Is Morocco good for a motorcycle tour?

Riders who have done Morocco rarely stop talking about it, and for good reason. The road network gives you genuinely epic touring: the Tizi n’Tichka and the higher, wilder Tizi n’Test passes over the High Atlas are endless smooth switchbacks with almost no traffic, the kind of road you imagine when you dream about a motorcycle holiday. String together the Dades and Todra gorges, the Anti-Atlas loops around Tafraoute, and the run down to the desert, and you have one of the great two-week rides anywhere.

For adventure and enduro riders, the off-road side is the real draw. The pistes and tracks heading toward Merzouga, M’Hamid and the Chigaga dunes, the old mining trails of the Anti-Atlas, and the desert hammada offer serious, remote riding on a big trail bike — this is rally country, the spiritual home of the kind of riding the Dakar made famous. It is demanding and genuinely isolated, so it rewards experience, navigation skill and, ideally, riding with others rather than solo.

On logistics: most visitors either join a guided tour with a fleet of identical bikes and a support 4x4 carrying luggage, fuel and a mechanic, or rent a bike from one of the established Marrakech-based outfitters. The guided route is the easy, safe option for a first Morocco trip — someone else handles the navigation, the breakdowns, the hotels and the desert sections. Roads can throw up loose gravel, livestock, unlit night hazards and the occasional aggressive overtake, so I genuinely advise against night riding here.

Timing matters a lot. Aim for spring (April–May) or autumn (late September–October): summer desert heat is dangerous on a bike and high passes can close with snow in winter. Bring proper protective gear regardless of the heat, carry more water than you think, and make sure your travel insurance actually covers motorcycling, which many policies exclude. Confirm bike condition, support arrangements and licence requirements with your operator before you commit.