Fantastic video, I’m looking to be adventuring in this area next January, with a friend. I have a place in southern Spain, get the bikes in the van and drive down to Errachidia get the bikes out, leave the van at a hotel and ride onto Erfoud and then onto merzouga and finally erg chebbi to the big dunes. Leaving the Tenere in Spain and taking 2 Husky 501’s for the sand surfing! Weight back and plenty throttle, keep the front wheel up! Can’t wait.
Yep, the modern Docker moped has taken over from the venerable motobecane scoots of the 60/70s. Africa and Asia have the same transport policy, if your scoot still moves loaded up, you’re good to go!
It would be ok with the guide from Merzouga to Sidi Ali, stay the night there….then do the next stage the following day. It is epic, but tough. The heat made it particularly hard for us northerners!
@Madman568 the alternative is the desert highway that is a fast open sealed road. Or head up to Tinghir and the Todra/Dades gorges. Then the road over to Nkob is sealed now and is a great ride, would take you back towards Zagora.
I think, the local guy has the half of the weight of bike+package than we northerners. I'm pretty sure he's laughing his arse off at all the loonies half-killing themselves in a foot of sand!!! 🤣🤣🤣 I can really smell the clutch disks through the monitor... great vid and thank you for it!!! 👍
Yep, he makes it look stupidly easy on his little phut phut! He was very gracious in his sympathy for our predicament, but I expect he has many stories to tell of useless Northerners getting too hot and bothered while stuck under a GS😆
@@rustynuts82 Yes, for ourselves it.s an adventure, we wait a for long time, and he can wait in a beach chair for the next ones. Might be nice to be a mouse, what he.s telling to his mates in the evening 🤣
Do you think it makes sense to have a guide trough the desert from merzouga to mhamid ? Or is it just wasted money. ? How much would you give the guide ?
Having only done it once I can’t give definitive advice. We intended to do it without, but the guy intercepted us at a strategic point, gave us advice to take a certain route and then reappeared when we stopped at a multiple track point. He knows how to work it! Admittedly the route he took us on was great and he assured us that the known route is much more difficult. We met some seasoned riders who confirmed the sand trap and river crossing further south. He wanted a decent amount of money, around £150 I think, we gave him about £60 which was all we had on us. We hadn’t intended on hiring a guide. If you have good sat nav and a light bike that you can manage alone, its probably not so difficult. There are villages roughly half way, Sidi Ali with auberges and cafes. Dinosaur Kem kem is another. We wished we had stayed the night at kem kem, the guy is super friendly. But we had no money left! However you can book it on booking.com i found out later. If i return i will do it without a guide tbh
We'll (Ian Russell and I) will be in Merzouga in a weeks time...
Can't wait!!
Fantastic video, I’m looking to be adventuring in this area next January, with a friend. I have a place in southern Spain, get the bikes in the van and drive down to Errachidia get the bikes out, leave the van at a hotel and ride onto Erfoud and then onto merzouga and finally erg chebbi to the big dunes. Leaving the Tenere in Spain and taking 2 Husky 501’s for the sand surfing! Weight back and plenty throttle, keep the front wheel up! Can’t wait.
Good plan, a light bike is the only way on sand. Otherwise it’s an attritional slog, but a good challenge.
Great to give these things a go. Only westerners are on these great motorbikes!! Locals always on 125!! I myself have a Tenere World Raid!!!🤣
Yep, the modern Docker moped has taken over from the venerable motobecane scoots of the 60/70s. Africa and Asia have the same transport policy, if your scoot still moves loaded up, you’re good to go!
OK, that is one trail that i will avoid on my upcoming solo Morocco trip :)
It would be ok with the guide from Merzouga to Sidi Ali, stay the night there….then do the next stage the following day. It is epic, but tough. The heat made it particularly hard for us northerners!
Same here especially since i will be having a passenger on my bike🤔
@Madman568 the alternative is the desert highway that is a fast open sealed road. Or head up to Tinghir and the Todra/Dades gorges. Then the road over to Nkob is sealed now and is a great ride, would take you back towards Zagora.
I think, the local guy has the half of the weight of bike+package than we northerners. I'm pretty sure he's laughing his arse off at all the loonies half-killing themselves in a foot of sand!!! 🤣🤣🤣 I can really smell the clutch disks through the monitor... great vid and thank you for it!!! 👍
Yep, he makes it look stupidly easy on his little phut phut! He was very gracious in his sympathy for our predicament, but I expect he has many stories to tell of useless Northerners getting too hot and bothered while stuck under a GS😆
@@rustynuts82 Yes, for ourselves it.s an adventure, we wait a for long time, and he can wait in a beach chair for the next ones. Might be nice to be a mouse, what he.s telling to his mates in the evening 🤣
Do you think it makes sense to have a guide trough the desert from merzouga to mhamid ? Or is it just wasted money. ? How much would you give the guide ?
Having only done it once I can’t give definitive advice. We intended to do it without, but the guy intercepted us at a strategic point, gave us advice to take a certain route and then reappeared when we stopped at a multiple track point. He knows how to work it! Admittedly the route he took us on was great and he assured us that the known route is much more difficult. We met some seasoned riders who confirmed the sand trap and river crossing further south. He wanted a decent amount of money, around £150 I think, we gave him about £60 which was all we had on us. We hadn’t intended on hiring a guide. If you have good sat nav and a light bike that you can manage alone, its probably not so difficult. There are villages roughly half way, Sidi Ali with auberges and cafes. Dinosaur Kem kem is another. We wished we had stayed the night at kem kem, the guy is super friendly. But we had no money left! However you can book it on booking.com i found out later. If i return i will do it without a guide tbh
I’ve heard people say that speed fixes everything in sand. Probably easier said than done! 😂
I don’t think the mule could go fast enough😆
I have heard that too. I believe it takes a healthy dose of nerve & experience. Sand is intimidating. I rode in this area, that sand is like powder.
@chipm2544 it takes some getting used to alright. Worst part is picking it up in the heat over and over, but you have no choice!