Sahara Experience in Morocco

Motor Adventures bill this as their signature Sahara trip, and unlike their shorter tours it starts and finishes in Marrakech, which means the High Atlas is part of the deal rather than a transfer. Day two makes that clear: roughly 322 km with a crossing at around 2,400 m before the descent into the pre-Saharan south and a night at Boumalne Dades. The following stage, about 270 km, works through the Jbel Saghro mountains and fords the Rheris river on the way to Merzouga and the dunes of Erg Chebbi. The heart of the tour is the westward traverse. Around 280 km of desert tracks lead to M'Hamid, the last settlement before the sand, and from there the route crosses Erg Chegaga, the largest dune field in the country, and the dry bed of Lac Iriki inside the national park, about 176 km of genuinely remote riding that justifies the support vehicle and the GPS units. Foum Zguid marks the far point. The way back is gentler in distance but not in interest: a 132 km day through oases and valley country to Agdz on the Draa, then about 210 km back across the Jbel Saghro range and along the Dades valley, before the final 322 km return to Marrakech airport. What sets this one apart is the mixed fleet. The same route can be ridden on a KTM 450, driven in a Can-Am Sport 1000r buggy, or covered in a Toyota Land Cruiser, so groups with different appetites for risk or different licences can travel together. Terrain is a full sample of Moroccan off-road: rocky mountain sections, dune fields, plateau tracks and mountain passes, and the operator does not pretend it is easy. The package covers vehicle rental, seven nights in desert hotels, all meals including lunches on the trail, fresh water, guides, a support vehicle with driver and mechanic, GPS navigation, and a welcome dinner and mid-week party. Flights, airport transfers, personal riding gear and mandatory medical insurance with repatriation are not included, and a refundable damage deposit is required against the vehicle.

Six riding days across the Moroccan Sahara, run as an eight-day package from Marrakech and open to enduro bikes, Can-Am buggies or a Land Cruiser. The first stage is the longest, around 322 km over the High Atlas at 2,400 m to Boumalne Dades. From there the route works through the Jbel Saghro mountains and the Rheris river to Merzouga, about 270 km, then roughly 280 km of desert tracks to M'Hamid. The middle of the week is the remote part: about 176 km through Erg Chegaga and the dry lake of Lac Iriki to Foum Zguid, a shorter 132 km day among oases and valleys to Agdz, and about 210 km back over the Jbel Saghro into the Dades valley. Vehicle hire, luxury desert hotels, all meals, GPS and a support vehicle with mechanic are covered.