Cycle Morocco's Great South — Self-Launched

Fly into Marrakech Menara (RAK) and take the local bus #19 (about 30 MAD / £2.40) or a petit taxi (£5–8) into the medina or Gueliz. Settle into a riad in the medina, then walk the souks and Jemaa el-Fna in the late afternoon when it's cooler. Use the evening to sort out a bike: the best options for the south are a hardtail MTB or gravel/touring bike — try local rental shops in Gueliz or arrange through your riad. Aim for a bike with racks, 35 mm+ tyres and low gearing; the tour's own bikes are Cannondale Quick CX-type hybrids. Budget roughly £25–30/day for a decent MTB hire; agree a 6-day rate. Eat a first tagine on a terrace off the square (avoid the food stalls in the main square for your first night — head to Cafe Clock or a modest riad kitchen instead).

🚌Airport bus #19 or petit taxi; then everything on foot

🛏Medina riad or pension, £18–28/night (dorm beds in Gueliz from £10)

• →Walk the medina souks
• →Jemaa el-Fna at dusk
• →Hire a bicycle for the week (Gueliz rental shops)

Load the bike onto a grand taxi or local bus south from Marrakech to Asni (about 1.5 hours, 25–30 MAD / £2–3 by bus; a shared grand taxi is £4–6). From Asni ride the Asni Valley road southwest via Ouirgane — quiet tarmac with Mount Toubkal looming above. Pitch the day gently: the full Asni→Ijoukak leg is 59 km with roughly 930 m of climbing, mostly rolling until the final approach to Ijoukak. Stop for lunch in Ouirgane (small cafe or shop-bought bread, cheese and olives). Sleep in a basic guesthouse or gîte in Ijoukak, or continue to Talat n'Yaaqoub if you've got legs. Expect mountain nights to be cold from October to April.

🚌Local bus or shared grand taxi Marrakech → Asni (~£2–6); cycling 59 km with ~930 m ascent

🛏Gîte/guesthouse in Ijoukak or Ouirgane, £12–20/night

• →Cycle Asni Valley via Ouirgane
• →Mount Toubkal views
• →Village lunch stop in Ouirgane

The big day. Climb from Ijoukak to the Tizi n'Test pass at 2,100 m — switchback after switchback on a road that is about 80% decent tarmac with some gravelly, patched sections. Start early, carry 2+ litres of water and food, and don't rely on there being a shop at the top. From the pass it's a magnificent, seemingly endless descent through the Sousse Valley to the Anti Atlas foothills and on to Oulad Berhil. This is a demanding 87 km day; if the full distance feels like too much, ride to the pass and descend partway, then take a passing grand taxi for the final stretch (they run the Tizi n'Test road regularly, £5–10 for a bike + rider). Oulad Berhil has cheap local guesthouses and a well-known riad if you want to splash out — a hammam here is a good call for tired legs.

🚌Cycling 87 km with ~1,080 m ascent; optional grand taxi assist £5–10

🛏Simple guesthouse in Oulad Berhil, £15–25/night

• →Climb Tizi n'Test pass (2,100 m)
• →Descent through Sousse Valley
• →Traditional hammam in Oulad Berhil

A shorter but starkly beautiful day riding into the Anti Atlas granite country. Take the road south via Ait Abdallah toward Tafraoute — 60 km with roughly 700 m of climbing and long, empty stretches. Tafraoute is a proper small town: cheap hotels, a good weekly market and the famous blue-painted boulders (the 'Painted Rocks' by Belgian artist Jean Vérame) about 3 km out of town — ride or walk out in the late afternoon light. Food is cheap and filling: msemen, tajine, and the local almond products. Fill water bottles before leaving Oulad Berhil; services thin out fast.

🚌Cycling 60 km with ~700 m ascent

🛏Small hotel or guesthouse in Tafraoute, £14–22/night

• →Cycle the Anti Atlas to Tafraoute
• →Painted blue rocks of Tafraoute
• →Evening in the town square

Head west through the hills via Tizi M'Lil toward the Ait Baha reservoir — 70 km and about 565 m of climbing, the gentlest profile of the trip but still a full day in the saddle. The road is quiet with occasional roadside cafes and village shops. Depending on timing and energy, sleep in Ait Baha (very basic lodgings) or push on to Biougra and take a shared taxi the last 30 km to Agadir city for a proper bed and a shower. Agadir gives you a supermarket, a bike shop if you need repairs, and a beach for a swim. If you need to shortcut, buses run regularly from Ait Baha and Biougra to Agadir (about £2).

🚌Cycling 70 km with ~565 m ascent; optional shared taxi/bus £2–5

🛏Ait Baha guesthouse £12–18, or budget hotel in Agadir £20–30

• →Cycle via Tizi M'Lil
• →Ait Baha lake viewpoint
• →Swim and resupply in Agadir

Bus or shared taxi from Agadir to Aourir (Banana Village) — 20 minutes, about £1.50 — then ride up the Paradise Valley road: palm-lined gorge, natural rock pools and the best swimming of the whole trip. Take a dip at one of the easier-access pools before the tourist crowds arrive. Then climb steadily on switchbacks to the high plateau village of Imouzzer des Ida Outanane at around 1,200 m — only 45 km but with the biggest ascent of the trip, roughly 1,261 m. Imouzzer is famous for its honey and almond blossom (February) and the Cascade Timeslitan waterfall. Basic guesthouses and homestays only — book ahead or ask at the village cafe.

🚌Bus/shared taxi Agadir → Aourir ~£1.50; cycling 45 km with ~1,261 m ascent

🛏Village guesthouse/homestay in Imouzzer, £15–22/night

• →Swim in Paradise Valley pools
• →Climb to Imouzzer plateau
• →Honey tasting and Cascade Timeslitan walk

A rolling, climbing-then-descending day west toward the Atlantic: 60 km and about 820 m of ascent, mostly on quiet rural lanes past argan groves and tiny villages. Stop at an argan women's cooperative along the way — several signposted ones operate between Agadir and Essaouira, and buying oil direct supports the co-op. Drop onto the coastal plain and roll into Essaouira, a UNESCO-listed walled port town inside the Skala ramparts. Settle into a medina riad (plenty of good value ones in the £20–30 range) and eat grilled sardines at the little market stalls near the harbour.

🚌Cycling 60 km with ~820 m ascent

🛏Medina riad in Essaouira, £20–30/night

• →Argan women's cooperative visit
• →Cycle the argan grove lanes
• →Harbour fish stalls in the evening

A soft day in Essaouira: walk the ramparts and the Skala, get lost in the medina, kite-surf or bodyboard on the wide windy beach (board hire from £15 for a couple of hours), take a calèche ride (£10–15 for 30–45 min), or a traditional hammam (£8–15). Return the hire bike before you leave if you hired from an Essaouira/Agadir agent, or ask your Marrakech shop about a drop-off. Then take the CTM or Supratours coach back to Marrakech — about 2.5–3 hours, 80–100 MAD (£7–9), bikes generally go in the hold for a small fee. Evening back in Marrakech: Jemaa el-Fna, mint tea on a rooftop, and a last tagine.

🚌CTM/Supratours coach Essaouira → Marrakech ~£7–9; walking and local taxis in town

🛏Medina riad or pension in Marrakech, £18–28/night

• →Essaouira ramparts and Skala
• →Kite-surfing or bodyboarding
• →Calèche ride
• →Hammam
• →Evening in Jemaa el-Fna

If your flight allows, spend the morning at the Jardin Majorelle and the nearby Berber Museum (book a timed ticket online in high season — around 150–200 MAD / £12–16), or visit the Museum of Islamic Art / Dar El Bacha. Grab breakfast — msemen, amlou and mint tea — and pick up argan oil and spices from a fixed-price shop rather than the main square touts. Airport bus #19 or petit taxi back to RAK. If you have days spare, Essaouira, the Ourika Valley or a Toubkal foothills trek are easy extensions by bus.

🚌Airport bus #19 ~£2.40 or petit taxi £5–8

🛏—

• →Jardin Majorelle and Berber Museum
• →Dar El Bacha / Museum of Islamic Art
• →Last souk shopping