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AhPek Biker - Riding Adventures
Morocco 2025 Day 1:
Dubai to Casablanca to Rabat
Dubai to Casablanca to Rabat
Morocco 2024 Day 1: 15th April (Tuesday)
Small Group (Non-cycling) Tour of Morocco.
Day 1 - Dubai (UAE) to Casablanca to Rabat:
Day 1 - Dubai (UAE) to Casablanca to Rabat:
Dubai Airport (Dubai)>Emirates>Casablanca Airport (Morocco)>Rabat>Rabat Medina>Oudaya Kasbah>Bouregreg Quay>Hassan Tower>Flower Town Hotel.
This is page 1 of a 13-page blog. Click Here To Go To Title Page.
< Dubai 2025 | Go to Other Days | D2: Tangier >
Route recommendations, here are some tips on travelling to and around Morocco:
1. Traffic Directions!
Driving in Morocco is left-hand drive, and driving is on the right-hand side of the road. Do look to the correct side when crossing roads.
Speed limits are between 60 km/h within urban areas, 100 km/h outside urban areas, including expressways, and 120 km/h on highways. Do adhere to these limits, as often police are monitoring with radars; our driver-guide was careful about this.
Speed limits are between 60 km/h within urban areas, 100 km/h outside urban areas, including expressways, and 120 km/h on highways. Do adhere to these limits, as often police are monitoring with radars; our driver-guide was careful about this.
2. Immigration & Customs Requirements
For Morocco, citizens of Malaysia do not need a visa to enter for travel purposes and can stay in the country for 90 days without a visa. Click here for visa requirements for other countries.
3. Getting to and around Morocco.
Morocco is easily accessible by air as most major airlines serve Morocco and have flights to major cities such as Casablanca, Rabat and Marrakech. We flew return via Emirates to Casablanca with transit in Dubai at a fare of MYR4,430 per pax. Do note that Emirates now charges for seat selection.
For ground arrangements, we booked a 13-day guided tour through Tenere Tours at €1,350 per pax. This included stays at comfortable hotels and riads, and a night at a caravanserai luxury camp in the desert. Breakfast was included, and also dinners at the Dades Valley Hotel, Merzoga Riad and Desert Caravanserai Luxury Camp.
The guided tour included a 9-seater van with a driver-guide to take the six of us to/from the airports, and from city to city. And also the camel ride to the desert camp. We paid extra for walking tours at the Fez Medina and Marrakech Medina at €85/group/city.
For ground arrangements, we booked a 13-day guided tour through Tenere Tours at €1,350 per pax. This included stays at comfortable hotels and riads, and a night at a caravanserai luxury camp in the desert. Breakfast was included, and also dinners at the Dades Valley Hotel, Merzoga Riad and Desert Caravanserai Luxury Camp.
The guided tour included a 9-seater van with a driver-guide to take the six of us to/from the airports, and from city to city. And also the camel ride to the desert camp. We paid extra for walking tours at the Fez Medina and Marrakech Medina at €85/group/city.
For out-of-pocket spending, we exchanged Euros to Moroccan dirhams (MAD) at local money-changers in Rabat and Rissani. As a contingency, we brought along our Wise debit cards, do note that this may not be acceptable at many places.
4. Places & Things of Interest
Enroute were several places of interest, some of which we visited and others we did not for lack of time (Note: click on GPS coordinates for a directional map to respective places):
a. Rabat Medina (GPS: 34.02590, -6.83643).
a. Rabat Medina (GPS: 34.02590, -6.83643).
d. Mohammed VI Tower (GPS: 34.01893, -6.80518).
e. Rabat Lighthouse (GPS: 34.03152, -6.84437).
f. Hassan Tower (GPS: 34.02407, -6.82291).
g. Mausoleum of Mohammed V (GPS: 34.02263, -6.82148).
h. Place Oudaya (GPS: 34.03278, -6.83523).
i. Bouregreg Quay (GPS: 34.0281, -6.83156).
5. Food
a. Breakfast
Light Bites on Board Emirates Flight EK751 Dubai to Casablanca:
Egg-Cheddar Sandwich, Muffin, Blueberry Yoghurt, Fresh Fruits, Coffee & Tomato Juice.
Egg-Cheddar Sandwich, Muffin, Blueberry Yoghurt, Fresh Fruits, Coffee & Tomato Juice.
b. Lunch
Chicken Pasta, Pita Bread, Smoked Aubergine with Cucumber Seeds Salad, Chocolate Mousse, Bun with Butter & Cheese, Tomato Juice, Nutty Snacks.
c. Dinner
Moroccan & Italian Fare at Restaurant Marina Palms in Rabat (GPS: 34.02770, -6.83021):
1. Niçoise Salad, 2. Avocado Shrimp Salad, 3. John Dory Tajine Set, 4. Tuna Pizza & 5. Iced Nougat dessert.
6. Accommodations
7. Dressing
I brought two long pants along and four shorts. In the end, I didn't wear the shorts as the weather can get quite cold in the morning and evenings, especially with stronger winds at the seaside.
When entering mosques, men can wear shorts, but ladies have to cover up their legs and heads. Scarves and long pants are recommended; if wearing shorts, bring a sarong or something to cover one's legs.
8. Communicating with Each Other
When travelling in a group, it's important to be able to communicate with each other, especially if one gets lost from the rest.
Upon arrival at Casablanca Airport, booths selling pre-paid sim cards can be found just before exiting the luggage reclaim area. There were booths selling Maroc, Orange, and Inwi pre-paid tourist phone sim cards. We opted for the Maroc sim card as it provides better coverage even in remote areas, which I found to be true, and it only had poor or no signal at remote stretches far in the hills or desert. We got the 15 Gb card, which is valid for one month for 100 MAD. Should this be inadequate, memory can be topped up at any phone shop.
9. Communicating with Locals
At favourite tourist destinations, markets and medinas, many locals speak fairly good English, some French and Spanish. At the smaller towns, locals speak some rudimentary English, and our local guide was most helpful in translating for us.
10. Weather
Useful weather forecast sites for Rabat is AccuWeather. For more detailed weather, including cloud cover and wind speed, use Weatherspark and Ventusky.
11. Navigation
I used MapMyRide to track our routes and stops. Geo-tagging of places of interest was via FaceBook or Google Maps.
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PRELUDE
After a two-night enjoyable stay in Dubai, we head for Morocco. We found Dubai to be an exciting place of a mix of old markets and new skyscrapers all rolled into one.
So, what will Morocco hold for us? What will we discover there? Will the desert be very hot? Will the food be good? Let's find out!
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DAY 1: DUBAI-CASABLANCA-RABAT
Most of the posts below are linked to my Facebook postings during the trip and are embedded here with some comments. (NOTE: Click on respective posts to link to the FB post to read more details. If you can't see the posts, please log out of your Facebook first.)
7:55am - After almost a half-hour delay, Emirates Flight EK751 taking off from Dubai International Airport. It's a morning flight and we had little sleep as we had to be at the airport by 4:30am. Hopefully, I will be able to get some shut-eye on this eight-hour flight.
Concerned about the long flight, I have selected an aisle seat so that I have more space to stretch my operated knee.
Emirates now charges for seat selection, and I had to pay an extra of around RM400 for the four sectors of my trip. They seem to be operating like a budget airline in this sense, or even more, as we were later to find out.
Lunch-on-board: Chicken Pasta, Pita Bread, Smoked Aubergine with Cucumber Seeds Salad, Chocolate Mousse, etc.
I used to look forward to Emirates Meals-on-board, but it seems that the quality of food seems to have dropped. Another sign that the airline is planning to go budget?
3:00pm - Landing Approach to MohammedV International Airport, Casablanca.
Welcome to Morocco!
This part of the country seems relatively flat, without mountains nearby, and the landscape is mostly gentle rolling low hills with few trees.
I just realised that it's the first time we are in Africa!
I just realised that it's the first time we are in Africa!
At the airport, baggage trolleys are not easy to come by; they are all located at one far end of the baggage reclaim area. I managed to find one and just started rolling it back to our carousel when a man in mufti stopped me and asked for money! I was a bit taken aback thinking that he was extorting me! But it turned out that he was asking for money for the trolley use. Luggage trolleys are not free a this airport, it's €2 or MAD20 per trolley payable to one of these men in mufti.
One last thing to do before leaving the airport: get prepaid telephone sim cards!
Booths selling Maroc, Orange, and Inwi pre-paid tourist phone sim cards can be found just before exiting the baggage reclaim area. We opted for the Maroc sim card as it provides better coverage even in remote areas, which I found to be true; it only had poor or no signal at remote stretches far in the hills or desert.
Booths selling Maroc, Orange, and Inwi pre-paid tourist phone sim cards can be found just before exiting the baggage reclaim area. We opted for the Maroc sim card as it provides better coverage even in remote areas, which I found to be true; it only had poor or no signal at remote stretches far in the hills or desert.
4:00pm - Leaving Casablanca Airport and heading to Rabat along National Route A3 (Casablanca Airport–Marrakesh Expressway).
Oualid, (pronounced Walid) our driver-guide, is a young 26-year-old Berber Moroccan. He will be taking us around the country in a 9-seater Ford Transit Tourisme van. Thankfully, my tour mates were very considerate and had me sitting at the front passenger seat so that I had more leg room to stretch my operated leg.
We skipped visiting Casablanca, but no worries, we will be back on the last day of our tour. i. Instead, we left the airport and headed straight for Rabat. An hour later, we were at the outskirts of the city, just in time to meet the after-office rush hour. But traffic, although slightly heavy, was smooth, with the help of the traffic police.
First stop in Rabat, the money changer!
The exchange rate for Euros or USD to Moroccan Dirhams (MAD) is much better here than at the airport. We will need MAD at the medinas and smaller shops.
The exchange rate for Euros or USD to Moroccan Dirhams (MAD) is much better here than at the airport. We will need MAD at the medinas and smaller shops.
Heading to the coast and passing by the Rabat Lighthouse. Sitting alone not far away from the river mouth of the Oued Bou Regreg, it looks isolated as it should be for its beam not to be distracted by other lights.
6:00pm - Visiting the Rabat Medina; a quick stop for photos at this huge, elaborate Bab Oudaya Gate.
Built in the late 12th century, it is located at the northwest corner of the Oudaya Kasbah. It is often cited as one of the most beautiful gates of Almohad and Moroccan architecture.
At Rabat Medina, our dirhams are useful now.
Our first exposure to a Moroccan medina, it's very colourful!
With nice architecture.
Back at the Oudaya Kasbah, we climbed up to the battlements for a grand view of the sea; it's the Atlantic Ocean!
A view inland, we espied the Mohammed VI Tower, standing out proudly from the low surrounding buildings. It's actually the city of Salé, bordering Rabat. It sits on the right bank of the Bou Regreg river, opposite the national capital Rabat, for which it serves as a commuter town. Together with some smaller nearby towns, Rabat and Salé form a single larger metropolitan area.
Next: the Mausoleum of Mohammed V.
... and the Hassan Tower.
Moroccan Dinner & Pizza at Restaurant Marina Palms, on the table:
1. Niçoise Salad, 2. Avocado Shrimp Salad, 3. John Dory Tajine Set, 4. Tuna Pizza & 5. Iced Nougat dessert.
Scenery at Rabat Medinaa (Quai de Bouregreg).
It's low tide, and flocks of seagulls were swooping down to have their dinner at the shallow shoals.
As we headed for our hotel, we saw these houses on the cliff, with good vistas, overlooking the Rabat Medina (Bouregreg Marina).
Marhaba bik f lmaghrib!
(That's "Welcome to Morocco" in Arabic)
(For more photos of Day 1, Click Here)
This is page 1 of a 13-page blog. Click Here To Go To Title Page.
< Dubai 2025 | Go to Other Days | D2: Tangier >
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