Ask any rider who has done it and they will tell you the same thing: Morocco is one of the greatest motorcycle destinations on earth. Nowhere else within a short ferry crossing or flight from Europe offers this combination: hundreds of kilometres of empty mountain tarmac sweeping over 2,000 metre passes, endless gravel pistes running between oasis villages, and the option of riding right to the edge of the Sahara, sleeping in a desert camp and riding out again the next morning. Adventure riders on a BMW GS, off-road riders on a KTM, or friends sharing a mixed group of both: the country absorbs them all.
I am Nourddine, founder of Trek Morocco Desert. I was born here and I have spent my life on these roads, organising journeys through every valley and over every pass in this country. For riding groups, we work as your local ground team: route planning matched to your experience level, hotels and desert camps with secure parking, a support vehicle carrying luggage, fuel, water and spares, and a fixer who solves problems before you know you have them. This guide covers the routes that make Morocco legendary, the right season to ride, and how a supported tour actually works.
The Rides: Mountain Passes, Gorges and Desert Pistes
Every great Moroccan itinerary is built around crossing the High Atlas, and riders are spoiled with choices. The Tizi n’Tichka (2,260 m) is the classic: a fast, beautifully surfaced ribbon of curves between Marrakech and Ouarzazate, resurfaced in recent years and best ridden early in the morning before the tour coaches wake up. Its wilder sibling, the Tizi n’Test (2,092 m), is the connoisseur’s pass: narrower, older, quieter, hanging over the Nfis valley with views that make you stop every ten minutes. Further east, the road through the Dades Gorge with its famous stacked hairpins is probably the most photographed stretch of tarmac in Morocco, and the nearby Todra Gorge pushes you between 300 metre rock walls. Link them with the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs through Skoura and the Rose Valley and you have several days of world-class riding without repeating a kilometre.
Then the tarmac ends, and for many riders this is where Morocco really begins. The pistes south and east of the Atlas are an off-road paradise: the crossing of the Jbel Saghro’s lunar rockscape, the tracks around Merzouga and Erg Chebbi where you ride with 150 metre dunes on your shoulder, the remote routes toward Erg Chigaga beyond M’Hamid where you may not see another vehicle for hours, and the old colonial pistes of the Draa Valley. Surfaces range from fast hard-packed gravel to rocky steps and short sandy sections, so we grade every off-road day honestly and route mixed groups so that road-only riders take a parallel tarmac option and everyone meets for lunch. Nobody gets forced into terrain above their level, and nobody gets bored below it.
A typical eight to ten day loop from Marrakech crosses the Tichka, follows the kasbah road to the gorges, drops to Merzouga for a desert night (your motorcycle parked safely at the auberge while camels or a 4×4 carry you into the dunes camp), then returns through the Draa Valley, the Anti-Atlas or over the Tizi n’Test. Shorter five day loops and longer coast-to-desert routes through Essaouira and Agadir are all possible: the road network is excellent, fuel stations are more frequent than most riders expect, and distances between good hotels are civilised.
Seasons, Bikes and How a Supported Tour Works
Timing matters more in Morocco than riders assume. The sweet spots are March to May and late September to November: warm days in the south, passable and beautiful conditions in the mountains, and comfortable desert nights. In high summer the desert south is dangerously hot for riding, and in deep winter the high passes can see snow and ice even while Marrakech sits in sunshine, so winter itineraries stay south and low, which still leaves superb riding around the Anti-Atlas, the Draa and the coast. We build routes around the season you can travel, not the other way around.
On machines: many groups ride their own motorcycles down through Spain and cross at Tanger Med, which is a great adventure in itself, and we plan the northern legs and hotels around your ferry times. Others prefer to fly in and ride, and we arrange rental through established partners in Marrakech with well-maintained fleets, typically BMW GS models for the road-focused itineraries and KTM and similar enduro machines for serious off-road programmes, with proper insurance and documented handover. Either way, you need a full motorcycle licence valid for the machine you ride, and we send every group a clear pre-trip document covering paperwork, insurance, recommended kit and what the support vehicle carries.
The support vehicle is what turns a hard trip into a great one. It follows the group with luggage, water, fuel reserves, tools, spare parts and first aid, so you ride light and free. If a machine has a problem, it goes in the van and the rider continues from the next town; if a rider is tired or unwell, they ride in air-conditioned comfort for an afternoon. Our guides know every mechanic, every fuel stop and every shortcut between the Mediterranean and the Sahara, and hotels are chosen for what riders actually need: secure overnight parking, good food, hot showers and a terrace for the evening debrief. Groups from four to fifteen riders work best, and we regularly build private tours for clubs and groups of friends who want their own route, their own pace and nobody else’s schedule.
Ready to ride Morocco? Tell me your dates, group size, riding experience and whether you are bringing your own bikes or renting, and I will design a route with hotels, support vehicle and a clear all-in price within 48 hours. Message us on WhatsApp, call us, or use the contact form below, and let’s get you over the Tichka with the Sahara on the horizon.
