Magical Morocco - Malaga

Reception of the participants at the hotel. In the evening, we will get together for a welcome drink, dinner, and tour presentation.

Our two-week journey into Morocco starts with a leisure ride through the beautiful ‘Costa del Sol’ highway out of Malaga to Algeciras, stopping on our way to admire spectacular views of the Strait of Gibraltar. Once in Algeciras, we will board the ferry for the 90-minute
crossing to mysterious Tangier, in times past home to shady merchants, spies, and smugglers. Tangier is now one of the most prosperous cities in the country, due to its strategic and ideal geographic location for the commercial maritime traffic between North Africa and Europe. Once we clear customs and immigration in Tangier, we will ride across the city center and head to our hotel located by the seaside on the outskirts of the town. A first Moroccan dinner at the hotel and a great rest night will get us ready to start exploring Morocco tomorrow!

We will leave Tangier on coastal roads to our first stop of the day in Asilah, the ‘Pearl of the Atlantic’, where we will take a short tour of its small and cozy Medina. Keeping riding south, we will pass through cities such as Larache and Kenitra, two significant centers for Moroccan trade. In Rabat, the political capital of the country, we will stop for lunch and visit the famous Hassan II Mausoleum. In the afternoon, we move on to Casablanca, Morocco’s economic capital. Upon our arrival, we should have enough time to tour the impressive Hassan II Mosque, the second largest in the Islamic world behind Mecca in Saudi Arabia. In the evening, a traditional and delicious dinner will mark the end of our second day on the road.

We continue to ride South to the coastal gem of El Jadida, once an important port for Morocco’s maritime trade. Beautiful cliffs and small fishing villages mark the spectacular coastal road to our next stop, Safi, in an area considered to be one of the world’s most productive fishing zones. Many of us will be surprised to learn that Morocco is the largest canned sardine exporter in the world and the leading supplier of sardines to the European market.
After lunch on the beach in Oualidia, we will stay on idyllic seaside roads to our stop for the night, Essaouira. Time to watch the sun setting at sea, take a walk around the old Medina and enjoy a delicious dinner in this beautiful coastal city.

Today we will have a short but intense ride on twisty roads over spectacular cliffs. We will cross the Tamri National Park, where we will stop to photograph the fantastic coastal views around Cape Rhir. This is a popular area for the residents of Agadir, offering accessible beaches and easy transportation for weekend and holiday getaways. We will continue enjoying the road curves until we reach Taghazout, a well-known surfing mecca in Morocco, where an unusually mild year-round climate attracts foreign tourists and many locals as well. We can visit the village and have dinner at our beachfront resort for a good night’s rest.

It is time to say goodbye to the Atlantic coast and start our journey inland towards the mountains of the Anti-Atlas. We will head towards Taroudant, in an area rich in sugar, cotton, and rice, and then to one of the most spectacular passes in the whole country, the Tizi-n-Test. This road connects the valley of the Souss River with the Toubkal National Park, with spectacular views and landscapes that we will forever remember as one of the highlights of our Moroccan experience. After the stop for lunch at Tizi-n-Test, we will continue to Asni through the Imlil Valley, enjoying some of the best scenery Morocco has to offer. After checking into our hotel in Marrakesh, we will go for a walk through the world-famous Jemaa el-Fna Square to start our visit to this most extraordinary city.

We will have the whole day to explore the best of Marrakesh, and it will be an intense one! After breakfast, we will leave our hotel on a guided tour of the city, undoubtedly the best way to spend a full day getting to know one of the most sought-after destinations in North Africa. On our itinerary, famous landmarks like the historic Bahia Palace, the Menara Gardens, the spectacular Jemaa El-Fna Square, a cheerful Berber pharmacy, the majestic Koutoubia Mosque, and of course the famous Medina of Marrakech. The old Medina, rich in colors, sounds, and flavors, is a perfect place to do a little shopping and bring home some souvenirs from our exciting journey into Morocco.

We leave Marrakesh behind as we cross the Great Atlas Mountain range once again, this time through the mythical Tizi-n-Tichka Pass. We will stop at the summit to contemplate a spectacular landscape, and then take a secondary, less-traveled road to Teoulet. Its Kasbah is one of the most beautiful in Morocco, and since it is located off the conventional tourist route, it does not usually have many visitors. Riding on an ancient caravan route between the Draa Valley and sub-Saharan Africa will be another experience not to be forgotten! After lunch, we will follow the same road to Ait Benhaddou, an ancient Kasbah famous for being a natural scenario for many famous Hollywood movies like Gladiator, Cleopatra, Asterix and Obelix, and Prince of Persia, among others. Several episodes of the popular Game of Thrones TV series were also shot in the old Kasbah. We will be able to walk through its alleys and admire the incredible architecture. Our destination for the day is Boumalne, famous for its beautiful, charming landscapes, as well as its famous gorges.

Our route today takes us first to a short detour through a breathtaking road to the Dades Gorges viewpoint. Time for tea on the highest point of the trail, with plenty of opportunities for photos of the fascinating switchbacks below us. Next comes the famous Todra Gorges, another incredible canyon not to be missed, and then continue to Alnif. The landscape keeps changing and becomes more and more captivating as we enter Berber territory. The setting sun gives a golden glow to the rocks and the terrain that surrounds us as we arrive at the holy town of Rissani, one of the most important centers for sub-Saharan commerce. From there, we take the road to Merzouga, a small Moroccan town in the Sahara Desert, near the Algerian border. The Berber people and a sea of golden dunes will make us realize we are finally in the real desert. Get ready to be thrilled!

We will have a full day for ourselves to enjoy the desert! There are many optional activities that you can choose from: 4x4 excursions, ATV rentals, visits to the little villages of African natives to learn about their culture and traditions, and more. These excursions are not included in our tour, but we will happily help you secure your spot in your activities of choice. As a great alternative after these first intense days of riding in Morocco, you can choose to simply enjoy the warm weather and sunbathe by the hotel’s swimming pool, accompanied by local snacks and your favorite drinks. It's not a bad option if you feel you need some rest! A nice camel ride to the dunes nearby will give us the opportunity to fully appreciate another tantalizing desert sky. A full-featured luxury tent in the sand will be our home for tonight: great food, mesmerizing Berber music, and the night sky filled with more stars than you can possibly imagine.

Our route today is certainly the most diverse in terms of scenery. Starting in the desert towards Erfoud, we will continue on the road to reach Er-Rachidia, a military and college city, full of life with a large number of young people on its streets. Moving on into the Ziz Gorges and a river covered entirely by an impressive kilometer-long palm grove, we will follow the route that will take us to Midelt, a small town famous for its large fossil mines. After lunch, we will start crossing the Atlas Mountains. Depending on the time of the year, we may notice the temperature gradually decreasing, and we recommend bringing along a warm jacket or sweater just in case. The sands of the desert give way now to green cedar forests surrounding us everywhere we look. We will continue our ride to Ifrane for a short rest and some reinvigorating tea. Ifrane, also called the ‘Switzerland of Morocco’, is known for its alpine-style architecture and nearby ski slopes and forests. A short final sprint for the day will take us to the imperial city of Fez, where a comforting dinner will be our reward from another extraordinary day of riding.

The last rest day on our road trip is an opportunity for us to know Fez, the second-largest city in Morocco, after Casablanca. The Medina of Fez is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is believed to be one of the world’s largest urban pedestrian zones. Modern Fez mainly consists of two old medina quarters, ‘Fes el Bali’ and ‘Fes Jdid’, and the modern urban area of Ville Nouvelle, constructed during the French colonial era. We will have a full day to explore everything Fez has to show us and then experience some of the most traditional dishes from Northern Morocco in our evening dinner.

Today we will leave Fez heading north towards the Rif area via the Ouergha Valley. The road will take us around the Bouhouda swamp, winding its way through the crests of the Riferous mountains and its magnificent views, passing through rural souks (Arab markets, or bazaars) until we reach Ketama. Arriving in Chefchaouen, we will check into our beautiful hotel and then enjoy the rest of the day getting to know the ‘Blue City’, as this charming town is also known. The gorgeous blue alleyways and blue-washed buildings will leave a memorable impression as we prepare to leave Morocco the next day. Time to savor more local specialties and to do some last-minute shopping in the leather and weaving workshops lining Chefchaouen’s steep cobbled streets.

It is time to say goodbye to Morocco and board the ferry back to Spain. The road from Chefchaouen to Tangier, although not a long one, will offer us splendid mountain views, typical of this area of the country. In Algeciras, our port of disembarking, we will make a pause to enjoy a light lunch by the seaside, and then take the ‘Costa del Sol’ road back to Málaga. As we ride along the coast, memories of these past days together in an enchanted land will inevitably fill our hearts and make us dream about our next adventure with Hertz Ride. The group’s final dinner will be a happy and well-deserved celebration of a most incredible tour!

Breakfast at the hotel and emotion-filled goodbyes to our new friends.