Meet by ourselves on your arrival in Morocco at Marrakech airport and transfer to evening accommodation. If you brought your bike with you, we will take you to our shop to mount it and keep your box until the end of trip. And then travel through the millennia-old city wall into Medina and the pulsating heart of Marrakech. The tranquillity we meet inside the Riad contrast with the alarm outside- this really is an oasis of peace, and in general Marrakech will surprise you with the lack of hustle-bustle (within the old town at least). We have a short briefing before taking a short trip through the Souks (market streets), cruising between the snake charmers and fortune-tellers in the unforgettable Djemma el Fnaa and eating dinner together at a restaurant that lets the atmosphere of North Africa sweep us away.

In the morning we drive towards the atlas foothills and the small village of Imlil Situated in the heart of the Toubkal National Park, Imlil is the principal trailhead village for biking peaks in North Africa. The village offers good infrastructure for people wanting a pleasant mountain base for a few days, but is also an excellent place to start and/or finish longer, more linear, hikes. Its accessibility to Marrakech (under an hour and a half by road) makes it an excellent choice to get a good feel for how rural Moroccans live their lives, and much of the surrounding area is home to a landscape of snow-capped mountains (in season), verdant valleys and earth-brick villages where life has changed little in centuries.

When everyone is ready and all our kit is loaded we start the first (optional but recommended) climb of the day. The support vehicle goes ahead to prepare lunch at the top of the Tamatert pass (2300m). This is an early lunch as the climb is short but very useful for checking everything with the bikes is and working correctly ready for the singletrack. After lunch the fun really begins! We follow the singletrack above the Imenane River. The route takes us through a number of narrow villages, all linked by singletrack, as we descend (with a few short climbs) all the way into Imlil and the lodge for the night (1720) Mountain biking approx 39 km.

Today’s journey takes us over the Tizi Mezzik Pass, standing at an elevation of 2,280 meters. To reach the pass, our bikes will be transported by mule as we embark on a scenic hike to the summit. Once at the top, we will resume our adventure on two wheels.

The descent is a challenging yet rewarding singletrack trail, featuring rough terrain and steep slopes that wind through the stunning Azadene Valley. The breathtaking views of the surrounding valleys along the route provide ample opportunities to pause and appreciate the natural beauty of the region.

Activity Summary:

• Hiking: Approximately 1.5 hours
• Mountain biking: Approximately 35 km

We start with a singletrack Ridgeline ascent. The grip is good but you need to pick a good line and save your energy for the tricky bits which are thrown in there just to spice it up! From the top of this challenge we have a traverse and singletrack descent back into a riverbed on the other side of the valley for another, very technical ascent. This one is rockier (but not loose) and good trials skills will be an enormous advantage. A real lung buster, but you’ll be amazed at the level of grip that drives you forward and makes it a really good section. From the top here there is a fantastic singletrack descent for your reward before another, shorter, smooth, steady singletrack traverse which pops us onto a dirt track road which takes us to the head of another fast, smooth singletrack descent and the van for lunch which is just 1km down the road. After lunch we have a short, steady traverse through several rustic villages to Ait Ahmad where the Gite or the guest house for the night is. An earlier finish, usually around 4.30pm will help you recover for the next singletrack ‘Mega Day’ tomorrow. This is a great village to explore with its incredible landscape, scenery and caves. (1483m Mountain biking approx. 35 km.