Atlas to desert mountain bike holiday, Morocco

This superb mountain bike holiday to the Atlas Mountains of Morocco suitable for mid-level mountain bikers. Morocco is a land of big skies and stark mountain ranges where mud-brick kasbahs appear to rise up out of the desert, sitting in tranquil palm oases and framed by dramatic backdrops of snowcapped mountains. We ride along Morocco’s dirt roads, taking us from Marrakech to the Tichka Pass, the highest in the High Atlas, and then southward, descending along the Draa Valley to the fringes of the Sahara Desert.

The riding is on non-technical hard-pack trails, which are normally in a good condition although they can be rough, covering, on average, about 50km per day. En route we pass through numerous traditional villages, on the way visiting the ancient kasbah of Ait Benhaddou and making plenty of mint tea stops to experience close-up the legendary hospitality that has risen up from the remote outposts of the desert. To keep things varied, we use different styles of accommodation en route, from cosy auberges, traditional family homes, camping under the stars to three-star hotels with pool. In the evening we have the chance to sample Morocco’s cuisine, whilst lunches are normally taken picnic-style, usually in beautifully remote places.