Is this route adequately sized?

[pacix]

I will be doing solo riding from 4th of April until 8th. Them I will go to pick my wife at Marrakech airport.
This day, we are planning to do Marrakech-Ouarzazate by telouet and arriving to Boumalne Dades. (maybe to long?).
The next day, Dades gorge to Imilchil by the R317 up to El-Ksiba and going to sleep to Khenifra. How is the piste between the gorges??
Next day, Khenifra-Col du Zad-Azrou-Meknes. Is it too short?
Next day: Meknes-Fez-Ouazzane by the R501-Chefchaouen (this might by shot as well but we would like to arrive soon to spend the evening and relax a bit before the long ride on Sunday to Madrid).

What do you think? Shall we change anything? Recommendations for hotels?

 

[Timolgra]

The next day, Dades gorge to Imilchil by the R317 up to El-Ksiba and going to sleep to Khenifra. How is the piste between the gorges??

Make sure you set off early in the morning!

The rest is ok

 

[Tim Cullis]

From Telouet to about 10 km north of Ait Benhaddou is piste. If you are experienced offroad you should be OK but there's a couple of bits you might want your wife to dismount.

If you need somewhere to stay in Ouarzazate, consider BikersHome (N30 53.864 W6 54.083), see http://www.bikershome.net

Rather than continuing all the way to Boumalne consider Itran Kasbah at El Kelaa M'Gouna (N31 15.501 W6 08.146), see http://www.kasbahitran.com/kasbah_en/home.html

From Itran Kasbah you could go on piste (much is unsealed road) via Bou Tharar and Ait Youl to join the Dades. The view from the radio mast looking down on Bou Thrarar is my favourite in all of Morocco.

The piste between the Dades and Todra Gorges is now practically impassable. In Oct 08 we took something like 13 hours to do the 25 miles travelling solo without luggage (the previous time took only 2.5 hours with luggage).

From Msemrir to Agoudal is a piste which I remember as mainly rocky which climbs to about 2800m. Consider staying at the Tislit Bride hotel on the Tislit Lake just north of Imilchil. It's basic but fun and a brilliant setting (Tislit means Bride in Berber so it's really Bride Bride hotel).

Your route from Khenifra is beautiful. Head east on tarmac and this soon becomes a beautiful smooth beaten earth piste running through Cedar forest of the Middle Atlas. The only drawback is if there has been recent rain as the mud takes longer to dry in the shade of the trees.

Personally I would stay overnight at Azrou (I now stop at Cedars Hotel which was Timolgra's recommendation) which is a lovely quiet place. Nearby are wild monkeys (N33 25.193 W5 10.686), Mischeflin ski resort inside the caldera of a volcano (N33 24.848 W5 04.586), the King's Palace at Ifrane and many places of beauty.

On the way back north from Fez I would go via the R501 then turn off to go through Teroual, Zoumi and Mokrisset. The Michelin map reckons the road is dodgy but it was resurfaced a couple of years ago and is a lovely ride (thanks to Steptoe and Fanum for taking me on the Zoumi section when it was still a tarmac nightmare).

Tim

 

[HondaMan]

Make sure you set off early in the morning!

The rest is ok

Tim, I too was thinking of doing the route up the R317 from Dades to El-Ksiba, via Lac Tislit. Do you think its do-able in a day and any idea what the piste is like.

I have previously tried to go from Dades to Todra via Agoudal but had to turn back 5 miles from Agoudal because of snow (mid march).

Any comments on this route appreciated