Rough Offroad On A Budget Through The Desert In Morocco

Fly to Morocco, rent a Dacia Duster for next to nothing and enjoy a weekend in the Agafay desert Rough off-road on a budget! After a flight of more than three hours, the airbus a320 drops through the cloud cover and reveals the beauty of the fertile Haouz plain southwest of Marrakesh.

A pure landscape that is not dominated by man, but to which the inhabitants have adapted They are guests of nature under the eye of an impressive security cordon.

The High Atlas Mountains stand proudly and powerfully with their eternally snow-capped peaks of more than 4000 meters An authority of a rock outcrop from which the meltwater flows onto the plain in spring to bring life.

Ants The rivers and irrigation canals run like veins from the mountains to the villages There, the precious water is ingeniously collected and distributed across the country.

In the places where that does not happen, it is barren and dry Extinct, it seems, and yet teeming with life.

They look like ants through the airplane window, but with small dust tails the residents show where they struggle through the Agafay desert in their everyday existence The scene is less than an hour's drive from Marrakesh, which is located in western Morocco and, together with Fez, Meknez and Rabat, is one of the royal cities of the country.

Rocky Agafay is not as vast as the Sahara, but large enough never to be found again Very dry, because less than 200 millimeters of rain falls annually.

It is also a wonderful place for stargazing or to spend the night in a luxury tent with a hot shower and a box spring We don't come for that.

This desert can also tease any groomed off-roader on razor-sharp rock pinnacles and unforgiving pitfalls For less than 100 euros per day, a Dacia Duster with four-wheel drive can be rented.

You see them driving a lot in Morocco because Dacias are built here Just as important is that the Romanian brand supplies simple, effective technology, so that they can be repaired in any garage.

In the Netherlands, prices start at 20,950 euros and a four-wheel drive version costs just under 30,000 euros Stones ricochet in the wheel arches, the tires bounce like basketballs under the car and the steering wheel wobbles in the hands.

But suddenly the Duster settles down, as if all tension drains from him The top of a hill shoots him into the air like a catapult.

He comes loose, emotionally at least half a meter, springs out completely, pushes his nose down slowly and lands with a thump on his chassis The firm suspension and smooth damping handle it effortlessly.

Heavy On the asphalt, the Dacia can sometimes be a bit stiff and jumpy, but in these tough conditions it is completely at home Nevertheless, the pace goes up with great regularity.

To slow down in front of a dilapidated settlement with stray dogs or to look at the ancient Kasbah Sometimes also to skilfully scramble over rocks or to cross dry water streams, on which you can drive the Dacia to rubble by misjudgment, despite the thick steel protection plate with which it is equipped.

That automobile stabbing vest shows with banging and sanding that it is necessary The landscape undulates up and down, but we are constantly between 600 and 750 meters above sea level.

The engine cuts out on top of a ridge, because in the middle of the desert a man is selling bracelets all alone Of the type you normally find on a tourist boulevard, but without any form of patronage and without annoying talk.

What is he doing here? His head is weathered and tempered by the climate, his mind kind and polite Communication is not easy, but he beams at the sky behind us.

He has forgotten his work, because something more important is coming He is about to welcome an invited guest who falls from the sky.

First a few, but then a lot at once Thick raindrops that are welcomed with joy by the surface of the earth and its inhabitants.

The last splashes of rain came down three months ago and the rainwater is received yearningly This is not just a shower, this is a gift.

The precipitation comes down for a few hours and they have to make do with this for the time being It ensures that the desert takes on a different character: unpredictable and very slippery.

Even then, the Dacia knows how to hold its own thanks to the four-wheel drive The Moroccans may call themselves the Lions of the Atlas, the Duster also proves to have some claim to that nickname.

Route The route in Morocco is roughly 100 kilometers long and takes at least half a day to drive A four-wheel drive (rental) car is a must, as is some off-road driving experience.

Autovisie has the complete digital route so that you can drive all paths To do this, you need to download the Maps.

me app on your phone or iPad Then you can drive the entire route offline.

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