Rihab Gouaied is the Content Creator on the 2026 Morocco: Kingdom of the West Cycling Adventure.

We rolled into Merzouga with the sand whispering through our chains and a dry heat on our shoulders, as a small camel caravan crossed – soft pads near-silent, heads nodding, shadows sliding over our wheels.

It feels a world away from the sea air that pushed us out of Casablanca. Fourteen riders, one route – yet cycling in Morocco keeps remaking itself under our wheels. The country changes at the table and in the street, on the horizon and in the weather. Here’s how we see it now, halfway in.

Along the Atlantic

The beginning was windy – Atlantic gusts lifting flags and moods as we left Casablanca. Near Tangier, we stood where the ocean hands off to the Mediterranean, watching the water turn from wavy and rough to steady and blue. Camels moved along the shore beside the blue water – the desert meeting the sea in one frame, a first glimpse of Morocco’s diversity.

Then Tangier turned us inland and the road pitched up. The pace and traffic of the cities thinned into Rif villages where offers of water arrived before we’d even unclip. We watched bread slide into clay ovens, a single round big enough to feed ten people. Women sold it on the street and worked tending sheep, farming and carrying goods on donkeys. Their strength is visible in the daily load they carry and the way whole communities lean on them.

Chefchaouen

Chefchaouen’s blues felt like a cool breath between climbs. Terraces sewn with olives pulled us skyward; pine and oak gave short spells of shade. The days are long – sunset near eight p.m. – and the heat builds early.

Paul: “I was walking in the medina of Chefchaouen and I met a gentleman called Mohamed. We spent two hours walking up the hill together. He’s from Chefchaouen and shared stories about the area. It was a nice, spontaneous way to see the town with a local.”

Dag on the road

“Chefchaouen to Wahda Dam was a very tough day,” Dag said, “96 km, 2036m of climbing in 34 degrees during a heat wave.” We wild camped by the dam – the fourth biggest in Africa – and watched the sky fade.

From Wahda to Fes, the beauty didn’t let up. After the blessed rains, spring burst open: terraces quilted with wildflowers – poppies, daisies and tiny blues – fields laid out like a bright carpet. Bees worked every verge; I got stung, sad for a moment but happy that I got to see such a green spring.

Birgit meets a camel

Donkeys still do a lot of the work here and the road rolls without much rest. “This place is all but flat,” Dag laughed, “but the views make it worth it.” In Fes we took it easy – some to hammams and massages – because tomorrow promised another 1900m of climbing. Inside the medina: tanners in honeycomb pits, copper ringing through alleyways, calls to prayer stitching morning to night. Birgit said the first days were tough – some excited kids threw stones and tried to stop her bike – but the further inland we rode, the quieter it became. Big climbs, yes, but rides to savour. She was here twenty‑five years ago and noticed how modern the big cities feel now.

South again, and the worlds kept changing. Azrou to Aït Oufella brought holm oak with cedar; above 2000m we touched the High Atlas, snow still visible, a nomadic summer camp on a high meadow. Cold settled at dawn, steam rose from coffee. On plateaus the wind pressed our shoulders; we tucked in and rode as a peloton. Some riders are camping for the first time – first tents, first bush camps, trying new things and finding out how much you can carry – and leave behind. Rest days in hotels feel rich after two or three nights under canvas.

Riffian woman in her traditional outfit

Then the Ziz valley opened like a green ribbon. From the Gorges du Ziz to Merzouga, a tailwind finally helped. “160km through the Sahara,” Dag said, shaking his head, “mind‑blowing to experience the desert on two wheels with only leg power.” In Amazigh and Tuareg areas, the clothing changed: men in indigo‑dyed robes and headscarves, women in black with colourful embroidery.

With time, our group is understanding each other. Some ride in a peloton and find that sharing makes the ride mean more; others prefer a solo rhythm. Around the soup pot at camp we trade stories – the day’s climbs, the best coffee shop – and laugh until we are called to the rider meeting. Camping connects us; hotels reset us. “Every three days it’s different,” Dag shrugged. “You never get bored. Now it’s three days in desert—I think it’s enough.” Birgit looked at the dunes: “Morocco is beautiful, but this is my favourite landscape. It reminds me of my road trip in the southern desert of the USA.”

Cyclist with a Touareg man

By the time the sand rose, our idea of Morocco had shifted. The coast felt outward‑looking; the Rif felt vertical – green and in bloom; Fes layered craft and time; the Sahara pared it down. Tastes changed with the map – tagines and salads changed from place to place. Preferences split too: some live for green climbs, some for tailwinds across a flat road with only the horizon for company. We didn’t come for a single Morocco, and we haven’t found one. We’ve found many – stitched together by tea glasses, roadside smiles and the thin line of tar that keeps disappearing under our tyres.

On the next stretch we aim for Aït Ben Haddou, Marrakech and Essaouira. We’re curious about more surprising discoveries in Morocco, and about what we can do. For now, the dunes are a pause – a chance to rinse sand from the cassettes, to enjoy a glass of tea, to watch camels pass, and to note the lesson so far: distance is only one measure. Elevation, wind and welcome redraw a day, and how you see a place depends on how you move through it.

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Britney Charme, who will be the Tour Leader on the 2025 North American Epic and the 2026 Morocco: Kingdom of the West tours looks back at her time in Morocco in 2024.

Loualidia, Morocco

It is early afternoon in Morocco’s coastal mountains and I find myself in a small village that consists of Argan trees, a teahouse and a mosque. Our expedition chef, Nicole, has made a detour to a larger village for fresh fruit and the rest of the TDA crew is at lunch, feeding our group of hungry cyclists. While I wait for Nicole, I head into the teahouse to indulge in a cup of tea and to relish in the slowness of the moment. Instead of the usual fresh mint tea, I am treated to thyme tea with local honey, as well as homemade baked treats. I sit back and admire the colourful Safi ceramic mug the tea has arrived in. My mind wanders, and I am reflective. The tour is a day away from the finish line and I am already nostalgic for this journey. In the attempt to savour the moment, I flip through my travel journal and relive some of my favourite stages from this gem of a tour.

The following excerpts are some of the musings and memories that I jotted down while working as the Tour Leader on the 2024 Morocco Kingdom of the West Cycling Expedition.

Stage 5 – Azla to Chefchaouen

The tour is in full swing and we have been winding our way along the Morocco’s Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines. Stage 5 saw the tour depart from the sea and travel into the Rif mountain range. This stage of the tour has taken on a mythical quality in my mind. The geographic complexity of Morocco begins to reveal itself, alongside the cultural and historical layers of the country. The first part of the day brought us to a beautiful lunch spot in the Laou River Canyon. After lunch, the cyclists rode alongside wild herbs and flowers and we began to see the ubiquitous clay bread ovens that are famous in this part of Morocco. I was very content to enjoy fresh baked bread at our coke stop in Al Oued. We continued through the Rif mountains. The villages we pass through are brimming with energy and the craggy peaks are tantalizing. This is a curious, exciting place and I make a mental note to return to these mountains someday.

Stage 14 – Todra Gorge to Dades Gorge

This stage goes down as one of the toughest and most memorable of the tour. Every cycling trip needs a day (or a few) with equal parts adventure and challenge. Stage 14 fit that bill. We began the ride in the Berber village of Tamtetoucht, at the foot of the High Atlas mountains. Tamtetoucht is one of the most secluded and remote villages that we stay at during the tour. Upon leaving our traditional Berber guesthouse, or Auberge Amazigh, the cyclists gradually climb an empty paved road that leads deep into the Atlas mountain range. After 30 kilometres, we veer off that road and embark on a 20 kilometre stretch of gravel that will connect us to the Dades Gorge. Now 20km of dirt might not sound like much, but that gravel road packs a punch! On cue, the wind picks up, the climb steepens, and the cyclists are working in overdrive. It takes a serious amount of grit for the cyclists to arrive at the other side of the pass.

This subalpine desert road is a point along the migration route for the indigenous Berber nomads. In the springtime, nomadic families begin their journey from the Sahara Desert where they winter amongst the palms and head into the High Atlas where they spend their summers. The riders pedalled amongst the nomads, some of whom were herding livestock and camels, and some of whom had set up temporary camps to rest before continuing north. Traveling alongside these ancient people made an impression on me. We were granted a brief yet intimate window into a way of life that is wildly different than our own. That night, after dinner and clean up, I took a walk into the gorge with Idriss, the owner of the camp we are staying at. Idriss points out constellations while I tell him about the day’s ride. It is a connecting moment and I reflect that days like this are the essence of what TDA tours are all about.

Stage 24 – Imsouane to Essaouira + Essaouira Rest Day

The day of a tour leader on a TDA expedition is sometimes quite different than that of a tour rider. The cyclists will remember this stage for the stunning coastal views and the relentless headwind. I will remember it for the not so small feat of moving 50 duffel bags from the TDA vans to our riad (guesthouse), located in the heart of Essaouira’s ancient Medina. The Medina is maze-like with narrow pathways and market stalls overflowing with carpets, antiques, spices and local crafts. Vehicles are strictly prohibited inside the Medina walls, thus presenting the logistical challenge of how to transport the group’s luggage to the riad. I pulled up to the Medina gates, and hopped out of the van, hoping to come up with a solution before the police told me to move on.

At this point in the tour, I had come to know and deeply appreciate the resourcefulness of the Moroccan people. Within minutes of arriving at the Medina gates, I had a cup of tea thrust into my hands and a crew of locals with wooden carts loading up our bags. The duffels were promptly wheeled to our riad and a verbal agreement, along with a handshake, ensured that the same group would arrive in two days time to transport the bags back to the vans. The duffel shuffle was well worth it. Going to sleep and waking up inside the walled Medina was unlike anything I have experienced. I was transported into a world that I had imagined only existed in history books. We spent the next day exploring markets, wandering through endless corridors, eating freshly caught seafood, buying (way too many) spices and soaking in the timelessness of the place.

Loualidia, Morocco

My phone buzzes and it’s Nicole, letting me know she is ready to head to camp – fresh fruit has been procured and the riders will start the final morning of the tour with their ritual of bananas and fruit salad. I finish my last few sips of tea and head to the van, grateful for the time I had to reflect. Morocco is a treasure trove of adventure. Every curve of the road, contour in the mountains, crumbling Kasbah and mile of the Sahara Desert begs to be explored. We have yet to reach Casablanca and I am already planning a return to this wonder of a country, two wheels in tow.

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Although TDA Global Cycling runs more than 20 tours through over 80 countries around the world, our staff tend have their own favourites, adventures that appeal to them for a particular reason, be it scenery, culture or history. One of those, a ride that is definitely on own personal bucket list, is Morocco: Kingdom of the West.

In just under a year, a group of lucky riders will gather in Casablanca and set off on a 5 week, 2550 km journey through one of the most hospitable, fascinating and remarkable countries on the planet – The Kingdom of Morocco. Maybe, just maybe, one of our office staff will also be there to welcome the cyclists and fulfill one of their own travel dreams!

Let’s take a quick look at some of the highlights of the previous Morocco: Kingdom of the West tours.

A Day In The Life

Wondering what a day on the Morocco: Kingdom of the West tour is like? Look no further… (Read more)

Hollywood, Cycling The Atlas Mountains & The Route To Marrakesh

TDA Founder Henry Gold weaves together the history of Hollywood movie stars and some of Morocco’s most beautiful sights. (Read more)

The Pirate Haven Of Essaouira

In 2024, Content Creator Mats Fredrix dove into the history of the atmospheric Moroccan seaside city of Essaouira. “Shiver me timbers, matey!” (Read more)

The TDA Global Cycling ‘Marrakesh Express’ Has Arrived

The noted travel author, Tahir Shah, wrote, “I believe that Marrakech ought to be earned as a destination. The journey is the preparation for the experience. Reaching it too fast derides it, makes it a little less easy to understand.” We couldn’t have said it better! (Read more)

What Did The Riders Think About Morocco: Kingdom Of The West?

“All-consuming for 35 days. Joyful, challenging, satisfying and thrilling.” (Read more)

We hope you can join us in 2026!!

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This is part three of our 3-part video series that followed the crew and participants on the 2024 Morocco: Kingdom of the West cycling tour. Click here to see part one and part two.

In this video we follow the riders through the second half of the tour. Britney makes her sales pitch for Morocco – a place she’d spent the previous months preparing for and eventually overseeing the successful running of the Morocco: Kingdom of the West tour. “I would encourage anyone to come to Morocco…walk around.. just go out and see it.”

One of the insightful riders, Marnie, points out how, “You go through a door and…there’s little hidden secrets all over the place.” The tour itself is an experience of going through a door and having new experiences in a new places day after day. Miles talks about how one of the great joys of our tours is the desire for exploration that everyone is here to experience.

Kody, with his unique perspective as a fly on the wall, shared that, “While there was a wide range of experience levels in Morocco, everyone came together as one, supporting each other from start to finish. It was beautiful to see and beautiful to capture.” When I asked him what he would say to someone considering this tour in the future he said, “There will always be a reason not to do something – fear, money, anxiety, doubt, etc, but the reason to do something most often vastly outweigh the reasons not to. You’ll experience growth in ways that you simply cannot anywhere else. And it’s just an absolute blast.”

“Be brave enough to make the move and to trust the TDA experience will be there for you to support you through it,” Deborah said and finished with a statement that I think resonates with many of our tour participants… “and do it while you can.”

Britney’s parting statement of appreciation for Morocco was that, “In some tiny little way, now were a part of this place to.”

A special thanks to all the riders and staff who spoke so thoughtfully to Kody about their experiences. A big thanks to Kody for drawing out their interesting commentary and for producing this great series. You can find more of his work here.

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This is part two of our 3-part video series that followed the crew and participants on the 2024 Morocco: Kingdom of the West cycling tour. Click here for part one.

Part two of this series gives us some insight into how the riders experienced Morocco and what it felt like to travel through the country. Kody, from behind his camera, witnessed simple acts of kindness from the Moroccan people all along the route – “whether it was offering help, sharing mint tea, or giving up their seat, even if it was just a cushion on the ground, all out of the generosity of their hearts.”

Britney, the leader of the crew, is seen keeping the group motivated and reminding them of the achievements they’ve made along the way. One rider, Maggie encapsulates the joy found in the balance between risk and reward that you experience while traveling by bike. She explained how their ride through a gorge was “one of my all time best rides ever” but it was quickly followed by wind and rain that tested her.

A special thanks to all the riders and staff who spoke so thoughtfully to Kody about their experiences. A big thanks to Kody for drawing out their interesting commentary and for producing this great series. You can find more of his work here .

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This is part one of our 3-part video series that followed the crew and participants on the 2024 Morocco: Kingdom of the West cycling tour.

Kody Block was the Content Creator for this tour and he managed to capture a beautiful piece of Morocco, its people and our group of cyclists. The resulting videos are a really meaningful series that makes us reflect on why we travel and how we can continue to be open to new experiences as we grow older.

When I asked him what his idea was behind this series, he said: “I wanted to bring Morocco – and the experience of what it is like to cycle across this country – to life. There’s so much that goes into organizing these trips, and so much that TDA represents, so I thought it would be an interesting angle to capture the perspectives of the cyclists and the staff. I believe that pushing yourself into challenging and uncomfortable situations, especially across new cultures, is a beautiful opportunity to bring the world together, and I wanted to spark that curiosity in my viewers.”

In this first video we get a preview of the cycling adventure, Morocco: Kingdom of the West,  and Kody allows us to peek behind the curtain to hear from the crew running the tour and people who run TDA (including founder Henry Gold) about what makes these tours possible and, more importantly, what makes them fun.

A special thanks to all the riders and staff who spoke so thoughtfully about their experiences. A big thanks to Kody for drawing out their interesting commentary and for producing this great series. You can find more of his work here.

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The riders on the 2024 Morocco: Kingdom of the West trip seemed to have enjoyed their 5 weeks circling the country! The next edition of this cycling adventure takes place in 2026. Registration is now open and spaces are filling up quickly.

“We had an amazing first tour with TDA. We were welcomed into the TDA family by seasoned riders and we all got along well as a group. The staff on our trip were first class, the meals were excellent and the routes varied and interesting. Communication before and during the trip was clear and well organized and we had a good sense of what to expect each day. I would highly recommend TDA to those who want to get off the beaten track and experience another country/culture close up. We felt safe and supported the whole way while cycling at our own pace, stopping where and when we wanted to.” – Melanie Digney (Canada)

“The Morocco, Kingdom of the West Tour was a ride experience of extremes. From blue oceans to sandy deserts, green farmlands to high rocky, treeless mountain ranges. From the roughest of camp sites to the most luxurious of hotels. From the wealth and lifestyles within the big cities to witnessing the subsistence existence of the inland Moroccans.” – Brett Lanham (Australia)

“I absolutely love these tours, and can’t think of any better way to travel. The harder the journey, the greater the rewards! Not only do you see a country, you smell it, taste it, breathe it, a total emersion.” – Jo Platt (Australia)

“People: overall, fantastic Place: super Things (visits, ballooning, etc): super Baba: amazing mechanic The whole team and leadership: Extraordinary.” – John Fleming (Canada)

“The tour was absolutely wonderful. It was tough, but the information provided by TDA beforehand was accurate about how tough it was going to be. Experiencing a country on a bicycle is the best! The staff was great.” – Becky Lewis (USA)

Audrey & Dean

“Riding through Morocco was such an immersive experience, and we felt that we really got a sense of the people, culture and varied landscape. It was fantastic to experience the riding at your own pace, but with full support of the crew.” – Audrey Spielmann (Canada)

“All-consuming for 35 days. Joyful, challenging, satisfying and thrilling.” – Dean Johnston (Canada)

“I had a thoroughly enjoyable trip. The Moroccan scenery was diverse and magnificent – at times, it felt like we were cycling through the earth itself; just cycling through a bit of the Sahara was awesome and the impact of it was felt particularly strongly as we rode into it from the, surprisingly green, northern part of the country. The locals, we met along the way, were very friendly and hospitable and our rest day cities offered plenty to fill our more cultural appetites.” – Deb Jenner (UK)

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“Travelling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta

It’s done. The 34 day, 2,635 km long Morocco: Kingdom of the West Bicycle Tour has made a complete circle and arrived back at its starting point in Casablanca. It was a tour with a lot of highs – as in climbing, and an even number of downs – as in descents, a tour full of laughter and surprises, a tour with as much couscous and tagine as your heart desired, always ending with sweet delights and Moroccan whiskey – as in Nana tea, – a tour that humbled us all – as we cycled through the devastation caused by the epicentre of the area hit by an earthquake eight months ago. Some of us reunited with riders from previous TDA tours and spent a joyous time with old friends and acquaintances. And we all made new friends. In short, it was great fun had by all. Now it was time to go back home.

I and a handful of staff still had a job to do, delivering two of our company’s vehicles back to their home base in Slovakia. On the way to Port of Tangier, I was hoping to make a brief visit to pay respect in the Medina – the old walled city of Tangier to a man, or should I say a legend, who was born and buried in the city. Unfortunately, as the maxim goes, ‘man plans and God laughs’, we had some vehicle problems (what else is new) and our departure from Casablanca was delayed by a few hours, which meant that the visit to the Medina was no longer an option.

Local man with camel

You’ve probably never heard of Abū Abd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Abd Allāh Al-Lawātī whose mausoleum I wanted to visit, though you most likely have heard the name he was widely known by, Ibn Battuta or, in translation, the ‘son of a duckling’. There is even – according to Wikipedia – a large themed mall named after him in Dubai. Many believe that he may have been the greatest explorer of all time, or at least the greatest traveller of all time. In 14th century, before there were airplanes and steamboats, not to mention nuclear submarines, it is said that he travelled around 120,000 km. His journey began when he was born in 1304 in Tangiers and ended when he died in 1369 in Marrakesh.

The truth is that our tour cycled to Tangier three days after we left Casablanca. Unfortunately we didn’t have a rest day there (hopefully the next iteration of Kingdom of the West tour will have one) and so, with the headwinds and my old legs, by the time I made it to our campsite on the outskirts of Tangier, it was too late to visit the burial site of Ibn Battuta.

As a very young man Ibn Battuta decided to make a visit to Mecca, starting by himself on a donkey. Even now we saw a lot of donkeys as we cycled through the country, and some of us will tell you that we heard even more of them as we tried to sleep in our tents. Eventually, with several divergences, he did make it to Mecca but then he continued to travel as far as India, China, down the East and West coasts of Africa, the Iberian Peninsula, Central Asia, and more. He returned home after 30 years of travelling.

Even though he was an educated scholar, Ibn Battuta didn’t take any notes while he travelled and only later, after coming home, like Marco Polo, another well-known traveller, did he dictate his adventures into a book – A Gift to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Travelling – or more commonly known as – The Rihla. And like Marco Polo’s stories, some scholars nowadays doubt veracity of certain of his tales. Nevertheless, whether old age, vanity or just the plain desire of a storyteller to embellish his tales, there is no doubt that ‘son of the duckling,’or Ibn Battuta, had a life full of adventures.

I have come across Ibn Battuta’s name many times, having travelled quite a bit myself, but I have not read The Rihla, though I have promised myself that one day I will. I did want to visit his purported mausoleum and just stand there as one soulmate to another. Perhaps some wonderful revelation would pop up in my mind…or perhaps not.

Still, I like to think that each and every participant on the Morocco: Kingdom of The West Bicycle Tour would agree with this quote from a man of Berber descent who called himself Shams al-Din Abu’Abdallah Muhammad ibn’Abdallah ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Yusuf Lawati al-Tanji ibn Battuta. “Travelling – it offers you a hundred roads to adventure and gives your heart wings.” Yes, for a few weeks our hearts had wings and we were soaring.

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Bethany Butcher was the Medic on the 2024 Morocco: Kingdom of the West Cycling Tour. In this guest post, she looks at the continuing impact the recent devastating earthquake has had on the areas the riders had been cycling through towards the end of the tour.

Last week, TDA cycled through the High Atlas mountains in the penultimate week of its Kingdom of the West tour. It was another section where the riders faced heat, dust and lots of climbing but many of us found it tough for other reasons.

On September 8, 2023, at around 11pm, this region was hit by a 6.8 magnitude earthquake. It killed 2,900 people and injured 5,500 more. The epicentre was about 70 km southwest of Marrakech and severe damage was spread across the region. Ancient structures were destroyed in Marrakech and many more remote settlements in the Al Haouz province were completely flattened. Shocks were felt as far away as Portugal and Algeria and an additional 4.9 magnitude aftershock hit 20 minutes later.

Only eight months later, our tour left Marrakech, weaving up mountain passes and finding increasing numbers of tent settlements and modular housing. These were hosting entire villages of people with unsafe homes or homes that no longer existed. We passed several on our way through these valleys, some included mobile clinics and mosques set up with tarpaulins. There were deep scars across the landscape and evidence of landslides, destroyed aqueducts, electrical infrastructure and roads.

Tinmel Mosque – before and after

People were friendly shouting ‘bonjour’ and ‘allez’ as we passed. There were some signs of small businesses having been set up amongst the camps with barber shops and basic coke stops which we happily snacked from. Our destination that night was the 11th century Tinmel Mosque, previously the gem of the region. This has now sadly been very badly damaged and what is left is supported by extensive scaffolding. We stayed at a campsite 1 km from the mosque.

Our host was Youssef, an accommodating young man with perfect English, who was acting as a manager of the village and the mosque. We camped in a field near Cafe Ba Adam, run by a man named Mohammed. Riders and staff enjoyed an exciting Champions League semi-final in his packed cafe. Football crazy Moroccans drank strong espressos, smoked cigarettes and cheered on Bayern Munich and Real Madrid while many young children played snooker next to a memorial to the earthquake victims.  As the drama of the game ramped up, the atmosphere was fantastic, and we enjoyed sharing in the national obsession which is football in Morocco. Their links with Spain were obvious as many cheered on the Spaniards and clapped for Brahim Diaz, their homegrown superstar.

Youssef has lost plenty in the past year. Other staff describe seeing a free-standing hammam (a stone bathhouse) in the remaining town surrounding by flat, cleared ground. Youssef explained that this was once attached to his family’s home. Now only the hammam remains and he continues to make the best of his living situation in his tent. He has also lost loved ones that night including his grandmother. Interestingly, we camped near a river in which many riders enjoyed a soak after a hot day. He told us this was not there prior to the earthquake and the earth’s disruption has opened up a new spring and a new water source. This highlights the constant activity and instability of the planet we live on.

The next day, we pushed on over the dramatic Tizi n’Test mountain pass. Particularly on the descent, the road was rough and covered with debris from the quake. Some riders came across Cafe Sunset and another gentleman, Ibrahim. Barely anything of this building remained, only an eerie entrance facade behind which a hotel used to be. He showed us photos of a colourful lodging with several rooms, a terrace and a restaurant built into the hillside. The area would have been very popular with cyclists and motorbikes and, as the name suggests, a beautiful place to watch the sunset from the southern edge of the High Atlas. Nothing remained.

Sadly, the BBC reported a British cyclist was killed at the hotel the night it collapsed; he was found under the rubble in the aftermath. Ibrahim was there that night and I cannot imagine the fear and confusion he must have felt. He now lives down in the village and comes up the hill on his moped to his old business, hoping to salvage what he can. This is clearly going to take many years and much needed support from government and NGOs. He shared coffees with us, sold us trinkets and spoke to us about his experiences

We were all been moved by what we’ve seen. The extent of the devastation is enormous. We are also immeasurably impressed by the resilience of these communities. Our hosts have been kind and gracious and have shared what little they have with us openheartedly. We will share what we’ve seen and we wish them a prosperous and safer future.

Both TDA Global Cycling and a number of riders made a donation towards rehabilitation efforts in the village of Tinmel.

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“I believe that Marrakech ought to be earned as a destination. The journey is the preparation for the experience. Reaching it too fast derides it, makes it a little less easy to understand.” ― Tahir Shah, Arabian Nights: A Caravan of Moroccan Dreams

After a very roundabout route the TDA Marrakesh Express that started in Casablanca, that traveled north along the Atlantic Coast to Tangier, that then turned east along the Mediterranean coast to the famed blue city of Chefchaouen, then south over the mountains to Fez and after a few more serious climbs followed by the same number of severe descents, the cycling ‘express’ of the Morocco: Kingdom of the West cycling tour has arrived in the fabled city of Marrakesh.

So, you could say Mr. Tahir Shah, that we have ‘earned’ Marrakesh. It is called the ‘Red City’ due to the red ochre pigment that adorns the walls and buildings, at least in the Medina, the original old part of the city. Now that we have earned being here, what have we been up to?

First and foremost, wandering and wondering among the labyrinth of narrow streets and their souks (markets) interspersed with ancient palaces and mansions now turned into museums, fancy hotels and restaurants. Sooner or later we would all end up at Jamma El Fna, described by my travel guide as the world’s most amazing city square. As the sun begins to set, an open-air circus begins with acrobats, dancers, musicians and story tellers all vying for your attention and, more importantly, for some of your dough as a reward for their efforts.

Not to be outdone by the performing artists, a large variety of food stalls, fruit juice vendors and a multiplicity of  other merchants are trying their best to also attract your attention, so they too can share in some of the bread in your pockets. If you are tired of drifting in the square, or are in a serious need of sitting down, the square is surrounded by restaurants and coffee shops, where you can park your bottom and watch the scene. If you are really ambitious, you can climb a set of stairs a level or two up and park your bum for a more grandiose view of the happenings on the square.

Once you have completed this compulsory event, you are free to do what you want or need to do. Some of our riders used the occasion for an early morning balloon ride to catch the sunrise over the Atlas Mountains, others took guided tours of the Medina to learn its history and its legends, yet others went to learn a few things in the several museums in the city. And let’s not forget that we’ve  all partaken in the smorgasbord of food, whether that would have been some daring street food or some Marrakesh tagine and couscous.

As for myself, I choose to visit a couple of gardens. One, the Jardin Majorelle, is so popular that you have to buy a ticket a day or two before you plan to go. The second one, Le Jardin Secret in the Medina itself, was recently renovated. Upon buying a ticket I was given a brochure which explained the history of the place and the garden – “an oasis of peace and quiet, protected from outside by high windowless walls.” On the back of the brochure is the following poem by Georges de Noyar in both French and English. Here is the English version:

Thou unknown pilgrim
Who from afar doth come
Pray leave of thy rumbling
And for a moment listen

Seek out behind the courtyard’s
The orange grove green
The palm trees and the ancient tower
Like the mirage of a dream

Open thence this door
Across its three levels pass over
And spell-bound discover A secret garden wonder

Dive therefore into the lushness
Forget all woes and cares
And in this Heaven in a nook
Relish therefore your happiness

Our own stay in Marrakesh is now done and we are relishing in our happiness.

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Orson Welles, Peter O’Toole, Russel Crowe and Harrison Ford. What do they have in common with the participants of the 2024 Morocco: Kingdom of the West Cycling Tour? I imagine most of you have absolutely no idea.

A glorious few days of cycling took us from the towering sand dunes of Merzouga, through Alnif, a town where you could pick up an infinite number of trilobites scraped from the ancient canyon walls around town, to a couple of wonderful, or should I say stunning, gorges – Todra and Dades. The route connecting these sights, described by one cyclist as an epic ride, was a result of  our excellent scouting team of Sharita and Britney. It passed through the Skoura Oasis, described by my guide book as “an extraordinary sight – a very extensive, very dense palmary, with an incredibly perplexing network of tracks winding across fords and through palms”, and continued on to the location of our scheduled rest day, Ait Benhaddou.

Ait Benhaddou

Though it is popular with Hollywood myth makers, that is not why Ait Benhaddou has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has its origin at least a millennia ago as a important spot on the trans–Saharan trade route and it is its elaborate ksar, a tribal stronghold of narrow alleyways and towers that overlooks the area for miles around, that makes it unique and a recipient of the UNESCO stamp of approval, with all the subsequent benefits and detriments, including thousands of tourists. As much as the locals like the UNESCO designation, it is the intricate ksar that attracts the Hollywood tribe and its millions of followers. The place has been the location for dozens of films and television productions, including Lawrence of Arabia, Orson Welles’ Sodom and Gomorrah, Franco Zeffirelli’s Jesus of Nazareth and, more currently, Russel Crowe’s movie, Gladiator, and the series, Game of Thrones. But it is not just Ait Benhaddou.

On the way here, about 35 km from Ait Benhaddou, we cycled through a modern town, Ouarzazate, which unlike Ait Benhaddou has its origin in the 1920’s as a French Foreign Legion garrison. There were no signs there of legionaries, however, the town does have a couple of large film studios, like Atlas Films. Like its neighbourly UNESCO community, it also has a ‘few’ film credits of its own, such as ABC’s Cleopatra, Martin Scorsese’s Kundun and The Jewel of Nile. So what do the Hollywood stars and we common cyclists have in common?

I would guess that we all come here because we are attracted by what we see and what the scenery and the culture bring out in us when we are here. It could be the mountains and the arid land, it could be the fertile oasis, it could be the Berber culture and traditions or it could simply be that the total environment draws out the best from us. In a series, Reflections On Cycling the World, which I wrote six years ago, my first piece quotes the British Explorer Wilfred Thesiger who was the first European to traverse the Empty Quarter in the Arabian Peninsula. He wrote that “the harder the life, the finer the type.”. Perhaps it is the hard life and its surroundings that attracts us and gives us magic in return.

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“Looking at the world
Through the sunset in your eyes
Trying to make the train
Through clear Moroccan skies”
– Crosby, Stills and Nash

As I was entering the outskirts of Casablanca on the way to the start of the Morocco: Kingdom of the West Cycling Tour, all I could think of was Humphrey Bogart at the end of the 1942 classic film Casablanca, saying “Play it again, Sam.” Another TDA adventure was about to begin. I had been to Casablanca once before for the start of the 2018 West Africa on Vélo Cycling Expedition so it was strange that “Play it again Sam” had suddenly emerged in my head. Except, of course, that Humphrey Bogart never uttered those words, but rather simply said “Play it, Sam.” If you haven’t seen the movie, I suggest you do.

And play we do. Well, perhaps play isn’t exactly what we came here to do but if you are one of our alumni, of which there are many on this tour, one could loosely say that on our tours we ‘play’ to the fullest of our capabilities. In any case, eleven days later, myself, the staff and participants of the expedition are enjoying our first rest day in a picturesque town in the Rif Mountains called Chefchaouen (pronounced shef-sha-wen).

Let me say that Chefchaouen is not just another picturesque town in the mountains. In fact, if you open the Rough Guide travel guide, right at the beginning under ‘25 things not to miss in Morocco’, Chefchaouen is number 1. And for a good reason. This little town has painted many of its houses and streets indigo blue giving the place a special feel and warmth. According to the Rough Guide it has the prettiest Medina in Morocco. Add to that the relaxed attitude of locals, wonderful cafes and restaurants, not to mention the amazing variety of seductive freshly baked sweets and deserts.

What else could you ask for, especially after five days of some serious cycling with head winds and plenty of elevation gains to make it here. By the way, Chefchaouen has an interesting history including an explanation as to why the town paints its houses blue, though nobody really knows the exact reason. One interpretation is that the Jews who were expelled from Spain in 1492 made it here and in order to contrast their houses to the traditional Islamic green houses, they added indigo to their whitewashed houses. Another explanation mentions that to Jews, the colour blue is the colour of sky and divinity and reminds them of the presence of divinity. Yet another one claims that the colour blue repels mosquitos and thus makes it a practical reason to do so. Whatever the reason, many decades later there are no more Jews living in the city and there are other ways of repelling mosquitos but painting houses indigo blue stuck and the colourful scene now attracts thousands of visitors from around the world, providing a livelihood to many locals.

Rif Mountains

I started this blog with how a line popped up in my mind when we entered the outskirts of Casablanca, and now that we have turned from inland from the Mediterranean and are heading south to another popular city for visitors, another cultural line has popped up into my head. It goes like this, “Would you know we’re riding, On the Marrakesh Express, Would you know we’re riding, On the Marrakesh Express, They’re taking me to Marrakesh, All on board the train, all on board the train.” Well, we are not exactly on a train, but we are heading over the mountains to Marrakesh, one pedal stroke at the time.

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Mats Fredrix was the Content Creator for the 2022 Morocco: Kingdom of the West Cycling Tour. In this report he looks back on the last rest day on the tour.

A six-day stretch took the Morocco: Kingdom of the West cyclists from Marrakesh to the coastal city of Essaouira. It was the longest riding stretch of the whole tour, and even after almost a month en route, it was still a challenging prospect for even the most experienced riders and staff. After traversing the Atlas Mountains for the very last time, passing through Paradise Valley, and reaching the coast again, the group left camp in the surf town of Imsouane early in the morning, eager to get to their very last rest day of the tour.

A hot, dusty, and long 107k day decided to give everyone a good final run for their money, though. It was just one of those days when the gravel never seemed to end. Exhausted the riders trickled in one by one on the city’s main square: the Place Moulay Hassan. They were greeted in a very un-pushy, almost un-Moroccan, way by the many street vendors in the fruit and fish stalls that surrounded the square. For the remainder of the day, the ‘rest’ in rest day was taken very literally and any real exploring was unanimously postponed until further notice. After a little mission through the maze that is every Moroccan medina, everyone was in their little safe haven for the next two nights; the Riad Mimouna.

The following day, gently awoken by the sound of the crashing waves, and after a hearty breakfast, one attraction topped everyone’s charts: Essaouira’s port and fish market. The port is not used for commercial traffic, so it has retained its authenticity and breath-taking charm. Rows of colourful blue boats immediately draw the attention when you make your way from the main square to the port. The many seagulls circling above complete the picture. That, and of course the smell. It’s like taking a leap back in time. It’s not only the odour of the fish, but the ground and everything else in the harbour is muddled with fishy seawater. Combined, it’s a real wall of smells, and one you must just power through. The show is more than worth it, though. The docks literally come alive with movement and noise while local fishermen entice passers-by to purchase their shellfish, sardines, conger eels and other fresh catches.

A cart full of ice blocks the entire little street, drawing out chorus of honking and almost rhythmic shouting. Many of the market goers cheekily take the opportunity to add a little ice into their bags with their most recent purchases. Road tax, the driver at least doesn’t really seem to mind.

Further along, away from the raucous buying and selling, the vibe changes and is much more laid-back. Rows and rows of people are preparing bait for their next fishing trips, and the conversations here are much more serene and almost relaxed. Even further along is the shipping yard, with many larger boats on the dry docks for repairs or other patch-up work. As you walk through it, the sheer historical diversity of the place is blatantly obvious.

Essaouira is only a very recent name the city was given after the Moroccan independence. For a very long time it used to be called ‘Mogador’, a name still visible everywhere on the streets. The city is justifiably proud of its ancient port and its reputation as a real pirate’s cove. It is said that Mogador was once a haven for pirates, ideally situated with regard to the trade between Europe, Africa and the Americas. It’s also one of the most preserved and best examples of a Portuguese port that was left behind after falling to local resistance. The fortress and the walled city still sport many cannons atop its battlements from the Portuguese defence. And even in much more recent times, Essaouira has much history to be proud of. In the 1960’s it used to be a real hippy hotspot and stories about Jimi Hendrix’s two week stay in the town have become legendary and a vital part in Essaouiran culture.

All-in-all, you’d be hard pressed to find a better rest day location for a crew of adventurers with pedals instead of sails. Fully charged and rested the TDA Morocco ship took off through the Essaouiran medina for its very last stint straight north up the coast, back to where it all began more than a month ago, in Casablanca.

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Ever wondered what a typical day on a TDA cycling adventure looks like? Well, rider Stephen Hyde from the UK has got you covered. He is keeping his own tour diary to document his very first TDA – and first ever long-haul cycling trip.

5AM – Wake up to start organizing tent and get dressed. Being prepared the night before is key. Bag packing is somewhat of a challenge – how come it all fitted in before but not now?

6AM – Bag dropped off and grab a coffee – freshly brewed and strong. Everyone is very diligent on timing (beware the wrath of the TDA staff …).

6.15AM – Breakfast time! Porridge, yoghurt, fruit and granola – sometimes eggs or fresh flat bread. Hygiene is key, so hand washing first – if we are lucky with warm water! On a hard riding day, there is an opportunity to prepare yourself a sandwich snack for along the way – cheese & jam being my preferred option.

7AM – On the road straight after breakfast, after washing up your plates, a final tinker with the bike, a decision on clothing and a final trip to the loo. Everyone has their own cycle plan – so typically groups of 2 or more individuals. The support from the TDA staff is fantastic – with thumbs up or down checks as the support vans pass and a quick call to tour leader will get help to you as soon as possible.

11 AM – Lunch! The riding can vary day by day, but a hard day would typically be 5-6 hours of cycling with a break at 55-65% of estimated ride time. Coffee/coke stops are indicated on the GPS route to supplement energy levels – but the lunch van is always a welcome sight. Consisting of a combination of rolls, cheese, ham, tuna and salad fillings – plus fruit and other energy bites such as dates/cookies. The break is usually a quick affair and then back to the bike. Lunch locations can be very scenic, though the occasional petrol station or lay-by is sometimes there to keep us on our toes.

2PM – By this time most people would be at the next campsite. The early birds and speedsters get choice of pitch, but there is always plenty of options. Most camping sites have toilets and showers (unless officially called a ‘Bush Camp’) and if we are lucky some sites have rooms available for rent – remember TIA (This Is Africa) as a non-functioning flush or showerhead is more common than not.

2.30PM – Soup! The food is all prepared from scratch and has been great. It is designed to support our riding needs – soup is available to bridge the hunger gap and everyone tucks in. After this usually a quiet tranquility descends over the camp, as everyone uses the downtime in their own way, from napping to yoga and Strava due diligences.

5.45PM – The briefing for the next day. Tour Leader Doug give everyone a brief oversight on what to expect on their next day of riding. From road conditions to must-see sights. Sometimes local tour guide Omar will also add in some of his own knowledge about what marvels lie ahead.

6PM – Dinner time! Sometimes the absolute highlight of the day – a combination of protein, carbs and vegetables. One serving each by the staff and then ‘Open Kitchen’ is called for those still hungry – normally everyone! There is always plenty of food – it is no mean feat preparing and cooking for over 30 people.

8PM – Time for bed! The temperature in the evening has varied immensely, if cold the bed usually calls us all earlier – but I would say most people are in their tents by 8pm and asleep by 9pm ready for the next day. 4G and WiFi are a hit and miss (mostly miss) so bringing a good book is probably my best tip of the whole tour.

Follow the rest of Stephen’s adventures in Morocco on his tour diary blog.

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Mats Fredrix is the Content Creator for the 2022 Morocco: Kingdom of the West Cycling Tour. He reports from Morocco’s Middle Atlas Mountains.

Sometimes something just feels so out of place, you have no idea whether you love or hate it. That’s exactly what it feels like riding through the town of Ifrane, in the Moroccan Middle Atlas mountains. Pedalling out of the brooding, bustling city of Fes, with a Medina full of odours, chaos and swindling, the absolute last thing you’d expect is to be passing by an Alpine style ski-resort.

Yes, skiing in Morocco is actually a thing, and the Michlifen ski station, just outside of Ifrane, is the most popular destination in the country for it. At an altitude of over 1,650 m, it gets snow for almost 5 months a year. The coldest temperature in Africa ever (-24C°) was recorded in this little town. Towards the end of April, however, there isn’t a single snowflake in sight, and the temperature is holding up nicely in the low twenties. After a sunny climb through a few typical little Moroccan villages, the sight of the town is just plain odd. Tour leader Doug Percival’s words are a pretty good description, “It’s a strange, but cool little place.” Pun definitely intended.

Cycling in from the north, the riders finally got a sense of having really climbed in altitude. The vegetation changes into hardier greens, with long stretches of scattered rocks as far the eye can see. The first thing you notice entering the town are the rooftops. The triangular shapes and roof tiles almost feel like a fata morgana at first sight. Then comes the greenery, lush flowerbeds and fields of thick green grass, with a very European village style little pond and park. As our colourful bunch of TDAers slowly roll through the town, it is maybe for the first time they are gaping more at their surroundings, than their surroundings are gaping at them. Row houses with gates and fences are mixed in with inns with names like ‘Hotel Chamonix’.

COVID has put some cracks into the town, and the place is starting to look like a dilapidated Disneyland. It wasn’t just the odd Swiss architecture that had drifted the riders a little off course. It was the promise of something considered an absolutely core essential to a bike ride: the coffee and cake stop. As promised by our Moroccan driver and lunch chef, Mohammed, the town included a full-on European ski bistro. And because of Ramadan, our riders had gone without for the whole trip. So they all definitely deserved to indulge a bit. Enjoying their pastry, cakes, cappuccinos and espressos, no one was paying any mind anymore to the sheer oddness of the place. Priorities, I guess.

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Mats Fredrix is the Content Creator for the 2022 Morocco: Kingdom of the West Cycling Tour. He reports from the starting line in Casablanca.

The rear derailleurs are screwed back into their sockets, the handlebars re-attached to the stem mounts and the seat posts slid with minute precision into their optimal riding positions. Last up are the pedals. Screwing them back in feels like re-establishing a familiar connection, much more than just a bond between rider and machine, steel and flesh. It’s like a trustworthy friend that has come back to life from hibernation, a little piece of home to lean on for an adventure.

An air of anticipation hangs over this scene, as it is repeated over thirty times. Excitement, nervousness, even stress, but mostly there’s this unquenchable appetite to get going. One phrase is repeated over and over: “Let’s get this show on the road!” This is how every TDA tour starts. No bikes, no TDA. And the first ever Morocco tour is no different. With the bikes waiting as eagerly as their owners in the hotel’s conference room, a mix of experienced TDA alumni and a few rookies – this writer included – dribble into the very first rider’s meeting on tour day minus 1.

Veteran tour leader Doug Percival immediately set the group’s gaze on the elephant in the room. The beautiful, but oh so challenging, Atlas Mountains. Incredible scenery comes at a cost, and that cost is regular 2000m+ days of climbing. But with those being more than two weeks away, the group turned their attention to more pressing matters: hashing out how to deal with number two in a bush camp. Without going into the finer details, it involves a shovel, a good long walk, and something that can only be described as a funny snake dance.

As the sun sets on the beach in Casablanca, and the Moroccans have their Iftar, or breakfast, to end their day of Ramadan fasting, 24 adventurers with an appetite for burning rubber decide to call it an early night. And although stage one from Casablanca to the nation’s capital, Rabat, is one of the flattest stages on the tour, everyone is more than aware of the amount of shut eye they’ll need to make it through their month-long adventure through the Kingdom of the West.

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‘When one door closes, another opens’, so goes the idiom. Three years in a row, I have excitedly looked forward to cycling Korea and Japan in the spring, only to have Covid ‘uninterruptus’ scratch the idea, again and again. What is one to do? Well, when you are like me, fortunate to have options, you take a look at the TDA calendar  and start dreaming about some other new trips. One tour that still has spaces available is Morocco: Kingdom of the West.

I was in Morocco in 2018 with our inaugural West Africa en Vélo tour. The ride started in Casablanca and headed south. The cycling was great, and the rest of the experience was even better. You can get a sense of what I mean from the video above. The, relatively speaking, short time I was there gave me a taste of the country. Call it an appetizer. Boy, did it ever whet my appetite for more and left me wanting to come back someday. Why?

Traditional Moroccan Chicken Tagine

Well, speaking of appetizers, let me start with the food. I loved the Moroccan cuisine, starting with Harira soups, then main dishes such as tagines, couscous lamb with prunes (after all I am of a certain age), refissa – a stewed chicken and lentils fragrantly seasoned with fenugreek, saffron, ras el hanouta – a mixture of many Moroccan spices, or pastilla – a seafood pie similar to pilo. The list goes on and on. When it comes to deserts, kaab el ghzal (gazelle ankles), a pastry stuffed with almond paste and topped with sugar, and its cousin Briouats, filled with almond or peanut paste and fried, then dipped in warm honey flavoured with orange blossom water. To wash it all down, how about a ‘Whisky Moroccan’ – also known as menthe tea or tea with nana. For someone who loves fruits and vegetables like I do, there was plenty to enjoy. If you watch the video closely, there is even some footage of me picking some delicious cactus pears on the road. It is a fruit that is well known for assisting poorly performing digestive systems. And let’s not forget that the previous colonial powers, France and Spain, have left their own culinary footprints with foods such as paellas widely available in the coastal areas.

Jamal El-Fina, Marrakesh

Marrakesh was a treat. When I was there, I managed to visit the Koutoubia Mosque, with its incredible 12th century minaret, the souk, the Melah – the old Jewish quarter, as well as spending an hour or so in a Hammam getting a traditional massage and bath. The highlight, however, was dinner with several riders on the world famous Jeema El-Fna. Afterwards we wandered amongst the musicians, acrobats and story tellers in the huge square. There are still many great sites like the El Baadi and Bahia Palaces and the Majorelle Garden that I had no time to visit. I now hope to do so as I have decided to join this tour.

Fez Medina

If Marrakesh was a treat, Fez, which is on the tour itinerary and is according to Rough Guides, “perhaps the most beautiful of all Arab cities which still maintains a life rooted in medieval kingdom” makes me ache with anticipation. My feet are itching when I think about walking the Medina of Fez. “Fez stimulates all the senses: a barrage of haunting and beautiful sounds, infinite visual details and unfiltered odours”, at least according to Rough Guides. Just think of the tanneries of Fez. I can’t wait for my traditional walkabout on the rest day in the city.

Do you want to hear some other reasons why I am now excited to join this tour? Morocco, geographically speaking, is divided into four zones: the coasts: Mediterranean and Atlantic, the great cities of the plains, the Rif and Atlas Mountains and the desert. And I will have the opportunity now to experience all four areas.

The streets of Chefchaouen

And there is more. The tour’s first rest day is in the blue-washed town of Chefchaouen, enclosed by mountains and, according to Rough Guide, “the most beautiful small town in Morocco”. In 1492, when Spain gave its Jewish citizens the ‘option’ to convert or get out, a certain number of the refugees settled in this distant town and apparently the indigo blue of the Mellah painted walls are a contrast to the traditional green of Islam.

The dunes of Merzouga

After Fez, the next rest day for a great adventure is in Merzouga and the opportunity to visit Erg Chebbi dunes. To quote a famous, sometimes resident of Tangiers, American novelist Paul Bowles, “Once a man has been under the spell of the vast, luminous, silent country, no other place is quite strong enough for him, no other surrounding can provide the supremely satisfying sensation of existing in the midst of something that is absolute.”

But perhaps the most exciting reason I am so enthusiastic about going on this tour will hopefully happen on the last rest day in Essaouira. Ever since I first saw a kite-surfer on TV, I thought, “Wow, wouldn’t this be cool to try and learn”. That opportunity has never come about but Essaouira is a prime wind and kite surfing destination with several teaching schools. And I hear that you are never too old to try new things. Are you game to join me?

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“To visit Morocco is like turning the pages of some illuminated Persian manuscript all embroidered with bright shapes and subtle lines.” – Edith Wharton

Casablanca. Marrakesh. Fez. The Rif & Atlas Mountains. Casbahs & Tagines. Souks & Mosques. Beaches & Sunsets. Sand dunes in the Sahara. Walled Cities. Palm-fringed Oases. The Mediterranean & The Atlantic.

Ait Ben Haddou

The Kingdom of Morocco, known to ancient Arab geographers as al-Mamlakah al-Maghribiyyah (المملكة المغربية) or in English, The Kingdom of the West, is the setting for our latest cycling adventure. Join us for a 2700 km journey though this exotic land. Riders will enjoy 27 spectacular riding days, pedalling through Morocco’s stunning countryside and 6 rest days exploring some of the country’s most alluring locales. At night the cyclists will camp under the stars on riding days and enjoy some unique indoor accommodations on the rest days.

Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca

The route begins in Casablanca and takes the riders north through the country’s capital, Rabat, to the port city of Tangier. The riders will then head through the Rif Mountains, stopping to explore the blue-washed town of Chefchaouen before arriving for a rest day in Fez with its magical, confusing medina.

Chefchaouen

The cyclists will then pedal south through the challenging Middle Atlas Mountains, descending gradually down to the spectacular sand dunes in Merzouga.

Merzouga

Turning west through a desolate plain sprinkled with palm-fringed oasis towns, the riders will climb up into the High Atlas Mountains, arriving in legendary Marrakesh, the Red City, with its unbelievable souks, ancient palaces and winding laneways.

High Atlas Mountains Tizi n’Test Pass

Reluctantly leaving Marrakesh, the riders spin over high mountain passes and down some spiralling switchbacks on the way to the walled city of Taroudannt. Finally, the last days of this remarkable ride take the cyclists past endless sandy beaches and into friendly villages offering incredible seafood before returning them to their starting point in Casablanca.

Read more details here.

Registration is now open.

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