Itinerary

Day 1: Almeria

Meet in hotel in Almeria, Spain and reunite yourself with your bike. Group dinner.

Day 2: Almeria to Selouanne

26mi /46km

Following breakfast we’ll have a briefing before heading down to the ferry and our 1200 sailing to Nador. Once disembarked the process of entering a foreign country with your own vehicle ensues. Get the right official and it’s a breeze; get the wrong one and it’ll test your patience. Either way it’s all part of the experience!

Day 3: Selouanne to Bivouac 1

Tarmac: 132mi / 213km   –   Piste: 68mi / 110km   –   Total: 200mi / 323km   –   Piste: 34%

It’s a steady ‘knobby friendly’ ride south to Debdou and the climb up to the Rekam Plateau. It’s easy going on a mix of dirt and gravel piste (unless its been raining!) with magnificent views of the snow capped middle-Atlas to the west. Did you remember your tent pegs?

Day 4: Bivouac 1 to Tissard Mine

Tarmac: 39mi / 63km   –   Piste: 124mi / 200km   –   Total: 163mi / 263km   –   Piste: 76%

An easy, undulating start to the day as we loose some altitude on the approach to Bni Tajite. After filling up with fuel, snacks and coffee we’ll turn SW over the rocky Col de Belkassen before the first of the sand begins as head towards Algeria. Great views abound from the El Korbine cliffs before we drop off the plateau to follow the ‘berm’ – the de facto border between Morocco and Algeria. It’s deep sand and date palm oases here on this old Dakar Rally piste.

Our accommodation for the next two nights sits right on the edge of the desert and a well used rally piste to Erg Chebbi.

Day 5: Rideout to Rissani & Gara Medouar

Tarmac: 34mi/54km  –  Piste: 27mi/43km  –  Total: 61mi/97km  –  Piste: 44%

Relax! It’s not every day you get to switch off your alarm clock and enjoy a lazy breakfast on the edge of the Sahara Desert.

A time to reflect on the previous 2-days and 300km of piste (especially those new to riding in the sand) and think about what worked and what didn’t before we head out for three days in the desert.

Give your bike and gear a check over, wash your boxers and write in your diary.

After lunch we’ll take a rideout to the market town of Rissani to buy supplies for our next two desert camps. We’ll watch the world go by from a pavement café, and finally head out to the ‘erosion cirque’ that is Gara Medour (as featured in the James Bond film ‘Spectre’). On our return will fuel up for tomorrow.

Day 6: Tissard Mine to Bivouac 2

Tarmac: 4mi/6km  –  Piste: 150mi/240km  –  Total: 154mi/246km  –  Piste: 98%

Skirting Erg Chegga, Morocco’s highest dunes to the east, we’ll head south then south east with the terrain becoming increasingly sandy There are some challenging sand sections early on, but once across the Oued Gheris, the following fesh-fesh the shallow dunes beyond so the sand thins out as the landscape opens up. This is ‘Big Sky’ country.

Skirting the Algerian border once again, we’ll pass through the first of several police checkposts before dropping down into the rugged Tafenna Basin where we’ll draw water and pitch camp.

Day 7: Bivouac 2 to Bivouac 3

Tarmac: 13mi/20km  –  Piste: 115mi/184km  –  Total: 128mi/204km  –  Piste: 90%

The day’s 20km of tarmac comes early as we drop into Tagounite for fuel, coffee and fresh bread. We’re soon back in the desert and heading for the sand of Erg Chegga as we make our way onto the dry bed of Lac Iriki. West of Iriki we’ll pick our way between the drifing dunes and choose a place to camp.

Day 8: Bivouac 3 to Bivouac 4

Tarmac: 110mi/176km  –  Piste: 116mi/186km  –  Total: 226mi/362km  –  Piste: 51%

Our longest day (by distance) sees us leave the Oued Drâa behind us and head north to meet tarmac and a chance to give our chains some love. 80km west lies Tata where we’ll have lunch and gather supplies for tonight’s camp. After fuelling up we’ll head south west on a mix of tarmac and piste.

Day 9: Bivouac 4 to Ksar Tafnidilt

Tarmac: 93mi/148km  –  Piste: 87mi/139km  –  Total: 179mi/287km  –  Piste: 48%

Our little used piste, dotted with acacia trees takes us to Assa for fuel and supplies. The afternoon takes on a more undulating nature as we wend our way through the jebels to meet the Oued Drâa that we left in the desert yesterday.

Day 10: Ksar Tadnidilt – Tighmert

Tarmac: 38mi/61km  –  Piste: 83mi/132km  –  Total: 121mi/193km  –  Piste: 68%

‘Atlantic Ocean Day’ – With 1850km under our belts since leaving the Mediterranean, so the Atlantic Ocean comes into sight. Our ride through the windswept fishing ‘hamlets’ takes us to the cliffs above Plage Blanche. An optional blast along the beach may be possible but is dependent upon the tide. For 2022, an untried inland route over the Bab Oum Loussek bypasses the beach*.

 A mid-afternoon finish allows us time to give our bikes some TLC before we begin our return.

*We previously included Plage Blanche in the route but this meant our day being governed entirely by the tide times. Our untried alternative route will add to the adventure in 2022.

Day 11: Tighmert to Tata

Tarmac: 144mi/230km  –  Piste: 58mi/92km  –  Total: 202mi/322km  –  Piste: 29%

A total change of scenery today as we head into the twisted strata of the Anti-Atlas. Vertical gorge sides tower above us as we make our way north east, climbing to a ridgeline before plunging a vertical kilometere into the next gorge. It may only be 58mi/92km of piste today, but every one of them will have you wishing you had eyes in the back of your head.

Day 12: Tata to Tamnougalte

Tarmac: 66mi/105km  –  Piste: 99mi/158km  –  Total: 164mi/263km  –  Piste: 60%

In total contrast to yesterday’s riding, the day’s route begins through a wide-open valley with views south to the Djebel Bani and north to the Anti-Atlas. After fuelling up we head into more undulating terrain as we head for Agdz and the Drâa Valley – home to no less than 18 varieties of dates!

Day 13: Tamnougalte to Amellago

Tarmac: 170mi/272km  –  Piste: 20mi/33km  –  Total: 190mi/305km  –  Piste: 11%

Skirting the volcanic Djebel Sarhro, we rejoin the ‘desert highway’ before picking up the corker of a piste across the Djebel Ougnat. Beyond Goulmima we enter a steep sided gorge carved by the Oued Gheris (remember that name from Day 6?) as we head for our Auberge in Amellago.

Day 14: Amellago to Bivouac 5

Tarmac: 145mi/233km  –  Piste: 73mi/117km  –  Total: 219mi/350km  –  Piste: 33%

‘Like Todra without the tourists’ is how many view our early morning ride through the Imiter Gorge. At its western end we’ll turn north into the hills on a sometimes rough piste, headed for the Tizi Tagounista and a spectacular view of the Amane Plain. The piste curls back on itself through a tunnel as it drops off the plateau and crosses the plain. Two more piste stages will see us return to Bni Tajite where we’ll rejoin our southbound route and head north towards the Rekam Plateu to pitch camp.

Day 15: Bivouac 5 to Nador & ferry to Spain

Tarmac: 150mi/240km  –  Piste: 36mi/57km  –  Total: 186mi/297km  –  Piste: 19%

It may be the final day but as per day one there’s still 110km/68mi of piste to go and you’ll be surprised how different everything looks in reverse.

With the scheduled ferry departure not until 2200, there’s time for dinner and souvenir shopping in Nador. Tagine anyone?

Day 16: Saturday – Arrive Spain

 Scheduled arrival time is 0700 so plenty of time to get changed and catch a flight home.