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Its been decided that our "family holiday" this year is going to be a week in Marrakech. Me and probably my Dad would be interested in getting a day out on some bikes as it looks like there's some great dry/fast/dusty singletrack about?
Anyone done it and can you recommend any places to go to hire a bike and get a guided tour (all-inclusive excursion package) kinda thing? Also what is the weather likely to be like in June - unbearable heat for anything strenuous like biking or very much doable?
Cheers
June will be hot. Very hot, it is, after all the top of the North Africa / Sahara.
The higher you go, the cooler it becomes.
I forget the figures, but something like 1 degree every 300ft (I'm sure someone will be along shortly and correct me).
The High Atlas in the summer months is not a very inspiring place, truth be known, it's all rocks as far as the eye can see.
I'd stick to trekking up from Imlil / Arund, overnight at the French Climbing refugio, up Toubkal early in the morning and back to the bus station in Imlil for a large breakfast!
Temp change = -0.0065 deg per M above sea level
All I can say is that having JUST returned from Marrakech - what a crazy place - don't know about the bike riding though - sorry. have a great time.
Any suggestions for highlights, places to visit etc?
Essaouira on the west coast is gorgeous
Lonely Planet & The Rough Guide should help you.
LP have a web forum, The Thorn Tree which mich be worth a look.
I thought that 3 days in Marrakech was too much.
It's full of hassle & dust. Not bad for a long weekend, though.
If you're going to Maroc for a week, then both Essaouria and the Atlas would be worth adding on to get out from the city. Expect to get the runs.
Marrakech is pretty flat so you'll have to head out of town to the foothills of the Atlas. Get a Grand Taxi out and explore! There are a lot of trails heading out through fields and over valleys (the locals don't seem to mind you riding them as long as you are polite and not pushy) but getting back to your hotel could be an issue. If you can cross the mountains by taxi or bus stay at Telouet for a couple of nights, it is a cracking wee town with singletrack a plenty and a very rocky road to the edge of the desert and Ait Ben Haddou which is stunning.
Email Flowmtb. I'm sure they'll happily put you in contact with some local mtb guides.
chillipepper who posts here went to Morocco some years back.
http://homepage.mac.com/mikesimagination/Morocco_Tour/index.html
Hi mate, i'd say a week in Marrakesh is too much, it is very full on, great place for a couple of days, but not for a whole week.
There a number of trekking and now MTB agencies based there though. It only takes 2-3 hours to get up into the High Atlas. You have a Mt Toubkal to trek which is highest peak in N.Africa, there are some fanstastic waterfalls at Cascade D'Ouzoud and for scenery head to Dades and Todra Gorges, great places to see on a bike and stunning scenery.
In the other direction, you can travel 2 hours to get to the edge of the Sahara where there a number of high dunes right on the edge that you can climb that will give you a idea of it's beauty, the best to climb is Erg Chebbi.
Finally I would second going to Essaouira on the coast, it is very relaxed and a great place for windsurfing, kite surfing etc.
75 mins to the High Atlas trekking base at Imlil - unless you go by donkey!
I love Marrakesh, it's a cool, chilled place so how you can feel 3 days to be too much escapes me; but each to his / her own.
Thanks for the suggestions 🙂 I guess we'll just see whether we want to do any biking when we get there, if its as hectic as you guys are saying then a day out in the middle of nowhere on a bike would make a nice change of pace.