Invitation for group travel to Morocco

[Tidgy's Dad]

Oh, and I do know where we can visit the Palaeozoic stromatolite reef if anyone's interested in that .

[taj]

Quote

If we cut Morocco into 5 pieces (geographically) I would say that:

i) North side no point of interest

i) West nothing (Don't know about West Sahara, but considering the political situation doesn't worth risk)

iii) Central - Khouribga if we can have access in mines

iv) South border side

v) East have no idea, haven't checked

Hmmm that is certainly a rough assessment !

I know for sure you have nice miocene quaries up north near Rabat where you can find some meg teeth. 

Also near Essaouira ( Tamri) lots of jurassic and cretaceous ammonites . Especially famous for heteremorphs . Essaouira can be a nice stop for you for 1 or 2 days to relax ... Is that north or west for you ? 

Then on the west you get Dakhla with shark teeth .But you are getting close to border hotspots .

[Dimitris]

3 hours ago, fifbrindacier said:

All the hotels your link shows are in Marrakech. I went in the first one, Mogador Menzah, five years ago and it's good enough.

Yes, I stayed only Marrakesh and Rabat. When I visited Zagora, I stayed in a desert camp.

Here is a link for Erfoud and another one for Merzouga.

Most of them look decent, include breakfast which is a plus. I doubt there are many options for food in the middle of nowhere!

 

48 minutes ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

Nearer the High Atlas, really, it's part of the Black Sahara. 

There are a couple of places up north, Nador, for example, but not really worth a special visit.

I would call Khouribga west and Meknes, Fes central. You won't get into the mines, but maybe a quarry and I'm fairly certain at least spoil heaps, but as there is nothing else much for hundreds of kilometres it may not be worth the time - up to you and Sophie. 

South of Morocco there are loads of places and it's not dangerous near the Algerian border as long as you're careful. Western Sahara is fine and safe as long as you call it Moroccan Sahara.  But some of the sites are a long, long way south, some are not too far. 

I will suggest some spots over the next few weeks but would definitely include Erfoud for sure. Upper Silurian to Lower Carboniferous fossils easy to find in quite a small area, worth a whole day at least, in my opinion.  

East is often under explored and I don't really know much myself. 

Hmmm the mines sound tempting! Is there any chance to find an abandoned one? 

Honestly, I would prefer not to visit disputed territory. Maybe I can watch that part of Moroccan Sahara from Canary islands!!

Not only in terms of safety, but if you open paleodb you see a million dots on your East and a dozen maybe 20 on West. And the distance.. Erfoud to a random point lets say (Aéroport de Es-Smara, Samara 72000) 1180Km. Google optimism says 14.40h. I say 17h is a guarantee!! I am more tempted to come to Morocco driving (thus guarantee a safer passage for the spoils through Ceuta).

 

For Erfoud, we all agree! Its like going to London and missing Big Ben (have done that!!!)...

 

(Milos island summer 2019 - old sulfur mine, really abused my car to get down there...)

41 minutes ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

Starfish and brittle star beds are still accessible, but the famous Scyphocrinites beds are not. Surface exposures have been completely stripped and the beds are now reached by pits dug down into the ground and then tunnels dug horizontally under the crinoid beds which are then hammered out from below. They won't let tourists do this. However you can still sometimes get lucky and find find bits discarded around the shafts or in dry wadis (river beds) in the area. As I was. And there are plenty for sale at excellent prices. And a LOT of composites and fakes.  

That's great for the starfish! Concerning Scyphocrinites no problem. Although I wanted to find myself, I will get a good one and wont have to prep it

The cretaceous site might be interesting. It is a small detour from the main route heading south from Fes.

I remember about 80-100km before reaching Ouarzazate from Marrakesh, seeing some people digging in the middle of nowhere. 5km later, stalls selling minerals and fossils. I was with tourist group then, so I couldn't stop.

[Tidgy's Dad]

1 hour ago, taj said:

Hmmm that is certainly a rough assessment !

I know for sure you have nice miocene queries up north near Rabat where you can find some meg teeth. 

Also near Essaouira ( Tamri) lots of jurassic and cretaceous ammonites . Especially famous for heteremorphs . Essaouira can be a nice stop for you for 1 or 2 days to relax ... Is that north or west for you ? 

Then on the west you get Dakhla with shark teeth .But you are getting close to border hotspots .

Essaouira is also famous for its abundance of species of scorpion, including a deadly one, not that that worries me. They do like to hide under rocks in the day. 

Cretaceous heteromorphs are also found in abundance around Agadir. 

Dakhla is fine, though i haven't been for years, it's popular with sporty tourist types. But it's a long way to go. 

[taj]

3 minutes ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

Cretaceous heteromorphs are also found in abundance around Agadir. 

Yep somewhere on the coast between Essaouira and Agadir . That scorpion story is weird ! did not see any . Well the kids must have made enough noise to frighten them , or was is the february climate ?

[Dimitris]

16 minutes ago, taj said:

Hmmm that is certainly a rough assessment !

I know for sure you have nice miocene queries up north near Rabat where you can find some meg teeth. 

Also near Essaouira ( Tamri) lots of jurassic and cretaceous ammonites . Especially famous for heteremorphs . Essaouira can be a nice stop for you for 1 or 2 days to relax ... Is that north or west for you ? 

Then on the west you get Dakhla with shark teeth .But you are getting close to border hotspots .

Honestly, I have not researched for cenozoic stuff, that's why I have missed it. Sounds interesting.

I have been quite close to Essaouira. I visited El Jadida and the seaside is excellent for some resting. Plus the seafood was delicious. 

I d say Essaouira is West, if you take into account that we may not visit anything further than the border. Heteremorphs are very tempting. There is a place here in Bulgaria where they have found and want to visit after the quarantine period.

 

Nevertheless, let's put ideas on the table. Better to have a handful of options rather than being limited to few choices.

[Tidgy's Dad]

1 hour ago, Dimitris said:

 I doubt there are many options for food in the middle of nowhere!

 

Hmmm the mines sound tempting! Is there any chance to find an abandoned one? 

Honestly, I would prefer not to visit disputed territory.

I remember about 80-100km before reaching Ouarzazate from Marrakesh, seeing some people digging in the middle of nowhere. 5km later, stalls selling minerals and fossils. I was with tourist group then, so I couldn't stop.

Every village in Morocco has at least one cafe and food available. 

About abandoned mines, I guess so, but people have been killed in some of these recently. 

Moroccan Sahara is perfectly safe, but probably not worth the huge driving distances. 

Yes, you see people digging all over the place and it's good to stop and ask. Sometimes it's for minerals, sometimes fossils, sometimes even for animals such as snakes or tortoises. Also, like anywhere, it's not a bad idea to stop at road cuttings and get out and have a look for five minutes. I've found some quite reasonable bits and pieces doing this. 

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

1 hour ago, taj said:

Yep somewhere on the coast between Essaouira and Agadir . That scorpion story is weird ! did not see any . Well the kids must have made enough noise to frighten them , or was is the february climate ?

Probably the climate. 

Every year, a few children die around Essaouira due to scorpion stings because they walk barefoot or with open topped sandals. The parents have been advised to buy shoes or boots for their offspring but refuse claiming it's not tradition and is too expensive. 

 

[Dimitris]

1 minute ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

Every village in Morocco has at least one cafe and food available. 

About abandoned mines, I guess so, but people have been killed in some of these recently. 

Moroccan Sahara is perfectly safe, but probably not worth the huge driving distances. 

Yes, you see people digging all over the place and it's good to stop and ask. Sometimes it's for minerals, sometimes fossils, sometimes even for animals such as snakes or tortoises. Also, like anywhere, it's not a bad idea to stop at road cuttings and get out and have a look for five minutes. I've found some quite reasonable bits and pieces doing this. 

 

Honestly, I don't know as I saw those villages through the bus. I stopped at two villages from the route El Jadida - Marrakesh didn't find any restaurant but yes you could survive!

For the road cuttings, I totally approve! I do that even here...pretending I stopped to rest! Worthy asking a local, but would he tell you from where he is making his living?

 

Very sad people die of scorpion stings. I used to hear such stories from my grandpa, but he was born in 1926. Not that I didn't witness the poverty in Morocco.

[Tidgy's Dad]

1 hour ago, Dimitris said:

 

For the road cuttings, I totally approve! I do that even here...pretending I stopped to rest! Worthy asking a local, but would he tell you from where he is making his living?

Some will happily tell you. 

Others will tell or show you for a few DH. 

[Dimitris]

1 hour ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

Some will happily tell you. 

Others will tell or show you for a few DH. 

Sounds perfect! snarge can't wait, specially now that thanks to the virus time passes really slowly..

[Peat Burns]

8 hours ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

Oh, and I do know where we can visit the Palaeozoic stromatolite reef if anyone's interested in that .

what time period?

[Tidgy's Dad]

Ediacaran, if i remember correctly. About 600 mya. 

[Peat Burns]

16 minutes ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

Ediacaran, if i remember correctly. About 600 mya. 

Oh! So pre-cambrian / Vendian 

[Tidgy's Dad]

3 hours ago, Peat Burns said:

Oh! So pre-cambrian / Vendian 

Yes, not as old as some of the stromatolites about by a couple of billion years, but still pretty ancient! 

[fifbrindacier]

In Safi, near Marrakech, there are berriasian fossils, i have two sponges that come from there.

[Dimitris]

On 11/4/2020 at 10:58 AM, fifbrindacier said:

In Safi, near Marrakech, there are berriasian fossils, i have two sponges that come from there.

Nice. If it interests you, we can combine with Essaouira's heteremorphs.

[fifbrindacier]

1 hour ago, Dimitris said:

Nice. If it interests you, we can combine with Essaouira's heteremorphs.

Yes, i'm ok.

[Monica]

I'm already looking forward to hearing about your trip to Morocco in the fall 

[fifbrindacier]

On 10/04/2020 at 8:00 PM, Dimitris said:

For Erfoud, we all agree! Its like going to London and missing Big Ben (have done that!!!)...

I did miss Big Ben when i went to London.

[fifbrindacier]

Hi, with the coming back of the COVID in Asiatic countries, i'm afraid October could be a bit soon, maybe should we think about the beginning of the next year ?

Our president have just finished his allocution on the situation and spoke of maintaining the public places closed until July.

[Dimitris]

2 minutes ago, fifbrindacier said:

Hi, with the coming back of the COVID in Asiatic countries, i'm afraid October could be a bit soon, maybe should we think about the beginning of the next year ?

Our president have just finished his allocution on the situation and spoke of maintaining the public places closed until July.

Hello! Such bad news... Honestly I don't know. In January I will be able to have 10 days. Hope the situation changes. 

 

Did Macron say that France will be until then in a state of emergency or he just takes extra measures so that the virus won't pop up again? It's like a bad dream in which we are awake and can't get through. 

[Kane]

If we could restrict ourselves to speaking directly to the topic at hand (prospective dig in Morocco), that would be very much appreciated.

There is no shortage of Covid-19 news on other sites, from which we can be inundated daily.  Discussion of what is happening in our countries, stats, measures, and the like brings us very far afield of our purpose. I have removed those posts. 

 

Consider this our fossil-focused oasis.  There is no doubt this situation is having an effect on all of us, and with knock-on effects for our fossil/travel plans.

Our thanks for keeping things on the positive, fossil-related side of things. 

 

JohnJ puts it best here: 

 

 

 

 

[Dimitris]

@Kane yes you are absolutely right. Sorry for the off topic diversion. Will not be repeated.

I will start to gather all info I have into one sheet, putting those places on the map.

[JohnJ]

As @Kane mentioned, it is nice to take a break from corona virus news on TFF.  However, we also realize that Covid-19 restrictions can affect travel plans to Morocco; so limited virus commentary directly impacting your travels may be relevant.  Still, a private message will be best to share opinions and news about the virus.  Thanks for your help and patience.