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23-Aug-2007 1:50:18 AM
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Just wondering if anyone has climbed (or travelled at all) there. I'm travelling Europe climbing and Morocco is supposed to be great ...Not sure though what it'd be like as an Australian travelling there. Aust. Gov. travel warnings make it sound BAD...but then those travel warnings make everywhere sound bad! Anyone got some info? ...or other cool places i should climb in the European/North Africa area that are a bit off the beaten track?
Cheers, Dave
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23-Aug-2007 3:00:23 AM
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If you've not been and are in the area i would def check out Paklenica in southern Croatia I was there for a few days in April and it was awesome, pretty much everything from short sport to big walls.
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23-Aug-2007 9:21:36 AM
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Todra Gorge is the most popular climbing area in Morocco. It's limestone, and quite high. Apprently it
doesn't really compare to the Spainish/French limestone in quality, but the different culture is the added
bonus. I know ademmert off these forums has climbed there.
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23-Aug-2007 10:00:28 AM
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Haven't done Morocco myself but I've got a bunch of mates who have, including one mate who fell in love with the place and bought his own hotel there. Sounds like an amazing place with all the zest of the middle east but the tourism comforts thanks to the high rate of tourism coming from travellers like yourself who see the small gap from Spain to Morocco.
Some of my climbing buddies from the States climbed in Morocco for a month earlier this year and loved it. They said it was very good climbing (not world class) but what made the whole thing was the fact that you are in Morocco. Once you go to one of those middle eastern style countries you'll always want to go back ... the people are so friendly, the price is right, and the food is to die for!!!
Have a blast mate!!!
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23-Aug-2007 11:09:16 AM
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Todra is definitely worth a visit but the rock is quite dirty, I thought maybe due to sandstorms. Up to 9 pitches high and some pretty amazing potential including one 200m+ wall which overhangs the entire way, with no routes on it. It's certainly not as good as your Euro mega crags though.
If you believed everything DFAT said you wouldn't even get out of bed. We were there when the current Iraq war broke out and the locals couldn't have been nicer despite the fact the west was blowing the crap out of their mates. If anything they just went further out of their way to be nice. Moroccans all know their economy relies on tourism so they just want you to show up and spend some money.
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23-Aug-2007 12:28:21 PM
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Went there last year in november, it is a bit sandy due to sand storms and such but there is massive
potential and some pretty crazy routes, up side is there is practically no walk in for most of them
though.
If its consumer climbing you want stay in spain, more adventure style head to morroco. Tinihir is only
a couple of hundred kms from the Sahra so either way it is well worth the trip, though we got snowed in
trying to drive back through the Atlas mountains and had to drive an 800km round them to catch a
flight. Not sure when you want to be there but it gets pretty cold in winter.
snip"despite th fact the west was blowing the crap out of their mates"
In regards to the notion of one arabic speaking group of people liking another .....i reckon is a bit
dubious after hearing how much shit they give each other. The only thing they really have in common
is hating the U.S. and thats not hard.
enough procrasintating....but if you have any more specific questions pm away
oh and failing climbing there is always surfing on the coast.
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23-Aug-2007 3:36:14 PM
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On 23/08/2007 DJ Biggs wrote:
>In regards to the notion of one arabic speaking group of people liking
>another .....i reckon is a bit
>dubious
mate, I was there talking to the locals and it was blatantly obvious what the weight of opinion was...but don't let that get in the way of uninformed speculation
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23-Aug-2007 5:22:16 PM
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i climbed in the todra gorge just after 9/11 and had no problem at all except in tanjer(sp) but that was unrelated, he was just a B..........
the climbing is good not super but definitely had fun for the 3 weeks i was there and the food, accommodation, and the friendly people was excellent! and all very cheep at the time.
definitely worth a vist
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23-Aug-2007 5:27:49 PM
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Thanks for the responses. I'm psyched...sounds like a great place to go!
On 23/08/2007 wallwombat wrote:
>I'll be in Antalya, Turkey some time in November. Nice limestone there!
>Also planning a week in Kalymnos - Greek Island, limestone, motor scooters,
>scenery.
>
>Will you be in Europe by then?
yeah i'm in Northern Ireland now working and will be climbing round europe for the rest of the year really!!
Tondra Gorge sounds pretty cool...but like everyone said its the place that'll make it special.
Cheers, dave
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31-Aug-2007 4:04:27 AM
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For a taster, check out
http://www.climbhotrock.com/
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7-Feb-2012 12:21:00 PM
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Just reviving this thread as my boyfriend and I will be travelling to Spain and Morocco August September. I haven't worked out the plan of action yet so thought maybe some ideas about the climbing in Morocco, where's best etc might inform my trip a little.
Have read up a little on the various places but personal experience feedback is always good.
Realistically anything up to about 19 but also with a selection of routes lower than that would be great. And as much as I love trad, we don't want to be hauling all our climbing gear as it is also a travelling holiday.
Cheers,
Tracey
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7-Feb-2012 12:26:48 PM
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Next time you're up, you can borrow my guide book. It's a general one for that region
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7-Feb-2012 12:32:16 PM
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Great,thanks...that will be this weekend actually
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7-Feb-2012 12:48:32 PM
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I can run you through my trip if you like - good and bad next time we catch up!
I'll try and remember the Lindt ;o)
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7-Feb-2012 12:54:28 PM
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On 7/02/2012 tskinner wrote:
>Just reviving this thread
Saw the thread and was interested, then realised I started it! I did end up going to Todra Gorge and loved it.
>Realistically anything up to about 19 but also with a selection of routes
>lower than that would be great. And as much as I love trad, we don't want
>to be hauling all our climbing gear as it is also a travelling holiday.
As discussed earlier the climbing is not quite as good as in France or Spain, however I was pleasantly surprised. The location easily makes up! The rock is good, the routes are generally well bolted and the grades are generous. You will find plenty, safely bolted up to 19. We arrived in Tangier and caught a bus then taxi to the gorge, then a bus back to Marrakech. Was all very easy (if uncomfortable) and cheap.
There were amazing photocopied, hand coloured-in locally made guides when i was there which are definitely worth getting just as a souvenir! Overall I would certainly recommend it. Let me know if you have any more questions!
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7-Feb-2012 6:11:40 PM
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Definitely hire a car so you are flexible and get around a bit. We hiked in the mountains around Todra Gorge and it's pretty awesome as you can drink tea with some of the Berber mountain folk who still live in mountain caves. You'll love all the arts and crafty bits at the local markets.
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7-Feb-2012 10:14:35 PM
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On 7/02/2012 Doro wrote:
>Definitely hire a car so you are flexible and get around a bit.
Yeah probably a good idea, I would have done the same but was only 19 when I was there. Having said that travelling by bus over there is an adventure in itself, and the shared taxis (old Mercedes' they squeeze 7 into) are great and very cheap (once you work out what the real price is!)
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10-Feb-2012 12:57:58 PM
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On 7/02/2012 ademmert wrote:
>I can run you through my trip if you like - good and bad next time we catch
>up!
>I'll try and remember the Lindt ;o)
Great - Ross did briefly mention an interesting trip was had by you.
And with regards to Lindt balls, well, we all know that there are some things you just won't share :)
Thanks everyone for some great tips - really looking forward to the trip so if we can get a bit of climbing in Morocco that would make it perfect!
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10-Feb-2012 2:14:38 PM
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i spent a few weeks in morocco in 2007. mostly surfing but loved the country. spent a few days inthe high atlas too.
some uk mates also went to the false atlas mtns for a rock climbing trip and said it was amazing. huge multipitch rock routes. the surfing was awesome by the way and id go back in a heartbeat.
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10-Feb-2012 3:16:40 PM
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I really enjoyed Morocco, a great place to travel if a little crazy at times. There were some days when we wondered if we'd somehow got trapped in an Indiana Jones movie - the bus crash near the Tischka Pass was particularly memorable, as was being arrested in Meknes and subsequently ordered to catch the next train out of town.
On a more positive note, the strong French influence means that good coffee and pastries are widely available.
We hiked up to the hut near Toubkal in the High Atlas, a great spot. The peaks are beautiful without being too serious, easy to moderate rock and snow routes mainly. Very nice if you like that sort of thing.
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