From Chefchouen we made our way to the coast with plans to slowly travel south, staying a few days at each place we’d marked on the map.
We arrived at the first planned stop in Medya (the x on the map above). It was meant to be lovely cheap, guarded parking with views over a lagoon and a nice spot to swim. What we found was a wasteland inches deep in rubbish, a lagoon that smelt like pure diesel and no guard in site. We had a back up plan.. . the campsite only 5 minutes down the road. It was pictured on the website to be a manicured place with a posh pool, restaurant and bar. When we pulled up there were chains across the entrance. We sat in front of the chains wondering what we could do when a sleepy guard came over and opened up for us. Inside it was like a scene out of a post apocalyptic movie. We were the first people to enter in 2 years. The vegetation had all died and the roads were covered in dead palm tree leaves. The pool was drained of water and full of stinking rubbish and decaying organic matter. There were stray dogs running all over. You couldn’t see the camping pitches. The bar and restaurant were abandoned with broken windows, chairs and tables lying all over the floor and thick layers of dust everywhere. There were no working toilets or showers and no running water. The guard wanted to charge us the full, pre covid, price of €16 a night and would not budge when we tried to haggle. We moved on, which meant another 2 hours drive down the coast to the next campsite.
This became a theme of the next few days. Driving only to find abandoned campsites, guarded parking that didn’t exist anymore or wild spots which police moved us on from. We ended up driving from place to place thinking each time we would find something better. We now realise every campsite is in a similar situation, although some better than others. Morocco has clearly suffered in a big way from the after effects of covid.
We travelled so much faster than we had planned just because finding parking spots was much harder than we thought. Luckily our vans have everything we need inside and when we park close next to each other, door to door we feel like we could be anywhere. So a crumbling campsite isn’t so bad.
Along the way, inbetween the mad drives, we still managed to enjoy different places, people and experiences.
Moroccan breakfast in an eco cafe
A visit to the ancient Portuguese fortress of El Jadida
Lovely beaches
Swims and surfs
Cliff top walks with friendly locals
And bird watching boat trips on a crystal clear lagoon
We are now in Sidi Kaouki, a popular surfing spot which has lovely vibes. We are on a campsite which is only €2.40 a night and right next to the beach. We will stay here a few days and really enjoy the laid back beach life.