Today you’ll arrive at Marrakech Airport (RAK). Once you’ve collected your baggage (and bikes if bringing) you’ll be met by one of your guides who will transfer you to your hotel in the centre of Marrakech(journey time approx. 30 mins).

Once checked-in, we’ll head out for a get-together dinner and trip briefing, leaving some time to size up the bikes for those who are renting, or for those who have brought their own, we will assist in re-assembling them.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Ascent: 500 Metres Approx.

After an early breakfast, we’ll hop in our Land Cruisers for a scenic transfer to the kasbah of Telouet. It’s a beautiful three hour drive up the Tichka Pass, one of North Africa’s highest paved roads. Once over the top, there’s a further 20 kilometres to the ruined kasbah.

Telouet is a photographer’s dream; a crumbling fortress of the Glaoui clan (who were influential during the French protectorate) set in a remote valley overlooking mud villages and fertile gardens. It’s totally uninhabited these days, but it’s a popular spot for storks which nest on its disintegrating ramparts. Here we take a guided tour and take a peek at its once magnificent interior.

After a good look round and picnic lunch we unload the bikes and start pedalling on a surfaced road. We’re at about 1800m above sea level – just enough altitude for the lungs to detect a slight thinness of air, so the first few kilometres (flat, then up and down) might feel a bit tougher than usual! After about 10km a rough descent will take us down to the start of a newly surfaced country lane which winds its way 32km through fantastic scenery to Tamdaght, set in a palm oasis near Ait Benhaddou.

Today is a great warm-up before the challenges of the week ahead. We aim to arrive well before sundown for some great photo opportunities from the terrace of our converted kasbah hotel.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Ascent: 1,150 Metres Approx.

Today we’ll make another early start with a post-breakfast tour of the ksour or castle of Ait Benhaddou. This complex of adobe kasbahs is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is still inhabited by a handful of families. It’s probably the best-preserved and certainly one of the most exotic villages in the south of Morocco. Ait Benhaddou looks just out of a movie set (which explains its appearance in the film “Gladiator” and ‘Game of Thrones‘) with its cluster of well-preserved kasbahs surrounded by date palms and framed by desolate mountain scenery. With the tour completed, we’ll set off for an hour or so in our support vehicles to the start of our three-day ride through the remote Jebel Sirwa region. With no hotels and few village lodgings available, we spend the first night under canvas and the second night in a very basic village house.

We’ll begin riding from the one-horse town of Agouim, taking a quiet country lane westwards into the heart of the Sirwa. The area is occasionally visited by trekking groups scaling the country’s highest peak (Toubkal) from the south side, but otherwise it’s well off the tourist trail. Today we’re in the northern Sirwa which forms a bridge between the volcanic southern Sirwa and the High Atlas mountains. The road we take is gently undulating with one significant climb up to our wild campsite. En route we’ll pass through some very remote villages and start to get a flavour for the area, although be prepared for constant changes in character and landscape throughout the three days we spend here!

After a lunch stop (possibly around the village of Sour) we’ll climb for several kilometres on a dramatic and challenging off-road route onto a vast plateau. Here, we’ll choose a suitable spot to pitch camp surrounded by panoramic views (weather permitting) to the dramatic peaks of the High Atlas to our north and the dark tabletop peaks of the Sirwa range to the south. We’re now at about 2100m above sea level, so wrap up warm for a chilly night of wilderness camping.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Ascent: 1,020 Metres Approx.

Today we’ll ride from camp, rejoining yesterday’s road. Riding on the plateau is a joy and we’ll often pass nomads with their flocks of sheep, goats, and horses. Crossing the first village of the day, we’ll descend along a dry riverbed which represents the settlement’s “main drag”.

Here the buildings are all traditional and bear virtually no evidence of the modern world. Women dress in bright garments and children are intrigued by the arrival of our group of visitors dressed in funny helmets. All of the villages in this area are inhabited by Berbers, an indigenous population which pre-dates the Arab conquest. As in other parts of Morocco, visitors are always struck by their superb hospitality and generosity despite their lack of material means.

Moving on, we’ll climb onto another plateau, an area strewn with volcanic boulders and stone houses. The scenery is wonderful and at this point we’ll reach the day’s highest point, meaning some great downhill to follow! As we cross the final pass, the land changes again and we can see we’ve crossed the north-south mountain divide. Much of the remainder of the ride is downhill through a pleasantly rolling landscape with some fast riding possible along great trails.

Arriving at the town of Askaoun, we’ll do one final descent to a nearby village where we’ll enjoy a typical Moroccan meal with tea made with saffron and spend the night in basic conditions in a small village house.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Ascent: 700 Metres Approx.

Today we’ll start with a short but very cheeky climb out of our mountain village before joining a superb tarmac road that takes us from the high plateau of the Sirwa down towards the desert. The road is undulating for the most part before a massive descent takes us down towards the town of Taliouine, Morocco’s main centre for saffron production and trading.

Along the route, a picnic lunch will be set up and when we arrive in Taliouine, we’ll load up the vehicles and transfer through remote and wild desert mountains to the town of Ouarzazate, home of the Moroccan film industry and gateway to the deep south. It’s a two hour drive across strikingly desolate landscapes to our comfortable hotel/converted kasbah overlooking the town’s palm groves. Here you can enjoy a hammam, a typical Moroccan steam bath, and a massage to relax those tired muscles.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Ascent: 400 Metres Approx.

After breakfast, we’ll take a short transfer along the road to Zagora to the beginning of the day’s ride. There’s an easy start with a thrilling 8km descent on a piste which joins the valley of the River Draa, Morocco’s longest river. The Draa has a character all of its own, with lush palmeries lining the river, contrasting dramatically with the crumbling mud villages and stark angular mountains.

Today’s ride is varied and not too taxing with several short climbs and descents as we follow the upper reaches of the river valley and some good picnic spots. Some of the villages along the way are remarkable with their abandoned and disintegrating kasbahs. Our overnight stop is around the town of Agdz where, depending on the size of the group, we will either stay in a beautifully-renovated kasbah just south of Agdz or a French-run auberge in the palmery.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Ascent: 340 Metres Approx.

Today we have an expedition to complete, both on bikes and by 4×4, in order to finish the day by sundown in the Sahara Desert! Riding out from our hotel after breakfast we’ll continue exploring the Draa Valley as we descend towards Zagora and the fringes of the Sahara desert. The Draa Valley is one giant oasis of date palms, fruit trees, and vegetables grown by local families. En route we’ll explore the intriguing passageways and ruined interiors of the extensive Kasbah Tamnougalte which overlooks the anvil-shaped mountain Jebel Kissane, a feature that stays in view for some time as we follow well-surfaced pistes southwards.

By early lunch, we aim to complete a brisk 40km on tarmac and then pack up the 4×4s as we continue into an increasingly sandy physical environment towards the gateway to one of the true wonders of the world: the mighty Sahara Desert. En route, camel rides may be possible (time permitting, paid for at the camp) but the real draw is our desert camp set up in the sand dunes – a star gazer’s dream with a campfire, good food, and a great place to reflect on an epic journey!

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch

After a desert breakfast we set off on our day-long journey back to Marrakech (7+ hours). The best way to put a positive spin on our seven-hour journey is that it serves as a sort of a potted review of all of the landscapes we have passed through on our journey from the High Atlas mountains to the Sahara!

Returning to Marrakech is a real highlight. Having arrived in the evening at the start of the trip we had little time to explore the Marrakech medina (old town). This is another UNESCO World Heritage Centre and said to be the second largest medieval complex in the world after Cairo.

Tonight there should be time to explore the main square – the Djemaa el Fna – to witness one of the world’s most animated night-time spectacles. At night the square is transformed into a giant open-air restaurant with men in white coats serving anything from sheep’s head stew to snails in hot sauce. The rest of the square is dedicated to other forms of entertainment such as snake charmers, story tellers, acrobats and dancers. Later we enjoy a farewell dinner in a traditional restaurant before exploring what Marrakech has to offer in the way of nightlife. Overnight in a 3-star hotel.

• Meals: Breakfast

Today we transfer to the airport for homeward flights (journey time approx. 30 mins). Many flights depart in the afternoon so there may be time to explore the city and pick up a few last minute souvenirs.

Guides are available for those who wish to be guided but we recommend seeing the city at your own pace, taking time to wander through the beguiling labyrinth of tiny alleys and passageways in the ancient medina. You might like to visit the ancient Badi and Bahia Palaces, the museum of Marrakech, or a short taxi ride will take you to the Majorelle Botanical Garden, owned by Yves Saint Laurent. There are also the famous souks (markets) of Marrakech – ideal for devotees of ethnic fashion and decoration, but worth a look for the sights, sounds and smells of this most exotic of markets. But the real Marrakech experience is more about soaking up its unique atmosphere.

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 High Atlas and Sirwa mountains in autumn and spring are unpredictable. Heavy snow falls can block passes and flash floods can fill normally dry river beds, forcing on the spot adaptations to itineraries. We reserve the right to make such changes where appropriate, with the group’s safety a priority.