07 Day Motorcycle Desert Journey From Ouarzazate to Dadès

Arrival at Ouarzazate airport and transfer to the hotel.

Breakfast at 08:10 and departure at 09:10. You will travel 18 km on asphalt before starting the day’s first trail. It will be 82 km before you see asphalt again, giving you plenty of time to get used to the bike and the terrain. The road is winding and undulating, with some stretches of loose rock. You’ll stop on the asphalt to refresh before undertaking another 50 km of hard, fast, but twisty sand. Be wary of the unexpected. After lunch, enjoy a pleasant ride through the desert over low hills before reaching a plateau leading to Foum Zguid and the hotel where you will spend the night. A large swimming pool and a beer await you at the hotel.

It’s a long day in the dunes. You will leave the hotel and travel five kilometers by road to the village of Foum Zguid, where you can refuel before heading into the desert. Initially rocky, you soon reach the dry bed of Iriki Lake. Then, a quick 40 km crossing of the lake will take you to the western side of the Chegaga dunes. For those who wish, there are another 40 km of medium-sized dunes to cover before reaching the bivouac where we will stop for lunch. For those who do not want to venture into the dunes in this first part of the trek, there are 62 km to travel. However, before the lunch stop, there is an 18 km sand bed to cross. After lunch, there will be a quick crossing through the plateau and some small dunes to cross before returning to the asphalt in M'Hamid. Afterward, a six-kilometer ride will take you to a three-star hotel where, as always, a swimming pool and a beer await.

This is a fast travel day along the Algerian border. We will depart at 9:00 and head towards M'Hamid, where we will refuel. From there, you will return to the small dunes and sandy riverbeds and drive 40 km north to the village of Tazzarine. Refuel and hit the road again through palm groves along the banks of the Draa. Back in the desert, expect to be stopped by Moroccan military at least twice, as the border with Algeria is not far and has once again become a sensitive area. Later you will find the fast and beautiful desert tracks that once hosted the Paris-Dakar rally. You will stop to see the site of the crash of South African Elmer Simons, who died here in 2007 while participating in the rally. The crash site is marked by a large pile of stones. A waypoint on your GPS will remind you to be cautious on the fast desert roads. We will have lunch at the Desert Lodge on Mader Lake, a large dry soda lake. This foreign establishment, which only serves Portuguese food, will be a welcome change from couscous and tagine. From here, 60 kilometers of sand and fesh-fesh separate you from the Desert Camp, situated next to medium-sized dunes. You will climb a 60-meter dune and toast to the sunset before enjoying a sumptuous dinner and listening to local drummers, seated around a campfire.

This fifth day will be short, as you make the most of your time in the large "cathedral" dunes of Erg Chebbi. After breakfast, you will leave the bivouac at 9:10 and head to the tallest dunes in Morocco, Erg Chebbi. There are over 20 cathedral dunes over 100 meters high, the tallest of which is 152 meters above the plateau. Those who dare can climb them all. The road from the bivouac to the dunes crosses an open plain with numerous acacias. The terrain resembles East Africa; the only thing missing are giraffes grazing on the trees. There will be sandy and rocky stretches along the few hours of fast driving. Upon arrival at the hotel, you will have a coffee and settle into your room before heading out to the sand. Return to the hotel for lunch. After lunch, relax by the hotel pool until 16:15. Then you will return to the dunes until sunset. Enjoy a beer and watch the sunset from one of the highest dunes.

This will be the longest day, with fast stretches in the desert and slow stretches in the mountains as you cross the Jbel Sagro range. As usual, you will leave the hotel at 9:00. The first 50 kilometers will be the same as the last 50 kilometers of yesterday’s route. From now until the lunch break, the itinerary will be very varied, taking you on entirely new trails for you. There will be everything from a very challenging 11 km stretch that will try to cross the Geris River to long and fast stretches on the numerous open plateaus in the region. In many places, the sand rises from the hills, leading to long and impressive dune ascents that you can explore. We will have lunch at a small local inn in a desert village, where we will taste the best beef tagine in Morocco. After lunch, you will cool off and embark on some of the region’s most popular itineraries: numerous hard sand trails, an unforgettable 14 km sand bed, and the picturesque Djbel Sagro mountain range. In the evening, your hotel features a rooftop pool with a heated jacuzzi. Finish the day with a sumptuous buffet dinner.

After breakfast, refresh yourself and head west through the Dades Gorge, following the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. Fast stretches interspersed with rocky paths through large gorges and ravines lead to a plateau. A picnic lunch awaits you on the plateau. A sinuous sandy bed and another 20 km of fast tracks on a flat plateau will take you back to Ouarzazate and the hotel where you spent your first night.

On the eighth day, you will be transferred to the Ouarzazate airport.