Motorcycle Tour through Morocco: The New Year's Adventure

You arrive in Málaga and meet the Enduro travel group as well as the 4x4 group, who will travel together the next day over the Strait of Gibraltar to Morocco. Málaga was an important gateway to the Arab world in the Middle Ages, during the time of Moorish rule in Andalusia. In the evening, there will be a tour briefing with the guide, and afterwards it's off to the 'cabin'.

With sunrise, we make our way to Algeciras, from where our ferry to Morocco departs. By the afternoon, we have completed the customs process at the port and drive the remaining kilometers on the road to our Kasbah accommodation near Chefchaouen. Chefchaouen, once a defensive fortress against the Portuguese invasion, is now known for its characteristic blue houses, making it also known as the 'blue city'. In the evening, we explore the blue old town and enjoy dinner over the rooftops of Chefchaouen.

After the first morning sun rays greet us at breakfast and we have our last sip of Moroccan coffee, we get on the motorcycles and head south, both on and off-road. We ride to one of the oldest cities in North Africa, the royal city of Fès, with a short stop at the tanners in the Medina (a UNESCO World Heritage site), where we see the artfully handcrafted leather accessories and the work of the tanners before reaching our accommodation in one of the winding streets of the old town.

The oasis city of Zagora, with about 40,000 inhabitants, is a popular stop for tourists and the gateway to the desert. Here we pass by as caravans once did, with trade goods from south to north, following a historical caravan route, and dive into the dunes with our enduros. Sand and Hamada trails will be the adventure and challenge of our days. This is where the round trip around the table mountain Jbel Wadi starts. Rocky and sandy passages alternate until we reach our accommodation in the afternoon.

From Zagora, the route leads back to unsurfaced terrain after a few kilometers of road. The off-road track to Erg Chebbi, the second largest dune area in Morocco, stretches 28 km with dune heights of up to 150 meters. Here, nomads and caravans once stopped while crossing the Sahara. The terrain can get very challenging along the way, and you and your motorcycle will be tested once again. Deep sand tracks, wide plains, and hard rocky passages leave no wishes unfulfilled.

Today is yours to spend as you wish. If you haven't had enough riding yet, you can join us on an exciting enduro tour through the dunes of Erg Chebbi. Alternatively, you can take a hike through the dunes, which also passes traditional Bedouin settlements. You also have the option to explore the charming oasis town of Merzouga or relax in your accommodation for the day.

Early in the morning, we pass the military checkpoint and head towards the dried-up salt lake Lac Iriki. In this region characterized by stony deserts and oases, we encounter various terrains, alternating between hard, stony trails and wide, flat plains at Lac Iriki. A few small dune fields await us a little later in the largest Moroccan dune area Erg Chigaga, where nomads once sought shelter from the African sun behind the dunes. Here, we will take our accommodation nearby before continuing to the Berber village of Mhamid, where we will experience the culture and desert life of the Berbers.

On a new trail, we will make our way to the city of Ouarzazate throughout the day, which was founded during the French colonial period. The city is now a UNESCO World Heritage site and known as a filming location for the Moroccan film industry. Depending on our arrival time, a visit to the film studios where movies such as Gladiator, The Mummy, or Kingdom of Heaven were shot may be possible.

Our enduro motorcycle journey is coming to an end. However, there is one last highlight on the program: the fortified village of Aït-Ben-Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage site that has been used as a film set for over 20 Hollywood productions due to its historic Moroccan adobe architecture. After a short visit to the village, we drive over the Tizi n'Tichka pass through the High Atlas (the highest mountain range in North Africa) to the red city of Marrakech and toast to the concluded enduro adventure upon arriving at the hotel. The evening can be spent at the Jema el Fna (also known as the Juggler's Square) in the Medina. This square is now an intangible cultural heritage of humanity and a vibrant symbol of Moroccan traditions.

We leave Marrakech in the early morning and head towards the marathon stage to the north. This stage is one of the less scenic stages along the Atlantic Ocean. The advantage of this route is that it is warmest during this time of year and we had plenty of time for the previous travel days on the Morocco enduro tour.

The final kilometers in Morocco are in the roadbook. After breakfast, we head into winter on small on- and off-road stages towards Tangier for the ferry. In the late afternoon, we leave Morocco via the Strait of Gibraltar and reach the airport or accommodation in Málaga before sunset.