Atlas Descent

The tour starts at our hotel in Agadir. Depending on arrival time, you can wander around the town, relax by the hotel pool or walk five minutes to the beach. The trip briefing either takes place this evening or tomorrow morning, depending on the arrival times of all travellers. Stay: Oasis Hotel & Spa (or similar).

Leaving Agadir in our 4x4 vehicles, we drive across the plains of the Souss Valley. We climb into the heart of the Anti-Atlas range, reaching the high mountain pass of Tizi Mlil, above the old garrison town of Tafraoute (three-hour transfer). From here, we get on our bikes and descend on a sealed track to Aguerd Oudad, where we meet the vehicles before heading onto gritty pistes through the boulder-strewn moonscape to a series of intriguing rocks painted a bright blue.

Following non-technical gravel tracks across the high-altitude plains, we return to Tafraoute on a mix of good paved routes and sweeping singletracks through beautiful palmeries. Today's ride is a relatively easy introduction to prepare us for the days to come. Stay: Hotel Les Amandiers (or similar) Drive time: Four hours (B/L/D).

Today's ride follows a spectacular route through the impressive gorges and lush palmeries around Ait Mansour.

After a short transfer high into the mountains behind Tafraoute to Tizi Tasrite, we begin our 47mi (75km) ride, descending through a landscape that dramatically contrasts with what we saw yesterday. The scenery is breathtaking as we descend through impressive gorges, following dry riverbeds in places and passing through small Amazigh villages. Today, we have 15. 5mi (25km) offroad and the rest is on paved routes, including some massive downhill sections (and one long optional climb on a paved route). We return to the hotel on bikes. Back in Tafraoute, we can relax by the hotel bar and pool or walk into town to visit a carpet shop before dinner at the hotel. Stay: Hotel Les Amandiers (or similar) (B/L/D).

A short transfer takes us back to the high pass of Tizi Mlil. From here, we take a 12mi (20km) high mountain trail above Tafraoute leading to Tizi Tasrite with stunning views of our previous ride far below. Before Tasrite village, we can take a short optional singletrack to the start of a superb 6mi (10km) switchback offroad descent. The first 2. 5mi (4km) are rough and rocky (and ridden without a support vehicle), then it's a long nice downhill (Tarmac). After lunch, we take a short section of paved track to the village of Fisli and then ride on an old piste over the plains back to Tafraoute where we rejoin our singletrack through palmeries back to the hotel. Back in Tafraoute, we have time to visit the town or relax by the hotel pool. Stay: Hotel Les Amandiers (or similar) Drive time: Two and a half hours (B/L/D).

We drive for about an hour southwest from Tafraoute to the start of today's ride.

After a short offroad climb to a high col, we go on tarmac switchback piste trail, nearly 12mi (20km) down the mountain and past traditional villages to Anezi. A short, paved stretch offers a break from the stony terrain, but the piste soon returns winding through a scenic valley and crossing riverbeds. At the end of the ride, we transfer approximately 30 minutes to Tiznit, an old walled medina town famous for its silver markets. There is a traditional hammam here that we can visit in the late afternoon, or we can explore the town or relax by the hotel pool. Stay: Hotel Idou Tiznit (or similar) (B/L/D).

After an early breakfast and morning transfer we arrive at the small village of Tiqqi in the foothills of the High Atlas. The landscape here is very different with pine and cedar forests and remote mountainside villages dominating the area. Initially, our track leads past several untouched Amazigh villages, where mud houses perch precariously under cliff edges and local people look on as we cycle through.

After lunch, the track becomes slightly rockier as we come to a spectacular gorge; we have time to admire the views and contemplate the two afternoon climbs, before our final fast-flowing cross-country ride down. Rejoining the paved route, we cycle downhill for the last stretch to our hotel in Immouzer Stay: Hotel des Cascades Ecolodge (or similar) Drive time: Two and a half hours (B/L/D).

We have the ultimate offroad trail today: a fitting finale to this biking adventure. Riding directly from the hotel, we take the short scenic paved road through the village of Immouzer, before ascending a rough track which gradually climbs for 4mi (6km) onto a high mountain pass. From here, the blast down to the coast begins with a spectacular 25mi (40km) mountain descent.

The trail is rough and rocky in places as it contours and gradually descends, offering amazing views over the mountains and to the coastline. Poor weather may make this particular route impassable, in which case we make our way out of the mountains through Paradise Valley. This route follows a spectacular winding paved road, dropping from the ridges around Immouzer deep into a narrow gorge abundant with palm trees and small oases.

After a swim or stroll on the beach, we load the bikes onto the support vehicles for the last drive into Agadir (approximately 30 minutes), arriving in time for an optional, relaxing Amazigh massage and a farewell dinner. Stay: Oasis Hotel & Spa (or similar) (B/L).

The trip ends in Agadir. Of course, if you'd like a couple of restful days after the adventure, you can speak to your sales representative about extending your stay (B).