Motorcycle Tour

Morocco - Mountains, Deserts, and Oases

Motorcycle Tour in Morocco - Sahara Desert, High Atlas, Dades Valley, Marrakech, Fez, and Ait Benhaddou

Description

Highlights:

Unique motorcycle tour in Morocco along the fascinating mountain and panoramic roads in the Middle and High Atlas Mountains.

The endless expanses of the Sahara Desert and the dunes of the Erg Chebbi are yours for the taking.

Immerse yourself in the colorful hustle and bustle and the oriental scents of the vibrant imperial cities of Fez, Marrakech, and Rabat.

On this motorbike tour, you will ride through the canyons of the Todra and Dades rivers in the south of the High Atlas Mountains.

Cross the mighty Tizi n'Test Pass and let the magnificent Toubkal, the highest mountain in North Africa, take your breath away.

Visit the ancient caravan settlement in Ait Benhaddou, now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, against the backdrop of the Atlas Mountains, often covered in snow.

And be amazed by the scenic diversity and beauty of Morocco as you cross the country from north to south.

Smile On Your Face:

Gracefully beautiful, charming in appearance, and captivating for the senses. On this motorbike tour, hidden gems, gastronomic delights and cultural insights into Morocco's way of life await you. Whether on the back of a camel, under twinkling starry skies, or at the campfire in our desert camp - the oriental magic of Morocco unfolds everywhere.

Daily Stages:

Day 1 - Arrival in Málaga

A crew member of our team awaits you at the airport in Málaga and will transfer you to the comfy tour hotel. In the afternoon, after the handover of your motorbike, a detailed tour briefing takes place followed by a joint dinner where you meet the other riders and get in the mood for your Moroccan adventure.

Destination: Málaga

Accommodation: 4* tour hotel in Málaga

Day 2 - From Málaga to the blue city of Chefchaouen

Your motorbike tour to Morocco starts in the morning on the coastal road from Málaga to Tarifa, the southernmost point of Spain, from where you take the ferry to Africa and reach the legendary port of Tangier through the Straits of Gibraltar. Beautiful motorbike routes await you in the Rif Mountains in the north of the country and you enjoy the first impressions of your journey in the blue city of Chefchaouen, where you spend the night.

Destination: Chefchaouen

Distance/duration: 300 km / 6 h

Accommodation: Typical Riad in Chefchaouen

Highlights: Tarifa, ferry crossing to Tangier, Strait of Gibraltar, Rif Mountains

Day 3 - The Imperial city of Fez

The fields in the plains around the ancient imperial and university town of Fez are surprisingly green and fertile. At the Laou river, you pass the checkpoint of the former Franco-Spanish colonial border and later you cross the Oued Sebou, the biggest river in North-western Morocco. Once you have arrived at the old town of Fez, you will quickly realize why this place over centuries was a hub for most caravans from all over Africa.

Destination: Fez

Distance/duration: 200 km / 4h

Accommodation: 5* Hotel in Fez

Highlights: Guided Tour in Fez, Visit leather tannery and Medresa

Day 4 - Errachidia and the Atlas Mountains

With the Middle and High Atlas, two mighty mountain ranges are waiting to be crossed in one single day from North to South. The Atlas is a natural climate border in Morocco. On its northern flanks, the moist air of the Atlantic is humid and on its southern side, the desert begins. You will exceed the altitude of 2000 meters twice that day and go through the entire spectrum of vegetation of the country. The thousand-year-old cedar woods of the mountains and the following high lands are unique and stunning. Berber nomads are drifting by with their animals as the sights in the distance make the dimensions of this continent surprisingly clear. There is nothing better than to be here on your motorcycle.

The Gorge of the Ziz river leads you out of the mountains into the Tafilalet, the southernmost group of several palm oases in the Moroccan Sahara. Here you are staying at an oasis after a unique riding day.

Destination: Errachidia

Distance/duration: 340 km / 6 h

Accommodation: Typical Riad in Errachidia

Highlights: Middle and High Atlas, the gorge of the Ziz River, sunset in the palm oasis

Day 5 - The sand dunes of Erg Chebbi and Merzouga

Palm groves as far as the eye can see. In their center lies the former trading and university town of Sidschilmasa, today's Rissani, which was on the caravan route Niger - Fez - Tangier. The air becomes increasingly dry and small tongues of sand on the asphalt are harbingers of the nearby desert. The sand dune belt of Erg Chebbi, an hour from Rissani, is 22 km long and 5 km wide. Here, at the southwesternmost point of your tour, the starry sky of the desert night will probably remain in your memory for a long time.

Destination: Merzouga

Distance/duration: 120 km / 2.5 h

Accommodation: Desert Camp

Highlights: Erg Chebbi dune belt, palm oasis walk, camel ride into the desert, desert camp

Day 6 - Rest day in the desert

Looking at the sand dunes, you use the time to pursue the secrets of the desert and to sort out and review the countless impressions of the past days.

Accommodation: typical riad on the edge of the desert

Highlights: Climbing the highest dune, Erg Chebbi Desert.

Day 7 - High Atlas, Todra Gorge, and Dades

After the rest day on the edge of the desert, you have charged enough energy to start one of the queen´s stages of this tour, as the road returns to the mountains. Far away from the main roads, you discover fertile Atlas valleys, revealing the simple way of life of the Berbers. Anywhere else you will experience Morocco as authentic as here. Also today you climb over the 2000 meter mark and the day ends with another highlight, the ride through the Todra Gorge.

Destination: Boumalne Dadès

Distance/duration: 345 km / 6.5 h

Accommodation: 4* Hotel at the Dades Gorge

Highlights: Todra Gorge, High Atlas, Berber villages

Day 8 - Kasbach Trail and Ait Benhaddou

The red stone formations of the Dades Gorge stick out of the ground like long fingers. You ride 60 km deep into the valley, where the Berbers also cultivate every piece of land on the edge of the Dades River. While having your morning coffee at the narrowest point of the gorge, you can enjoy the impressive view of the Dades breakthrough.

We continue westwards along the road of the Kasbahs. Ancient clay castles besides the road bear witness to the caravan past of the south side of the Atlas. Today, the film industry takes advantage of the oriental flair and the clear light of the area. Near Ouarzazate, many abandoned sets still stand in the vicinity of the film studios. Half an hour north of here, on the old caravan route between Timbuktu and Marrakech, is the village of Ait Benhaddou, whose entire center has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. Here you will stay in a Kasbah on the banks of the Ounila River.

Destination: Ait Benhaddou

Distance/duration: 270 km / 5 h

Accommodation: Typical riad in Ait Benhaddou

Highlights: Dades Gorge, Kasbah Trail, World Heritage Site Ait Benhaddou

Day 9 - The Saffron Mountains of Taliouine, Souss valley and Taroudant

Although Marrakech is already within reach, you stay a few more days here in the mild south. The Souss Valley separates the two mountain ranges of the Antiatlas and the High Atlas. You can almost feel the Atlantic breeze. One of the longest and most water-rich rivers in the country accompanies you through fertile orchards to your destination in Taroudannt. The city is often referred to as Marrakech's little sister, because in addition to the rammed-earth city wall, the medina, built of mud at the beginning of the 18th century, is very similar.

Destination: Taroudant

Distance/duration: 500 km / 7.5 h

Accommodation: 4* Hotel in Taroudant

Highlights: Souss Valley, Berber village of Tazenakht, the Antiatlas

Day 10 - Roundtrip in the Anti-Atlas

The very dry Antiatlas differs greatly from the other two Atlas ranges in Morocco, the transition to the stone desert is almost fluid. Even in earlier times, agriculture was only possible here with great difficulty and with very low yields, and so the inhabitants lived as semi-nomads; in many places, the terraced fields and threshing places left behind are still recognizable. The road leads you through almost deserted, but extremely impressive landscapes, which are only rarely interrupted by more fertile valleys.

Destination: Antialtas

Distance/duration: 220 km / 4h

Accommodation: 4* Hotel in Taroudant

Highlights: Berber villages of the Antiatlas, Tizourgane Kasbah (fortified village)

Day 11 - The Tizi n' Test mountain pass and the royal city of Marrakech

Marrakesh is a daily ride away from Taroudant. The crossing of the High Atlas on this day is to be included in the most beautiful experiences in a biker's life! The single-lane brings you on a very winding route through scenic and touristy little-developed areas. You arrive at the Tinmal mosque, the origin of the Almohad Empire in the 12 century as you lay your eyes on the summit of Mount Toubkal, the highest mountain in North Africa with 4,167 meters. Your Atlas experience is crowned by sheer riding pleasure along the entire 230 kilometers long journey, which ends at Marrakesh, the Pearl of the South.

Destination: Marrakech

Distance/duration: 235 km / 4,5 h

Accommodation: 4* hotel in Marrakech

Highlights: Tizi n' Test mountain pass, Tinmal mosque visit, 1001 nights in Marrakech.

Day 12 - Rest day in Marrakech

Due to a large number of architecturally significant buildings, including the Koutoubia Mosque dating from 1162, the 12th-century Kasbah, and the 14th-century Ben-Jusuf Medersa, the old town was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985, along with the Agdal Gardens and the Menara Gardens. The city's main attraction is the Djemaa el Fna (literally: Square of the Beheaded), the world-famous medieval market and executioner's square, today a lively place of oriental storytellers, snake charmers, and jugglers. In the new town is the Jardin Majorelle, which impresses with its variety of plants and peculiar architecture. It's a good idea to take a break in one of the countless cafés in the medina and take in the colorful hustle and bustle. Don't miss the call to prayer of the muezzin at sunset on the Djemaa el Fna square.

Accommodation: 4* hotel in Marrakech

Highlights: Visit the medina, Koutoubia Mosque, souks of the old town, sunset with muezzins singing at the main square Djemmaa el Fna, Majorelle Gardens, Ben Yusuf Medresa.

Day 13 - On curvy roads to Rabat

Today's stage takes you north to the long Atlantic coastline, where the cities of Casablanca and Rabat are located. On the winding roads of Morocco's fertile northern hills, you enjoy sheer riding pleasure and your motorcycle to the fullest. Along the coastal road, you reach Rabat, the capital of Morocco, and visit its icon, the Hassan Tower, the unfinished minaret of the Great Mosque.

Destination: Rabat

Distance/duration: 360 km / 6.5 h

Accommodation: 5* Hotel in Rabat

Highlights: Visit the mausoleum of the royal family and Hassan Tower

Day 14 - Along the coastal road to Málaga

From Rabat, you head to Tangier, where the ferry to Europe is waiting and your Moroccan adventure gradually comes to an end. After arrival at the tour hotel, the motorbikes are returned and you say goodbye to the other tour participants during dinner.

Destination: Málaga

Distance/duration: 410 km / 7 h

Accommodation: Tour hotel in Málaga

Highlights: Ferry crossing to Europe, farewell dinner

Day 15 - Departure

The luggage is packed and according to your flight time, our transfer service is ready to take you to the airport. We say goodbye and hope to see you again soon on one of our future motorbike adventures.

Please note: We reserve the right to make small changes to the tour schedule.