On the Road – Distance 163km / 101mi | Elevation 1805m / 5902ft
This may sound mad but what better thing to do than ride 100 miles into the heart of the desert! Today is another cracking day. With multiple options on the bike you could choose to genuinely ride downhill for over 100km! All those metres you climbed in the Atlas you now get back.
For the first section we ride on open lands with occasional patches of olive groves and you wonder what could be ahead… However, at the 45km mark having climbed the Tiz n’Tinififft (yes correctly spelled and the only significant ascent of the day!), the riding is unmissable. With views over enormous rocky sedimentary massifs we traversed then gazed down into the historic Draa Valley and out into the Sahara beyond.
The Draa is amazing (read more below) and with a perfect surface, a bike path which gradually descends, Berber villages, palm groves and beautiful rocky vistas, it is another great day on the bike. We are heading to Zagora, the gateway to the Sahara caravan routes and the end of the road! From here we will embark on our desert adventure!
The Draa is amazing (read more below) and with a perfect surface, a bike path which gradually descends, Berber villages, palm groves and beautiful rocky vistas, it is another great day on the bike. We are heading to Zagora, the gateway to the Sahara caravan routes and the end of the road! From here we will embark on our desert adventure!
Check out today’s Relive video here:
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From Ouarzazate, the road plunges southeast into the Draa Valley, formed by a narrow ribbon of water, Morocco’s largest river, from the High Atlas that occasionally emerges triumphantly in lush oases, particularly between Agdz and Zagora, a stretch of about 95km.
During ancient times, the river of Draa crossed the desert and traveled hundreds of kilometres west until it joined the Atlantic. Today, most of this river has dried up, but its path still leads through one of the most fascinating landscapes in Morocco.
The beauty of the Draa Valley is not only its geographical richness – the valley has thousands of years of history, evidenced by the ancient cave paintings and carvings found in the area. It was in the Draa Valley where archaeologists found the statuette of Venus of Tan-Tan, one of the oldest prehistoric sculptures ever discovered. Moreover, the Draa Valley was once an important transit point on the trans-Saharan caravan trading routes, as well as an important trading center for Jewish, Arab, Berber and Christian civilizations.
CAMELS
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One thought on “We Zigged, We Zagged, We Zagora’d!!”
Hey Charlie- I know that you know how to ride a bike but do you know how to ride a camel? Iām just catching up on your comments now because of our busy schedule in Siesta Key! Lots of visitors here recently!- Safe travels, Glenn & Connie
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