Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles

To reach Erfoud, the "gate of the desert", the Gazelles have to cross the country from North to South. This means an early start, with the first teams leaving around 6:00...

Greeted yesterday evening at M'Nar Park by traditional Moroccan musicians, in a verdant oasis overlooking Tangiers, the Gazelles were invited to supper in a setting that could have been straight out of "One Thousands and One Nights"...

Dominique Serra gathered "her" Gazelles together for the first briefing on Moroccan soil. An informal meeting that provided plenty of laughs...

No time to waste, Gazelles and organizers return to the 3 hotels that are accommodating the Rallye during its stay in Tangiers. For those who have never been to Morocco before, this is a chance to discover the clusters of fisherman's huts clinging to the hillsides. The secondary highway that follows the coast cuts through hilly landscapes whose deep green windswept vegetation contrasts with the turquoise waves of the Strait of Gibraltar.

30 km later they reach Tangiers, the "white city", charged with history, gateway to the African continent. A few roundabouts further on, les Gazelles reach the waterfront, take over the parking lot of the luxurious Rif Spa Hotel and make their way to their rooms, before heading to the hotel's conference room for their first briefing on Moroccan soil.

During the ceremonial welcome of the Gazelles at Tanger Med Port, the Rallye's charity association, Heart of Gazelles, received donations from individuals and companies, brought from France by this year's participants: about 5 metric tons! ...

Today the teams already present in Tangiers joined those arriving on the ferry from France. 5 Moroccan teams and 16 Canadian teams join the 89 from across the sea. The Gazelles of Team 102 - Constructions Michel Maltais, are in high spirits: "We have come a long way to represent Québec! During the last 2 days, we have done our verifications and had a training session in our new trucks!". As we wait to see them confront the dunes, we would like to say: "Welcome to Morocco!"

To mark the arrival on Moroccan soil of the 20th Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles, what could be more appropriate than a symbol of the future and of nations coming together: the new Tanger Med Port...

The Mediterranean is calm on this sunny Sunday. Some Gazelles were lucky enough to see dolphins!
The story of a 36-hour transit between two continents...