Tout-terrain | Morocco Desert Quest: 8 jours - 6 jours à cheval

You will arrive at Ouarzazarte airport and a short transfer to our 4* Riad style hotel, or by minibus road transfer organized from Marrakech.

Your bike awaits your arrival.

Freshen up, do the bike paperwork, then free to laze by the pool or wander into town. Dinner is a buffet in the hotel.

Petit-déjeuner à 8 h, départ à 9 h.

Après avoir parcouru 17 km sur l'asphalte, nous emprunterons notre première piste de la journée. Il faudra attendre 80 km avant de retrouver l'asphalte, ce qui vous laissera tout le temps de vous habituer à votre moto et au terrain. La piste est sinueuse et vallonnée, avec quelques sections rocheuses instables. Après une pause rafraîchissement sur l'asphalte, nous repartirons pour une section rapide mais sinueuse de 50 km sur du sable compact... Attention aux surprises !.

Déjeuner pique-nique sous un acacia près de la mine d'or de Bou Azzer. Après le déjeuner, agréable balade dans le désert à travers quelques collines avant d'atteindre le plateau menant à Foum Zguid et à notre hôtel pour la nuit. Notre hôtel dispose d'une superbe piscine et de bières qui vous attendent.

Distance : environ 203 km

En quittant notre hôtel, nous parcourons 5 km sur route jusqu'à la ville de Foum Zguid où nous faisons le plein avant de partir dans le désert. Après un début rocailleux, nous arrivons rapidement au lit asséché (nous l'espérons) du lac Iriki. 40 km de conduite rapide à travers le lac nous mènent à la partie ouest des dunes de Chegaga. Pour ceux qui le souhaitent, il y a également environ 40 km de dunes de taille moyenne à traverser avant d'arriver à notre bivouac dans les dunes, où nous nous arrêtons pour déjeuner.

Ceux qui ne souhaitent pas s'aventurer dans les dunes à ce stade précoce du circuit (il y aura bien d'autres occasions de faire du surf des dunes plus tard) peuvent emprunter un détour de 60 km autour des dunes... mais vous devrez parcourir 18 km dans un lit de rivière sablonneux avant de faire une pause déjeuner.

Après le déjeuner, nous roulons à vive allure à travers un plateau et quelques petites dunes avant d'atteindre la route goudronnée à Mhamid. Six kilomètres sur la route nous mènent à notre hôtel 3 étoiles où, comme toujours, la piscine et les bières nous attendent.

Distance : environ 170 km.

A fast day ride skirting the Algerian border.

Leaving at 09.00 we head the 6 km back up the road to Mhamid where we refuel the bikes. From here straight back into the small dunes and sandy riverbeds as we head the 40 km north towards the village of Tazzarine.

Refuel and we set off winding through the palmerie alongside the river Draa.

Once back into the desert we can expect to be stopped by the Moroccan military on at least 2 different occasions as the border with Algeria is not far away and this has become a sensitive area once again.

Great, fast desert tracks once used on the Paris/Dakar rally await us…stop and say hi to the South African Elmer Symons who died here in 2007 whilst participating in the rally. His crash site is marked by a large stone cairn and a waypoint on your GPS and is a reminder to take care on these fast desert tracks.

Lunch will be at a desert auberge on Lac Maider, a large dry sodalake. From here its 60 km of sand and ‘fesh fesh’ (bull dust) before arriving at our desert bivouac for the evening. Located alongside some medium dunes.

Ascend an 80 MTR dune and toast the sunset before having an amazing meal and listening to the local drummers whilst sitting around a blazing campfire.

Distance: Approx. 221kms.

A short day today to maximize our time in the big ‘cathedral’ dunes of Erg Chebbi.

After breakfast, we leave the bivouac at 09.00 and set off for Morocco’s highest dunes at Erg Chebbi. There are more than 20 cathedral dunes that are more than 100 MTS in height with the highest being 205 MTS above the plateau….for those of you up to it, we will ride them all.

He tracks from the bivouac to the dunes traverses an open plain with many acacia trees. This area reminds one of East Africa – just missing the giraffe grazing in the trees. Expect some sandy and rocky sections on what is in the most part a fast couple of hours riding.

On arrival at the hotel we will have a quick coffee and move into our rooms before venturing out into the sand. Back for lunch at the hotel. After lunch, we relax by the hotel pool and then maybe venture out into the dunes again.

Back in the hotel by 17.00. More relax time, drinks by the pool until our dinner in the very colourful restaurant.

Distance: Approx. 97kms.

Our longest day today with some fast desert riding and some slow mountain sections as we traverse the Jbel Saghro mountain range.

As usual, we leave our hotel at 09.00 hours. The first 50 km today are the same as the last 50 km of yesterday’s ride. From here to our lunch stop we have some very mixed riding on what are totally new tracks for us. Ranging from a very ‘messy’ 10 km as we try to cross the Gheris river to long fast sections across the many wide open plateaux to be found in this area. There are many areas where the sand has been blown up against the hills making some very spectacular long dune climbs that we can explore.

Lunch will be arranged at a small local auberge in a desert village where we will have the best beef tagine in Morocco.

Lunch over we refuel and set off again on some of our favourite trails in this area. Lots of hard packed sandy tracks, a memorable 12 km sandy riverbed as well as the very picturesque Jbel Saghro mountain range.

Our hotel this is a beautiful kasbah hidden in the palmeraie of Dades Gorge. Pool set amongst the trees and lots of nice garden corners to sit for a drink. Dinner.

Distance: Approx 261km

After breakfast refuel and then up the Dades Gorge and off in a westerly direction following the foothills of the Atlas Mountains.

Undulating, fast sections interspersed with rocky trails through major washouts and gullies, bringing us out onto a plateau.

Picnic lunch somewhere up on the plateau. A sandy twisting riverbed and a further 20 km of fast trails across a flat plateau bring us back to Ouarzazarte and our base hotel. Handover of bikes for Hussein to check them over. Relax by the pool before buffet dinner.

Distance: Approx 192km

After breakfast, your transfer to Ouarzazarte airport, or back to Marrakech if the transfer is arranged for this.