My 8-Day Tour of the Atlas Mountains - part 1

On the 1st of January 2023 with a mild hangover, Josh Ibbett started an 8-day bikepacking trip in Morocco on his MASON InSearchOf, riding 750 miles, and exploring some of the more remote regions of the Atlas Mountains.

I’m kicking off 2023 with some pedalling in the sunshine. Morocco has been on my mind since I raced Atlas Mountain Race in October, so now I’m back for an 8-day tour around the mountains with a bit more time to take in the views.

First up in this two-part write-up, Josh shares his tales from the first half of his bike packing trip, where he rode: 

Day 1 - Marrakech to Tizi n Test

Day 2 - Tizi n Test to Anezal via P1702

Day 3 - Anezal to Nkob

Day 4 - Nkob to Boumalnes Dades

On day 1, 55 miles in, he headed south from Marrakech riding well into the Atlas Mountains. He had goats along the roadside to keep him company, before being joined by Ryan Le Garrec, for the long gradual drag up to the Tizi n Test pass. Josh described the 3,000m elevation as “A dream climb, one of the nicest climbs I have ever done”. 

Josh started day 2 with Ryan before heading off solo, and riding for 9 hours, climbing 2,800m over a 2,500m gravel pass.

On day 3, came the all-day headwind, putting Josh behind schedule. When the wind finally died down Josh rode some catch-up miles before pitching his tent for the night. 

With day 4 planned as a 45-mile rest day, there was no rest in sight as “The 1000m of climbing came all in one pass and topped out at 2300m.”

Here’s the video documentary of the first 4 days:

Photo credit: Josh and Ryan Le Garrec

We will be sharing part 2 soon.