Eight days of high singletrack, from the Imlil valley to the Kik Plateau, sleeping in Berber gîtes the whole way.
Stops
Villages and passes in riding order, with the altitudes we record for each day. A route overview rather than a GPS trace: the line follows roads and tracks between the stops, so where a day crosses a pass on mule paths the drawn line takes the nearest rideable way round and will read longer than the distance we quote. Trails between stops vary with conditions and with your group.
This 8-day Atlas Mountains MTB tour is the trip we are known for. It links the best singletrack in the High Atlas into one continuous point-to-point line, starting from Marrakech and riding valley to valley — Imlil, Ouirgane, Ait Zitoune, Imi n'Tala, Imidle — before the final run across the Kik Plateau.
It is a proper mountain bike holiday, not a sightseeing ride with bikes attached. You will average 35–39km a day with real climbing, and there is one short hike-a-bike to cross a pass that has no rideable line. In return you get trails that almost nobody outside the valleys knows: mule paths polished by centuries of use, threading between walnut terraces and mud-brick villages.
We keep the group between 2 and 12 riders with a 4x4 shadowing the route, so your bag, spare parts and lunch are always ahead of you. Every night is in a village gîte or family guesthouse. The same houses we have used for years.
Day 1
Airport → Marrakech medina
We meet you at Marrakech Menara airport and take you to the riad. In the evening we run the bike fit and trail briefing over dinner, so you know exactly what the week looks like before you turn a pedal. If you land early there is time to walk into the medina.
Day 2
Marrakech → Imlil → Imi Oughlad
An hour’s drive south puts you at the foot of the mountains in Imlil, at 1,740m. The first pedal strokes are a warm-up climb, then you drop onto singletrack that traverses above the valley floor with Toubkal filling the skyline behind you. A long, ledgy descent finishes the day.
Day 3
Imi Oughlad → Ouirgane
A shorter day on the bike with a walk through the Ouirgane valley in the middle of it. The riding is fast and open across red earth, and the walk takes you past the salt workings and into a village where we stop for tea. Good legs-recovery day before the technical half of the week.
Day 4
Ouirgane → Ait Zitoune
The trails tighten today. You climb steadily out of Ouirgane and pick up a series of linked mule paths — rocky, committing in places, with exposure on the outside edge. This is the day riders talk about afterwards. The gîte at Ait Zitoune sits above the village with the whole valley below it.
Day 5
Ait Zitoune → Imi n'Tala
Deeper into the range, where the villages get further apart and the terrain gets rougher. Long traverses on narrow trail, a few short carries over broken ground, and a final descent into Imi n'Tala that runs for most of a kilometre without a pedal stroke.
Day 6
Imi n'Tala → Imidle
The biggest day. A gentle traverse leads into a 45-minute climb to the pass, and the last 20 minutes of that is hike-a-bike. There is no rideable line and we do not pretend otherwise. From the top it is all yours: technical upper sections easing into fast, flowing trail down to Imidle.
Day 7
Imidle → Kik Plateau → Marrakech
The plateau is the right way to end the week. You climb onto it and then ride a long, open ribbon of trail with the whole Atlas range on one side and the Haouz plain on the other. Nothing technical — just speed and space. We wash the bikes, drive back to Marrakech and eat properly.
Day 8
Marrakech → Airport
Breakfast at the riad and a transfer to the airport whenever your flight goes. If you have a late flight, leave your bags with us and spend the morning in the souks.
The riding season is March–May, September–November. Outside it the high passes are either under snow or too hot to enjoy, so we do not run it rather than run it badly. Every departure is private, on dates you choose.
Next available months
The riding year
We run itOut of season
8-Day Atlas Mountains MTB Tour runs in March–May, September–November. The twelve months shown start with the current month.
Village guesthouses need booking, so give us a few weeks' notice where you can. Tell us your dates and we will confirm quickly.
This is our most demanding trip. You should be riding at least once or twice a week and be comfortable with back-to-back days of 35–39km with 800–1,200m of climbing. Fitness matters more than technical skill here. The descents are manageable if you ride confidently, but the consecutive days are what catch people out.
About 20 minutes on day 6, pushing and occasionally shouldering your bike up a steep, loose section of pass that has no rideable line. It is the only carry on the tour. We take it slowly and there is no rush.
March to May and September to November. Spring gives you green valleys, snow still on the high peaks and comfortable riding temperatures. Autumn is drier and the trails are at their fastest. We do not run this trip in July or August. It is too hot to enjoy.
Yes, and most of our 8-day trips run this way. Any group of 2 or more can book it as a private departure on dates that suit you. Tell us your dates when you enquire.
The questions people ask us most often about this trip, answered properly.
Enduro mountain bike
8 days / 7 nights
The steepest, most technical week we run. Oukaimeden at 2,660m, mules to carry bikes over the passes, and descents that go on for kilometres.
From€2,790 per person
Mountain bike
3 days / 2 nights
The short trip that still feels like an expedition — Imlil to Amizmiz across three valleys.
From€720 per person
Mountain bike
9 days / 8 nights
A true point-to-point: start at 2,300m in the Atlas, finish swimming in the Atlantic.
From€3,090 per person