Marrakech Express (Morocco)

Two of the High Atlas’s most demanding mountain passes lead to a desert citadel that’s appeared in Gladiator and The Mummy – seven nights of Morocco’s mountains and film-set architecture.

From£2,195pp

Duration7 days

StyleGuided

Best suited toExperienced riders

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An independent Stradora pick. Details from the operator's published information, last checked 28 Oct 2026. Stradora DiscoveryChosen independently by our editors because we think it's worth the drive. We're not partnered with this operator: dates, prices and booking are handled by them, and we last checked their published details on 28 Oct 2026.

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7 nights through Morocco

Seven nights in a loop from Marrakech, flying in, with a bike hired locally, and the route takes both of the great High Atlas passes.

A riad in the medina and a welcome dinner open it, then the riding days run through the Atlas and out to the coast at Essaouira, a walled Atlantic port that is reliably far cooler than Marrakech and full of wind, gulls and grilled fish.

The Tizi n’Test is the first pass and the harder one: a narrow, twisting road laid out in the 1920s along an old caravan route, with drops on one side, very little in the way of barriers and a summit above 2,000 metres. The Tizi n’Tichka follows, higher again and the main road south, recently widened but still a long sequence of bends.

Ait Ben Haddou comes next, a UNESCO listed ksar of earthen towers on a hill above the Ounila, which has stood in for ancient Rome, Egypt and most of the fictional Middle East on film, Gladiator and The Mummy among them. The Telouet gorge carries the route back towards Marrakech beneath red rock cliffs, past the old Glaoui kasbah. A final day covers Jemaa el-Fnaa, the souks and the rooftop cafes above them. The riad, hotels, breakfasts, the welcome dinner, the bike hire, airport transfers, maps and GPS routes are included, with fuel, flights and other meals separate. The price is quoted per person. Seven nights is enough for the Atlas and the coast without the long desert days further south.

Style

Guided

Duration

A week or so (7-10 nights)

Region

Africa

Vehicle provision

Vehicle provided

Starts/ends

Marrakech, Morocco

Support

Guide, Roadbook / navigation