in the country but perfectly reasonable
Fuel
Fuel is surprisingly quite expensive in Morocco all things considered and the country has the 4th highest fuel prices in Africa.
Petrol stations are also curiously packed together and you will come to stretches of road with dozens of gas stations followed by long stretches without anything. Still, nothing that can be considered risky, and with a car with decent mileage you will always find a station on main roads before running out.
Many stations are un-serviced. In those which are serviced, it is also common to pay upfront before refueling. After payment, you will need to show your receipt as proof of payment to the gas station attendant who has served you.
Driving Etiquette
Outside of cities, Moroccans drive safely, occasionally going faster than the limits, where the locals know it is possible, as mentioned earlier. Within urban areas, driving is more chaotic due to the bustling life on the side of the streets, or the narrow streets with markets. It is not uncommon to find yourself surrounded by cows, donkeys and sheep, or with many people crossing the street wherever and whenever they like.
In short it has that classical African and middle eastern driving, but not at extreme levels as you would find in other less developed countries.
Wildlife
Statistically roadkill is a significant issue in Morocco but surprisingly I did not encounter a single roadkill. Given the wide range of landscapes, wildlife is also varied, ranging from hedgehogs, to snakes, several migratory birds, and the Fennec Fox.
In rural areas the most probable encounters are with farmers leading their flock of goats, or cows, which perhaps might swarm and encircle your car (hopefully the goats will not bump into it and scratch it, but they can be pretty mischievous). I also found myself in a small town during the annual cow show and the amount of cows and people carrying their animals was staggering creating an almost surreal environment.
