Spain and Morocco

SPAIN AND MOROCCO

This 14-day Adventure has been carefully crafted to offer some of the best riding and most popular attractions in Spain and Morocco. The Adventure begins and ends in Malaga, one of Spain’s most alluring cities. A ferry ride across the Strait of Gibraltar takes us to Tangier, where we begin the 10-day North African portion of our Adventure. The tour includes luxury accommodations, upscale dining, and exciting group activities – features characteristic of all Ayres Adventures.

Highlights of this Adventure include:

• Luxury accommodations, including kasbahs and 5-star hotels.
• A two-night stay and a guided half-day city tour in Marrakesh, home of the largest souk (traditional market) in Morocco and the location of one of the busiest squares in Africa – Djemaa el Fna. The square bustles with dancers, acrobats, musicians, snake charmers, and traditional food vendors.
• Two nights in the region of Erfoud and Merzouga, along with a variety of activities in the Sahara Desert including riding the dunes on camels, exploring the desert in 4×4 vehicles, and an option to ride the dunes on quad bikes.
• A two-night stay in the imperial city of Fes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Fes is reputed to be the most interesting and picturesque of the four Imperial Cities in Morocco.
• A visit to Ronda, a city known for its location on a dramatic escarpment providing stunning views of the deep El Tajo Gorge.

At a Glance Your Spain and Morocco Adventure

Day 1 – Arrival in Malaga, Spain

Welcome to Malaga, Spain! The tour leaders will meet you at the airport and transfer you to the hotel. If you arrive early you can take time to explore the many attractions, cathedrals, churches and historical buildings found within the center of Malaga, or you can relax at one of the nearby beaches. In the late afternoon we will meet for the motorcycle handover followed by a brief kickoff meeting. Afterward, we will enjoy our first dinner together as we sample Andalusian cuisine.

DAY 2 – MALAGA TO TANGIER, MOROCCO ~ 125 MILES

Today, we’ll start off riding the wonderful twisty roads in the coastal mountains of the Costa del Sol. After lunch we board the ferry for a 1½ hour cruise across the Strait of Gibraltar. After a short stop at the border office, we’ll ride our first miles in Morocco as we make our way to tonight’s hotel in Tangier. Welcome to Morocco and the continent of Africa!

DAY 3 – TANGIER TO MEKNES ~ 220 MILES

The first few miles of today’s ride will be on highways that lead us to the countryside for great riding through the beautiful scenery of Northern Morocco. We will stop in the city of Chefchaouen, known as the “Blue City”, where we will take time to stroll through the cobbled lanes lined with local artists and shops selling art and leather goods. Back on the country roads, we will stop in one of the small towns for lunch, and then take in the wonderful scenery on our way to the former capital city, Meknes. We will spend the night at a locally-owned riad – a traditional Moroccan house with an interior courtyard, where we will be treated to a delicious home-cooked dinner.

DAY 4 – MEKNES TO AFOURER ~ 125 MILES

Today’s route will take us through the Forêt de Cèdres (Cedar Forest), where we will likely see Barbary macaques on the side of the road – the only African monkeys that live north of the Sahara. As we climb in altitude and make our way towards the Atlas Mountains, we will start to experience cooler temperatures. We will be on small, narrow twisty roads as we ride toward a wonderful hotel that overlooks Lake Bin el Ouidane. An early afternoon arrival will allow us to enjoy the great views and range of amenities available at this impressive hotel.

DAY 5 – AFOURER TO MARRAKESH ~ 160 MILES

Today we will continue to climb higher as we ride through the heart of the Middle Atlas. On the way, we will take a small detour to visit the Ouzoud waterfalls. This is also a great place to buy local souvenirs, and the perfect time to enjoy lunch overlooking the falls. We will have to endure some inner-city traffic as we make our way to the hotel, located in the heart of Marrakesh.

DAY 6 – FREE DAY IN MARRAKESH

Marrakesh is a bustling, lively city with a lot of traffic and people. It is also home to the medina and the famous night market of Marrakesh, with its iconic snake charmers and many fascinating little stalls that sell just about anything one could ever want from Morocco. In the morning, we will take a city tour in and around the medina. We’ll be back at the hotel by lunchtime allowing time to further explore the city or relax by the hotel’s spacious pool. In the early evening, we will return to the medina to experience the vibrant, famous night market of Marrakesh.

DAY 7 – MARRAKESH TO BOUMALNE DADES ~ 200 MILES

Today we cross the high Atlas Mountains on the Tiz n’Tichka pass road and make our way toward Boumalne Dades. On our way we will visit Ait Benhaddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which features beautiful examples of kasbahs. During the last few miles of the ride we will stop for pictures of Dades Gorge before arriving at our small kasbah-style hotel.

DAY 8 – BOUMALNE DADES TO MERZOUGA ~ 190 MILES

Just after leaving the hotel, we will take a short detour to ride into the Todra Canyon for a great photo opportunity. As we make our way down the pass, we will experience several miles of great mountain roads before the road begins to straighten and we see deep red and brown sand dunes in the distance. It does not take long before the ‘wow’ factor kicks in and we realize we are heading straight toward the Sahara Desert! Of course, one cannot visit the desert and not ride a camel. More so, if the camel is the only option to take you the last few miles to tonight’s little gem of a hotel in the middle of the Sahara Desert: luxurious tents with full ensuite facilities.

DAY 9 – MERZOUGA TO ERFOUD ~ 65 MILES

After a wonderful evening and great breakfast in the desert, our camels will be exchanged for 4×4 SUVs, which will take us on a short drive to several scenic points in the desert before we get back on the bikes. When we get to Erfoud, we will have the option of doing a quad bike tour of the sand dunes in the afternoon. For those who would like to spend the afternoon relaxing, the hotel has a wonderful pool and poolside bar.

DAY 10 – ERFOUD TO FES ~ 260 MILES

Today we leave the desert behind and head back into the Atlas Mountains. It’s a full day’s ride, but it will be interesting, fun and very scenic, as we make our way toward Fes. We will ride through the ‘Gorges du Ziz’, a huge and beautiful valley carved by the water of the Ziz River over millions of years. The hotel rooms for our two-night stay overlook the old Fes medina, which we will explore on foot on our free day tomorrow.

DAY 11 – FREE DAY IN FES

Fes is the second largest city in Morocco (after Casablanca), and is also home to the Fes medina, which is the old walled-in, historical part of the original city. It is a labyrinth of walkways and little alleys, all of which are bustling with people and vendors.

The Fes medina can only be explored on foot, so we will have a local guide escort us on a guided tour through the city. During the tour we’ll get to see the inside of ancient buildings and churches. We’ll also have the chance to observe and photograph many local tradesmen and artists working on their arts and crafts. The tour will also include a visit to the leather tannery. Before entering the tannery, the shop owners will offer us fresh mint leaves to place under our noses. Do yourself a favor and take them!

DAY 12 – FES TO TANGIER TO TARIFA ~ 220 MILES

Today is our last riding day in Morocco. The morning ride out of Fes is very scenic. On our way to Tangier we will stop in a small beachfront town for lunch before heading to the ferry terminal for our cruise back to Spain. Tonight’s hotel is a very short ride from the ferry terminal, right on the beach. The beers are cold, the sunset is spectacular, and dinner will be perfect. Welcome back to Spain!

DAY 13 – TARIFA TO RONDA TO MALAGA ~ 150 MILES

Today’s ride through the Sierra de Grazalema features spectacular scenery that will leave you breathless. Ronda, the cradle of Spanish bullfighting and one of the most famous cities in Andalusia, will be our destination for lunch. Afterward, we will enjoy more fabulous riding before we arrive at the hotel in Malaga. In the evening, we will enjoy our final celebratory dinner together.

DAY 14 – DEPARTURE FROM MALAGA

After a relaxing breakfast at the hotel, the tour leaders will arrange a transfer to the airport for your flight home.

TOTAL MILES: ~ 1,715 MILES.