Thanks for putting this together It might be what's needed to get my other half to come with me to Morocco - over the last 10 years she's worked up to enjoying trail riding, but the prospect of days of it doesn't appeal to her

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FreeBSD fan since before it was cool ...

most informative post Tim- thank you for your substantial efforts in producing this.

Marrakech to Merzouga via Ait Bougmez and Three Gorges: Day 2 of 3

The second day involves a north-south crossing of the High Atlas passes, followed by journeying along the Valley of the Roses (with an optional off-tarmac short cut), then heading north up the Dades Valley to M’semrir, a freshly created cut across to the Todra Valley, then north to the old Foreign Legion fort of Ait Hani, followed by a beautiful route heading north east along the ‘Three Valleys’ to Amellagou. It’s a long day, so start early.

Day Two: Ait Bougmez to Amellagou
Google Maps images for Day Two below, this is the link to the actual map.

Leaving Gite Flilou, head east along the valley, taking in the rural scenes as shown in the video below. This road is designated both the RR302 and the RR317.



After 7.5km, the RR302 carries straight on, you need to turn right following the RR317 that crosses the passes of the High Atlas. The road climbs on decent tarmac from 1850m until you reach the Tizi n’Ait Imi at 2880m, where it becomes a well-graded piste for the next 10km per the video below.



So long as there’s no snow or recent heavy rain, you should find the piste section easier than a pub car park. By the time you regain tarmac you are at the bottom of the descent at 2260m. From here, it’s another 22km climb to the high point for today of 3006m at Tizi n’ Ait Hamid.

After the tizi, you begin a long 1200m descent over the next 23km to where the road suddenly takes a sharp turn to the left at Almdoune. Some time later you pass through the Znagu tunnel and then enter Bou Tharar in the Valley of the Roses.

You now two choices, the tarmac route in the map now goes south to El Kelaa M’Gouna, then north east to Boumalne du Dades, however there is a decent piste heading east to Gite Tamchachat in the Dades Valley that is fun when dry as it has hard packed sand berms you can play on. The piste would save you about 40km and maybe 40 minutes, but the all-tarmac route is very pretty and is what I’ve documented below.

The tarmac route was only constructed about 15 years ago and follows the line of the M’Goun river. After about 20km you come to Kasbah Itran, set on cliffs high above the river. It’s a good place to chill over refreshments, with great views overlooking the ruins of Kasbah Mirna.

Continue south, and when you reach the main RN10 at El Kelaa M’Gouna, turn left, heading east. At the approach to Boumalne du Dades you turn left at the roundabout up the R704 Dades Valley route, but if you are hungry you could carry on a few hundred metres into Boumalne where there are several decent snack places.

Take a note of your trip meter reading at the RN10-RR704 roundabout. After 6km you come to where the piste short cut comes out at Gite Tamchachat, and after about 15km from the roundabout you start to see some unusual sandstone rock formations that look like monkey fingers.

I’ve waypointed one popular stopping place on the right and if you feel like a stroll, walk directly east for about 150m to the entrance to the ‘Monkey Fingers Canyon’ with more sights about 400m further on.

After 26km from the roundabout, you come to the much-photographed hairpin bends, or ‘tizdrin’ (stairs) in Amazigh. Originally, the only route north was along the river bed, but the combat engineers of the French Foreign Legion blasted this route with steam hammers in the 1930s and at 1 min 45 secs into the video clip below you will see a plaque commemorating this on the right side of the final hairpin. CSP is Compagnie Sapeur Pionnier and the ‘grenade with seven flames’ is the emblem of the Legion. Timzzillite hotel at the top is a good place for a refreshment stop, but not for an overnightsleep as I once found—the noisy trucks very slowly labouring up the hairpins in low gear were a dawn wakeup alarm call.



After 53km from the roundabout you come to a ‘mini Grand Canyon’ section where the river meanders around a central outcrop called Kefroun (turtle). I was riding one-handed on a 1200 GSA about 15 years ago when I shot the video clip below using a handheld video camera.



(The video was shot heading south, rather than north as this route is documented.)

A little further on you come to M’semrir with its weekly market square, and beyond there at 62km from the roundabout you turn east on a freshly asphalted route that takes you from the Dades to the Todra Gorge.

I've done this route eight or nine times over the years, the route is effectively three connected valleys. Before the new asphalt the traverse would take under three hours but on one trip it took nine hours as the track was broken in several places with serious flooding and we had to porter the motorbikes over a side hill; the last five hours took place in moonlight (thank goodness it was full moon).

The first video clip below shows the piste as it was when it was maintained by locals, the second clip was shot during reengineering works when it had been widened, straightened and graded, being readily for asphalt, the third clip is the finished road which is now completed.







On reaching the Todra at Tamtetoucht, you turn left (north) for about 8km until you reach the old French Foreign Legion fort at Ait Hani, where you turn right (north east) along what I call the ‘Three Gorges Route’.

By now it will probably be getting towards evening, and the locals will be coming back from the fields and relaxing, per the video clip below.



As you near Amellagou you might notice on the left the ancient buildings nestled high up under the shelter of the cliff. These are included in the next day’s itinerary. So for now, head for the hospitality of Ali, one of the three brothers who built Auberge Amellagou.

Attached Thumbnails

 

 

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"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)

Marrakech to Merzouga via Ait Bougmez and Three Gorges: Day 3 of 3

Coming soon.

__________________
"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)

Superb, thanks very much Tim. I'm considering a trip to Morocco next year and this is *exactly* the sort of advice I need!