Would-be adventurers are now able to explore Morocco’s hidden gems like never before, thanks to a new long-distance adventure-travel trail that’s been launched today. 

The Trans Morocco Trail (transmoroccotrail.org) is a new 3,000km route spanning the country from the Mediterranean ferry port of Nador to Cap Draa, on the Atlantic coast. A free-to-download, self-guided and annotated route, the Trans Morocco Trail is designed for independent cyclists, motorcyclists and 4×4 drivers wanting to explore the country’s vast and diverse landscapes, using a smartphone, tablet or pretty much any other digital navigation device.

From the staggeringly desolate Rekkam Plateau to the airy 10,000ft mountain passes of the High Atlas Mountains and the drifting sands of the Sahara, the route has been designed by Morocco Overland guidebook author Chris Scott, and desert motorbiking aficionado Ed Gill. 

The first part of the Trail – starting at the famed sand dunes of Merzouga and running 2,400km to the Atlantic coast – launches today (1st October), traditionally the start of the Saharan desert travel season. A second 600km part, from Nador to Merzouga, will go online in January 2025, completing the route.

The TMT route is downloaded from the Google My Maps platform, which includes thumbnail photos as well as points of interest for fuel and accommodation, all collated over many years exploring Morocco. It can then be used straightaway in popular smartphone navigation apps such as GaiaGPS and OSMAnd, or converted to a GPX format used by other navigation apps.

Ed Gill comments:

“The Trans Morocco Trail brings together our experience and passion for exploring Morocco’s wild places, whether by four wheel drive, adventure motorcycle or mountain bike, all of which can be easily rented in Marrakech. But it’s also about bringing the opportunities and challenges of self-reliant, independent adventure travel to a broader group of people.”

Chris Scott adds:

“Modern technology now enables independently mobile adventure tourists to safely visit overlooked parts of the country few others see, following traffic-free backroads and regular village access tracks. As Morocco’s tourist industry continues to grow strongly, our hope is to encourage interest away from crowded hotspots and so spread tourism’s economic benefits more widely.”

Notes

• The route for the Trans Morocco Trail is now free to download from https://transmoroccotrail.org/, which also includes pictures, a route map, FAQs, logistical and other information.
• Chris Scott has travelled extensively through, in and around North Africa and the Sahara, using motorcycles, 4x4s, regular cars, trucks and camels, adding up to over 50 visits. Today, Chris is one of the UK’s foremost Moroccan adventure travel experts, leading motorbike tours around the country.
• Ed Gill has ridden motorbikes in 46 countries across 6 continents, including riding solo from London to Sydney. As well as undertaking trips to the Atacama Desert in Chile and the Sahara in Morocco and Tunisia, in 2023 he became one the first foreigners in over twenty years to successfully explore the Algerian Sahara’s desert routes unguided and unassisted. 
• In November this year, Ed will spend two weeks exploring the Rekkam Plateau, also known as Morocco’s ‘Empty Quarter’, to map the Nador to Merzouga section of the Trans Morocco Trail.
• Moto image gallery • 4×4 image gallery
• For more information contact the TMT team on transmoroccotrail@outlook.com.