Around Morroco 31st March - 15th
 

Hello all, new user found the site from recent Bike magazine. UK based, I'm planning to go around Morroco around the 31st for 2+1/2 weeks, travelling on a BMW 1150GS.

I've a basic route planned and am looking for others to ride with. Plenty of time to explore and ride easy rather than rushing things.

I'm 23 and ready for an adventure. Who wants to join me!?

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Day 1 (Sun): Arrival in Santander
Off ferry for cracking ride through Picos Mountains. Madrid – Tarifa.
Stay in Hurricane hotel. Chill. Look across Straights of Gibraltar to view the African Continent. Review plans of our next 10 days adventure around in Morrocco.
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Day 2 (Mon): Tarifa
Final preparations before the crossing. Explore Tarifa.

Day 3 (Tue): Tarifa– Algeciras – Larache
To the south of Ronda there are numerous small mountain chains offering an ever changing, spectacular landscape and roads that are simply made for our motorbikes. Bend after bend on asphalt surfaces for perfect bike control and spectacular views such as the Rock of Gibraltar famous for its monkeys.

Day 4 (Wed): Larache – El Jadida
Here in northern Morocco green is still the dominant colour as we take winding roads to pass endless fields and forests. At Casablanca we return to the Atlantic coastline where we follow a quiet road to our accommodation for the second night.

Day 5 (Thu): El Jadida – Safi – Marrakech
Along the coastal road the Atlantic assumes its most spectacular character. We visit the medina in Safi and take a look at the production of kiln-fired earthenware. We then continue our journey in the interior to "Morocco's biggest oasis", Marrakech! Known as the "Pearl of the South" many consider Marrakech to be Morocco's most beautiful city with its distinct oriental flair.

Day 6 (Fri): Marrakech
Today is actually designated a "rest" day although there will be very little time for actually "resting". After breakfast our guide in Marrakech will help us to appreciate the history of this fascinating city. After lunch we again delve into the city of Marrakech to experience its charm and character.

Day 7 (Sat): Marrakech – Quarzazate
Our aim today is to conquer the "High Atlas". Our motorbikes take in the mountain air as we ride the fantastic panoramic road over Taddert and the Tizin-n–Tichka pass, accompanied by the spectacular views of snow-capped peaks at 4000 m on this unique stage of our tour.

Day 8 (Sun): Quarzazate – Merzouga
On the road of Kasbahs, along the rivers Dades and Draa, our tour takes us to Erg Chebbi – Morocco's largest sand dune region. We take a break in the amazing Todra canyon which provides shade virtually all day long as the cliff walls that jut upwards for hundreds of metres are only a few metres apart. Our hotel is located directly in front of the sand dunes.

Days 9 and 10 (Mon and Tue): (Exploring sand dunes)
We have organised a full and fascinating program for our days spent in the desert. We will explore and experience the desert and its sand dunes in all possible ways. On foot, on the back of a camel or in a 4x4 on a trip to a fossil quarry, the "black villages", oases etc. If you wish you can even spend the night out in the open under desert skies (Berber tent) in the sand dunes.

Day 11 (Wed): Merzouga – Midelt
Slowly but surely we leave Morocco's South behind us and we can already recognise the first mountain peaks on the horizon. Again we prepare ourselves for an amazing crossing of the "High Atlas". Although the mountains here are no longer quite so high, we will be riding on roads that are simply made for motorcycling as we pass stunningly beautiful scenery such as the canyon of Ziz and the magnificent Talgam pass (1907 m).

Day 12 (Thu): Midelt – Fes
Also today astounding mountain roads await us and our motorbikes, heading on a panoramic route through the "Middle Atlas". Our journey passes Azrou and Ifrane and several smaller passes (approx. 1500 m) still need to be conquered before we arrive at our accommodation in Fes.

Day 13 (Fri): Fes – Chefchaouen
We leave the imperial city of Fes and head in a northerly direction. Again winding mountain roads and magnificent scenery await us on our journey through the Rif mountains. Via Quarzane we reach the former Spanish city of Chefchaouen where we spend our last night in the mountains of Morocco.

Day 14 (Sat): Chefchaouen - Ronda
Riding briskly, we pass Tetouan and head directly for the border. After the border formalities, we cross the straits to Algeciras bringing our Morocco adventure gradually to a close. We return to the Costa del Sol and head up to the El Chorro gorge on long-sweeping winding roads in the Sierra de las Nieves and journey on to Ronda. The town of Ronda is situated on a rock plateau and is split in two parts by a 160 m deep canyon.

Day 15 (Sun): Return journey
Note: We reserve the right to make minor changes to the tour.

[This message has been edited by snoopy (edited 22 February 2006).]