Three days riding out of Marrakech

Three days is the most requested format: enough to cross the Atlas and see the south, short enough to fit a long weekend. Here is the route we recommend most often.

Day 1 — Marrakech, Ourika Valley, Marrakech

A 160-kilometre warm-up. The Ourika road climbs gently, the bends link up without difficulty, and you get the measure of your machine before the real mountains.

Lunch at Setti Fatma by the river, then back through the pottery villages.

Day 2 — Marrakech, Tizi n’Tichka, Aït Ben Haddou

The big day. The pass tops out at 2,260 metres and strings together some sixty kilometres of bends. Allow plenty of time: you will stop often, and you will be right to.

Down to Ouarzazate, then Aït Ben Haddou. Stay the night: the late light on the ksar justifies it on its own.

Day 3 — Back via Telouet

Rather than retracing the same road, take the Telouet route. Narrower, far quieter, it passes the Glaoui kasbah. A few kilometres are in poor shape — nothing impassable, but ride smoothly.

What to plan for

• A bike of at least 400cc for comfort on the pass
• A warm layer: it is 10 °C colder at the top
• A full tank before Telouet: fuel stops are scarce there

This route is described in detail on our tours page.