Morocco with a touch of green – Part 1

Prologue

In February 2025, I set off on a new adventure together with Noel and Janic. It was the first time we had undertaken a photography trip to another continent. Well, the country we visited is ‘only’ on the other side of the Strait of Gibraltar. Nevertheless, there was a certain sense of awe at the unknown. That trip was a resounding success and immediately left us wanting more.

A year later, Janic and I had once again planned a week’s holiday together. As I’m not a big fan of barren European winter landscapes, the idea of a second trip to Morocco soon came up. Turkey and Tunisia were also in the running as alternatives, but both destinations were ruled out due to the weather. At first, things didn’t look much better in Morocco either: in the weeks leading up to our trip, record rainfall had battered the north of the country. Entire swathes of land were under water, and snow fell in the desert around Oujda for the first time in 25 years.

Towards the start of February, the rainfall slowly eased off, and more and more photos by Moroccan photographers began to appear on social media, showing a beautifully green landscape. We were immediately taken with it and were already keen to book our flights. But the persistently dismal weather forecasts put us off – you don’t need to fly to Africa for just two or three hours of sunshine a day.

So our holiday began on Saturday without us having booked a trip. During our evening crisis meeting, however, the idea took hold that we should fly to Morocco despite the mediocre prospects and without any great expectations. Sitting at home for a week was out of the question for any of us. That very evening, we booked a flight from Milan Malpensa to Casablanca for Monday. We then reserved a car from our trusted car hire company.

Monday, 9 February 2026

In a wise move, I’d already dug out my passport the evening before. So on the morning of our departure, all I had to do was pack my suitcase. Late in the morning, I met up with Janic in Zug, who’d already been on the train for a good hour and a half. From there, with just one change in Lugano, we got to Malpensa pretty much straight away. At the airport, it was almost impossible to escape the Olympic buzz. We were able to watch the final of the ‘Women’s Freeski Slopestyle’ live on a large screen. Afterwards, we dropped off our luggage at the Royal Air Maroc counter and treated ourselves to one last meal on European soil. Despite boarding on time, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 took off nearly an hour late.

Consequently, we landed in Casablanca late and set about going through immigration. Whilst we were waiting for our luggage, I went to the Bank of Africa to change some money. On last year’s trip, we’d run out of cash – this time we wanted to play it safe. After passing through customs, we headed for the Europcar branch at the airport. There, we were handed the keys to a brand-new Dacia Duster. The car was so new that it didn’t even have proper number plates fitted yet; only a temporary sticker served as a substitute. I was already mentally preparing myself for numerous police checks...

Next on the agenda was the drive to the hotel. Whilst still at Milan airport, we’d booked the Hôtel Equi Palace in Berrechid, not far from the airport. The hotel, which was actually quite lovely, had, however, suffered considerably from the persistent rainfall.

If the weather forecasts were to be believed, Tuesday would be a day spent entirely driving eastwards. To be on the safe side, we set the alarm anyway – perhaps there might still be something to be had on the ‘Phosphate Railway’ after all.

Tuesday, 10 February 2026

The view from the window was not as bad as expected. In the south in particular, there was significantly more blue than grey in the sky. On the journey to Sidi Hajjaj, the last of the clouds cleared, and the mist also lifted just in time. The stage was set for the Al Atlas 901 from Casablanca to Khouribga. Like all passenger trains on this line, it was hauled by a Hitachi E-1250. A nice touch was the prayer mat hanging from the sun visor.

It took more than four hours for the next passenger train back to Khouribga to arrive. In the meantime, we hoped to be able to photograph a phosphate train. Unfortunately, however, all the freight trains were travelling in the wrong direction. Together with a few photographers from the Netherlands, we waited at Tamdrost for the Al Atlas 903 from Casablanca to Khouribga. After a dramatic game of cloud lottery, we were finally able to photograph E 1257 against the green landscape.

We still had a long drive ahead of us that Tuesday. Barely 15 minutes after setting off, I was pulled over by the gendarmerie. I’d driven through a village 25 km/h over the speed limit. In Switzerland, that would probably have cost me my driving licence temporarily; in Morocco, this ‘third-degree offence’ merely cost me 150 dirhams, the equivalent of around 13 Swiss francs. It was a lesson learnt nonetheless – you always lose time when you have to deal with the gendarmerie.

Via Casablanca, Rabat and Fez, we finally reached the Hotel Le Manoir in Taza late in the evening. We’d already stayed at this hotel, which is very conveniently situated for the diesel route, the previous year. It was also the only hotel east of Fez that met our ‘high’ standards.

Wednesday, 11 February 2026

We left the hotel early in the morning and set off towards the sunrise. After a good hour and a half, we reached Mestegmer near Taourirt. Following an easy walk through the desert, the first passenger train was soon on the agenda. In the most beautiful morning light, we were able to photograph the Al Atlas 202 from Oujda to Tangier, hauled by the DH 371 which dates from the 1970s. In the near future, the DH 350 and DH 370 series locomotives will be replaced by new diesel locomotives from China. The first two CRRC locomotives are already in service! This made it all the more fortunate to spot one of these old machines right at the start.

For the Al Atlas 503 from Beni Ansar, we drove to the branch line that branches off at Taourirt. We quickly found a spot, but the final shot with the train didn’t quite satisfy me. Afterwards, we drove through Taourirt again for the second train from Oujda and passed the police checkpoint yet again. As our brand-new hire car didn’t have a proper number plate, but only a temporary sticker, I expected the Gendarmerie Royale to take a keen interest. However, the officers seemed to be primarily interested in overloaded commercial vehicles.

A few kilometres east of Douar Oulad Ramdan is the spot where we had photographed the Al Atlas 204 the previous year. Because the front was only moderately lit and there was a generator van in old paintwork directly behind the locomotive, we repeated the shot a little further back on the bend.

We also remained in the Taourirt area to photograph the Al Atlas 206. We positioned ourselves on a small road bridge, attracting a few curious glances in the process. Nobody wanted to speak to us, but most passers-by eyed us with interest. Near the settlement of Douar Oulad Ramdan, we were able to photograph the DH 417 with the express train to Casablanca.

Whilst studying the timetable, it became clear to me that it should be possible to follow the Al Atlas 206 through Taourirt. No sooner had we taken the photo at Douar Oulad Ramdan than we hurried back to the car and drove to Gteter. The entry signal was set to stop, and we hadn’t seen the train either. Either we’d just missed it – or it was still to come. A glance at the ONCF app showed that the return service, the Al Atlas 301, was running 20 minutes late. A quarter of an hour later than scheduled, we could hear our train, the DH 417, in the distance and saw it shortly afterwards. A little later, we managed to take the second photo of the express train from Oujda.

We then drove to a spot east of Taourirt to shoot the evening light. However, just as the Al Atlas 301 arrived, the clouds had also rolled in, and we were let down by the cloud cover. Given the weather forecast, though, the day’s haul was still nothing to be sniffed at.

In the evening, we stopped off at a Moroccan restaurant, where I treated myself to a mixed grill platter with merguez, shawarma, viande hachée, grilled vegetables and soggy chips. Janic ordered a Cordon Bleu, which turned out to be a breaded chicken escalope with turkey ham and Cheddar on top. We bought a few drinks at the Marjane Market before heading back to the hotel.

Thursday, 12 February 2026

For the very first time, we were able to enjoy breakfast at the Hotel Le Manoir. I was particularly taken with the Moroccan flatbread, m’smen. Meanwhile, of all things, a film about the Bernina Railway was playing on the television. Afterwards, we drove eastwards through the desert on the motorway.

There aren’t particularly many suitable spots for the Al Atlas 202. So it came as little surprise that we came across two photographers from the United Kingdom at a spot near Gteter. After standing in the shade for half an hour, the cloud bank cleared just in time for the scheduled passage of the express train from Oujda. Shortly afterwards, we could already hear the diesel locomotive in the distance. As on the previous day, the DH 371 had been assigned to haul the train as far as Fez.

After photographing the Al Atlas 202 near Gteter, we set off in pursuit. There aren’t many good spots for this train, but on the outskirts of Taza there was a bend where the locomotive should at least catch some front light. After an hour’s drive, we reached Taza, where we only had to drive along a small road to the photography spot. However, not much remained of this road following the storms of the past few weeks. After a few hundred metres, we had to admit defeat and park the car. Even the locals in their 4x4 pick-ups didn’t dare drive along the road – the risk of getting stuck was simply too great. Now it was a matter of walking briskly through the mud and, under time pressure, climbing up a completely sodden, slippery slope. No sooner had I reached the top than the DH 371 with the Al Atlas 202 from Oujda appeared.

Following the severe storms in January and February, the water level at the Barrage Idriss 1 was exceptionally high. At the same time, the landscape was a strikingly vivid green. This led to some photographs being taken that afternoon that were anything but typical of Morocco.

To photograph the Al Atlas 204 from Oujda to Tangier, we positioned ourselves near Oulad Ayyad on the afternoon of 12 February. As luck would have it, a shepherd and his flock were standing right on the very meadow we wanted to use. His sheepdogs barked furiously at us, but fortunately kept their distance. My relief must have been plain to see when the diesel locomotive could be heard approaching slowly in the distance. The shepherd, too, now realised that our interest lay not in him, but in the railway. Shortly afterwards, we were able to photograph the DH 428 pulling the Al Atlas 204. With an absolute highlight under our belts, we set off back to the car – which, fortunately, we reached without being bitten by any dogs.

For the last express train running in daylight from Fes, we drove to the hairpin bends of Sidi Harazem. The Al Atlas 303 announced its arrival from afar with the distinctive engine noise of the EMD GT26CW-2. The photo of the DH 371 provided a fitting final image for this extremely successful day.

Due to time constraints, we decided against visiting a traditional restaurant and opted for McDonald’s instead. After all, in Moroccan restaurants it can sometimes take an age for the food to arrive.

At the petrol station, the attendant wanted to talk to me about his favourite Borussia Dortmund players. Well, it was a rather one-sided, but thoroughly amusing conversation. Back at the hotel, we made plans for the next day before going to bed.

Friday, 13 February 2026

The weather forecasts for the morning of 13 February didn’t bode well. We therefore decided to let the Al Atlas 202 pass us by in Oujda. However, we wanted to be back on the route in time for the Al Atlas 503, which connects Beni Ansar with Casablanca.

There was no sign of the forecast clouds anywhere to be seen. On the drive to the photo spot, however, we spotted sandstorms in the distance – a rather unwelcome sign of things to come for the afternoon. For the time being, we were still in luck: apart from a bit of sand in our eyes, we got off lightly. The sun shone undisturbed on the scene as the DH 410 entered the stage with the express train.

In the afternoon, we had to contend with sandstorms east of Taourirt. We still wanted to try our luck at El Aïoun, but gradually had to accept that the light and visibility were getting worse and worse. So we turned back towards Taourirt and waited at Mestegmer for the next westbound train.

To our surprise, the Al Atlas 206 from Oujda was hauling a sleeper carriage for transfer. It was clearly visible, lined up directly behind the DH 428.

For the last two eastbound trains of the day, there are only a handful of suitable spots. As well as the well-known vantage points near El Aïoun, the line also curves far enough behind Taourirt to allow for a good photograph of the Al Atlas 301. We’d already been at this spot two days earlier and had been let down by the clouds. So, on 13 February, we returned for another go. With the DH 414 at the front, we were able to photograph the Al Atlas 301 on its journey to Oujda.

Now the journey of just under 250 kilometres to Fes lay ahead. Normally, it wouldn’t be worth mentioning – but no sooner had we joined the motorway than we found ourselves in what felt like an apocalyptic rainstorm. The heavy rain significantly prolonged the journey. Shortly after 8 pm, we finally reached the oldest of Morocco’s four historic imperial cities.

After a quick dinner, we headed for the Hotel Mia, which we’d stayed at the previous year. It seemed the hotel management had since invested in new keycards, as this time we were spared the repeated trips to reception and security.

Saturday, 14 February 2026

After two particularly rainy days at the reservoir, we were faced with a difficult decision on 14 February: a lottery of clouds by the lake or picture-perfect weather in the desert? It should have been a no-brainer – but we’d already taken plenty of photos of the area around Taourirt over the past few days. So in the morning we drove to Matmata, where we were expecting the first eastbound train of the day.

According to the ONCF app, the train was due to run on time, and at the scheduled time there was a large break in the clouds over the lake. Perfect conditions, then. But the express train just wouldn’t turn up. After nearly three-quarters of an hour, we were finally relieved by the unmistakable sound of the diesel locomotive. With the Al Atlas 101 from Casablanca in tow, we were able to photograph the DH 417 on its journey to Beni Ansar.

After this shot, our luck had run out for the time being: the next three trains were obscured by clouds, and the fourth at least caught a bit of sunshine. Even so, the result wasn’t really satisfactory.

Equally unsatisfactory was the tyre pressure on our Dacia. At the Cepsa petrol station in Bir Tam Tam, we found an automatic tyre-inflation machine. However, it apparently could only be made to work with the expert assistance of a Berber. With sufficient air back in all the tyres, we resumed our battle against the clouds.

Later in the afternoon, we were lucky once more and were able to photograph the Al Atlas 204 from Oujda to Tangier near Oulad Ayyad. The express train was hauled by the DH 373, one of two EMD GT26CW-2 locomotives from the 1970s which were running daily on the eastern diesel line during our visit.

That marked the end of the part of the journey we had undertaken together. We set off on the journey back to Casablanca and checked into the Onomo airport hotel. We then returned the freshly washed Dacia Duster to Europcar, where the hire car was accepted without any complaints. If only they’d known just how caked in mud it was... As we’d just missed the shuttle bus to the hotel, we had no choice but to walk along the motorway to the airport hotel.

Janic had to set off on his return journey to Switzerland the next morning. I, on the other hand, was lucky that the Fasnacht carnival was just round the corner in Lucerne and I still had a few days off left. For a nominal fee, I was able to rebook my flight with Royal Air Maroc, which meant I had four more days of photography ahead of me – provided the weather played along.

You can read what happened next in the next instalment of ‘Morocco with a Green Tinge’.