An Anti-Atlas Route
 

Hi again!

After the very pleasant experience of riding south of Marrakesh last November, I am now toying with the idea of doing a similar trip, only the other way round.

Last year's trip went from MAR - OUZ - NEK - TIN and back.

I was thinking of heading first to the coast, Essaouira then go south to Sidi Ifni, and from there, back again through the Anti-Atlas maybe as far as Merzouga, before riding back to Marrakesh.

First things, first. Any places along the Essaouira - Sidi Ifni leg I'd should consider stopping for a night?

And then the hard part of the planning. How many days and what routes to consider from the coast to the dunes? I wasn't able to reach them last time round, so would like to have a night at the big Erg, if I can.

Any suggestiong would be great!

Take the motorway from Tan Med to El Jadida and then ride whole coast roads to Sidi Ifni.Then go inland from Tan Tan to Assa to Foum El Hassan to Erg Chegaga.:scooter:

There are any number of great backroads heading east between the N10 and the N12 border highway.
As we all know, get off of these highways and things slow down but become much more interesting. So just route your device to follow these as it suits you.
Then, once you throw in some connecting pistes, options get exponential, even slower and at times even more interesting.
Don't know if that is your plan, but on a moto in southern Morocco, there is something to be said for sitting back and enjoying some deserted blacktop instead of concentrating on a piste. It'll be a great ride whichever way you do it.

Hi guys!

My trip is only slightly more than a month away, so I thought I'd bump this tread again.

I received an email a few days ago giving a heads up about your new book, Chris. Unfortunately I'll be on my way home when that drops, so I'll pick up a copy for my next adventure til Morocco.

Anyhoo, the mate I'm riding with wants to surf at Taghazout. Is there a good route from Marrakesh to Taghazout?

Is the TMT route's direction optional, or should we ride it one of the directions?

Cheers!

Like any route apart from pilgrimages, it works perfectly well both ways, but a wild Atlantic cape was seen as a more satisfying finale than Nador ferry port.

Yes, you are right! It is probably a better idea to head into the mountains first and finish with an Ocean view.

I've been looking at the TMT, and your routes in the book, and having only limited amounts of days (i'd say about four days of morning to evening riding, possibly five, before we'd want to reach the coast) I have been staring at the map(s) for days trying to see if I can come up with a decent plan.

Then when the bike is on the road, we'll see if the plan was doable.

So I thought that getting out of Marrakash early doors, at least as early as Loc2Routes' office hours will let us, then head through the Tizi n'Tichka pass (since I went through Ouarzazate last year) doing the MH6 to Aoulouz.

From Aoulouz head towards Issil and join the TMT. Not sure where to plan the first night. If we should end the day in Fifird or to push on? Or even if we should look for a place to stay before Issil?

The TMT from Issil to Icht is a two day stage?

From Icht I thought the MA2 then the MA4 looks good. One of the reasons for taking the MA4 is to head to Sidi Ifni. My question would be if we are spending a day in Taghazout, just north of Agadir, if Sidi Ifni would be too similar.

You could do RAK to Cap Draa in 4-5 days, assuming everything is as it was last time I rode it. I'll be doing the same with a time-pressed journalist in Dec.

I would belt straight down from RAK via Tichka to Tazenakht for night 1 - all road and an easy 5-6 hrs.
(MH6 is all road btw, but MH8 is great + there are a few more pistes on Sirwa in the M4 book).

Don't know 'Fifird' but the next lodgings from Taz on TMT Stage U is Assaragh/Aguinan. After that nothing till Tata (or nearby Tleta Tagmout, maybe ait Kine).
You may need village fuel on this stage if you stick to the TMT, but they all have it. Or take the border highway to Tata.

Yes - and the end of this stage was especially. wrecked by the big September floods.

MA2 is TMT Stage V coming down to Icht (FeH), so you will be backtracking back north from there. And MA4 is a road.

I dont know Taghazout - is that the surfing place? But you could leave Stage V on to MA8 and head for Tafraoute - or even Taroudant.

OK, I see. So a detour along the MH6 would be all sealed, while the MH8 is the non-sealed alternative, if we would want to ride for about 8 hrs on the first day.

If we would want to join the TMT after Taz, we can fuel up in a ZIZ at Iznagen, before making our way south past Ait Msri and turn west in Timjojte Iznagen.

Fifird is what my map shows me when I zoom out of Assaragh/Aguinan.

If we go down this route, is Akka Ighane the first point where we can jump off? The P1743/P1800 junction? And since the end of the stage was especially effected by the floods an ideal plce to depart the TMT?

Yes, Taghazout is supposedly a good place to surf. Not my thing, but something we have on the trip's intiniary.

But you could leave Stage V on to MA8 and head for Tafraoute - or even Taroudant -Where would we leave Stage V? (I don't see the different letters for the TMT)

Yes, and from before Askaoun you join a road which drops south to Taliouine. You can overnight there to pick up TMT in Issil basin next day. No need to go on east to Taz unless you have time and energy to turn east at Askaoun to follow MH7. Now much improved but make sure you keep left at 30.7903, -7.5914 down to Amassine, then right onto the road to Anezal. The old way to the road as in the book after KM90 is a struggle now.

ZIZ at Iznagen I call Kourkouda and is not really worth the extra 20km of range but up to you. I have never seen Fifird on a map but either way, starting at Taz or Tali gets you to Assaragh a bit early, as opposed to coming over the jebel into Issil from Foum Zquid (TMT Stage T).

Yes, Akka Ighane you can go left at the roundabout to the desert highway N17?
or take the lower part of MA6 - half sealed now and nothing special.
It is further west, north of Tata, that was badly hit, but they are quick to repair or at least make passable.

Leave Stage V at 29.6922, -8.6898, but the very narrow valley to get to this point could be all chopped up via what I call a BLV stage. Even in early 2023 floods - not that bad – we could not get in in a car and a moto didn't make it out, I heard. You will just have to try and ask, as you do anywhere.

The TMT stage letters are in the master map key or legend. You may have to click to open it. There is lots of info and photos there.

I know people who taking TMT from Taz to Cap Draa in a couple of days on Loc bikes. So they will find out soon.

So with less than a week left before I'll be picking up the bikes in Marrakesh, I've been going through the TMT and routes in MA (and MH).

Being left with fewer days than first planned, I think that the part of the TMT that we'll be trying will be V - W i.e. from Tata to Assa.

Is this part of the TMT possible to do within one day? Or should we split it into two days? We are novice offroaders, by all accounts. We've ridden on other surface than the sealed black, not often though.

If this part of the TMT would be too difficult, is there another part we should consider?

The routes from Marrakesh to Tazenacht, with a few detours, should be a good first day.

Is the MA7/9/11/12 all good alternatives to get to Tata? Or should we consider only some of these?

After Taz, and Tata, would we need cash for the TMT stretch, for fuel, accomodation and meals, or is that part of Morocco as packed with ATMs and credit card terminals as the ones I visited last year, being Ouarzazate, Tinerhir, Dadesm Nekob, Agdz?

Yes, if you miss out W piste which is nothing special unless on a dirt bike.
V doable on 390s I have heard.

Yes.

After Tata next ATM would be Tan-Tan or Guelmim. Maybe Assa. For me, cash is most reliable in the south.

Assa has ATM’s and the fuel station before you leave town heading west takes credit cards

I pay for fuel with card about 80% of the time now.

So I've been looking at places to stay for the first couple of nights.

The Ambassador, right next to Loc2Routes is probably what I'll go for this time round again.

I saw that on the TMT that there is one option for accommodation in Taz, Bab Sahara. I haven't been able to find it online though, only through other sites such as Visit Drâa Tafilalet and similar.

I notied however that in Foum Zguid, there are several options.

The distance between Taz and FZ doesn't seem to be that great. Is there something I haven't noticed or would the R108 and R111be a nice ride or a an hour or two from Taz?

Would the stage T be doable with only phones as our GPS?

By the looks of it, the TMT between FM and Tata, seems to be a two-day affair.
If I want to shorten it to just one day, I can't find an alternative route once you leave the P1800.

So a better option could be to take the P1800 to Tata, and do a roundtrip from Tata taking the N7 to Igherm and the P1805 back?

Or is FZ -> p1800 - N7 Igherm -> P1805 Tata asking for trouble?

there's always room at the bab. its on the wpt next to the atm. they don't do the online thing. just turn up and park in the yard. other places in taz less good i hear.

R108 and R111 a nice ride.

never used a phone as a GPS but I think most do. overheating is the only issue afaik.

down to the n17 from akka ighane and you're in tata early afternoon.

in one day too much, otherwise a great ride.

Been using my older phone with Gaia for the last 10days or so. Works fine, but indeed overheating is an issue (in the car at least). Be sure to set the map to day-mode. Otherwise it is unreadable. Apart from that (minor) issue. It works fine. Although i’d probably upgrade for a next trip (sizewise mostly).

Cheers