The Exodus feedback form asks whether any aspect of the trip was disappointing, Aside from... Patrick Walker, 2016 See more reviews
Itinerary Include flights Expand all Day 1 Fly to Marrakech; transfer to hotel. Our start hotel is situated just out of the centre of Marrakech. The hotel staff can arrange a taxi into the centre if you wish to visit the famous Jemaa el-Fnaa and souks and can even organise a guided tour on request. In the evening we will have a group meal and tour briefing. Amani Hotel or similar – Marrakech Meals included: Dinner Day 2 Transfer to Outghal; cycle a long switchback climb before descending to Ijoukak. After breakfast in Marrakech we have a short transfer away from the busy roads and start cycling in the small town of Outghal. From here we gradually climb through the foot hills of Mount Toubkal before a long descent into the Asni Valley. We follow the river through the valley before arriving at our hotel in Ijoukak.Tigmi N Tmazirt or similar – Iljoukak Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 3 Ride from the hotel over the fantastic Tizi n Test climb (2092m). through the Souss Valley to Oulad Berhil. Today we continue to follow the river down the Asni Valley before turning on to the challenging climb over the Tizi n Test Col. This is a great climb gaining 1000m of altitude all the way up to the col at 2092m above sea level. The views from the top are amazing, and the descent is even better! Our ride ends in Oulad Berhil where we stay in a traditional riad. Raid Hida or similar - Oulad Berhil Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 4 Short transfer to Irherm; undulating days ride before a long climb and 20km descent into Tafroute. In the morning we leave the High Atlas and transfer over the Souss Plain into the Anti Atlas Mountains. We will start riding from the small town of Irherm, from here it is an undulating days ride which is spent mostly up at around 1600m altitude until we start a fantastic 20km descent down into Tafraoute. Our accommodation tonight is in a fantastic old building with a well-stocked bar and a swimming pool with great views over the Anti Atlas Mountains. Hotel Les Ammandiers or similar – Tafraoute Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 5 Ride from the hotel; 20km climb over Tizi n Mill before an undulating ride and long descent to Ait Baha; transfer to Agadir. Today’s ride is probably the toughest of the week. We leave our hotel and head straight into the mountains for a fantastic climb over Tizi n Mill. From here we have 50km of undulating terrain culminating in a 50km downhill switchback road all the way to Ait Baha. From Ait Baha we transfer to the seaside town of Agadir where we spend the night. Our hotel is just a short walk from the beach allowing you to go for a swim in the afternoon. Hotel Aferni or similar – Agadir Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 6 A hilly ride out of Agadir and through the Paradise Valley before a final climb up to Imouzzer (1000m). After breakfast we ride directly from our hotel in Agadir, the first 10km of the days ride is on slightly busier roads as we make our way out of the town. Today’s ride is probably the most picturesque of the week, the Paradise Valley is an extremely fertile area and our climb winds its way through dense palm trees all the way up to Imouzzer and an open plateau at 1000m. Originally the home of the Ida Outanane Berber tribe, Imouzzer retains a strong cultural identity and is a facinating place to explore after todays ride. Hotel Les Cascades or similar – Immouzer Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 7 Ride from the hotel towards the coastal town of Essaouira; lots of ups and downs with spectacular views of the ocean. For our final day of riding we start with a fantastic long descent from our hotel in Imouzzer. Most of the day will be spent riding through Palm trees and past traditional villages. There are several challenging climbs and plenty of fast descent as we make our way towards the coast. After lunch we will aim for the small village of Assaka, here we load the bikes onto the vehicles and transfer into Essaouira. In Essaouira we stay in a lovely traditional riad just out of the town, in the evening we will walk into town for a large celebratory meal!Riad Maison du Sud or similar – Essaouira Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Day 8 Transfer to Marrakech; fly to London. After breakfast we have some free time to pack up bikes and explore the charming old port town of Essaouira. From here we transfer to Marrakech Airport to catch the return flight to London. This transfer usually takes 2.5hours. Meals included: Breakfast
5 nights hotels and 2 night in traditional Moroccan riads We stay in a mixture of hotels and small privately owned riads throughout the trip. A riad is a large Moroccan house or palace with an interior courtyard or garden normally containing a swimming pool; they are usually very well decorated in a traditional Moroccan style. One of the raids has a fantastic fruit garden surrounding the property; we can pick our own fruit directly from the trees and enjoy a swim in the pool
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Reviewed November 2016 Patrick Walker Trip: Cycling the Cols of Morocco Flying carpet trip over the Atlas Mountains The Exodus feedback form asks whether any aspect of the trip was disappointing, Aside from purchasing a magnificent carpet which has so far refused to fly, I could think of little. The routes were well planned and provided wonderful climbs and descents on every day. The leaders were professional but relaxed, thoughtful and enthusiastic and took care of a group with a range of ages and abilities. The support vehicles and 'snack stops' were well organised and left us free to enjoy the cycling without worrying about luggage or water. The mountains are very beautiful and the dry warm sunny days allowed us to cycle in short sleeves but without overheating. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Enjoying summit after summit with a great bunch of guys. What did you think of your group leader? Radu Man is professional but relaxed and a great leader who made sure everyone was looked after regardless of age or ability. He was assisted by Liz who was also great. Having two leaders was an important part of the success of the trip. Do you have any advice for potential travellers? The description of '100% tarmac' is hopelessly optimisic. Quite long stretches amount to little more than dirt or gravel and potholes are a regular feature. This should not discourage anyone from taking the holiday but I would suggest the ideal bike is a lightweight gravel bike with disc brakes, decent hill gearing and 28 or 25 tyres of the most bombproof you can find. I rode 25 gator skins and was surprised to last the week without mishap. The hire bikes are of good quality but they are not all triple (as described) and some do not have mountain gearing. November seemed perfect weather for this trip Is there anything else you would like to add? I have probably never written as positive a review of a holiday before but it was really excellent...and no, I have not been paid or asked to write this review!