THE TRAIL
The oasis of the Drâa Valley is home to some of the most beautiful Berber villages around, as well as towering kasbahs, endless stretches of palm trees and the Drâa, Morocco’s largest river. The valley, situated on the edge of the Sahara, is the legendary site of various 17th and 18th century battles between the nomadic tribes that inhabited it. Drâa’s high-walled kasbahs served as a refuge from the enemy whenever a town was under siege.
Our Beyond Biking tour will take you through these charming villages, carved out of the cliff-face, and along the palm-lined river. Expect, a warm welcome from the locals, where veiled women and high-fiving kids will wave you along. The rich Berber history means the locals still live in ways very similar to their ancestors – riding donkeys, washing clothes in the river and building their houses from clay. If you are lucky, you may even get invited to share some mint tea with a local family.
RIDING SURFACE
In the past, the trail along the Drâa River served as one of the great trading routes to Timbuktu. Today its wide, 4×4 gravel roads provide rolling cycling for mountain bikers on both sides of the bank.
AVERAGE DISTANCE
The stretch between the riverside towns of Zagora and Agdz , which we will tackle over the course of two days, is just under 100km (63mi) long. Over every hill you will encounter another dramatic sight, and if you’re not too tired by the time we get to Agdz, you can take a challenging detour to the Tizgui cascades, where you will encounter the wonders of its canyon-like landscape. Who knows – there may even be time for a spot of wild swimming.
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© BEYOND BIKING, 2015