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“THE ESCAPADE”
3 day slow travel expedition by sidecar. For a thousand years, a great diversity of culture has evolved in the rock deserts and high plateaus surrounding Marrakech. Rather than rush through such a fascinating region, try one of the slowest ways to explore it.

 

THE ROUTE

The region surrounding Marrakech is known for its cultural and geographical diversity. Within short distances from the city there are rocky deserts, oases, snowy peaks, forests and remote valleys. Its ethnic and religious differences are the result of millenia of converging populations from the Mediterranean, Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa.

Over 3 days, this itinerary will take us away from the tourist routes through incredible landscapes, to learn about the traditions, languages, souks, warlords and saints that shaped the local mythology. The distances each day are short, we stay on small roads and take the time to explore in depth. To vary the experience, we spend one night in a luxury camp in the desert and the next in a traditional berber home high up in the Atlas mountains. If you only have time for an overnight trip, we can adapt the route into a 2 day adventure keeping many of the highlights. Let us know if you would prefer to keep the night in the desert or the night in the mountains.

Your Itinerary

Marrakech side car

Day 1 - The Road to the Desert

Self Drive : We meet at 9am and start with a training session in the palmgrove to learn the particularities of riding with a third wheel. With cornering and braking techniques mastered, we pick-up your passenger and load up our bags.

Driven : Meet at 9am, load up the sidecar and start the day with a ride through Marrakech’s medina and palmgrove to get an understanding of its history, culture and place in Morocco. We then ride out to a little town where, in the 16th century, a saint from one of Morocco’s holy families found a little coranic school. His descendent still inhabits the grand family home and welcomes us for lunch in the room where Sultans were hosted. With full stomachs we head out on dirt roads into the vast lunar expanse of the Agafay stone desert to our camp for the night.

THE NIGHT

A ‘minimalist chic’ camp set up by a belgian photographer who fell in love with the spot when his 4×4 broke down there. Candle-lit dinner in an explorer setting, star gazing around a campfire, sleep in grand draped tents with carpets and private ensuite. This place redefines glamping.

Day 2 - Into Amazigh Territory

THE RIDE

We leave our camp and spend the early hours on dirt roads passing through the hidden oases of this desert landscape. Here we see the ingenious methods that were developed over centuries to find precious waterin an arid land, from hidden cisterns to vast underground networks of canals.

But the mountains, still towering in the background, call us. And so we enter the world of the Amazigh people (also known as the Berbers), who have inhabited the High Atlas longer than history can tell. We ride on small winding roads, hand-built stone villages hanging from the steep mountain sides, overlooking their terraced plantations. As the valley gets tighter we pass through a narrow gorge where a little shady garden makes the perfect lunch stop. Our route then takes us up to 1800m altitude, to a red earth village where our friend Hassan awaits us.

THE NIGHT

When Hassan was young, the people of his village gathered all their funds together to send him to college. He was the first to go there so when he came back, they elected him chief. Now he takes us around the village, to explore the traditional homes and farmland, before welcoming us for the night in his family home. It is modest, comfortable and clean, and an authentic experience.

Marrakech side car

Day 3 - The Source of the Atlas”

THE RIDE
We begin the day on foot, hiking up to a natural rock shelter where thousands of years ago, the ancestors of the Chleuh left us paintings from their time. If the day of the week permits we make our way to a nearby town where the locals all gather for the weekly souk, a true window int mountain life. (contact us for best days to see the local souks) Having stocked up on ingredients, we ride deep into a valley where the old walnut trees that grow by a stream will be our shade for a picnic in the wild.

Our journey back out of the Atlas takes us through one last valley, a lush paradise irrigated by a sacred source. In a land where water is so scarce, this spring was shrouded in myth and magic; the saints who controlled it were said to possess healing powers for those that made the journey there.

We emerge back into the flat arid plain, to make one last stop before the Red City. A towering kasbah built from earth in the 19th century, when the Sultan was trying to unify all the tribes under one Moroccan flag. We enjoy the final stretch of open road with the feeling of having really traveled, before riding into Marrakech as the low sun lights up the old city wall.

Details -

Cost for the 3 days and 2 nights is £770 per person in mid season (excluding flights) It is based on 2 sharing.

Our prices are all inclusive : accommodation for the 2 nights, all meals during the trip, petrol, entrance fees and local guides are covered by us.

Only the souvenirs you buy along the way, or drinks and extra activities at the hotels we stay at, are on you.

You can get flights from as little as £100 per person return and do ask us for advice.  Alternatively we can book the flights for you but a booking fee may apply.

All prices correct at the time of writing.  Give us a call or email us at morocco@fleewinter.com to discuss your requirements and get a confirmed price.

Please remember this is a sample itinerary and we are happy to modify it to suit your plans.  We can add or remove days and look at different places to stay.

What's included?

INCLUDED:
  • Prices start from £770 per person
  • All meals during the trip, petrol, entrance fees and local guides
  • Local taxes
  • All trips are ATOL protected or ABTA bonded to ensure you are fully covered
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