Trail Atlas & DesertPanorama of Morocco

The tour at a glance

Panorama of Morocco

Your adventure day by day

Une boucle fermée au départ d'Ouarzazate, sans jamais repasser deux fois au même endroit.

Program

9 days, including 7 riding days heading due south.

• day 1

  Day 1 — Arrival in Marrakech

  Met at Marrakech-Menara airport and transferred to the hotel. Briefing on the tour, introduction to the team and the group. Welcome dinner and overnight at the hotel.

• day 2

  Marrakech to Bin El Ouidane

  Riding day 1

  Bikes handed over and a settling-in run on the first Atlas foothills. The road to Bin El Ouidane strings corners together for kilometres, on a surface that lets you flow, with views opening at every hairpin. Bin El Ouidane is a large turquoise reservoir set between the mountains. Terrain: winding mountain roads.

  Bin El Ouidane turquoise reservoir set between the mountains
  Terrain: winding mountain roads
• day 3

  Bin El Ouidane to Azrou

  Riding day 2

  Heading for the Middle Atlas. The road climbs steadily, the air cools and the landscape turns green. Lunch at the springs of Oum Er-Rbia: forty springs burst from the cliff to form Morocco's longest river, among waterfalls and rocks. We eat in the shade, right by the water. On through the high plateaus in the afternoon and into Azrou, deep in Berber mountain country. Terrain: mountain roads, altitude, hairpins.

  Lunch at the springs of Oum Er-Rbia
  Terrain: mountain roads, altitude, hairpins
• day 4

  Azrou to Fez via Ifrane

  Riding day 3

  The morning first crosses the largest cedar forest in the world: huge, centuries-old cedars in an alpine woodland atmosphere nobody expects in Morocco. This is macaque country, and you'll often see them by the roadside. On through Ifrane, Moroccan Switzerland: steep roofs, chalets, lakes and gardens at 1,650 metres. The contrast with the rest of the country is striking. Arrival in Fez around midday and lunch there. The afternoon is given to the city: the medina of Fez el-Bali, the largest pedestrian zone in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage site, its souks and its tanneries. Terrain: forest roads, altitude, descent to the plain.

  Largest cedar forest in the world and Fez medina
  Terrain: forest roads, altitude, descent to the plain
• day 5

  Fez to Midelt

  Riding day 4

  Back towards the mountains. The landscape dries out kilometre by kilometre: bare plateaus, eroded mountains whose colours shift with the light, mud-brick villages in the middle of nowhere. Arrival in Midelt, a staging town between mountains and desert. Terrain: high plateaus, long flowing stretches.

  Midelt high plateaus and arid landscapes
  Terrain: high plateaus, long flowing stretches
• day 6

  Midelt to Merzouga

  Riding day 5

  Heading due south. Everything changes: the vegetation disappears, the heat rises, the horizon flattens — and then the dunes of Erg Chebbi appear, bright orange in the middle of the flat. We arrive early enough to really enjoy Merzouga: sunset over the dunes, the Gnaoua music the region is known for, and meeting the people who live here — Berbers, nomads and Tuareg. Overnight at a hotel or in camp depending on the season. Terrain: southern roads, entering the desert.

  Sunset over the dunes of Erg Chebbi
  Terrain: southern roads, entering the desert
• day 7

  Merzouga to Boumalne Dades

  Riding day 6

  On the way, a stop at the Portuguese prison, an old fortified mud structure in the oasis that few travellers know about. Then the Todgha gorge, a canyon with vertical walls several hundred metres high, so narrow in places that you ride in cool half-light at midday. After that the road through the Dades gorge and its hairpins cut into the cliff, among earthen kasbahs and red rock. Terrain: gorges, hairpins, cliff roads.

  Todgha and Dades gorges
  Terrain: gorges, hairpins, cliff roads
• day 8

  Boumalne Dades to Marrakech via Aït Ben Haddou

  Riding day 7

  We follow the Dades valley to Ouarzazate and stop at the film studios that have hosted countless productions, then at the ksar of Aït Ben Haddou, a fortified mud-brick village and UNESCO World Heritage site. We finish by crossing the High Atlas over the Tizi n'Tichka, climbing to 2,260 metres before dropping to the Haouz plain. Arrival in Marrakech in the evening, farewell dinner. Terrain: valleys, southern roads, high mountain pass.

  Ksar of Aït Ben Haddou and Tizi n'Tichka pass (2,260 m)
  Terrain: valleys, southern roads, high mountain pass
• day 9

  Day 9 — Departure

  Breakfast, transfer to Marrakech airport and return flight.

Upcoming departures

Choose your date. Departure is guaranteed as soon as 4 riders are booked.

What is included

No surprises: all on-site trip logistics and support are covered.

What riding level is required?

A typical day

When to go?

Frequently asked questions