Mountain Bike Morocco
Summer
Two exciting routes through the stunning landscapes, lakes, meadows and gorges of Morocco?s High and Middle Atlas mountains.
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8 DAYS HOTELS/LOCAL HOUSE/AUBERGE ? ACROSS NORTH AFRICA?S HIGHEST MOUNTAIN RANGE Itinerary Day 1 Join Marrakech. 2 Drive to El Ksiba, ride into Middle Atlas towards Tiz n? Isly; overnight Ait sidi Hsaine. 3 Cross into High Atlas via lake Tislit to Imilchil. 4 Ride to Melloul Valley over Tizi n?Ouerz pass, to Ait Haddidou. 5 Descend and ride through Dades Gorge to Ait Oudinar. 6 Transfer into High Atlas to Tizi n?Outfi pass (2150m); dramatic descent by bike towards Demnate and Marrakech; drive to Marrakech. 7 At leisure in Marrakech; optional guided city walk. 8 End Marrakech. Accommodation & Meals: 3nts hotel, 2nts local house, 2nts auberge ? basic accommodation with a standard hotel in Marrakech; 7 breakfasts, 5 lunches & 4 dinners included. See p43 & tour dossier for details. Grade & Terrain: Grade C, strenuous ? 215km/5 days (average of 43km/cycling day). Using bus transfers on some days to enable us to maximise use of the best cycling opportunities, this tour is for reasonably fit riders with some off-road mountain biking experience. Over 50% of the cycling is off-road on a mixture of dirt roads and gravel tracks with some long fast descents on surfaces that require both experience and care. The climbs include long ascents over both tarmac and off-road passes, upto 2900m altitude. The total distance of 215km can be extended by a taking advantage of a further 20 optional km of cycling. For bike information please see page 41. Group Size: Approx. 12 to 16. DATES & PRICES in CAD$ per adult 8 days from Marrakech (Sun-Sun) 2009 deps 19 Jul-26 Jul
1290
16 Aug-23 Aug
1390
2010 deps CYCLING Daily distances day 01 day 02 25km day 03 35/20km day 04 55km day 05 50km day 06 50km day 07 day 08 Rest days or optional rides 18 Jul-25 Jul
1450 Single Room Option: CAD$110*
These are guide prices, see p46 for full details
High Atlas Traverse
Atlas plains ? Discover mountain lakes of the Middle Atlas plateau ? Explore remote berber villages & palm-fringed gorges ? Exhilarating High Atlas descent towards Marrakech Marrakech & Middle Atlas This classic cycling tour begins and ends in the vibrant city of Marrakech, with its bustling souks and narrow alleyways, alive with the smells, colour and chaos reminiscent of the heady days of the ?Arabian Nights?. Crossing the Haouz Plain we head into the lands of the ?Lords of the Atlas?, cycling through lands traditionally held by the Zaiane Berbers as we make our way towards the small town of Ait Sidi Hsaine. Climbing next up to the Imilchil lake plateau we visit lakes Tislit and Isli, before negotiating the pass at Tizi n?Ouertz (2900m) and descending towards the fertile landscapes of the Melloul Valley. High Atlas Traverse Ref CMA Middle Atlas & Fes Ref CMB Anti Atlas Adventure (p41) Ref CMC ATLANTIC OCEAN IMMOUZER Dades Valley & High Atlas Crossing desert plateaux we then head for the dramatic fissures of the Dades Gorge, passing Berber settlements and groves of almonds and walnuts as we explore the captivating landscapes and kasbahs of the northern end of the Dades Valley. Driving into the High Atlas, we ascend the Tizi n?Outfi pass (2,150m) before an exhilarating final ride downhill back towards Marrakech through some of North Africa?s most spectacular mountain scenery ? from fortified kasbahs to lush valleys and snowcapped peaks. High Atlas Traverse Ref CMA MOROCCO Beni Mellal El Ksiba Tizi n?Isly AIT SIDI HSAINE MARRAKECH IMILCHIL Optional city tour Demnate AIT HADDIDOU Imi n?Ifri Ighil M?Goun Msemrir 4071m Tizi n?Outfi 2150m Tizi n?Fedrhate 2180m Toufrine AIT OUDINAR Assermo Rbia H I G H Skoura km 0 150 Draa A T L A S Dades Dadès ?Valley of Gorge 1000 Kasbahs? Lake Isli Jebel Sarhro km 0 100 38
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AGADIR Sous Ighrem Tensift TAFRAOUTE Oum Er Rbia MOROCCO MARRAKECH Toubkal Casablanca Southern Slopes of the Mgoun (p41) Ref CMD Talouste M?Goun H I G H A T L A S OUARZAZATE Dadès A N T I A T L A S El Ksiba AIT SIDI HSAINE Skoura LAKE AGUELMAN AZEGZA IMILCHIL Koutoubia Mosque/Peter Crane Dades Gorge/Phil Dade Imouzzer IFRANE FES AGUELMAN SIDI ALI M I D D L E A T L A S TOUNFITE AIT HADDIDOU AIT OUDINAR El Kelaa Mgouna ALGERIA Midelt
