Red Lights Are Just Suggestions: Surviving a Moroccan Road Trip

In Tangier, I took on my next adventure: renting a car to drive in Moroccan traffic. In general, the roads and the number of petrol stations are very good. But the traffic sometimes drove me crazy! A red light is never really a red light; sometimes it just means “whoever gets there first.” Also, the number of lanes doesn’t always match the lines on the street. So, if you rent a car, never take the most expensive one, or at least have good insurance. A bump or two is bound to happen. 🙂

What surprised me was the number of police checkpoints. They weren’t necessarily speed traps, but actual barriers where you had to show your passport. However, in 90% of cases, they just waved me through.

The first stop on my way to the Sahara was the blue town of Chefchaouen. Arriving after an almost two-hour ride through the mountains from Tangier, I could already see the blue houses from a distance. This distinctive azure palette—said to have been introduced by Jewish refugees in the 15th century to mirror the heavens and spiritual life—covers everything from doorways to steps, creating a surreal, dreamlike atmosphere.

I wandered around, had a coffee, and had the same experience as at all other “Instagrammable” spots in Morocco: it was full of people trying to take the best picture, “wannabe” models finding the right pose, and annoying boyfriends taking their 1000th solo shot. It was nice to stay for a couple of hours, but I would never stay longer than that.

For those interested: this city is the primary region for cannabis cultivation in Morocco. Historically, the town has been a hub for the production of kif (fine-cut marijuana mixed with tobacco) and hashish, and the local economy is heavily intertwined with this trade… so if you want to get high, this is the place to be.

Because of the distance from Chefchaouen to the Sahara, I spent one night in a city called Ifrane. Travel books and sites will tell you it’s like the Swiss Alps of Morocco. While the pictures might help you reach that conclusion, in reality, everything is old, shabby, and worn out… maybe it was a nice place 20 years ago. So, no pictures from here! 🙂

Back on the road the next morning, I was blown away by nature. Over the next few hours, the landscape changed often: sandy, rocky, no green, full of green, dusty, dry, high altitude, sun… It was amazing. The pictures shown here are from my drives in both directions; sometimes it was impossible to cross the street to take a picture, so I had to wait until my way back.