When people talk about African trainhopping they usually talk about the iron ore train in Mauritania. But I was more intrigued by neighboring Morocco. The culture, landscape and weather attracted me. And I knew it was possible, since Morocco has the most developed rail network in all of Africa. Still, I stepped off the plane with many doubts; I had no idea how people were going to react to what we were doing. I also had no idea how often trains ran, and at what time. Online there was hardly anything to be found. Fortunately, I had knowledge of a fairly stable route between the port near Nador, and a power plant in the Sahara desert, a diesel route right through the desert.
When we arrived, we saw that trains were there, but we also ran into new problems. We ended up in a city full of poverty, misery and refugees, not the ideal place to walk around with a camera, and rest assured that I drew all the attention. People looked at me dumbfounded and wondered what on earth a European came here to find. Fortunately Rico speaks Arabic, and quickly made it clear what we were here for. We got to know a few locals, and they were able to tell us where it was best not to go. They also knew a lot about the trains. It was still challenging, and it took us a while to catch the train, but eventually we succeeded and were rewarded with a beautiful ride.
I hope you will enjoy the video. Thanks for your support!