How exciting to travel to another continent with your van and dog! Morocco is just a olive pit spit away from Spain, but what a different world to explore. The perk of having a nomadic tiny home on wheels: the freedom to change your frontyard in tune with nature. Like the birds go south with the season, so can we.
I’ve been living in my van for 5 years now, 3.5 years with my dog. A few winters we spent in the Canary Islands, and some other winters, I exchanged the van for travelling by sailboat. Last winter, we spent six months in Morocco and Western Sahara, and that was so good so this winter I'll go again.
It's quite special to cross into another continent with the van. Just an hour ferry from Spain you can find ourselves in a whole new place to discover. Lots of mint tea, hustling and bustling, so kind people, wildness, surf and spectacular sunsets. And just BEing. So much to learn from different cultures and discoveries. And it makes you feel alive. The kindness all around warms my heart. For me it feels safe and calm in Morocco . And there’s so much beauty to be found in the shades of the desert, sky and sea.
Vanlife in Morocco and Western Sahara is a different thing than Europe. Things work differently here. And it's not for everyone. It's all just a little bit more wild and adventurous than vanlifing or overlanding in Europe. With a little bit of information and preparation before travelling to Morocco, you can make the most out of this roadtrip for your own peace of mind, as well as for the place you are visiting.
In this blog post, I share a few useful bits of information that may make your life easier when planning your Morocco trip with your dog and/or the van.
Logistical basics travelling into Morocco with your van
When to Go, Visa Info, and Budget Tips
Best time to go vanlifing Morocco: October – May, away from the intense summerheat and winter cold of Europe. For the surf fanatics, October-January there is generally less wind and better waves. The kitesurf fanatics get more favourable conditions from February onwards.
Entry requirements:
- Most passports get a 3-month visa on arrival.
- Dogs and cars are allowed to stay 6 months.
- Passports need to be valid for at least 6 months after arrival.
- Car entry requirement: A print of your green card (though no one checked at the border).
- Visas can be extended in the country, though not everyone gets them granted (we did)
How long to go? As long as you can! After 3 months of vanlife Morocco, we only scratched the surface. I've met many vanlifers who only went for one month. If you like driving, great, but you really need more time to get a little bit more to the essence of this magical country. We extended our visa (in Dahkla) and ended up staying 6 months.
Booking Your Ferry Ticket
There are lots of different Ferry companies going. I usually find best prices with Armas.
Ferry companies to check
- Africa – Morocco Line
- Balearia
- Intershipping / Armas
- FRS
Ferryhopper and directferries are easy tools to check and lock in the best price.
We paid 147 euro for a one-way ticket with 2 persons, a campervan (5.6 meters), and a dog for the ferry from Spain to Morocco. It's smarter to book an open return.
Price estimation return Morocco – Spain (2 adults, 1 van and dog):
- Algeciras – Tanger Med: 280 €
- Algeciras – Ceuta: 200 €
Taking the Ferry from Morocco to Spain
Some practical tips:
- Leave the drone at home (they do ask).
- Take a pen on the ferry so you can fill out the customs form.
- You can take a shower on the ferry. Bring a towel :).
- When you arrive, it took about another 2 hours of lining up and checks. I recommend taking a morning ferry so you still have daylight to make your way to where you want to go.
Some cars have to go through a scanner. Some don't. They do ask if you have a drone. Leave it at home.
Bringing your dog to Morocco
Should you bring your dog?
Yes, you should travel with your dog to Morocco! It's great for them, at least it was for my dog. It’s one big exploration zone and dogs are allowed everywhere . The stray dogs are supersweet and not to worry about. I wish I could take them all. And he gets along well with the dromedaris. As opposed to many places in Europe, here are no strict rules and regulations. Perfect for long, wild, lovely dog walks without a leash. Some people love dogs. Some people are afraid. There are lots of cats in Morocco, which my dog likes to chase. The cats are not shy, either. They may jump on your dog. When strolling towns and Medina's it's wise to put the leash for everyone's peace of mind:)
What about the stray dogs in Morocco? Most stray dogs we meet are super sweet. We haven’t had any problems. My partner also just went running the beaches with our dog. Simple, wild and free, that's how we like to be:)
Entry Requirements for the Dog
Entering with a dog is easy. What's more important is that you be prepared to re-enter Spain (or France) with the right paperwork. Before I adopted my dog, he actually was held in Morocco for months because he didn't have the right paperwork and wasn't allowed entry back into Spain. This happens! And you do not want this to happen to your dog.
What you need
To enter Morocco:
- You need an Animal Export Certificate which you get from PIF (at the ferry terminal)
To return to Spain
- Your pet must be microchipped and registered to you.
- Your pet needs an EU pet passport.
- Your pet's rabies vaccination must be up to date and recorded in the EU passport by an EU vet.
- Your pet must have a rabies antibody titre test, done by an EU vet and tested in an EU-approved lab. The results must be written into the EU pet passport by the vet who took the sample.
The step by step process for bringing your dog into (and out of) Morocco
- Go to a vet more than 3 weeks before you go to Morocco to get the result of the antibody test back in time. So you can take the original test document with you that you may have to show when going back to Spain. (+/- 100-150 euro). They take a blood sample and send it to a lab in Germany. My dog didn’t have any pain with this as far as we could tell. This took about 45 minutes. We did not anticipate to this 3 weeks in advance. We got the results send over by email. On the way back they never checked.
- Your dog needs a health check 24 hours before departure by a vet. Then you, or the vet, make an appointment with PIF in Algeciras, where you will get the official export document that they may ask for at the Moroccan border (they didn’t ask).
On the ferry we could leave the dog in our campervan which was really nice so he felt at home. Still it’s a stressful thing for your furry friend. Luckily it's only 1 hour.
We paid more for the dog logistics than the ferry. That said, you only need to do this once (if you keep up with vaccinations). This year we do not need to to the bloodtest.
Smart things to Pack, Prepare & Bring
For the Van
We traveled Morocco and Western Sahara with a Mercedes camper from '93. A car you see driving quite a lot in Morocco, making us blend in a little bit easier. We haven’t made specific adjustments or preparations to the van for this trip other than how I travelled in Europe with it. With a simple 2WD van or car, you can create a cool road trip. The road from the north to the Mauritanian border has been in superb condition. Many dirt roads also allowed access with our car. Of course, a 4×4 will get you to more places.
My tips on preparing your van for Morocco
Make sure to have a water filter so you can top up water at any place and don't need to buy water. There are so many problems with bottled water, with the environment and your own health. Be prepared!
Travel and be prepared with a water filter. If’s there’s only 1 thing you invest in as a nomad, let it be a water filter! With non drinkable water and no alternatives besides buying local water in most countries, we better be prepared. I haven’t had to buy water for years. My go to filter is Maunawaii . It not just purifies the water, it brings minerals back into it. They have a good one for hiking, a good and portable one as a jar (Review). After having used just the jug (Maunawai Kini) for years in my van (works fine). I have now a fixed filter just after the water tank. I LOVE it & It taste great! And if you can afford it, bring a water filter or 2 on your travels to gift. It can change someone’s life. And the oceans.
5% Discount code on Maunawai OP2020.
I have not bought a single plastic water bottle in Morocco. We just filled up on water points that are fairly easily to find next to roads.
Make your van fly-proof. In some places, flies can take over the house if you're not careful. At one point after a sunset surf session, we literally had 1000's of flies in the van! Very disgusting. These magnet fly curtains are the best.
A small compost bucket.
A compost toilet. Compared to the chemical toilets that most campervan people still use, a compost toilet is a sustainable, practical, and eco-friendly alternative to a standard toilet. Here's why we should all consider a compost toilet:
- They’re eco-friendly: No water, no chemicals, no electricity. We’ll be turning waste into compost and giving back to Mother Nature.
- They’re cost-effective: Say goodbye to expensive plumbing systems or sewage issues.
- They’re convenient, portable, and easy to install. They're perfect for camping, vanlife or sailing communities.
- They’re easy to maintain: Just empty it every week or two – simple and efficient
- They bring freedom: No attachment to sewage systems and no need to drive to the poo stations – ultimate self-sufficiency!
I have a simple Kildwick compost toilet (see review).
You may also like: Best Compost toilets compared for vanlife.
A shovel for composting food scraps and other scraps ;). Surprisingly hard to find in Morocco.
A solar panel.
A sun cover. It's hard to find shade/
A paper map of Morrocco is impossible to find in Morocco, and cool to have a paper map.
Surf and Kite Gear
We traveled with 2 longboards, 1 funboard, and kite sizes 8m, 10m, and 12m. Quite often the waves were mellow and small, and the longboard made us able to surf often.
For the Dog
Basic dry dog food can be found in most towns in Morocco, sometimes in specific pet shops or in slightly bigger supermarkets. If your dog has specific food needs, it's good to bring it.
For Food Items
Moroccan food is quite amazing and so affordable. That said, some of the foods you may love and thrive on are impossible to find locally. I loved that I brought some of these foods:
- Coconut oil
- Nutritional yeast
- Organic staple foods
- Dried mushrooms
- Organic Coffee
- Supplements
- Cheese
Connectivity and Internet in Morocco
On arrival at the ferry, people sell SIM cards. We got ours at a petrol station a little bit further.
There are 3 main telecom services: Orange, Maroc Telecom and Inwi.
The only provider offering unlimited data in Morocco for travellers, without fixed residency, is Inwi. You can purchase this plan in Inwi stores that you can find in the bigger towns.
Unlimited data Inwi: 200 Dirham / Month. You sign a contract and need to cancel it 1 month prior departing. You can pay your monthly bill in Cash exchange places or at an Inwi office.
You can make a hotspot with Inwi. Inwi has been good enough for streaming a film now and then and for work but at times it has been slow too.
Best Coverage: Moroc Telecom (15 Gb for 15euro)
Simcards (and credit top ups) can be found in the streets, in small shops, petrol stations, and the phone shops themselves.
If your phone allows you can also get an ESIM and get data sorted prior arrival.
Morocco does not have Starlink. Embrace it. Being in wild places without connectivity is an increasing rare but magical experience.
Where to go in Morocco with you van?
We travelled the full coastline in Morocco and Western Sahara. For the way back up north we travelled inland Morocco for two months. I can recommend all of it. So much diversity to be found road tripping through Morocco. We avoided the big cities like Marrakesh and Casablanca and mostly stayed and explored the smaller towns. More peace of mind, and lots of authentic Medina's to be found all around. My best tip: simply go and figure it out along the way.
You can find out about places to stay by simply asking your vanlife neighbours and checking vanlife apps like Park4NIght, IOverlander, or, best, advance your Google satellite exploring skills. The coolest places I found were not on the map.
We mostly wild-camped but also stayed on a campsite now and then for water top up and a shower. Some campsites are quite legendary. Most though, feel like jails to me if you ask me. It's all very affordable with between 5-15 euro for a night.
Should you go to Western Sahara with your van?
I recommend it! It all just gets more wild the further south you go and there is so much beauty to be found in the desert. Watch Roadtrip Western Sahara made by the one and only Johnny Mango to get an idea what it's like and why people travel to the Western Sahara
I have so much more to say about making the most out of your experience in Morocco! Tips on epic wild camp spots, campsites, wild hot springs, hammam experiences, best Moroccan street food to try, a cool itinerary, authentic souks, extending your visa, and places to explore. I'm currently writing it all out in the Moroccan Vanlife Travel Guide.
Drop your email here to be on the waiting list! When I have 50 people on the list, I'll write the guide. And as one of the first 50 you'll get the best deal ever, including some of my top secret parking spots in Morocco & Western Sahara
Morocco & Western Sahara Vanlife Guide
So many tips to share! If there's enough demand I create this guide based on 6 Months exploring Morocco & Western Sahara by van.
Leave your email to receive a special offer once in the making.
I can highly recommend to explore Morocco with your campervan!
Which questions do you have for your trip through Morocco?
Drop them below an I try to answer them.
Enjoy your road trip to Morocco! And perhaps see you there winter 2024/2025 !
