The stuff of fantasy. Goats in trees. Snake charmers in the medina. Sweet mint tea poured into tiny glasses from impossible heights. Names like Tamesloht and Amizmiz. You bargaining in the souk, riding a camel, lunching with Berbers in a remote village. The kids playing donkey polo, devouring dishes spiced with cinnamon, saffron and cumin. They're eating with their hands. You're eating with yours! It's not a dream. It's your family in Morocco.
Day 1 Pedal through an exotic landscape more accustomed to camels than cyclists
Adults head to the small village of Tamesloht, home to a zaouia (holy site), while kids engage in a friendly game of donkey polo A biking route through rolling countryside leads to the Gorges d'Ouirgane.
Day 2 In the High Atlas Mountains, hike to a village accessible only by foot
and experience traditional life Share mint tea, fresh bread and olive oil with a welcoming Berber family Enjoy a lively performance of singing, drumming and dancing before our feast of Moroccan specialties.
Day 3 Luxurious Heure Bleue Palais with spectacular ocean views
Goats climbing trees? Look for them in the argan trees as you ride undulating terrain past sun-kissed olive groves toward the Atlantic With our local guide, explore the narrow winding streets of Essaouira, an artsy white-washed port town and World Heritage site.
Day 4 Camel ride on the beach at twilight
Spin to the sleepy surfing village of Moulay Bouzerqtoune, where dramatic hills tumble to the coast Wash away your cares in a traditional hammam Cinnamon, turmeric, cumin and anis dance on your tongue during a lavish Moroccan dinner.
Days 5-6 Explore Marrakech's bustling medina
on a guided walk Discover the architectural wonders of Dar Si Said Palace during a private tour Relax in our private kasbah or bike or hike in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains.
Trip Highlights
- Pedal through an exotic landscape more accustomed to camels than cyclists
- Marrakech's D'jemâa el Fna, a wonderland of snake charmers, soothsayers, herbalists and musicians
- Hike to a remote Berber village in the Atlas Mountains and get a peek at traditional life
- Twilight camel ride on Essaouira's beach
- Luxuriate at Heure Bleue Palais with spectacular ocean views
Premiere & Casual Inns
Domaine de la Roseraie (2 nights): Tucked away in the Atlas Mountains, a welcoming retreat with rose gardens, citrus groves and horse stables. (pool, spa, tennis)
Heure Bleue Palais (2 nights): A traditional Moroccan riad, "built around a magnificent lantern-lit patio and courtyard garden planted with palm and banana trees," said Andrew Harper. A Relais & Châteaux member. (pool, spa)
Kasbah Agafay (1 night): A converted hilltop fort - a haven of tranquility - with views over olive groves to the Atlas Mountains. A Small Luxury Hotels of the World member. (pool, spa, tennis)
Routes For All Abilities
Every Backroads trip is designed to appeal to a wide variety of
interests and fitness levels. We know your pace may vary from one
day to the next-and your traveling companion's may differ somewhat
from yours. So we present a range of mileage options, and each
day you decide exactly what and how much you want to do.
| Daily Route Options | |||||||||||
| Day | Activity | EASYGOING | ACTIVE | AVID | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 | Level 5 | |||||||
| miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | ||
| 1 | Biking | 14* | 0 | 22 | 0 | ||||||
| Biking | 17* | 0 | |||||||||
| Other | Tamesloht village and riad guided tour (1.5 hours) | ||||||||||
| Kids | Donkey polo (1.5 hours) | ||||||||||
| 2 | Walking | 4.0 | 0 | 8.0 | 0 | ||||||
| Kids | Traditional Berber games (2 hours) | ||||||||||
| 3 | Biking | 20 | 0 | 34 | 0 | ||||||
| Other | Essaouira guided walk (1 hour) | ||||||||||
| 4 | Biking | 13* | 0 | 28* | 0 | ||||||
| Walking | 3.7 | 0 | |||||||||
| Other | Camel ride (1.5 hours) | ||||||||||
| 5 | Walking | 6.0 | 0 | ||||||||
| 6 | Biking | 13 | 0 | ||||||||
| Other | Guided palace tour (1 hour) | ||||||||||
To make for the most comfortable ride to this particular trip, we've outfitted our titanium road bike with slightly wider tires. You'll appreciate this on those stretches of the route with hard-packed dirt (approximately 15% dirt and 85% paved).
* Includes a shuttle
Recommended Kids Ages
Minimum Ages:
- Recommended minimum age for the trip: 9 years
- Minimum age restriction to ride own bike: 9 years
- Minimum age restriction to ride camel: 9 years
- No Burleys or Piccolos available on this trip
General Info on Minimum Ages:
We strongly encourage families to join our Family Trips, designed with kid- and adult-friendly features. Please note that we have a minimum age requirement of 1 year for all Inn trips and 2 years for all Camping trips. Other than that, we do not restrict trips to a minimum age except in the rare case of a hotel age restriction. We do, however, recommend minimum ages based on the following criteria:- 12+ amount of cultural appreciation, difficulty of activities, routes
- 9+ difficulty of activities/activity age restrictions, routes
- 6+ several longer dinners, routes are difficult for pulling a Burley and therefore not appropriate for younger children, difficulty of activities/activity age restrictions
Guest Trip Reviews
It was a wonderful adventure - the trip of a lifetime. The culture, the people and the scenery were amazing.- Atlanta, GA
We LOVE Backroads and got a kick out of sitting in the Land Rovers on this trip swapping stories of other trips taken by our new friends with Backroads. We have already found the other trips that we want to take and look forward to the connection with this fine company going forward, and heck yes--we will recommend you to all of our friends!!! It does take special folks to truly appreciate the amount of research you do to make the trips outstanding and the exceptionally high quality you offer. Consider yourselves hugged for making this one of the best spring breaks we have ever had!!! Cheers to all staff and a leader with an incredible vision!- Boulder, CO
It is clear there was a lot of leg work and evolution of details of this trip over time. Our experience introduced us to a new country and culture. We felt safe and engaged the entire time. The leaders were incredible. Always aware and smiling. This trip is the total counterpoint to going to an all-in-one resort and spending one's time drinking at the beach!- North Kingstown, RI
FANTASTIC!- Eugene, OR