Vacation Overview
Highlights
Early spring and fall road cycling trip in sunny Morocco
Exploring the rich souks of magical Marrakech
Cycling through the Draa Valley on the oasis town of Zagora
Bike the Tizi n’Tichka and Tizi n’Test, the top roads in Morocco
Very early and late in the season, Morocco may be the ideal location for just a road cycling vacation, with predictably great weather as well as a lot of inexpensive flight options into Marrakech. South of the sensational,’ Arabian Nights’ city, our well established and so traditional cycling holiday follows usually good tarmac roads, biking across the Atlas Mountains through the Tizi n’Tichka (2260m) to the wilderness frontier town of Zagora then returns via a substitute, little-used and exciting road over the Tizi n’Test (2092m).
En route, we are going to stay in very simple hotels and gites and can have a seasoned KE biking leader, in addition to a regional guide accompanying the number in the assistance vehicle. The entire selection of Moroccan experiences awaits us – the colourful street vendors and Berber acrobats of Marrakech’s central Djema el Fna square, the exquisite flavours of the regional cuisine, stunning views of the rugged Atlas peaks as well as the spectacular landscape of kasbahs and also palm trees in the Draa Valley, as we cycle across the Jebel Sahro on the advantage of the Sahara. Creating a motorcycle circuit around Mount Toubkal (4167m), North Africa’s highest good, as well as regarding several excellent days of climbing and descending on sinuous mountain roads, this’s a remarkable long distance Morocco biking tour.
Vacation Itinerary
Meet up with at the team hotel in Marrakech. Transfers from Marrakech Airport are provided.
Meet up with at the team hotel in Marrakech at 7pm. On arrival at Marrakech Airport you’ll be welcomed possibly by the tour guide and by a KE representative who’ll help with the quite short transfer to the team resort in the community. Based on the flight arrival time of yours, and after settling in, you might have the chance to do just a little exploration. Marrakech is an amiable community as well as pretty simple to get around and many folks head for the main square of the Djema el Fna beneath the imposing tower on the Koutoubia Mosque. If you’ve brought your very own bike, you are going to need to reassemble it in readiness for the early morning. KE Land Only offer services start with the evening meal, typically taken at the resort.
Accommodation Hotel with swimming pool
Dishes d
Short transfer, and then cycle across the Atlas to Ouarzazate via the Tizi n’Tichka (2260m).
All those with employed bikes are going to pick them up this morning. Next, after loading up the additional support vehicle, we drive from Marrakech over the first street towards Ouarzazate. We’re rapidly into the foothills of the Atlas Mountains and also cross the Tizi n’Ait Imguer (1470m), that is a normal Sunday morning obstacle for regional Marrakech road bikers. After only two hours drive, we get to the small town of Taddert (1670m) and also the starting spot of the drive of ours. Below, we are able to pick one of a selection of good cafes, wherever we are able to have a cup of espresso or maybe a coca cola, and on occasion even an egg and tomato’ tagine’ to set us in place for the drive. Just outside town is an excellent lay by where we can unload the bikes of ours for the off. This very first day of biking is amazing and begins with a constant 1 hour climb to the Tizi n’Tichka (2260m). At the pass, you will find many good views and also an unmissable picture opportunity, before we start the descent. Quite vertical in the beginning, with switchbacks, the perspective quickly eases along with the street straightens to let great speeds being accomplished. About one hour or perhaps so down from the pass, we are going to stop at a cafe for lunch. Passing by way of a a picturesque landscape, with many Berber villages, it has ninety three kilometres from the pass to our overnight stop at Ouarzazate (1160m), although typically smooth tarmac and downhill inclination would mean we are able to tackle this’s around four hours including lunch and water stops.
Accommodation Hotel with swimming pool
Ascent 850m
Distance 100km
gps data View now
Food bld
Descent 1450m
Time four – five hrs cycling
Early morning trip to the Kasbah de Taourirt, and then undulating drive via the Tizi n’Tinififft to Agdz.
There is absolutely no demand for a beginning start today, as we’ve only a brief stage to drive. Thus, after breakfast, we’ve the time to examine the well preserved Kasbah de Taourirt as well as the colourful market streets or’ souks’ of Ouarzazate. Mid morning, we head out on a peaceful road which skirts the western edge of the Jebel Sahro selection of mountains. Once again, it is a very great surface right up, undulating a bit along with several very long, straight sections. We ascend to cross an unnamed pass (1600m) after thirty five kilometres and descend to the village of Ait Saoun that provides us with the chance of a cafe stop for the lunch of ours. The excessive point of the morning is in the Tizi n’Tinififft (1660m), beyond what there’s a great downhill right up into Agdz (942m), our immediately stop. Set amongst white hills, Agdz is situated on the good old camel caravan route between Timbuktu and also Marrakech – its title means’ resting place’.
Accommodation Hotel
Ascent 950m
Distance 70km
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Food bld
Descent 1100m
Time three – four hrs cycling
Drive through the palm tree lined Draa Valley on the Saharan gateway city of Zagora.
Nowadays we’ve a beginning beginning of the drive down to Zagora on the edge of the Sahara, on great tarmac right up. Even though this takes us far from the circuit of Toubkal, this truly is an unmissable detour, after famous Draa Valley. It’s a somewhat level drive on probably the west bank of the Draa River, made good by the scenery, that has farmland and palm trees, with a lot of tiny villages, several of which in turn take the type of great fortified’ kasbahs’. Passing through these little oases, we’ve the opportunity to stop for mint tea or maybe coffee at wayside cafes and furthermore to take a look at the villages themselves – we might be fortunate enough to run into a neighborhood market in full swing. During probably the hottest portion of the morning, we are going to stop for lunch at among the villages en route. Zagora (725m) may be the largest city in the area and it is recognised as the’ Gateway to the Sahara’. We’ll definitely need to stop for photos alongside the famous signal that highlights to the wasteland with the warning -‘ Tombouctou….52 jours’ – allegedly time needed for a camel caravan to arrive at Timbuktu.
Accommodation Hotel with swimming pool
Ascent 350m
Distance 95km
gps data View now
Food bld
Descent 550m
Time four – five hrs cycling
Transport to Agdz and ride westwards below the High Atlas, to Tazenakht.
To reconnect with the highway around Toubkal, we begin the day with a beginning drive to Agdz, that takes two hours. Below, after a cafe stop, we head out on a great and hardly any worn road which heads west to eventually link up with the major street on the south edge of Toubkal. Bit greater than an individual track highway, this particular strip of tarmac can make its way along the Oued Tamsift Valley on the remote village of Tasla. Our path is fairly straight with only the unusual undulation and also we’ll be required to stop off for a picnic lunch with a handy roadside area, as we spend zero cafes until later in the morning. Beyond Tasla, we encounter a stretch of road that is difficult with plenty of potholes which carries on via a few of small goes on on the cobalt mining town of Bou Azzer. We next drop down by way of a rocky gorge, a ten kilometre downhill which results in the junction with the major highway coming through the south, from the desert edge settlement of Foum Zguid. There’s a little teashop at the junction, the only person we spend all day. From here, there’s slightly more visitors (though it is nonetheless pretty quiet) just for the final portion of the day’s ride and that takes us over a few of easy passes. Important would be the last 300 metre climb to the Tizi n’Taguergoust (1640m), before we drop down into the little Berber town of Tazenakht (1398m), that is well-known carpet making. We check in at the hotel of ours and also have an opportunity to shop around several of the countless carpet stores which are operated on a cooperative schedule. This’s a great place to buy a bargain.
Accommodation Hotel
Ascent 1050m
Distance 90km
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Food bld
Descent 600m
Time five – six hrs cycling
Cycle over several quiet passes like Tizi n’Taghatine (1886m) to Aoulouz.
Nowadays, we are going to pass south of Toubkal from the reduced eastern ranges of the Anti Atlas. You will find 2000 metre summits away on the south, whilst on the north the hills rise as many as 3000 metres within the Jebel Sirwa region. We get as early a beginning as is affordable, using on a good and fairly level tarmac road across quite a arid landscape. We’re currently on the N10, the major street across the southern aspect of the Atlas, that links Ouarzazate and also Agadir. Nevertheless, the visitors on the highway can be quite light on this particular part of the drive, with a single car every 5 minutes or so. There’s a really gradual ascent to the pinnacle of the Tizi n’Ikhsane (1650m) in which there’s a little tourist store with an extremely helpful owner. Next, as we crest the summit on the Tizi n’Taghatine (1886m), our drive unexpectedly becomes a huge downhill as we drop down towards the Souss Plateau as well as the little town of Taliouine. This’s a centre for fast growing saffron plus a great spot for us to stop for lunch. The other stretch of road may sometime be busier and the caliber of the highway surface is varied – so care is required. Shortly before the appearance of ours at Aoulouz (771m), majority of the visitors turns off so we are able to appreciate a peaceful conclusion to the day’s drive. Aoulouz is perfectly off the tourist trail as well as another place known for saffron growing. This’s among the longer days of the journey, but with substantial stretches of downhill it should not look quite bad.
Accommodation Gite / Hostel
Ascent 850m
Distance 120km
gps data View now
Food bld
Descent 1400m
Time six – seven hrs cycling
The most difficult working day, climbing to cross the Tizi n’ Test (2100m) and descending to Ijoukak.
The very first portion of the day’s ride takes us westwards towards Taroudant, with a quick first climb after which an extended descent across the Sous Plateau to the junction of the N10 with the small street that we need to take back across the Atlas Mountains. This junction marks the lower point of the trip of ours (at only 450 metres). From here, we start the lengthy climb on a peaceful street as much as the Tizi n’Test (2100m) via a number of switchbacks. For the very first eighteen kilometres of the climb, the landscape is very barren. Nevertheless, from the very first village, at Tachguelte, the attractiveness of the spot gets to be more obvious and it’s clearly a lot more attractive to overseas guests and Moroccan, since you will find teashops and coca cola stalls every several kilometres. This’s a lengthy ascent, although gradient is simple and we are able to settle down to respect the ideas on the villages in the valley bottom and enjoy muezzins’ calls to prayer echoing across the hillsides. Towards the upper part of the climb, we are able to look to meet up with different westerners for the very first time since Zagora, as this valley is a favorite paragliding website, especially amongst the French. We are going to have a few of water stops while in the ascent and perhaps stop for lunch within sight of the best, based on the progress of ours. The same as on an Alpine climb, there’s a great cafe on the col and we’ll surely enjoy a coffee stop. The tarmac on the ascent is really great, but on the descent you will find potholes in areas – and so, once again, care needed. It is a great descent, sweeping through several bends with ideas of Mount Toubkal, to Ijoukak (1050m) on the fringes of the Toubkal National Park. Below, we immediately in an easy, but charming and pleasantly located gite, run by an amiable family members. A great day’s riding.
Accommodation Gite / Hostel
Ascent 1750m
Distance 110km
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Food bld
Descent 1300m
Time six – seven hrs cycling
A good downhill start, then onwards via the market town of Asni to Marrakech.
We propose an additional early start from our gite, to handle the last day of biking to Marrakech. This’s only some downhill, though the very first few hours consist of several of top quick descent of the holiday. Next, from Ouirgane, the highway crosses among the northern spurs of the Atlas that requires two quite short climbs also a maximum of 300 metres of ascent. A crest in the highway represents the conclusion of the phase of the day’s drive and also provides very good views of Mount Toubkal on the south east. We next drop down on the city of Asni that’s the location where KE’s trekking groups switch off on their approach to Toubkal. Asni is a fast paced spot on a Saturday, as this’s the morning of the weekly market or maybe bazaar and we’re more likely to see the other stretch of road being somewhat busier compared to the majority of the circuit. We are able to blast the final stretch into Marrakech on really good tarmac, making use of the prominent landmark on the Koutoubia Mosque to direct us. We are going to stop for lunch at a cafe in the vicinity of the Djema el Fna, before going back to the team resort within the early afternoon. At under six hours, this’s not a very long day and also we are to the hotel of ours with lots of time left to carry our bikes away. All those opting to depart from Marrakech today (easyJet flights to Manchester) have some time for a swift bath, before moving to the terminal. Those flying house on Sunday is going to have the afternoon totally free to do a little independent exploration. Afterwards, the team is going to spend a while at the nightly spectacle on the Djema el Fna and have a well earned celebratory dinner with a regular hotel.
Accommodation Hotel with swimming pool
Ascent 700m
Distance 100km
gps data View now
Food bld
Descent 1450m
Time six – seven hrs cycling
Departure day. Marrakech Airport transfers are provided.
KE Land Only services end after breakfast. You need to carry your mountain bike away, in readiness for homeward flight. Based on the flight time of yours, you could have a while to examine the streets, colourful sights and souks of Marrakech. A favorite choice is to merely sit and observe the world go by from among the restaurants overlooking the Djema el Fna. Marrakech Airport transfers are provided.