Day 2 • Marrakesh – Ghessat – Toundout You will be met by your guide and driver(s) at your hotel and head south towards the High Atlas Mountains. After the little city of Demnat, you will visit the amazing natural bridge of Imi n’Ifri. You will then carry on through the outstanding landscapes of the Berber Valleys. After the Tizi n’Fedghat Pass (2250m), the road snakes down to the southern side of the Atlas to reach the village of Ghessat where your mtb adventure will start. After bike preparation we ride east on a nice track, the terrain is undulating with short ups and downs, all what we need for a gentle start.  Overnight in a gite near Toundout.

Transfer by road:210km / Ride distance: 32km / Altitude Gain, Loss: +520m ,  -480m/ Minimum Altitude: 1490m, Max 1700m / Physical difficulty:easy

Day 3 • Toundout – Boutghrar (Dades Valley) After a hearty breakfast our day starts on a flat stretch before we bike up a beautiful valley. A short climb will then lead us to heights of the Ait Zaghar Plateau, here many nomad families graze their herds during the winter time from October to May under the watchful eye of Mount Mgoun (4068m). We will traverse few Berber villages with lush terraces before reach the superb gorges n’Qati. This is the most technical part of the day crossing the river bed many times on a singletrack (if not too much water) and you will certainly need a good balance to ride it, the scenery is jaw dropping. We get out of the canyons to discover an amazing green valley of Agouti with its roses fields and towering Kasbahs. Our day ride ends at Boutaghrar where we spend the night in a gite in the old part of the village.

Ride distance: 70km / Altitude Gain, Loss: +800m ,  -660m/ Minimum Altitude: 1450m, Max 1900m / Physical difficulty:medium/

Day 4 •Boutaghrar – Saghro Mountains Today stage starts with a first climb to enjoy the superb view on the Mgoun Valley and the snow-capped Atlas Mountains. We will then traverse a vast desert dry plateau before we bike along the left bank of the Dades Valley, this area is famous for rose agriculture used for perfumes and cosmetics. We will leave the lush fields and Kasbahs behind us and approach the foothills of the Djebel Saghro. A challenging and long climb through this amazing volcanic range will lead us to the top of Taglout pass at 1860m. After a deserved pause few km downhill to join our gite in the middle of nowhere!.

Ride distance: 75km / Altitude Gain, Loss: +1140m ,  -960m/ Minimum Altitude: 1370m, Max 1860m / Physical difficulty:medium/

Day 5 • Djebel Saghro – Draa Valley A Superb day biking a cross the Djebel Saghro, winding through canyons and picturesque pitons. We start our stage with a steep climb to reach the first col, then we will ride west across a succession of small cols. The scenery is just amazing across volcanic chaos. But even so dry and mineral this area is the territory of the Ait Atta nomad tribe who still perpetuate their secular nomadic way of life, we will certainly meet few nomad tented camps on our way. At the highest point of the day, we will enjoy unforgettable views of the southern face of the Djebel Saghro extending far south towards Sahara. For the end of the day, we will ride a superb piste downhill to reach the legendary and amazingly green Draa Valley. At the end of the day, we will have a short transfer to Zagora where we spend the night in a small hotel.

Ride distance: 62km / Altitude Gain, Loss: +820m ,  -1700m/ Minimum Altitude: 800m, Max 1960m / Physical difficulty:medium/

Day 6 • Draa Valley Today, we bike along the legendary Draa Valley. The Draa Valley used to be the longest river in Morocco! It has been for centuries on the mains caravan trade routes linking the sub Saharan countries and the North of Morocco. All long the day we will cross authentic villages with towering Kasbahs and superb palm groves, a good opportunity to encounter the welcoming populations of the oases. Overnight at the village of Nessrate in the middle of the oases.

Ride distance: 75km / Altitude Gain, Loss: +360m ,  -480m/ Minimum Altitude: 600m, Max 700m / Physical difficulty:medium/

Day 7 •Ait Isful – Chigaga Dunes – Foum Zguid For our last day ride, we will enjoy a mix of 4×4 sightseeing & biking. We will leave Nessrate and drive south towards the village of Mhamid and the desert pistes to reach the amazing Chigaga Dunes deep in the Sahara desert. We will spend climbing the high dunes and enjoy the superb landscapes of the desert. We will then carry on our expedition cross the sandy river bed and the dry lake of Iriqui (an optional 25 km ride is possible depend on the timing). After Mdawer Kebir, we reach the luxury of a tarmac road at Foum Zguid where we spend the night in a nice auberge Bab Rimal

Ride distance: 25km / 4×4 Drive distance 240 km -Altitude Gain, Loss: +000m ,  -000m/ Minimum Altitude: 350, Max 350 / Physical difficulty:easy

Day 8 •Foum Zguid – Marrakesh An early morning wake up to start a long day drive back to Marrakesh.. We will leave the desert and drive up north via Taznakht and cross the Atlas Mountains via the Tishka Pass. We reach Marrakesh late in the afternoon. The night is spent in a 3* hotel hotel on BB  basis (Dinner is not included but your guide will suggest a good restaurant).

4×4 Drive distance 310 km

Day 9 • Marrakesh Airport Depend on your flight schedule, a transfer is arranged from your hotel.

http://www.lestroispalmiers.com/

Day 9 Return flight