Arrive at Marrakech Airport (RAK). Once you have collected your baggage and/or bikes you will be met by one of the Skedaddle guides, who will transport you to our hotel accommodation in the centre of Marrakech. You will have a chance to assemble your bikes, with the help of local staff, if required. The evening session will consist of a pre-trip briefing with your guide and then you will be free to head out for dinner.

Accommodation – Modern hotel with en suite rooms.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Ascent: 480m

After breakfast we are met by our transfer vehicle and our Moroccan mountain guide to take us across the plains which surround Marrakech as we head in an easterly direction towards the Central High Atlas Mountains. Today’s transfer takes an hour and a half or so, and we quickly leave the hustle and bustle of Marrakech in our wake. With a relatively short transfer time to the start of the ride we have time to get used to our machines and the demands of riding in Morocco with a warm up ride in the area between the Ait Adel reservoir and the pleasant market town of Demnate. The region offers some varied terrain, from wild heathland to Mediterranean-style olive groves, and its situation in the first ripple of mountains makes it a relatively easy starter before we take on the giants of the High Atlas in the next few days!

Accommodation – Simple hotel close to Demnate with en suite rooms.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Ascent: 1430m

Today we start at low altitudes, so a half hour transfer is used to leave us well placed for a day of cross-country riding with a slight downhill bias. The new road from Demnate to Ouarzazate allows us to access the previously wild terrain of the region, and today’s ride starts in a magnificent scenery of pine forests, framed with towering mountains. A good quality dirt track starts with a fast downhill before a sustained series of ups and downs takes us along a river valley and through some typical High Atlas village communities. The support vehicles may have to take a detour as powerful rivers sometimes wash out sections of the route, adding to the adventure!

A picnic lunch will be set-up en route next to the river. After lunch the landscape opens out into more rolling scenery prior to our arrival in the afternoon in the adobe village of Taarbat, where traditional houses rule the roost, and it’s in one such house that we will spend the night in the shadow of Jebel Raat, one of many towering mountains in the region.

Accommodation – Gîte with shared rooms and facilities.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Ascent: 920m

This morning starts with a gradual climb up to a pass before dropping down to the village of Ait Bouilli. Formerly an isolated village, in recent years it has become better connected with the outside world with the arrival of a surfaced road between Demnate and Ait Bougmez. It’s this quiet country lane that we pick up for a scenic ride along the valley and up into arguably the most picturesque valley in the High Atlas – the valley of Ait Bougmez – where we will spend the next two days. After lunch we’ll explore some singletrack around the valley of Arouss and there may be time to take a short hike through the interesting Arouss Gorge. Tonight we’ll sleep in a basic family-run gite in the village of Agouti.

Accommodation – Gîte with shared rooms and facilities.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Ascent: 860m

After a leisurely breakfast we set off on a day’s ride across the Ait Bougmez valley. It’s a straightforward but beautiful day’s riding along singletrack valley trails and wider jeep tracks. Today the gradient is gentle, giving everyone time to prepare for tomorrow’s big mountain stage! The valley offers some excellent trails, through fields and typical villages where life has hardly changed in centuries. The valley is called “La Vallee Heureuse” (“Happy Valley”) on account of its friendly inhabitants and we’ll enjoy a cup of tea with the locals en route to Tabant, the main village in the valley. It’s from here we’ll climb out of the valley on a well-graded and well-maintained jeep road, before a descent in the afternoon takes us to Ifrane, one of the highest villages in Ait Bougmez where we will stop for the night in another local gite. As always there may be time for a walk at the end of the day and a chance to capture the valley on camera in the fabulous late afternoon light.

Accommodation – Gîte with shared rooms and facilities.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Ascent: 1305m

Today is the last full day of riding, and what a day it is! We consider this day to be one of Skedaddle’s best cross country days, anywhere in the world! It’s a day of constant changes in landscape, extraordinary views, tough climbing challenges, and plenty of superb downhill. It is a true journey in itself and is a fitting way to finish the trip. Starting out from Ifrane the jeep track follows the valley before climbing sharply out of Ait Bougmez and up to a pass at 2600 metres above sea level. It’s a very tough 8km climb but you’ll be well rewarded with some fantastic views southward over the valley. Up at the pass the scenery changes as the greenery of the valley gives way to more stark, wild mountains punctuated with simple stone shelters (azibs) used by nomads in summer when they migrate from the burning hot south with their flocks of animals. It’s also good terrain for sighting Bonelli’s Eagles and Ospreys.

After a fast descent we stop for our picnic lunch in a river valley where a souk (open-air market) is held once a week. After a good rest we have another climb of 6km or so to tackle before some more glorious downhill to a tea stop on a wild and grassy plateau. This time we climb to 2700m – enough altitude to notice a shortness of breath in the lungs – but it’s all worth it as we descend through some wonderful scenery along a rough trail to the village of Telmest, set in a cultivated valley which seldom sees other tourists. From here we continue over another short sharp climb and over a dazzling pass before a fantastic descent takes us through pine forest and down to the Ahansal River and the magnificent Cathedrale Rock. It’s normally very warm at our destination and the order of the day is a dip in the cool waters of the river before dinner.

Accommodation – Gîte – All rooms with en suite facilities.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 330m

Today we have a five hour journey back to Marrakech but for keen riders some singletrack riding can be arranged early morning around the Cathedrale Rock.

The road back to Marrakech is a scenic route via the Ben Al Widane lake and there may be time to make a stop at the Ouzoud Falls – Morocco’s most spectacular waterfall, where three tiers of water cascade impressively into the pools below. On arrival in Marrakech we’ll head out for a farewell meal and overnight is spent in a hotel in the Ville Nouvelle.

Accommodation – Modern hotel with en suite rooms.

• Meals: Breakfast

Transfer to airport for homeward flight. Most flights depart in the afternoon so there’s time to explore the city and pick up a few last minute souvenirs.

PLEASE NOTE

Morocco is one of the world’s most rapidly changing countries and at times one of the least predictable! Pistes become tarmac roads in the blink of an eye, hotels close down unexpectedly and new, often better, options appear just as fast. We try to move with the times and as a result there may be occasional deviations from the publicised itinerary / information. Similarly, weather conditions in the Atlas are unpredictable and we reserve the right to make such changes where appropriate, with the group’s safety a priority.