Atlas Bike Adventure – 4 Day Tour

This bike adventure takes place in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco, just a short drive from the vibrant city of Marrakech. The High Atlas Mountains are a spectacular setting for a mountain biking trip with hundreds of miles of dusty singletrack just waiting to be explored. With many years of experience guiding in the region, your local hosts can help you explore this region’s hidden riding potential.

The scenery makes for an impressive backdrop to your journey. The rugged and remote terrain has resisted the pressured of the modern world and feels like a window into a bygone era. Dramatic valleys offer vivid contrasts with the lush green irrigated fields along the valley bottom set against the barren rocky scree slopes that lead up to the snow-capped peaks.

The area is dotted with the villages and towns of the Berber people; their characteristic stone houses nestled picturesquely into steep hillsides. This region of Morocco remained isolated until the early 20th century and for a long time the fiercely independent local people resisted French colonisation. To this day the Berber people retain a strong sense of their unique identity and operate in many ways independently of the Moroccan government. The regions rich cultural heritage makes it the perfect destination for an adventure.

Day 1: Marrakech to Imlil
Meet with the guide at 09:00 and depart to the foothills of the High Atlas to Lake Lalla Takerkoust. We ascend to the village of Taghenchoute. Then a good climb takes us to the plateau of Kik, with superb view of the High Atlas Mountains and Mount Toubkal, also known as the rooftop of North Africa. Over the course of the seasons, the landscapes of the plateau are transformed: ochre when farmers plough the land with their mules, brown to white in winter with the snowy peaks of the Atlas then green and red in the spring, when barley fields are dotted with poppies. Finally, the yellow in summer signals time for harvest. After this beautiful ride through terraced gardens and adobe villages, the track quickly ascends and then descends again to the village of Asni, where we pick up a transfer to Imlil, the main town of the Atlas.
Dinner and overnight at Berber guesthouse.

Day 2: Imenan valley Loop
After a delicious, local breakfast, we will begin our ride with a challenging climb to the mountain pass of Tizi n’Tamatertat, which reaches 2230m. From the top, you will enjoy dramatic views of the majestic High Atlas summits including Mount Toubkal, and the villages below which scatter the mountainsides. After a comfortable downhill, we will stop at the traditional village of Ouanskra, we will follow a dirt track which snakes it way down the lush valley. The track is awesome, over hanging the deep valley with its green terraces and beehive like villages clinging to the dry mountain hillsides. Our ride is punctuated by the kids are always amazed to see visitors on MTBS. We will arrive at Asni once more, which marks the end of our ride, which means a delicious, locally cooked meal and bed in a traditional Berber house.

After breakfast, we drive back to Asni Valley and start with a short flat section before testing our physical abilities on a long, challenging climb to Tademamt, a pass located at 1,800m. As we climb, there are enjoy magnificent views of the Haouz Plain, contrasting with the imposing Atlas peaks just above us. In the afternoon, we take a beautiful route overlooking Ourika Valley. Overnight at a Berber house surrounded by gardens and terraced crops.

Day 4: Ourika valley to Marrakech
For our last day of the tour, we limb up to the Timenkar Plateau. We start by cycling along mountain trails through Berber villages, up to an elevation of 2,450m, worth it for the High Atlas peaks. A beautiful descent overlooking Ourika Valley leads to Setti Fatma, where our cycling comes to an end. Transfer to Marrakech.

Note: This itinerary and the duration of the activities are subject to change due to group abilities and preferences, and weather conditions and forecasts.