Overlander's Handbook
Trip Reports
Morocco - Mazda pickup
| Who | Chris S ~ website |
| Profession | Guidebooks etc |
| Born 1960 | Nationality Brit |
| Previous travel experience | Yes |
| This trip | Morocco |
| Departure date | Apri 2008 |
| Number in group | 1 then 2 |
| Trip duration | 4 weeks |
| Distance covered | In Mk about 6000km |
| Cost of trip (not incl. vehicle) | 1400 euro + ferries (600e) |
| Best day | Spinning down in Figuig. |
| Worst/ hardest day | Plenty, but the intercooler hose blowing off while pushing hard in Low with the tide coming was a bit scary. |
| Favourite place | No-name deep canyon villages chocked with palms or ruined ksars anywhere. |
| Biggest headache | Doing it all alone for the first couple of weeks |
| Wish I hadn't | Left it in 2WD so much - hard on the back tyres |
| Most pleasant surprise | The many amazing tracks and places not on any map |
| Any illness | No |
| Other trips planned | Of course |
| One overlanding tip | Follow it, it's bound to end up somewhere. |
| Type of Vehicle | Mazda pickup |
| Age/ mileage on departure | 59,000m 2003 |
| Modifications | Suspension, paint, intercooler |
| Most useful accessory | Airbags on the back - didn't even know the leaves were broken |
| Mods you wish you'd done | I suppose new back springs is all it needs now. |
| Tyres used | Falken ATs, a bit low and wide but good on the road |
| Number of punctures |
| Vehicle's weak point | Too long and low when things get gnarly; 31mpg at best |
| Vehicle's strong point | It survived and sounds fine |
| Vehicle problems | OE back springs broke, 1 puncture |
| Same vehicle again? | Yes - or an auto Twingo |
| One driving tip | Preserve the car - it's all you got! |