Morocco is a rustic which accurately has all of it, it gives towering mountain ranges coated in snow, rivers flowing by deep canyons, paradise white sand seashores, the vastness of the Sahara Desert, and most significantly of all, it’s all linked collectively by a few of the most wonderful roads on this planet. The right mixture for an journey motorcycle journey in Morocco!
4 Day Journey Bike Journey in Morocco
That is so vital as a result of Morocco is the place we selected to rekindle our love of motorbike journey. After we first met in Laos again in Could 2013, over three years in the past, I used to be on a bike journey with my greatest good friend from house, so I invited Kach to exit for the day with me into the mountains round Luang Prabang. That day of cruising across the mountains, stopping at view factors alongside the best way grew to become our first date and the primary of many motorcycle adventures we had collectively throughout Laos and northern Vietnam.
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4 Day Journey Bike Journey in Morocco
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We continued travelling by motorcycle in India with an previous Royal Enfield, exploring the seashores and countryside of south India. After this although, we moved to South America the place the rules of proudly owning and driving a bike are rather a lot stricter, so we fell away from bike journey for fairly some time – 2 entire years the truth is! After we had the chance to return to Morocco, we knew that this was the proper second to get again onto a bike on a few of the greatest environments and roads for bike journey on this planet!
The subsequent step in our plans was to search out out the easiest way to do bike journey in Morocco. As we didn’t have our personal bike and we knew nothing of the routes and roads in Morocco both. We had a glance on-line and whereas there have been fairly a couple of bike rental corporations in Morocco, however there was just one Official BMW Motorrad Accomplice – Palm Street. To be an Official companion of BMW Motorrad means complying with a really strict set of operational tips, security and naturally high quality and upkeep. This ensures the best ranges of high quality and security within the bikes and gear. As nicely being an official companion, the proprietor of Palm Street, Reda Jabri, can be a BMW Motorrad Licensed Tour Information, which implies he has accomplished a sequence of knowledgeable coaching programs on the BMW Motorrad coaching middle in Germany. Reda has been driving and providing excursions in Morocco for a few years and you’ll learn extra about him right here – Reda Jabri – Motorbikes and Mountains in Morocco!
For our first time driving in over two years, our first time driving something just like the BMW and our first time driving in Morocco, Palm Street appeared like the proper alternative for our bike journey in Morocco!
Though I had by no means ridden a BMW motorcycle earlier than, bike journey movies like ‘The Bike Diaries’ and Ewan Mcgregor’s ‘Lengthy Method Spherical’ and ‘Lengthy Method Down’ gave me the bug for journey bike driving lengthy earlier than I ever had my license.
Reda had a alternative of BMW’s on provide at Palm Street; the enduring BMW journey motorcycle, the BMW 1200 GS; the powerful center weight BMW F800 GS – and the agile BMW F700 GS. These are all wonderful journey bikes in their very own ceremony, however after two years of not driving I made my alternative in keeping with which bike allowed me to place my ft flat on the bottom – the smaller BMW F700 GS! The F700 GS felt like the proper bike immediately, sufficient dimension and energy to deal with itself on the open roads, but mild and agile sufficient to simply manoeuvre over any tough terrain.
4 Day Journey Bike Journey in Morocco
Subsequent up was to resolve on our route, I met up with Reda in a Marrakech café to debate the very best path to take, in order that we may expertise the very best that Morocco has to supply. Palm Street gives three normal guided tour routes, all of which mix totally different points of Morocco’s contrasting landscapes and intriguing cultures. Because the time we had was a bit shorter than the 7 days of his shortest route, Reda got here up with a personalized tour.
Day 1 – Marrakech – Tichka – Ouarzazate – Agdez (270 Km) – Crossing the Atlas Mountains
Day 2 – Agdez – Zagora – M’hamid (200 Km) – Via the Draa Valley
Day 3 – M’hamid – Zagora – Ouarzazate – Ait Ben Haddou (280 Km) – Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou
Day 4 – Ait Ben Haddou – Telouet – Tichka – Marrakech (200km) – The wonderful experience house
With no distances better than 280 km in any someday, we’d by no means be driving for greater than 4 hours and with loads of breaks and viewpoints an-route.
4 Day Journey Bike Journey in Morocco – Certainly one of many unimaginable views
DAY 1 – Marrakech – Tichka – Ouarzazate – Agdez (270 Km)
On the primary day, we began from Marrakesh, navigating the busy roads of the town till the site visitors step by step pale away and the flat straight highway began morphing right into a serpentine black ribbon wrapped round mountain slopes. These winding roads took us excessive into the Atlas Mountains the place the wind grew stronger and colder and driving the motorcycle began to turn into extra of a problem.
4 Day Journey Bike Journey in Morocco – Final cease earlier than the toughest a part of the route
We stopped for espresso at a restaurant with a panoramic mountain view to relaxation and put together for the hardest a part of the day’s driving – the Tichka Go. There was already a smattering of snow throughout the terraced slopes and there was extra to return as we headed larger in direction of the snow-covered peaks we may see within the distance.
What got here subsequent was truthfully the most-challenging experience of my life thus far – the under freezing temperatures, gale-force gusts of wind, snow and icy mud – all creating situations that have been a large step up from something I had ridden by earlier than. It was a tense experience, however reaching the highest of the go made all of it worthwhile, regardless of being an virtually whole whiteout.
As we descended again down the opposite facet of the Atlas Mountain vary, I noticed how a lot I had taken easy, dry, grippy tarmac roads as a right as we received again to swinging the bikes easily by the corners whereas the snow melted away once more to disclose the rocks and sand of the desert lowlands.
4 Day Journey Bike Journey in Morocco – Restoration cease after the difficult Tichka Go
After lunch in Ouarzazate we continued to the traditional city of Agdez, the place we spent the night time at DAR QAMAR STE ASLIM MOBILIER, a phenomenal boutique lodge positioned within the coronary heart of the previous village.
Try our full evaluate of Dar Qamar Ste Aslim Mobilier, a real hidden gem of a lodge in Agdez.
4 Day Journey Bike Journey in Morocco – Dar Qamar Ste Aslim Mobilier
DAY 2 – Agdez – Zagora – M’hamid (200 Km)
Day 2 – Agdez – Zagora – M’hamid (200 Km)
The subsequent day we rode one other 200 km’s on twisting, curving roads, by Zagora and onwards to M’hamid, also called the top of the world, the place the highway ends and the desert begins. From right here we travelled by 4×4 into the desert with Sahara Expertise, to spend the night time in a luxurious desert camp and even experience camels by the beautiful sand dunes at sundown.
4 Day Journey Bike Journey in Morocco
This experience could be probably the most spectacular, as we entered Draa Valley with its carpet of Palm Timber, driving by the twisting roads of the valley with a renewed confidence after two years with none driving in any respect. The BMW F700GS was the proper motorcycle for these roads; large enough to be well-balanced and succesful with rider and pillion, highly effective sufficient to go a number of automobiles safely between corners, but nimble and agile sufficient to carve up the turns with not more than slight shift within the hips. The F700GS shouldn’t be neglected in favour of its greater, extra well-liked brothers, it’s an ideal touring motorcycle in its personal proper.
On the ultimate stretch of the experience to M’Hamid, we handed by the city of Zagora after which out into the dusty, dry warmth of the desert. The distinction to the day prior to this’s driving couldn’t have been better; the new air blasting up by the helmet, which changed the icy air and drifting snow of the day earlier than turned to spirals of sand whipped up by the desert wind. The nearer we received to our vacation spot, the extra the superbly easy Moroccan tarmac began to crumble and slender on the edges, till we reached M’Hamid, known as the top of the world, the place the highway merely stopped altogether and the desert took its place.
4 Day Journey Bike Journey in Morocco
Because the highway ended and the desert started we rode into the towered entrance of Lodge Kasbah of Sahara Expertise, the place we’d relaxation for lunch and put together for the journey into the desert, swapping two wheels for 4 with an skilled native Berber to navigate us safely by the continually shifting sand dunes. With our heads coated with conventional Berber blue desert head put on, we drove for nearly two hours by the desert, stopping alongside the best way to go to a nomadic household dwelling in a desert tent, surrounded solely by rocks, sand and the few animals they saved.
4 Day Journey Bike Journey in Morocco
Our ultimate cease for the night time was a desert camp in a big hole between sand dunes. To search out it there in any respect was an entire shock, utterly hidden by the towering sand on all sides. The luxurious desert camp was made up of ten or extra white tents, about ten ft tall by ten ft huge. Inside we have been amazed to discover a snug double mattress, electrical factors and lights, even a completely functioning rest room with working scorching water!
4 Day Journey Bike Journey in Morocco
Because the solar began to set, a person arrived with three camels to take us on a sundown camel trek by the desert. The camels groaned in noisy protest as they kneeled for us to clamber onto their backs. As we rode a brief distance from the camp, it grew to become apparent how simply individuals may get misplaced within the desert, as inside minutes the camp was out of sight and each dune appeared the identical as the following. Solely our native information actually knew the place we have been. As we headed again in direction of the camp, the solar fell slowly into the sand.
That night we sat right down to a house cooked Moroccan dinner of lamb tagine and couscous, earlier than transferring to the massive campfire outdoors, the place there was no noise to disturb the peace and stillness of the desert and no mild however the fireplace, permitting each star to shine clearly in opposition to the black sky.
Learn all about our luxurious desert tenting with Sahara Expertise.
The desert is such an integral a part of Moroccan life, historical past and tradition. Actually, it would even be doable to say you can be taught extra about Morocco from one night time within the desert, than from per week in Marrakech.
DAY 3 – M’hamid – Zagora – Ouarzazate – Ait Ben Haddou (280 Km)
Early the following morning, we had a lightweight breakfast and jumped again into the 4 wheel drive to go again to M’Hamid, again to our bikes and again to the highway, to bathe and alter within the Lodge Kasbah prepared for the primary leg of our return journey to Marrakech.
4 Day Journey Bike Journey in Morocco
Leaving the desert behind, we rode again by Zagora and Ouarzazate, to the city of Ait Ben Haddou, the place we spent the night time within the luxurious Riad Ksar Ighnda, a palatial luxurious lodge constructed into the ruins of the previous city, or the Ksar. The Ksar of Ait Ben Haddou is a conventional pre-Saharan settlement, made up of earthen buildings packed collectively inside defensive partitions and bolstered by towers within the corners.
4 Day Journey Bike Journey in Morocco
Using as much as the gates of Ksar Ighnda felt like approaching a fortress, with excessive partitions, towers and tall wood doorways. Our rooms have been positioned on the roof prime the place a community of interconnecting roof terraces gave unimaginable views throughout the encircling panorama, a carpet of lush inexperienced vegetation and palm timber filling the small valley. Within the interior courtyard was a big, cooling pool shaded by foliage and native timber. After exploring the varied overlapping ranges and shapes of the lodge itself, we headed for the hamman to soak out the mud after the exhilarating experience again from the desert.
Learn our full evaluate of the Riad Ksar Ighnda in Ait Ben Haddou.
4 Day Journey Bike Journey in Morocco
DAY 4 – Ait Ben Haddou – Telouet – Tichka – Marrakech
The ultimate day of our bike journey would take us all the best way again from Ait Ben Haddhou, over the Atlas Mountains by the Tishka Go and all the best way again to Marrakech. The wonderful factor about this route is that although we have been driving the identical manner we had come from, each nook and each view is a completely distinctive expertise when driving in the other way!
As we climbed again as much as the highest of the Tishka Go, a lot of the snow had melted away and the gale drive winds of the earlier days had disappeared making it a a lot simpler and nice experience.
4 Day Journey Bike Journey in Morocco
This final leg of the experience was an opportunity to replicate on the entire journey of the previous few days; the way it was doable to expertise a bustling metropolis, a snow-covered mountain go, a palm-filled valley, rocky plains and the endless vastness of the Sahara Desert, all in simply a number of days. To say my driving had improved could be an understatement. The problem of a much bigger bike, snow and dust, and a continuing stream of tight mountain bends, all mixed with the watchful eye and knowledgeable recommendation from Reda, growing my expertise and confidence on the bike.
This was our first time again on the motorcycle collectively in two years and it was a really unimaginable to expertise first-hand what retains luring journey bikers right here from all around the world, 12 months after 12 months.
We rode all the best way from Ait Ben Haddou again to Marrakesh, again over the Atlas Mountains by the Tichka Go, stopping to soak up the wonderful surroundings alongside the best way, ending our day at Marrakech Riad Cinnamon.
4 Day Journey Bike Journey in Morocco
It felt wonderful to be again on two wheels once more, particularly such an incredible bike (the BMW F700GS) and being guided by the very best routes by Reda. We have been formally again on two wheels, with many extra motorcycle adventures but to return!
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