The shortest trip that still gets you a night in the mountains — Imlil to Imi Oughlad, then over the Tachet pass into the Azzaden.
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.
A 2-day Atlas Mountains MTB tour for people whose Morocco trip is mostly about Marrakech but who want one proper ride in the mountains. You leave the city after breakfast on day one and are back by the evening of day two, with a night in a Berber village in between.
Day one runs from Imlil down to Imi Oughlad on singletrack, with lunch by a riverbed. Day two climbs the zigzag dirt road to the Tachet pass, the Maizane valley opens up behind you as you gain height, then descends through the Azzaden to Ouirgane. It is genuine Atlas riding, not a token loop.
Graded intermediate: you should be comfortable on loose rock and able to ride 30km off-road on consecutive days.
Day 1
Marrakech → Imlil → Imi Oughlad
An hour and a half from Marrakech to Imlil, where the tarmac ends and the valley closes in. The ride opens with a climb — deliberately, to get your legs working before the technical riding starts — and there is mint tea at the top before the first singletrack. The trail threads through villages where people are getting on with their day, drops to a riverbed for lunch, then picks up dusty singletrack through the afternoon. A last short climb sets up the descent into Imi Oughlad, where the gîte is.
Day 2
Imi Oughlad → Tachet Pass → Azzaden Valley → Ouirgane → Marrakech
The day starts with a long zigzagging climb on dirt road, and the reason to do it is the Maizane valley opening up behind you — green terraces below, bare rock above, snow on the summits into May. There is a proper stop at the Tachet pass. Then the singletrack descends through the Azzaden valley past stone-built hamlets, and the riding stays fast until Ouirgane, where lunch is waiting. Transfer back to Marrakech afterwards.
The riding season is March–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
2-Day Atlas Mountains MTB Tour runs in March–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.
For most people, yes. The evening in a village gîte — dinner with the family, the light going off the peaks, the quiet — is the part riders remember, and a day tour cannot give you it. If you only want the riding, the day tour covers similar trails.
A change of clothes, a toothbrush and a warm layer for the evening. The gîte is at 1,800m and it gets cold after dark even in summer. The support vehicle carries your bag, so pack normally rather than trying to travel light.
Usually between 4pm and 6pm on day two. Do not book a flight before 9pm that evening.
The questions people ask us most often about this trip, answered properly.
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
1 day (4–5 hours riding)
Hotel pickup at 9am, real Atlas singletrack by 10.30, back in Marrakech for dinner.
From€125 per person
Gravel bike
2 days / 1 night
Agafay desert piste on day one, the Kik Plateau on day two. The best gravel riding within reach of Marrakech.
From€480 per person