French Travelers Explore Post-Earthquake Morocco by RV, Find Warm Welcome

Two French couples (one from Clermont-Ferrand, the other from the Paris region) went to Morocco by motorhome in October. A trip that Frédéric had planned at the beginning of the year, with a couple of friends, long before the violent earthquake that mourned Morocco. "We wanted to do the south of Morocco that we didn’t know," he confides to the site lemondeducampingcar.fr which contacted him by telephone. Before leaving, they make sure that their trip will go smoothly. "We looked at the map, and the route we had planned was very little affected. Only the Anti-Atlas region seemed sensitive to us. We inquired with the local police, who told us that the buses were passing through. They were small buses..."

When they arrive in Morocco, Frédéric and his friends discover that "some bridges had collapsed. We still managed to get around, crossing a few rivers the old-fashioned way: by ford, when the wadis were dry. In this region, there is also damage in the villages. The army and the Moroccan Red Cross were on the ground."

The two couples crossed Morocco from north to south, heading towards Ouarzazate and Mhamid.

They had also noticed the absence of tourists, especially European motorhome tourists. "When we took the boat, there was no one on board. At Gutierrez [Agence Viajes Normandie, in Cadiz, editor’s note] they were happy to see us. And once in Morocco, we found ourselves several times with two motorhomes in the campsite." The motorhome tourists they met were heading towards Portugal. A warm welcome was reserved for Frédéric and his friends. "When we passed near damaged villages, the people were not bothered, they showed us the way and they were happy to see the tourists arrive. Even in Igherm, whose region is devastated. Overall, we made wonderful encounters, the people are really welcoming in this Anti-Atlas region that we didn’t know. [...]"

Frédéric will add: "They have their heart on their sleeve, it’s not the same approach as in Marrakech. In the end, we are very happy with our trip, and we did not encounter any particular difficulties."