This week-end we concluded another tour through the Atlas and the desert. The Atlas and Desert Tour is the most popular choice of our clients for a reason. Unlike the usual Morocco motorcycle tours that take riders across the country on well travelled roads and popular tourist destinations, this six-days tour combines twisty roads with a fair bit of off-road riding to take our customers through less travelled paths of the country and provide a maximum joy as well as a lifetime experience. We had a mixed group of riders from Hungary and Australia and they thoroughly enjoyed the various challenges the daily stages threw at them.
Riding through the cedar forests
The first two days took us through the small roads and dirt tracks to the cedar forests of the region near Azrou and then through the winding roads of the Moyen Atlas to an overnight camp in the sand dunes of the Sahara.
Small roads in the Atlas
Waiting for the sunrise
We then tackled the smaller roads and dirt tracks of the desert to head West and then North towards the famous valleys of Todra and Dades. Despite being early November the weather was very pleasant as usual in Morocco. Colder nights were followed by daily temperatures in the mid 20s (not Fahrenheit…) which made for a confortable ride. The desert “pistes” were dry and dusty so the evening shower was a daily routine everyone enjoyed.
Doing what we love
Time for a walk
Desert ride
Posing for a picture
Towards the Gorge du Todra
Having spent the night in the Dades valley we started our day by climbing the couple of switchbacks on the most photographed route of Morocco. After a short pause for the obvious pictures we headed back towards Ouarzazate and the lake Mansour. Once at our hotel we left the boxes and took an afternoon trip towards the Fint oasis for some further off-road practice that included some smaller river crossings.
The Dades valley
Group riding
Towards Fint
Splash
The oasis
Cheese
Day 5 provided more challenges and a great adventure as we set off to cross the Atlas through the smaller and less frequented roads. The constant rain of the last couple of days ensured we rode through some challenging terrain. The group tackled the various obstacles with joy and ease while some enjoyed getting dirty as kids while crossing the different muddy patches. After all they say you have to make sure that from all the paths you take in life, some are dirt. We arrived to our hotel in Ouzoud just before dark with big smiles on our faces. Surprisingly, there were no late night parties as all members of the group drifted off to sleep rather early.
Starting the climb
Corners were often tricky
No dirt no glory
No cafes to stop…
Happy faces
Mud bath
The last day we headed back to our HQ in Casablanca. We started the day with some smaller roads that provide plenty of opportunities to test the rubber in the many twists and turns. We then reached the planes below the Atlas and headed home through the smaller roads to get a last glimpse of the traffic in Morocco.
Smaller roads provide some joy to the riders
Switchbacks
Alone
Race face