About 90% off-road, this Off-Road 6-Day Tour is aimed at off-road bikers wanting extra time in the sand. Some experience in dunes and sand is preferable for you to get the most from your ride, but not imperative.
You will ride through the 3 Ergs (sand/dune areas) – Chegaga, Ouzina and Chebbi, where we will attempt the ascent of the highest dunes in Morocco at 205m. You will also cross the spectacular Jebel Saghro mountain range with winding trails and some major drop offs into the valleys below. Pass through the “Monument valley” of this very austere and lunar-like terrain.
Our fully equipped support truck follows not far behind bringing Hussein, our mechanic, to sort out any punctures or make a quick check over after an off.
Price Includes
The Bikes
The Rest
Note: We have a fleet of 15 bikes of which a couple are lowered. Please request this possibility at the time of booking and we will do our best to comply.
We are very confident our bikes will not have anything other than minor problems, and we feel sure that you, as temporary “owner” of our bike, will look after it as if it were your own and as such will return it to us in good order. If the bike becomes unusable due to an accident then you could be doing the rest of the tour in the support vehicle. So please go carefully and take care of our bikes – and yourselves!
SMALL HOTELS, RIADS AND AUBERGES WHEREVER WE STOP.
We use a selection of accommodations, always the nicest available in the area we are stopping. 3* local auberges and inns, 4* hotels built in the old kasbah (castles) style, and on one night the accommodation is an actual 200yr+ original kasbah that has been totally renovated and conditioned to be a small hotel.
Most of the hotels have swimming pools, but they’re normally cold!
The night in our desert bivouac is always a highlight. After a good meal, we lie around the campfire, listening to some local musicians and gazing up at the stars.
A full biking license is needed – so bring it with you! Sorry if you don’t have it with you, you won’t be allowed to bike.
The Essentials
Recommended Clothing & Accessories
Note: Your doctor or GP will be able to advise you further.
Motor Adventures also carries a large medical box in the assitance vehicle.
VERY IMPORTANT
The assistance vehicle has limited space to carry luggage so we supply a barrel type soft bag – 40liters – for each client to put their personal effects and clothing into for the tour. Only this bag permitted. Bear in mind you will be in biking gear most of the time so please think carefully what you bring. We would also appreciate keeping the weight down. Any excess gear can be left at our base and picked up at the end of the tour.
PLEASE ADVISE IF YOU ARE ALLERGIC TO ANY MEDICATION OR FOOD BEFORE COMMENCING THE TOUR.
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.
Breakfast at 08.00 leave at 09.00
17 km on the asphalt before turning onto our first track of the day, it will be 80 km before you see the asphalt again so plenty of time to get used to your bike and the terrain. The track is twisting and undulating with a few loose rocky sections. A refreshment stop at the tarmac, then we are off again along a 50 km fast but twisting section of hard packed sand…watch out for the surprises.
Picnic lunch under an acacia tree near the gold mine at Bou Azzer. After lunch some nice desert riding through some low hills before hitting the plateau leading towards Foum Zguid and our hotel for the evening. Our hotel has a great pool and beer waiting for you.
Distance: Approx. 203km
On leaving our hotel it’s 5 km on road to the town of Foum Zguid where we refuel before heading out into the desert. Rocky at first, we soon arrive at the dry (we hope) lake bed of Lac Iriki. 40 km of fast riding across the lake brings us to the western side of the Chegaga Dunes. For those up for it there are also around 40 km of medium-sized dunes to be crossed before we arrive at our bivouac in the dunes, where we stop for lunch.
Those not wanting to commit to the dunes at this early stage of the tour (there are plenty more opportunities to dune ride later on) can take a 60 km diversion around the dunes…you will have a 18 km sandy riverbed to negotiate before the lunch stop though.
After lunch there is some fast riding across a plateau and some small dunes to cross before we reach the asphalt at Mhamid. 6 km on road brings us to our 3* hotel, whereas always, pool and beers await.
Distance: Approx. 170km.
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.
Just to say what an amazing time we all had. this was the best thing on two wheels I have ever done. can’t wait til my next moroccon adventure. Thanks to Su, John and all the team in Morocco for making my trip so stress free, hotels lunches and the night under the stars. don’t change a thing , loved it!
Fantastic adventure, unbelievable scenery with unlimited variation, perfect organisation with professional back up and guidance, good selection of luxureous resorts; adrenaline generating,undestroyable KTM motorbikes; very experienced/almost movie star-like guide and tour leader Johny Maroc (as we call him).
This is my second trip with motoaventures and would not hesitate to use them again. If you are going biking in Morocco do not even bother looking at anyone else, Su and Jon are without doubt the best operators in this area. The biking is superb, the accommodation is very good and the support is excellent.
