Arrival & departure from Ouarzazate.
Arrive in Ouarzazate where you will transfer to a local hotel. You will be given your riding gear, and a visit to our workshop will enable the bikes to be set-up to meet your preferences. A quick ride-out is normally fitted in during the afternoon.
Day 1 Ouarzazate – Boumalne:
Most people are keen to get started, but anxious about how they will get on.
We leave Ouarzazate and head North into the High Atlas. A fast, smooth piste enables a gentle learning curve, before we loop across gravely flood plains to the delightful oasis town of Skoura for lunch.
A short tarmac link sees us back on piste for the rest of the afternoon, on a route used by some of the Rallyes that pass through the South of Morocco.
Option of a short, technical "goat-track" at the end of the afternoon to take us to the village where we will spend the night at the auberge "Chez Houcein".
Day 2 Boumalne – Tinghir:
A delicious breakfast with home-made breads at the auberge prepares us for our first piste of the day across to the start of the Dades Gorge. We climb 500 metres as we head up the gorge on fantastic tarmac, before heading off on a truly challenging piste that will lead us over the Tizi n Ougouered (2700metres) to the spectacular Todra gorge on the other side.
A casual lunch before heading down the gorge itself for the compulsory photo stop at it's narrowest point, and onto the town of Tinghir for our evening meal.
Day 3 Tinghir – Merzouga:
An early start is preferable to allow us to do the longest bit of tarmac during the week out to Erfoud. From here, we pick up the piste heading out to the dunes at Merzouga.
We navigate straight to our auberge (using GPS) where we make our base. We now have the rest of the day riding the demanding tracks around and even into the dunes themselves in the wheeltracks of the Dakar rally.
A circumnavigation and traverse of the dunes is normally enough preparation for an assault on Erg Chebbi, at 200 metres, the highest dune there.
We witness the changing colours of the Saharan sands at sunset before getting off the dunes and back on piste to the auberge.
A tiring but enjoyable day.
Day 4 Merzouga – Zagora:
Another prompt start for this, our longest day in the saddle. Back to Risani on piste, where we refuel and have an hour on tarmac heading West along the line of the anti-Atlas mountains. A stop for coffee, and then we get started on the 200km of piste that remain to Merzouga. Fast, smooth and a delight to ride, but requiring complete concentration. High average speeds possible here.
We arrive at our hotel in Zagora late afternoon to a thorough sense of achievement.
Day 5 Zagora – Ouarazate:
Various options available on this, our last riding day. For the keen, another full morning of demanding trails across the anti-Atlas is suggested. For those wanting something less of a challenge, we head up the beautiful Draa Valley, stunning especially in springtime, and swap between tarmac and easy piste up to our lunch stop.
A spectacular mountain pass brings us to within sight of our starting point of Ouarzazate. A shower, and quick rest before our team banquet.
