The name of the job is long but its scope was simple. Honda made available to Iberian journalists several Africa Twin Adventure Sports and proposed us to make a four-day trip through Morocco, starting in Marrakech and ending in Erfoud. Sounds good to you? Well, it does to me too, this is one of those invitations that cannot be refused!
In fact, I was the only Portuguese journalist invited, so, a luxury opportunity to practice my Spanish with my colleagues from the neighboring country and even try to scratch some Catalan, which I immediately gave up. As for the bikes, not being a conventional presentation, little was said about the technical specifications, because much has already been said about the Africa Twin since it returned to the market with great success.
But just to be noted, I used an Adventure Sports with DCT – actually with quite a few kilometers – and equipped with side cases and a top case, therefore a version ready to do much more than what we were going to do, about 1000 km in total and almost all of them on asphalt. A bike with huge autonomy, high load capacity, heated grips (super important items on this trip), a lot of aerodynamic protection and comfort. And if I had already been to Morocco on two occasions, I had not yet ridden a motorcycle in this country. Here was the right opportunity!
IN MOROCCO
Traveling to Morocco does not require major complications, but it is also not like crossing the border to Spain. Above all, it is necessary to have a valid passport, exchange money, and understand what type of trip and stay we will have, even because of mobile data, which we are used to having connected on our devices in any European country. In Morocco, this will be prohibitive, but while it is true that the Wi-Fi network is very well implemented, working well in hotels and even in restaurants, it is advisable to buy a local SIM card for our mobile phone (which is quite affordable) and thus be much more at ease. Oh, and by the way, if you are journalists, photographers, etc., do not hesitate to imagine any other profession when passing through the passport area at the airport or border. It may save you a few minutes of interrogation…
In Marrakech, we took the opportunity to appreciate the huge contrasts that exist in this country. And so we also took taxis, went shopping in the labyrinthine alleys around Djemaa el Fna square – the most famous in the city – and haggled over everything we bought. This is something that may not please everyone, as it is not a European habit, but that is how it works in this North African country if we do not want to empty our pockets quickly! And after a violent hailstorm, which put us on alert about what we could experience in terms of weather for the rest of the trip, we rested because we had to cross the Atlas the next day.
MARRAKECH – OUARZAZATE
Leaving Marrakech early in the morning towards the Atlas, with a temperature of about 3 degrees, we turned on the heated grips to the maximum and set off. The pace was slow due to the confusion on the roads to leave this city with over 1 million inhabitants, so it was best to proceed with great care, especially because for many kilometers we had the sun directly in our eyes. And of course, the road surface was not always the best, although in this regard the Africa Twin was in its element. We passed through the Atlas, a mountain range that extends for 2,500 kilometers through Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, and reached the highest point by road, at 2,260 meters above sea level, where no one wanted to take off their helmet due to the cold!With everything white around us we took photos and videos, played in the snow and crossed beautiful valleys towards Ouarzazate, a famous city that was still far away. We had lunch in Telouet, a very typical old village, and visited the Glaoui’s kasbah, built in the 18th century and expanded in the 19th century, which served to shelter the most powerful family in the region. Even today we can see beautiful luxury details in this somewhat abandoned construction. It was also in Telouet that we witnessed the second free “show” of Kirian Mirabet, a young Spaniard who accompanied us on this trip, a former world enduro championship pilot, and who is now a kind of “ambassador” for the Honda Africa Twin. Follow him on Instagram and see everything he is capable of doing with a 250 kg motorcycle. Believe me, live it is even more incredible!
CHANGING LANDSCAPE
One day when it was clear how the landscape can change so quickly in this country. As if we were crossing several continents in just one day. Despite the many hours on the bike, this was not a very long day in terms of kilometers, with only 213 covered (with an average of 5.5 l/100 km), but it was very rich in terms of culture and landscapes, so we also visited Ait Ben Haddou, the most famous ksar in Morocco and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
We entered through the fort and had tea at this location that has been used for filming movies like Gladiator, Game of Thrones, Lawrence of Arabia, among others. Hence the creation of a film hub just 20 km from Ouarzazate, where we spent the night.
As for the motorcycle, the Africa Twin once again proved from the beginning of this journey that it is one of the most versatile and comfortable maxi-trails on the market, but we will talk more about the motorcycle and the rest of the journey in the next edition. There is still much to tell!
