The Expedition
30 posts · 13 days on the road · 5,061 miles · London to Morocco and back
It took almost one year, but the video content taken during our rally last year is now ready! Split over three episodes spanning almost an hour and 40 minutes long, the videos follow us from the start of our journey in London to Morocco via France and Spain as we ultimately traversed the Atlas mountain range and the wilderness of the Sahara desert.
Head over to our video page to start watching.
Our final route from London through to Morocco and the Sahara saw us travel 5,061 miles (8,098km) over 13 days. The tracker captured over 1800 waypoints during our journey. There are some interesting deviations from our route through the Sahara, perhaps we were lost on occasion!
After 13 days and with 5,061 miles (8,098 km) driven, the Moroccan Rally 2024 comes to a close. It's been a fantastic journey! More to follow.
Heading to the ferry to the UK on day 13 of the Moroccan Rally 2024!
As we drove through Spain last night, we decided around 2am that it was time for a late supper.
We set off through the Atlas mountains this morning and arrived in Marrakesh for a delicious lunch of Tajine, Pastilla and salad.
After wandering through the meandering alleys of the old Medina, we left Marrakesh heading North towards Casablanca and Rabat.
Saturday 8th June: Day 9 of our rally was a combination of a stunning drive through the dramatic Atlas landscape as well as more car repairs.
After making it to Foum-Zguid, we decided to press on and drove to Tata, then Akka before heading North to the Atlas. We drove through the night at times navigating the precarious mountain roads before pulling up at the side of a mountainat 3.15amfor a short car sleep under the incredible starlit sky.
We then headed out to Tagounite and started the off-road trail to Foum-Zguid then camped out for the night.
Friday 7th June: We spent the entire day navigating the rocky off-road trails and sand dunes, going via Iriki across stunning scenery. The trail was hard and slow but we got there in the end!
We got lost a couple of times and briefly were stuck on a sand dune. By 6pm we made it to Foum-Zguid.
In our eagerness to set out, we didn't refuel in Merzouga when we left at 8am. Some 15 miles later we turned back to Merzouga, refuelled and Sahara proofed the car to deal with the high temperatures and sand.
We proceeded towards Ramlia, although we did find ourselves within a few miles of the Algerian border. The Moroccan military intercepted us and were extremely nice and helpful, escorting us out of the controlled zone to the correct track.
Once back at Ramlia, we struggled to cross the sand dunes as soft sand spread across the Ramlia area for around 5 miles. With the help of one of the locals in Ramlia, he showed us a good route through the dunes.
As we continued to Zagora, we stopped a couple of times dealing with a fuelling issue. After the sun had fully set, we were navigating the off-road terrain through the night. Fortunately the last 30 miles to Zagora were paved. We arrived just before 10pm, met Chez Ali Nassir who carried out a minor repair on the car and we're booked in tomorrow morning to resolve the fuelling issue.
Big day of off-road with over 220 rally miles driven, lots of fun action and adventure, finished off with a late dinner in Zagora.
After a delicious dinner in Merzouga, we're ready for the desert adventure ahead starting tomorrow morning.
As a reminder, while we're likely to have limited connectivity, you can continue to track our location live on our website.
We're raising awareness and fundraising for Crisis. You can donate at https://www.justgiving.com/page/moroccan-rally-2024
While undertaking some oil leak repairs at a workshop in Merzouga, we found our trusty old compass friend. Navigation across the Sahara tomorrow is now possible!
We managed to repair our exhaust system in Tetouan, this was a 6 hour job that included welding and gasket replacements.
After the repair, we managed to get some maps printed offs from a search engine to get us as far as Fes. Not the best day for navigation, our original maps were confiscated at the border and we somehow lost our primary compass.
After a much needed dinner in Tetouan, we commenced a night drive to Chefchaouen that ended with a split radiator hose that resulted in us dumping our entire coolant on the road, all while searching for somewhere to stay.
Radiator hose now replaced. Time for some rest ahead of our journey to Fes tomorrow!
We're in Morocco! After completing a 1600 mile drive in 40 hours, we stopped just outside of Algerciras on the night of the 1st June and crossed into Morocco on the morning of the 2nd June.
Spent time in Tetouan acquiring local maps, local currency and some car repairs.
Problem solved. Fully refuelled both tanks and back on the road. About 250 miles away from the ferry terminal.
First tank has run out of fuel, second tank is approaching low so we decided to refuel. This is what we were greeted with...
We had a great breakfast stop in Barcelona with a bit of fun parking between some roadside bins and a skip.
The delightful staff at La Esquina served up a tasty Spanish omelette for us.
We're somewhere Southeast of Paris heading towards Dijion.
After a large amount of rain earlier, which with Red means it was also raining inside the car, we now have some bright dry weather as we cruise.
Moroccan Rally 2024 launches at 6.06am from Tower Bridge on the 31st May.
We're thrilled to be back on the road after a 10 year gap.
Final preparations are complete. Supplies and snacks are all packed.
Departure tomorrow!
The iconic camo net is in place.
4 days to launch!
Our Moroccan Rally stickers are all in place.
5 days to launch!
Satellite tracker tested and up and running. This will provide updates every 10 to 15 minutes via a live feed on our website http://www.rustyrhinos.com Friday 31st May.
6 days to launch!
We have always been keen to bring awareness to causes and fundraise during our rallies, and for our sixthinstalment, we’ve chosen Crisis.
Crisis work side by side with thousands of people each year as they find ways out of homelessness. They provide practical support to enable access to benefits, healthcare services, employment opportunities and more. Their main aim is to relieve the huge pressure of homelessness, by helping people find safe and affordable homes as quickly as possible. They prioritise supporting people who are facing the most complex barriers to ending their homeless and often have nowhere else to turn.
We hope you can make a donation to Crisis via our fundraising page https://www.justgiving.com/page/moroccan-rally-2024, all donations will make a difference.
Thanks,
We don’t quite believe it ourselves, but it has been ten years since the last Rusty Rhinos rally. Rally plans were brewing for a 2020 event, but the circumstances of the world were not in favour of a launch then. Now, a decade since we drove from London to Beijing, we are back, this time with the Moroccan Rally 2024!