Find and book motorcycle tours to Morocco

Motorcycle Tours in Morocco

The gateway to the African continent and the Sahara Desert, Morocco is a natural playground for motorcycling. With its colorful cities, twisty mountain roads, and dirt tracks crossing the desert, Morocco is ideal for both on and off road adventures. Motorcycle tours in Morocco are jam-packed with adrenaline-inducing roads in the Atlas Mountains, the colors, sounds, and smells of Marrakesh markets, ancient ruins and heritage sites, and the mesmerizing wonder that is the Sahara. Traveling Morocco’s roads and off-road trails on a motorcycle is hands-down the best way to experience this magnificent country, and because of its proximity to Spain, riding here is incredibly accessible and easy.

All the way from Tangier to Casablanca, Marrakesh, and Merzouga, motorcycle tours in Morocco take you across a wildly contrasting country of exquisite cities with Andalusian, Berber, and Moroccan heritage, indigenous settlements in the desert, lonely mountain villages, and the vast open spaces of the Sahara. The Moroccan hospitality, culture, and history alone are worthy of exploring for months on end, but when it comes to motorcycling roads and trails, Morocco has few rivals. Morocco motorcycle tours focus on the scenery and the riding, and there’s no shortage of curvy roads serving up hairpins and bends mile after mile revealing jaw-dropping mountain and desert scenery all around you.

If you’re thinking of riding Africa with your friends, you can either ship motorcycles to Morocco, rent them locally, or go on a guided tour. Most motorcycle tours in Morocco offer adventure motorcycles like the BMW GS 850 or BMW GS 1200, but you can also opt for a full-on enduro version aboard smaller dirt bikes. Depending on whether you want to stay on tarmac or brave the infamous dunes of Merzouga, there are several excellent options available.

Motorcycle Tours in Morocco: Highlights

Whichever motorcycle tour in Morocco you pick, chances are, the routes will take you across some of the key highlights in the country. Here is a list of our favorites:

Marrakesh
The fourth largest city in Morocco, Marrakesh is a true North African experience. Heavily influenced by the desert Berber, Arab, and French heritage and resting at the foothills of the majestic Atlas Mountains, Marrakesh is a gate into the wilderness. Surrounded by red city walls, with a myriad of mosques, madrasas, and iconic red sandstone buildings, Marrakesh is nicknamed the Ochre City and is beloved by locals and travelers alike. The city‘s Medina Quarter is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its traditional market – souk – is the largest and most colorful in the country. Offering everything and anything from traditional Berber carpets and wares to modern consumer goods, the market of Marrakesh is a must-see while exploring the city.
Most motorcycle tours in Morocco make a pit stop in Marrakesh because of its proximity to the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara. This is where the adventure truly begins.

Atlas Mountains
Separating the Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines from the Sahara Desert, Atlas Mountains are Morocco’s prime motorcycling destination. Mostly inhabited by the Berber people, this mountain range boasts arid, Moon-like landscapes interspersed with rugged rock formations, deep gorges, canyons, and secluded valleys. Out here, the roads twist and turn with every mile offering phenomenal views of the mountains. Sometimes resembling the red rock formations of Monument Valley in Utah, other times appearing like the surface of another planet, Atlas Mountains are one of the key highlights on motorbike tours in Morocco.

Sahara Desert
No Moroccan motorcycling experience would be complete without seeing the Sahara Desert, the largest hot desert in the world. Here, nature takes over with massive sand dunes, rocky plateaus, sand seas, and gravel plains stretching out as far as the eye can see. Riding motorcycles in the Sahara Desert is a truly extraordinary experience, and if you‘re riding an off-road bike, you can try tackling some of the sand dunes yourself.

Merzouga
A small village in southeastern Morocco, Merzouga provides access to the Sahara Desert. This is where the annual Merzouga Rally, a Road to Dakar event, takes place, and you can see the famous Erg Chebbi dunes rising up to 150 meters from the desert up close and personal. All off-road motorcycle tours in Morocco use Merzouga as the base camp, a desert oasis, and the starting point of the adventure.

Dades Gorge
Lying some 330 km southeast of Marrakesh, Dades Gorge is Morocco‘s most famous mountain road. Skirting the deep canyon carved by the Dades River, the Dades Gorge road rises in steep, adrenaline-inducing hairpins providing thrills around every switchback. Paved and well-maintained, the road is accessible on both on and off road motorcycles, and you can enjoy the stunning views of the gorge right from the saddle of your bike.

Practical Information for Touring Morocco

Morocco is an excellent motorcycling destination year-round, but the best time to visit is March to may and September to October as the weather is warm but pleasant as opposed to the scorching temperatures during the summer months. In the Atlas Mountains, the weather will be chillier than in the desert, and the coastal regions can be visited any time of the year.

Morocco uses dirham as its official currency, and because it’s a very popular tourist destination, traveling here isn’t as cheap as you might expect. Plan to spend around $70-$90 a day for your fuel, food, and accommodation, unless some of these expenses are included in your Morocco motorcycle tour cost.

The King of Morocco is very aware of attracting more travelers to the country and has made tremendous efforts to ensure the safety of tourists. Because of this, Morocco is generally a safe motorcycling destination, but as everywhere else in the world, watch out for pickpockets and scammers in the bigger cities. Moroccans are incredibly welcoming and friendly people, however, and you’ll experience the local hospitality first-hand when you ride here.

Most motorcycle tours in Morocco offer either adventure bikes like the legendary BMW GS series or lighter, smaller dirt bikes for those who want to experience Sahara. Depending on what kind of riding you’re planning to do, choose a motorcycle best suited for the job.