Itinerary for 5 day tours
Arrival and departure from Marrakech
This covers full board accommodation, bike, fuel, back-up vehicle.
Essentially everything is covered. You will be responsible for
drinks, flight costs, and personal medical insurance.
Total distance: 1220 kms
Arrival at Marrakech
Transfer to Hotel. A visit to our location this afternoon will allow you to try on and choose your riding equipment.
Day 1: Marrakech to Essaouira
This morning we will head off-road immediately and traverse the flat,
rocky plains just northwest of Marrakech. The rolling hills, flat
plains and the gentle curves make a perfect start to the tour, allowing
you to get accustomed to your bike, before we tackle more technical
terrain in the following days. Because we will be riding through
undeveloped territory where there are no towns with restaurants or
petrol stations, our 4x4 assistance vehicle will meet us around mid-day
to bring us a picnic lunch and fuel. As the afternoon progresses,
the pistes will become increasingly more scenic. The rolling
hills, combined with a rocky, technical section make for an exciting
ride. The day reaches its climax as we cut through a beautiful,
mature forest to the northeast of Essaouira.
Total distance: 270 kms
Day 2: Essaouira to Essaouira
Essaouira, the “windy city” of Morocco, has become a favorite
destination for windsurfers, kitesurfers and enthusiasts of other ocean
sports. The surrounding region offers terrific off-road riding as
well. We will spend the entire day riding on the beaches, jumping
the short, choppy dunes, and gunning it up the taller, 50-meter dunes
to the north of town. Also, just to keep you on your toes, we’ll
throw in some technical tracks with sharp, jagged rocks, tight,
single-track mule and camel paths, and a run through a low scrub
forest. The exact itinerary will depend on the tidal schedule,
since we’ll be riding on the beach for about 50 kilometers.
Because of our flexible itinerary, you will be able to determine how
much riding you would like to do. For those who want to do as
much riding as possible, we can spend the entire day on the sand, the
dunes and the mule tracks. For those who want a shorter day in
the saddle, we would suggest you take a couple of hours to explore the
quaint, picturesque old city (the medina) and ocean port where numerous
movies have been filmed.
Total distance: 150-200 kms (mostly off-road)
Day 3: Essaouira to Immouzer
For most of today, we will be following pistes and tracks that parallel
the coast heading southward from Essaouira. From breath-taking
cliffs overlooking the ocean to pleasant Argan forests, the Moroccan
coastline offers a beautiful backdrop to a thrilling morning on the
bike. After lunch at the coastal town of Imsouane and a short
liaison on tarmac down the coast, the final leg of the day will be a 45
kilometer mountain piste leading us inland to the town of
Immouzer-des-Ida-Outanne. This piste begins with a smooth ascent
but rapidly deteriorates into a rugged, technical, rocky stretch that
will test the form of even the most experienced riders. We will
spend the night in a comfortable 3-star hotel perched at the top of a
scenic valley.
Total distance: 250 kms
Day 4: Immouzer to Aoulouz
An early start will be necessary for this long day in the
mountains. We begin with a short but rocky piste which will bring
us out to the main highway linking Marrakech and Agadir. A tarmac
liaison this morning will bring us to the village of Argana where we
start the long, winding mountain piste that we'll follow for most of
the day. This stretch of 153 kilometres traverses several consecutive
mountain passes before bringing us to the town of Ouled Berhil. The
narrow, twisty piste, carved into the edge of the mountains offers
breath-taking views, but don’t take your eyes off the track for too
long! Loose shale and gravel on off-camber corners will demand
your full attention and skill. We’ll have to carry our own picnic
lunches today, since there are no restaurants to be found in this
region. After the sharp mountain corners and hair-pin turns, you’ll
enjoy opening the throttle on a fast 30 kilometre piste across the
plains from Ouled Berhil to Aoulouz. We’ll spend the night in a quaint,
traditional Moroccan kasbah down in the Souss River valley.
Total distance: 261 kms
Day 5: Aoulouz to Marrakech
The first piste will take us directly from Aoulouz straight north
across the mountains to Ijoukak. This 80-kilometre mountain track,
covered with loose shale and gravel, will take us up to an altitude of
2250 metres before descending down to 1350 metres. The dizzying descent
of 900 metres in 9 kilometres will demand your full attention!
We'll stop at a picturesque old French gold mine built in 1901, where
we will have a picnic lunch. After a short tarmac section, we'll
start the afternoon piste across the Plateau de Kik and down to the
reservoir at Lalla Takerkoust. A fast smoothe piste heading back to
Marrakech will round out the day. Tonight you will stay at a nice riad,
a restored traditional Moroccan guest house in the heart of the
Marrakech medina. You will be conveniently located close to the
Jamaa el-Fna, the heart of night life in Marrakech. This is
a public square where the traditional Berber musicians and
story-tellers entertain Moroccans and tourists alike.
Total kilometers: 240 kms
Depart from Marrakech
Contact InformationWilderness Wheels Morocco
#61 Hay Al-Qods
45000 Ouarzazate
Morocco
infos@wildernesswheels.com
Ouarzazat Office:
00 212 24 88 81 28
Peter Mobile:
00 212 68 73 00 08
Brad Mobile:
00 212 67 05 61 14
Marrakech Office:
00 212 24 33 04 43
