It’s early April and we’ve just driven the dangerous Tizi n’Test pass in the spectacular scenery of Morocco. After leaving our overnight campsite at the busy town of Taroudant, we’re on the road again. We’re actually on our way to a motorhome parking in Tafraout, and we’re hoping for a scenic drive along the way.
Once again, it’s a dramatic route, passing remote villages with fine views and desolate landscapes.
Although, roads are good, the actual drive takes us all morning, arriving later than we thought. It’s just after 2pm when we finally arrive on the outskirts of Tafraout. We’re amongst landscapes of unusual rock formations and the clear blue sky of spring is a welcome one.
Surrounding us are the fabulous mountain ranges of the Anti Atlas, whilst hills of rock in various shapes provide interesting features across a pink-tinge terrain. All the while, green palms provide a leafy splash of colour, bringing such a wonderful appearance to an already fascinating landscape.
A busy town
The town of Tafraout is rather busy, but we’re quite happy about that as we need some supplies.
It’s good to see a selection of small shops, so we find a parking space close by and take a look. Thankfully, there’s a few stores selling bread, fruit and veg and even a diy shop. After a quick walk around, to buy some essentials, we jump back in the camper.
We’re both really peckish, as we’ve not yet had lunch, instead concentrating on reaching here.
A Palmerie position – Motorhome parking in Tafraout
Tafraout has a few campsites but we’re heading to a sort of free-style Aire-type parking area and it’s not long before we catch sight of it.
This vast area of land on the edge of town is absolutely incredible. A desert-like appearance awaits as we turn into this huge, flat parking area.
The images we’ve seen on social media, show it packed out with motorhomes but this time of year, it’s practically empty.
We can park virtually where we like, so choosing where to go is the difficult bit. It reminds us of the good old days of motorhoming back in Europe, when places like this were a little more commonplace than they are in more recent years.
This motorhome parking area is fantastic!
Door to door water supply
We’re unsure on how this parking area works, but soon we find it’s 15 MAD (about £1.50) a night. No sooner are we popping the kettle on at our palm-side parking spot, than a guy on a moped appears to collect the nightly fee.
We’ve heard you don’t need to move your camper here, as everyone in the town comes to the van door!
In Winter months, it’s apparently a different scene to our relatively empty parking lot. Motorhomes come for days at a time, perhaps even longer, and even a mobile water tank provides door to door water supply filling.
It’s not long before there’s another knock on the camper door. This time is children selling eggs, swiftly followed by more children selling eggs, before the next knock is a local rug seller.
It seems there’s a whole cottage industry with a variety of produce and goods on offer, without even leaving the motorhome!
Tagine deliveries and motorhome artwork
There’s probably about 15 other motorhomes parked around us when we arrive, spread out across the parking.
Soon we begin to notice more goods on offer from the local towns folk. As we sit outside under a shady palm, the comings and goings keep us entertained.
Our neighbours are having a tasty Tagine. This steaming hot terracotta tagine pot delivered on a scooter and collected a little while later.
Another neighbour is unloading a gas bottle, replacing with a new one brought to the van. Others have motorhome artwork paintings drawn on the side of their vans, there’s alsorts on offer.
We’re just enjoying watching all these services in this non-stop mobile shop.
A dump area in town – Motorhome parking in Tafraout
It’s only a short walk into the centre of town, so we head off on foot to take another look. Just a few minutes up the road we come across a motorhome dump area, just like those found in France. It’s a handy addition and one we’ll use before leaving town.
The town is quiet after lunch, with few people around. Strangely enough, we’re in need of a can of WD40 and manage to find one in a shop selling everything!
Leather goods, vegetables and clothing are amongst some of the other products on offer in this popular motorhome town.
Painted Rocks
One of the unusual sights in Tafraout are blue painted rock boulders, which can be reached on a walk from town.
We’re hoping to see them, but unfortunately, it’s blowing a gale!
As sand and dust billows around us, the palms sway. All we manage is a short walk to other un-painted boulders close by, taking a moment to enjoy the view.
There’s broken glass on the ground, so we watch where we walk, holding our hats and covering our face from the dust too!
The landscapes here are so unusual, but it’s become a little too windy to go off exploring.
Instead, we retreat back to the campervan and sit safety inside away from the winds. Enjoying the views of this rocky landscape from the comfort of the camper and sipping on a strong mint tea.
After all, Morocco has such dramatic scenery, we’re more than happy to just sit back, relax and enjoy the view!