FURTHER INFORMATION
Choosing the Right Holiday
At CycleActive we carefully grade our trips to a required level of fitness and, for a required level of mountain biking skill. We also offer personal advice to anyone who needs it, by email or on the phone, thus ensure that you find a holiday suitable for your abilities and desires. This is not a downhillers holiday and is classed as an "All mountain" trip.
Fitness grade 3. Good fitness from regular exercise sessions and time spent actively involved in mountain biking. This is an "All Mountain" trip with a good downhill bias. There are climbs every day, combined with the high mountain terrain and full days in technical ground.
Skill grade C & D. There is a great deal of singletrack riding, sometimes on narrow, steep, rocky trails which cling to the sides of the mountains. In places there are options to avoid the most technical riding, but a good level of skill and confidence is required throughout the tour. "Drops-off" are avoidable if needs be.
Geography & Climate
The variety of this tour means we spend time in warm lowlands, as well as cooler mountain areas. In general, we expect good weather with plenty of sunshine and temperatures ranging from 15 to 30 degrees centigrade as we ride. However, we can experience cold spells in the high mountains and as with all mountain areas there is the possibility of rain, so riders should always come prepared for a mix of conditions.
Accommodation & Food
We have made this tour as comfortable as possible so you can enjoy a good place to finish each night, with a hot shower and tasty food. We use a 3 star hotel in Marrakech, chosen for its character and quality, then a mix of hotels and good auberges throughout the tour, all with comfortable en-suite rooms.
Cycling Support
While cycling in Morocco you will not have 4x4 support right behind you, as we spend so much time on singletrack trails. Our expert leaders are experienced at looking after groups in high mountains but you still need to be able to carry your own basic provisions and tools. Our leaders carry a good toolkit and will help to fix most bike problems out on the trail. One guide always travels with a good first aid kit and contact details for outside assistance, if needed. The UK guide will also deal with any medical issues as they are training in "outdoor incident management 1st aid". Our vehicles will be permanently on standby as we ride, drivers have mobile phones, and are ready to give support should it be required. Note that while we do have access to some spares as well as the possibility of getting spare bikes in the event of a major failure, this can be a time consuming/costly process. You must, therefore, ensure that your bike is in good working order before coming on the tour and ride within your abilities.
Cycle Rental
If you want to use your own bike it is usually easy to find flights which are suitable and we will send you our guideline packing instructions. If you prefer to rent one we have bikes in the UK as well as in Morocco – these are constantly changing and being updated so contact us for the latest rental information.
Flights and Transfers
We can book your flight through an ATOL bonded agent and you will have a separate contract for your flight with them. Alternatively, you can book your own flights through a range of airlines, including Easyjet, Ryanair and British Airways although you should not reserve any flights until we have confirmed that you can go ahead and do so (as we need to confirm that we have reached minimum numbers for the tour first). We aim to include one transfer for the whole group at the start and finish of the tour and will let you know when this transfer departs from/for the airport. Extra transfers can be arranged to and from the hotel, please see the website for prices.
Passports and Visas
For entry into Morocco, UK citizens need a full passport, but a visa is not required. You will need to fill out a simple landing card on arrival.
Clothing and Equipment
On booking, a detailed list of useful and essential items will be sent to you. You must bring your own cycle helmet that must be worn for all cycle rides. All clothing and equipment must be packed in one bag, either a soft holdall or soft rucksack. This is the maximum luggage allowed as all luggage is carried on top of the vehicles. A Camelbak or similar cycling rucksack is also allowed and is carried inside the vehicle with you. Bike bags and boxes are stored in Marrakech while we are on tour in the Atlas Mountains. We advise you not to bring laptops as luggage travels on top of the cars in the sun. (Laptop screens don't like lots of heat).
Pre-Travel Information
When you book a more detailed pre-travel pack will be sent to you with information on clothing to bring, money, bike packing and other useful topics.
