Quad Biking in Morocco

After the sights and sounds of the Souk in Marrakech we had the opportunity to spend a few hours exploring the edge of the desert from the saddle of a quad bike and what fun we had.  I have only been on a quad bike once before but I have sone plenty of off roading in 4x4 vehicles when I was in the Royal Air Force and felt quite at home.

All of the images in this blog post were taken on my Fujifilm X100 using either the standard 23mm f2 lens or with the wide angle converter fitted to make it a 19mm f2. The Fujifilm coped admirably with the dusty conditions and produced a memorable record of our day in the desert.

Quads and Buggies are the mode of transport in this part of Morocco

We were picked up at the hotel in Land Cruisers and taken out to our start location around 15km outside Marrakech.  After a quick briefing and demonstration we saddled up with most of our party on quad bikes, with three others in buggies. We set off in two groups, each one with a guide.  I found myself in the second group of six. 

Slight delay as engine repairs are carried out

The terrain was pretty easy at the start, some small inclines and loose rocks, which got us all into the groove riding the machines.  About 30 minutes into the trek we hit our first problem when one of our party went missing.  The guide double backed and found the stranded buggy which had suffered an electrical problem causing the engine to stop.  We parked up while the engine was coaxed back into life and after 30 minutes of tinkering the engine fired up and off we set again.  However the top speed of the buggy was severly limited and further delays ensued. 

Off we set again

We caught up with the first group on the top of a small ridge with a magnificent view of the surrounding countryside.  It was decided that we would rest while one of the guides took the buggy back to base and to return with a replacement.  This gave us the opportunity to take in our surroundings.  The area was rocky and arid but, after the recent rainfall, there was plenty of vegetation sprouting up turning the area quite green in places.  While the sun was high in the cloudless sky the temperature was in the upper teens and quite pleasant.

The replacement buggy duly arrived and off we set once again with the first group leading the way.

The view as we wait for the replacement buggy to arrive

The terrain got progressively harder as we forded a couple of streams and then rode up some dry river beds with very loose sand, causing a couple of quads to get stuck meaning we had to get off and help our stranded colleagues.

River crossing - there were a few fords on our route

The group on route

After another 60-minutes of riding we stopped at an abandoned settlement that was last used in the 1990s before the local well dried up and the residents were forced to move on.

The abandoned settlement

The guides gave us a quick tour and I decided to walk around and take some images of the area.  As I walked away from the group the thing that stuck me the most was the deafening silence - there was no sound, not even any wildlife.  The only sound I heard was the crunch of the rocks under my boots as I walked up the small hill to get an overall picture of the abandoned settlement.

 After the stop we set off again passing through a couple of settlements surrounded by palm trees and a small stream, which we forded easily on the quads.  Because of the earlier delays due to the broken buggy we were forced to push on to make up the lost time, which was a shame because the area we were passing through was quite beautiful.  I wanted to stop to take some pictures but the thought of losing the rest of the group and not finding my way back to base kept me firmly in the saddle and following the tracks of my colleagues.

The desert is quite green after the recent rainfall

We reached our start point after a 35km trip through the arid Moroccan countryside and what an experience it was.  This is a great way to see a very small and usually inaccessible part of this beautiful country.

Bar and pool after a long ride across the Moroccan outback

We then spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing by the pool with beer, food and a chance to discuss our shared adventure before heading back to Marrakech as the sun set over the Atlas mountains.

Sunset over the Atlas mountains

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