Day 1: Arrival Day

A friendly face from Motohire Spain will meet you at the airport and take you to the hotel. Depending on arrival time, you may have time to relax or do some sightseeing before our detailed briefing session. Then, the whole group will get together for dinner in a local restaurant where you’ll get to know your fellow biking companions. Note that Day 1 and Day 14 of the itinerary are your arrival and departure days.

Day 2 Malaga – Asilah (Morocco)

Journey details: 240 km / about 5 to 6 hours, including ferry crossing

A relaxed ride of about 1h45 to Algeciras (140 km) before crossing the Straits of Gibraltar by ferry, followed by a short 1h00 hop from Tangier Med to Asilah (95 km). Don’t be surprised by how similar this northern tip of Morocco is to the Spain you’ll have just left – verdant, good roads, and a stiff Atlantic breeze as we follow the northwestern coast down to Asilah, your first (very pretty) stop on the African continent.

Day 3 Asilah – Ifrane, via the ancient site of Volubilis

Journey details: 360 kms / 4h30

Prepare for a  fascinating day: You’ll visit Volubilis, one of the best preserved ancient sites in Morocco, and once the southernmost city of the Roman Empire. Then finish the day in Ifrane, which on a snowy day will make you think you’re in Switzerland. It boasts a winter sports resort with 5 ski slopes and 2 ski lifts, and if you’re lucky, your guide will take you to see the Royal monkeys in the famous Great Cedar Forest.

Day 4 Ifrane – Ouzoud Falls

Journey details: 300 kms / 6h00

You’ll start the day in the cedar forests, before heading high into the Atlas mountains, pass through Berber villages and arrive at the stunning Ouzoud Falls. These tall waterfalls, which are located about 100 miles northeast of Marrakech, empty into the El-Abid River gorge. Brave souls can take a plunge in the chilly waters. Oh, and you’ll meet plenty more of the resident monkeys.

Day 5 Ouzoud Falls – Marrakesh

Journey details: 170 km / 2h45

A short hop today so we can get to Marrakesh asap and enjoy this wonderful city for the rest of the day. The old centre is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a key attraction is the Djemaa el Fna (the Square of the Beheaded), the world-famous medieval market and executioner’s square, where you’ll see storytellers, snake charmers and jugglers. You cannot miss the call to prayer of the muezzin at sunset. Those of a literary bent will be plunged into the world of Ali Baba & his 40 thieves and A thousand and one nights.

Day 6 Marrakesh – Boumalné Dades

Journey details: 320 km / 5h30

Over the Atlas we go, heading east and south and deeper into Africa. We’ll ride on a stretch of the Route of the 1000 Kasbahs (where a kasbah, by the way, is an arabic fortress) and as we pass by Ouarzazate, you’ll see evidence of the Atlas film sets, where such classics as Black Hawk Down, The Mummy, the first Star Wars (1977) and Ridley Scott’s epic Gladiator have been filmed. Boumalné Dades will be our destination for the day .

Day 7 Boumalné Dades – Tinghir

Journey details: 220 km / 5h00

A day of fantastic gorges, the Dades Gorge to start and the Todhra Gorge to finish. The scales are such that you’ll struggle to know how best to hold your camera to get the right picture. The Todra and Dadès Gorges, with their tall red limestone walls, towering buttresses, and winding rivers, are two of Morocco’s most stunning geological features.

Day 8 Tinghir – Merzouga

Journey details: 200 kms / 3h00

We are now south of the Atlas mountains, the air is drier and whisps of sand can be seen creeping out onto the roads. Temperatures increase as we approach the settlement of Merzouga, situated  on the edge of Erg Chebbi, the only chunk of the Sahara that is actually in Morocco. This is the most easterly point of our tour, and we’ll stop here to discover the ways of the desert.

Day 9 Merzouga rest day

Journey details: Take it easy by the pool or indulge in some desert adventures, from quad biking to a leisurely hike on camel-back.

Day 10 Merzouga – Midelt

Journey details: 265 kms / 4h00

Batteries recharged, we head northwards to the town of Midelt, situated in the high plains between the Middle Atlas and High Atlas mountain ranges. As we cross from south to north, you’ll notice the dramatic change between the arid south and the more agricultural  northern coastal side. Roadside stops will enable you to haggle for stunning geode crystals that the Berber tribesmen bring down from the hills to sell.

Day 11 Midelt – Fes

Journey details: 210 km / 4h15.

Apple orchards and gnarly argan trees bear witness to our journey northwards to Fes, another of Morocco’s jewels.  Fes’s Chouara tannery is believed to be the oldest leather tannery in the world, dating back to the 11th century and you’ll find evidence of a healthy competition between Fes and Marrakesh as to whose medina and workshops produce the finest leatherware, clothes, furniture and delicious sweets. 

Day 12  Fes – Chefchaouen

Journey details: 270 km / 4h30

There’s the quick way to get to Chefchaouen, and there’s the way your Motohire Spain guide will take you, and both are very different things! You’ll get up close and personal with authentic Morocco in this day’s ride, before reaching the Blue Pearl of Morocco, Chefchaouen, a refuge for persecuted peoples: built in 1492 by Moors fleeing Spain, Jewish migrants fleeing the Nazis in the lead-up to WW2 painted the city blue, and thus it remains today, a quite remarkable place to visit.

Day 13  Chefchaouen – Malaga.

Journey details: 130 km / 2h30 to Tangier Med, ferry then Algeciras to Malaga (140 km/ 1h45)

We ease our way back to Spain with an easy ride to Tanger Med port. Depending on arrival time and weather conditions in Spain, we can take a scenic route on some of Andalucia’s great inland roads, or go directly back to the hotel near Malaga.

Day 14 Departure day.

We hope you’ll go home with fabulous memories (and a few souvenirs) and look forward to seeing you again. Hasta la vista!