8-day cycling tour from the Atlas to the Anti-Atlas
From €770 per person
Ait Ben Haddou, Dades Valley, Draa Valley, Jebel Saghro, Ouarzazate
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- Duration
- 8 days / 7 nights
- Tour type
- Cycling tours
- Languages
- Spanish, English, French
- Difficulty
- Moderate effort, medium/moderate technical difficulty
Overview
A cycling tour through southern Morocco, from Telouet and Ait Ben Haddou to the Saghro massif and the oases of the Draa Valley, with a guide and a 4x4 support vehicle.
Tour highlights
- The Ounila valley, the old salt route, to Ait Ben Haddou
- Sunset at the kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou, crossing the river on foot
- The queen stage through the volcanic Saghro massif and over Tizi n'Tagmoute
- The rock towers of Bab n'Ali
- The rock engravings of Ait Ouazik
- A night in a nomad tent among the Nkhila dunes, in the Draa Valley
Route at a glance
8 days / 7 nights
- Marrakech airport Starting point
- Ait Ben Haddou
- Ouarzazate
- Jebel Saghro
- Draa Valley
- Dades Valley
- Marrakech airport Ending point
About this tour
A bike trip through southern Morocco that drops from the heights of the High Atlas down to the oases of the Draa Valley. From Marrakech you drive up the Tizi n'Tichka pass road and start riding near Telouet, through the Ounila valley, the old salt route, to the kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou.
Next come Ouarzazate, the plains of the Azaghar valley, home to nomads, and the volcanic Saghro massif in the Anti-Atlas: a lunar landscape, the Tizi n'Tagmoute pass, the pink granite obelisks of Bab Ben Ali and the Nkob oasis. The last stage, long and stony, ends with a night in a nomad tent among the small dunes of Nkhila, in the Draa Valley.
You ride as a guided group with the support vehicle close by: it carries water, electrolytes, natural snacks and tools, and every day the team serves lunch along the way. The trip starts and ends in Marrakech, with free time in the medina.
Day by day itinerary
Print this itinerary-
Day 01
Day 1 of 8
Arrival in Marrakech
You make your own way to Marrakech and we transfer you from the airport to your accommodation. The day is free to discover the city; we recommend a bike ride at sunset.
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Day 02
Day 2 of 8
Marrakech - Telouet - Ait Ben Haddou
After breakfast you travel in the support vehicle (an air-conditioned 4x4) towards the Atlas. Before the Tizi n'Tichka pass (2,260 m) there is a stop for tea and photos, and another at the pass itself, where there are stalls selling fossils and minerals. You carry on to the village of Abadou and the kasbah of Telouet.
From there you continue by bike to Anemiter, where you have lunch and the route through the Ounila valley, the old salt route, begins. You pass Berber villages such as Tamdakhte (Imazighen, 'free men', is what they call themselves) until you reach Ait Ben Haddou.
You leave the bikes and cross the Ounila river on foot to visit the kasbah and watch the sunset. Night in a hotel, with free time to rest, have a tea or explore the fortified village before dinner.
Elevation: +246 m / -596 m. Medium technical difficulty. Maximum altitude 1,770 m, minimum 1,305 m.
- Meals
- Full board
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Day 03
Day 3 of 8
Ait Ben Haddou - Ouarzazate - Boumalne Dades
The day starts with a drive to Ouarzazate to visit its old Taourirt kasbah. A short transfer then takes you to the start of the ride.
You cycle through the Azaghar n'Iyghr valley, home to nomads, where you may come across families in their tents. These vast plains lead to the village of Almdoun, where you have lunch. You then switch valleys heading east through Ighrem Aqdim and, on traffic-free tracks, reach Boumalne Dades.
Elevation: +380 m / -520 m. Medium technical difficulty. Maximum altitude 1,917 m, minimum 1,582 m.
- Meals
- Full board
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Day 04
Day 4 of 8
Boumalne Dades - Tagmout - Tifrit
This is the queen stage: a lunar landscape, volcanic terrain that changes completely, leg-sapping rolling sections and encounters with Ait Atta nomads. From your accommodation you drive to the point where the tarmac ends and the route enters the Jebel Saghro massif, in the Anti-Atlas.
Red, black and basalt mountains contrast with the green of the small mountain oases. You climb the Tizi n'Tagmoute pass, the highest point of the trip, and a long descent takes you to the Bab Ben Ali plain, with its pink granite obelisks.
Elevation: +1,026 m / -1,699 m. Moderate technical difficulty. Maximum altitude 1,864 m, minimum 1,030 m.
- Meals
- Full board
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Day 05
Day 5 of 8
Tifrit - Bab n'Ali - Ait Masoud - Nkob
Another very full stage, with little climbing and plenty of descent. A long downhill through the volcanic heart of the Saghro, on a rough track between eroded basalt flows, and at the end about 5 km of well-marked singletrack to the high point of the day: the towers of Bab n'Ali, two rock formations that stay with you.
After crossing plains of volcanic rock, the track leads to Nkob, a quiet village on the edge of the desert, beside a large oasis.
Elevation: +660 m / -610 m. Medium technical difficulty. Maximum altitude 1,580 m, minimum 1,035 m.
- Meals
- Full board
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Day 06
Day 6 of 8
Nkob - Ait Ouazik - Zagora
A hard, long stage over stony ground and rough tracks, though the scenery makes up for it. You leave Nkob heading south towards the desert, through empty country, with a walk to see the rock engravings of Ait Ouazik. The final section, with straights that seem to go on forever, leads to the Zagora road.
Night in a nomad tent, at a camp among the small dunes of Nkhila, in the Draa Valley. This is where the cycling ends.
- Meals
- Full board
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Day 07
Day 7 of 8
Draa Valley - Marrakech
Back to Marrakech through the Draa Valley and its palm groves, crossing the Anti-Atlas and High Atlas mountains. Free time and a night in a riad in the medina.
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Day 08
Day 8 of 8
Marrakech - airport
Transfer to the airport in time for your return flight.
What's included
Included
- Arrival and departure transfers at Marrakech airport
- 2 nights in a riad in Marrakech (first and last) with breakfast
- Full board during the cycling tour
- Lunches
- Cycling guide during the tour (except during the month of Ramadan)
- Support and guide with a 4x4 vehicle
- Mineral water, 3 litres per person per day
- Daily Berber tea break during the cycling tour
Not included
- Travel insurance
- Tips
- Entrance fees to monuments
- Drinks, except water during the cycling tour
Good to know
Key facts
- Format: guided group tour
- Area: southern Atlas, Tinghir and Zagora provinces
- 5 to 7 hours of activity per day
- Distance: 50 to 80 km per day
- Accommodation: hotel or riad and gîte, with one night in a nomad tent
- Transport: private vehicle and 4x4
- Dates: September to April
Support on the route
The support vehicle carries water, electrolytes, natural snacks and a full tool kit to sort out mechanical problems, and every day the team serves lunch along the way.
