The High Atlas in enduro mode

Morocco is a little country of extremes ... Marrakech and its incessant flow of tourists who invade the streets of the city, mixed with the local population in a great din and chaos. Very honestly, this is really the most attractive facet of Morocco. Authenticity has long since left the heart of the city. The famous Jemaa el-Fna square, home to the unmissable souk of Marrakech, has become a tourist trap with regret, where prices are inversely proportional to the quality and sympathy of the sellers. When we know that the locals nickname this city "Arnakesh", we can say that the scenery is planted.

Fortunately, our enduro program will take place far from this place, and the days to come will be much more peaceful and humanly enriching among our guests, the Berber people, who live in the villages of the High Atlas and from which we will take the formidable network of multi trails that we are promised as exceptional and full of flow for the practice of enduro. Info or intox, it's time to unpack our spads and roll these towering mountains.

After a first transfer of about two hours by road, we cross the town of Amizmiz, at the foot of the mountains, before embarking on a track a little less conventional to gain altitude and reach a plateau a few 2,000 meters above sea level, where we can find a local cottage for the night. The transition between Marrakech and the small hamlet of mud houses is striking. Here the movements are mostly still in mules see on foot. The houses are rather rudimentary seen from the outside. Here we use local resources to ensure the survival of the inhabitants. In other words, our carbon footprint of sports tourists equipped with top gear imported from the other side of the planet must be at least equivalent to the entirety of all the bleds of the valley. But rich encounters and the discovery of such an exotic culture may ultimately be worth our questionable carbon footprint.

To make ourselves feel good, we will have taken care to collect some clothes and school materials before our departure that we distribute to the children of the village, since here life is rather rudimentary, which does not detract from the wide smile and the permanent kindness of the Berbers.

Lets'ride ... well, yallahhh!

After this immersion in unknown lands, it is time to get out the bikes to finally taste the trails of Morocco. Our 4x4 drops us a few kilometers from our house, and after a few brief explanations on the topo of the day by our guides, we start in an impatience we can not less concealed.

Essentially accustomed to alpine trails, it must be recognized that the first strokes of handlebars on Moroccan soil require a concentration of all times. The ground is sometimes leaking and requires special attention to handle the braking and put one of the angle in the curves. This significant difference in grip quickly becomes very fun and we want more. The slope here is relatively gentle, the trails tend to hilly and rather open, offering beautiful landscapes and exotic wishes. Contrasting colors, typical villages with a thousand scents, whose streets are suddenly filled with happy children from our passage and our casacades, no doubts, we are totally immersed in this colorful trip.

Most striking here is the richness and geological diversity that makes it possible to cross a surprising variety of colors and types of terrain. Throughout our discovery, trails follow each other but are clearly not alike. Throughout our wrinkles, we meet here and there shepherds and other local people who never fail to greet us with a warm and smiling "Salam Alykoum".

As we progress on the slopes of the High Atlas, we quickly understand why it is necessary to surround ourselves with a logistics and guide guides clear with their route, because of the trails here there are some everywhere, but not all of them lead to Rome, but rather to the riverside or the fields. Here, no topo maps and trails are really not obvious to find. For transfers, there too, difficult to do everything with the pedal, and a solid 4x4 equipped with a roof rack for the transport of bikes and a minimum to be sure to get to the end of the tracks safely with your precious bike .

To eat, the best way is to enjoy the discrete tables of hosts that can often find in the villages, In exchange for a few dirhams, some villagers welcome you with open arms for lunch and you will taste the local gastronomy, simple but really tasty, with fresh and local products ... we can even wonder if our last chicken tajine did not come directly from one of the gallinace that we scared to the detour the trail a few moments ago ...

We also enjoy a mint tea, whose ratio water / sugar often seems to be in favor of the latter. We will avoid drinking water other than that bottled because our fragile stomachs are only moderately prowled to contain water wells, and it would be a shame to spoil his trip enduro in Morocco by finishing with the belly. bulk.

In terms of ride, Morocco in its rural and mountain style is culturally rich and captivating. You can find many natural products such as argan or olive oil, aromatic herbs or dried fruits throughout your journey, in villages or women's cooperatives where you will be explained in detail the manufacture of these products and their medical virtues.

Quite frankly, it is difficult to take this destination in default if one is careful to choose a correct provider. Attention, here there is for all purses, but especially all the qualities in the field of stay and more particularly in mountain biking. Make sure that your choice will be on an agency that is in the practice you are looking for and that it actually offers enduro trips beyond their website which would display too attractive rates.

In recent years, it is also possible to find e-bike versions of enduro circuits, with recent and powerful electric mountain bike rentals. The High Atlas, with its valleys is probably a nice escape for fans of electrified wrinkles.