A true point-to-point: start at 2,300m in the Atlas, finish swimming in the Atlantic.
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 is the trip for riders who want a journey rather than a base. Over nine days you cross the entire width of the High Atlas from Marrakech and keep going west until you run out of land at the Atlantic. You start above 2,300m in the Imlil valley and finish swimming at Imessouane.
The riding changes completely as you go. The first four days are classic Atlas singletrack — passes, terraced villages, technical descents. Then the mountains soften into the high plateaus of the Ida Outanane, the argan country begins, and the last two days run along the coast to Essaouira.
Graded intermediate rather than advanced: there is a lot of it, but the technical difficulty is manageable. Support vehicle throughout, riads at each end and gîtes in between.
Day 1
Airport → Marrakech medina
Airport transfer and check in to the riad. Bike fit and route briefing, then an afternoon in the medina. The souks and Jemaa el-Fnaa are ten minutes' walk away.
Day 2
Marrakech → Imlil → Tacheddirt → Imi Oughlad
Transfer to the Imlil valley and climb to a 2,300m pass, the highest point of the trip. From there it is singletrack through Tacheddirt, Tamguist and Amssakrou — villages linked by mule paths, with Toubkal behind you. Lunch in a riverbed, then a technical descent to Imi Oughlad.
Day 3
Imi Oughlad → Azzaden Valley
A tough climb to a second pass opens the day. The vehicle is available for an uplift if you would rather save your legs. What follows is a sequence of descents and short climbs on technical singletrack, with a stop at a village shop for cold drinks. The gîte sits at 1,800m.
Day 4
Azzaden Valley → Ouirgane → Amizmiz
Singletrack through villages, a series of 300–400m climbs with fast sections between them, a break in a riverbed and a crossing at the dam. The day finishes with a gorge descent into Amizmiz.
Day 5
Amizmiz → Imouzzer Ida Outanane
The transition day. Morning climbs and a traverse lead to a long singletrack descent, a riverbed crossing and a technical ascent into new country. The mountains here are lower, drier and covered in argan trees. Imouzzer sits above a gorge with waterfalls below it.
Day 6
Imouzzer → Targant Valley → Imessouane
The day you reach the sea. A quiet road past the waterfalls drops into the Targant valley, then high plateaus with goat herds in the argan trees. You ride west and at some point the horizon stops being mountains and starts being ocean. Imessouane is a fishing village and surf point — swim as soon as you arrive.
Day 7
Imessouane → Sidi Kaouki → Essaouira
A morning riding the coast, then inland through low hills, villages and terraced almond fields before returning to the shore at Sidi Kaouki for a swim and a picnic on the beach. Short transfer into Essaouira and an evening in the medina.
Day 8
Essaouira → Marrakech
A free morning in Essaouira. The medina, the ramparts, the fishing port, and the beach if you want it. In the afternoon we drive the 170km back to Marrakech, with time for the Bahia Palace and a last evening at Jemaa el-Fnaa.
Day 9
Marrakech → Airport
Breakfast and an airport transfer to suit your flight.
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
9-Day Atlas to Atlantic Bike 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.
Longer, but technically easier. The 8-day trip stays high in demanding terrain the whole week and is graded advanced. This one is graded intermediate. There is more distance, but the trails are more forgiving and the second half is genuinely relaxed.
Yes. There are transfers at the start and end of the trip and one short transfer into Essaouira on day 7, but the mountains-to-coast crossing itself is ridden. You arrive at Imessouane on your bike.
Much milder and often windy. The Atlantic keeps Imessouane and Essaouira around 18–24°C most of the year while the mountains swing far more. Bring a windproof layer for the coastal days.
Easily. Plenty of people finish the ride and stay on for two or three nights. We can arrange the riad and get you back to Marrakech airport whenever suits.
The questions people ask us most often about this trip, answered properly.
Mountain bike
8 days / 7 nights
Eight days of high singletrack, from the Imlil valley to the Kik Plateau, sleeping in Berber gîtes the whole way.
From€2,690 per person
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
Your choice
Your dates, your length
Almost every tour we run is already private. Tell us your dates, your group and how you like to ride.
From€125 per person