Cycle Morocco's Great South

Our Clients’ Reviews

Here at Exodus we thrive on feedback from our customers. It's the only way we can ensure our trips continue to be the best they can be. So, for the real tales, twists and turns of the trip you're interested in, look no further than the reviews from our previous travellers. Any feedback collected (Good or bad) from Exodus clients is posted straight onto our website - totally unedited. Read more...

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  justin brownen

  CYCLE MOROCCO'S GREAT SOUTH

  

  Written November 2011

  Overrall a well run and efficiently organised trip. Experience of cycling and/or good level of fitness is a must as some of the climbs and descents ar not or the faint hearted  

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  On the fourth day of cycling when thinking there was no gas left in the tank by mid afternnon  being encouraged by the leader to carry on and experience what was further on up the road on bike rather than in support vehicle. Gave greater sense of achievement once finished

  What did you think of your group leader?

  Excellent leader. Organised, efficient and didnt bulls**t you if there were changes to plan. Always kept group informed and provided the encouragement to keep going when necessary. Ensured health and safety adhered to by all and  definitely made trip more enjoyable. 

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  Dont go unless you have a decent standard of fitness for your own enjoyment's sake and that of the group. It would help to have some bike experience too

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  The 'free day' should be spent in Essouira and not Maarrakech. It is infinitely better place to relax and wander around than Marrakech. The beach is nearby and its an added bonus of course. To make the trip more attractive this has to be considered by Exodus planners .

   
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  robert howe

  CYCLE MOROCCO'S GREAT SOUTH

  

  Written November 2011

  I was going to give this trip 4 stars but to be honest I couldn't think of any reason why it doesn't deserve 5 stars as it was an amazing holiday. This was my first holiday of this type and it really was ace, I was lucky enough to be there with 7 other guests that were pretty awesome, we all got on pretty well and had a bit of friendly banter between us all. I basiically put this down as a holiday of a lifetime and I will be doing more exodus trips based on how much fun I had on this one.  

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  On day 2 we had a 26 kilometer climb followed by a 30 kilometer decent, tbh I was a bit worried about the climb as I had never done anything like that before, I didn't need to be worried, the way I felt standing next to the tizi n test pass sign is unexplainable, a true highlight of my life so far, and the realization that I am cabable of that was off the chart. This is just one inspirational moment, there were lots. :)

  What did you think of your group leader?

  Our group leader, Ritchie was ace, he loves cycling and bikes so this wasn't just a job to him, he was very passionate about cycling, would spend his lunch breaks doing running repairs to keep the bikes in ship shape condition. He was also very good at inspiring you to get the best out of yourself, if you were happy taking in the scenery, he would leave you to it but if you like to push yourself out of your comfort zone and work on your technique and fitness he would see this and give you endless hints and tips and get you to challenge yourself. he even had a few of us having a little drafting race with each other that left us all buzzing like never before :) I would also like to add that we met the atlas decent leader Liz one night and her enthusiasm matched Ritchie's, it is very clear these guys just love what they do.

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  I would say just do it. I took my own shoes and pedals but don't feel this is necessary, it was my personal preference but plenty of people did it with trainers just the same. There's not to much I can say about the required fitness for the trip, it is a cycling holiday after all but peice of mind can be had with the knowledge that you can sit in a backup vehicle any time, but, and this is a big but, the fitter you are then you are more likely to get to the checkpoint first which gives you the first choice of the ace Moroccan chocolate bars.

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  I agree with the other reviews about making Essauira the rest day, this is an intriguing walled city with alot of character, it's a bit off the standard tourist trail so it's a more unusual place to say you have stayed. (I loved the hotel here) It also has great waves and loads of watersports available at local hire, a couple of us did some body boarding there. I have to mention the 2 back up vehicle drivers, those guys were great, they were responsible for lunch, which was very tasty. They would also go out of there way to help you any way they could, from helping with bags to topping up water bottles. They both deserve alot more credit than I can put into words.

   
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  Paul Brennan

  Cycle Morocco's Great South

  

  Written November 2011

  Beautiful Atlas mountain scenary. Hard cycling ascents rewarded with exhilarating descents. Comfortable Riads. Tajine. Tajine. Tajine. Beer.  

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  Day three and an ascent up to Tizi n'Test Pass at 2100m. A seemingly never-ending series of switchback climbs to our goal. Hard work at the challenging end of the 'moderate to challenging' trip tag. It was worth it though, views over the anti-atlas mountains and across a stunning decent that literally went on for miles with barely a car in sight. All topped off by an evening in a luxourious Riad complete with swimming pool and peacocks.

  What did you think of your group leader?

  The group leader, Richard, was a key part of the success of the trip. He clearly identified goals for each stage of the cycle and personally ensured that eveyone excelled their expectations as to how hard they could push themselves cycling enjoyably.  This ensured everyone could get through the trip and that the group remained cohesive.

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  Don't put your inside peddle down when you go around a fast corner.

  What goes down must go up. 

  Taking your own cleats for the bikes certainly helps. 

   

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  There can't be a more fun way to see the mountains than on a bike. It was a lot less scary on the bikes than in the support vans!

   
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  Michelle Grocock

  CYCLE MOROCCO'S GREAT SOUTH

  

  Written October 2011

  A well organised and enjoyable trip for cyclists with a good base level of fitness.  

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  Some of the descents were awesome, but I also enjoyed the challenge of some of the climbs and the sense of achievement

  What did you think of your group leader?

  I thought Richie was a very good group leader - he was very professional and took things like health and safety and bike maintenance seriously but at the same time he was good fun and always upbeat and encouraging. 

   

  He had good local knowledge and was always keen to share tips to help the group improve their cycling.

   

  He was very organised so we always knew exactly what was happening each day, what time we had to meet and where etc so the trip ran very smoothly.

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  It’s a holiday and not the Tour de France, but you definitely do need a good base level of fitness to complete this trip as there are several climbs.  Being confident that you can control a bike is also important as there are some fast descents with sharp corners. You don't have to be an expert cyclist to enjoy this trip but for your own enjoyment and that of others on the trip I would definitely advise doing some training for this trip and make sure you are realistically fit enough to cycle 70km per day for 6 days otherwise you might struggle or hold other people in the group back.

  Overall I would say the trip is most suitable for intermediate level cyclists, ie those who cycle a bit at home but are not too serious about it.  I think beginners might struggle (unless they are very fit and confident, in which case they would be ok) and advanced cyclists might find the pace of the group too slow (although they could still enjoy the trip as a relaxing way to explore a new country)

   

  Take some warm clothes as its cold in the mountains, especially at night.

  If you want to read at night, take a torch as most of the hotels you stay in don't have very powerful lights and its hard to read.

  The hotel in Marrakech is quite noisy so take ear plugs!

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  The free day (ie day off cycling) should be spent in Essaouira not Marrakech, because it is a much more relaxing place than Marrakech and also there is the beach which people can relax on if the weather is good or go surfing or do other water sports.   People will probably have time to explore Marrakech a bit on their arrival or departure day. Exodus should definitely have the free day in Essaouira.

   

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