Why this ride
A desert corridor with open geology, remoteness and strong visual character. It links naturally to Erg Chebbi and Todra Gorge.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Merzouga to Todra Gorge
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 208 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 46
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Editorial context
Coordinates are curated start-via-end route seeds. They are not a surveyed centreline or navigation geometry. Run road snapping, topology checks, access checks and a live-status review before publication.
Access context
Do not auto-publish. Snap to a routable road network, verify current closures, legal motorcycle access, surface, permits, border controls and local safety information.
Seasonal context
Oct-Apr
Scenic road chapters
Todra Gorge Road
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For 10 km this is Todra Gorge Road, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 10 km
- Named road
- Todra Gorge Road
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Merzouga
The tarmac stops being the main attraction at Merzouga, because here the Sahara starts for real. Erg Chebbi, a wall of orange dunes more than a hundred metres high, rises out of the stony plain in the far south-east of Morocco, a short distance from the Algerian frontier, and the village sits right at its foot with a scatter of guesthouses, cafés and camel stables. In the early morning the sand has the colour of burnt sugar, and at sunset it turns the red of a hot stove.
Read the complete Merzouga write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Merzouga sits at 0 km, early in the day. Next is Tinghir.
2. Tinghir
Tinghir lies on the southern side of the High Atlas in Morocco, where the river Todra runs out of the mountains and across a hard, red desert, and the contrast is startling. A long ribbon of palm trees follows the river for kilometres, with small terraced fields of barley, alfalfa, almonds and vegetables underneath, all watered by channels that have been in use for centuries. From a viewpoint on the edge of town, the green oasis stretches away between bare ochre hills, a strip of life in a landscape of stone.
Read the complete Near Tinghir write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Tinghir comes up 81 km in. Next is Todra Gorge.
3. Todra Gorge
Todra Gorge is a slot in the High Atlas where the Todgha River has cut through red limestone, leaving walls that rise sheer, close to three hundred metres, on either side of a gap just wide enough for the road and the stream. The narrowest part is only a few paces across, and in the morning the walls glow orange while the bottom stays cool and shaded. Tinghir, a town of nearly forty thousand people, lies at the mouth of the valley, and it is the place for fuel, food and a bed.
Read the complete Todra Gorge write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
208 km in you reach Todra Gorge.
Recorded source links
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Todra Gorge Road from Tinghir · 19 km
- Todra Gorge Road · 42 km
- Dades Gorge Road · 61 km
- Dades Gorge Road starting at Kelaat Mgouna · 125 km