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Touring Morocco. Solo, Spain to Agadir

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Touring Morocco. Solo, Spain to Agadir

Hello WS community! I'm doing a tour across the south of Europe from Moldova and am planning to terminate in Agadir, Morocco. I am searching for any travel advice and tips about the region as I am a little bit apprehensive to go without having a plan and being informed about any necessary precautions. I'm American so its a far stretch from home and obviously vastly different culturally. I'm wondering about safety and supplies for the trip. Is there any places to watch out for or particular situations and if I were to need bicycle repairs is there shops around or should I go very prepared? I've read health standards can be low so cleanliness, caution with food sources, and water purification is a must. I've also read about snakes, scorpions, sand flies, and processionary caterpillars to look out for while camping. I of coursr will make my best effort to be off the road at night and avoid the slums. I'm travelling with a dog (am aware of import/export requirements) and will have pepper spray should I run into a problem with strays. Anyone who has been thank you for your tips and looking for any positive connections like camp grounds or things to see as well. Many thanks!

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I cycled from Spain to Agadir

I cycled from Spain to Agadir over the course of November. (I'm now in Western Sahara about to cross into Mauritania). You don’t say when you plan to be touring. I went from Melilla south and crossed the High Atlas, but it was already bitterly cold at night in mid-November and now the snow will have fallen.

> I'm wondering about safety and supplies for the trip.

Safety isn’t really an issue here if you plan your tour around the open countryside, which is after all what most cyclists do. If you want to occasionally head into major cities for sightseeing there, the main roads will not take you into dangerous slums. Generally Morocco feels like one of the safest countries in the world (most travelers here agree), and the poorer villages are not "slums", they are safe and welcoming places. The problem here isn’t crime, it’s hustlers in the big cities trying to get you into their shops or make you hire them as a tour guide, and the infuriating illiterate peasants who interrupt your tranquil pedaling 100 times a day with “Bonjour, monsieur, ça va?"

> if I were to need bicycle repairs is there shops around

There are plenty of bicycle shops here. Just pack a couple of spare tubes and some spokes, and for anything else you’ll find a shop to fix it.

> I've also read about snakes, scorpions, sand flies, and processionary caterpillars to look out for while camping.

You are probably not going to see anything like that. I’ve camped many times on this tour and on my previous travels to Morocco, and I never have. Any roads, no matter how minor they might seem on the map, are going to lead through fairly tame territory. The big annoyance while camping is that the ground will inevitably be stony and dusty.

> I've read health standards can be low so cleanliness, caution with food sources, and water purification is a must.

You will definitely get diarrhea at some point during your tour. It’s a common topic among tourers here. Generally you can't avoid unclean food: all bread in shops and restaurants will have been touched by flies and many other people’s unwashed hands within a couple of hours after baking. Meals here are mostly bread. So, that’s how you get stomach problems. (But fortunately, after that initial diarrhea, which could last about a week, one typically doesn't get ill again during the trip.) Water purification isn’t something to worry about: bottled water in 1.5L or 5L bottles is available even in the poorest villages. It is better to use that, since village wells (while clean), can be brackish and can clog up your filter.

Also, note that Agadir is very expensive, as it is focused on resort tourism. Backpackers and cyclists generally stay in Tamraght, 14 km north of Agadir, and Taghazout another 4 km on, where all the hostels are.

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Hey man... i send u a message

Hey man... i send u a message.if your coming to spain ill be happy to host you in Mallorca ...

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