Adventure 6 Day Tour: Happy Valley

The gentlest thing Motor Adventures run, and the one to look at if you want Morocco on an adventure bike without being an off-road specialist. Six riding days out of Marrakech on a BMW GS, crossing mountain passes to around three thousand metres and taking in long stretches of gravel track in between.

The bikes are the reason this works as an entry point. These are GS 800 and 850 adventure machines rather than the lightweight enduro bikes used on the operator’s harder tours, with topboxes and navigation mounts fitted, and lowered versions available on request. That makes the gravel sections manageable rather than intimidating, and it makes the tarmac between them genuinely enjoyable.

It runs as a private tour, so the group is yours, and the accommodation is a step up from the usual expedition standard: seven nights in three to five star hotels and auberges rather than camps. An optional extra day at the Dades Gorge can be added on the end, which is worth considering given how far the ride already is from Marrakech.

Motor Adventures include all meals plus water and snacks, the bike, a support vehicle carrying medical equipment and tools, medically trained staff and transfers from Menara airport. Flights, medical insurance, riding gear and the damage deposit are separate. One thing to note before booking: the operator publishes the shape of the trip and its full inclusions but not a day by day route, so the exact stages and overnight stops are worth asking him for.