Andalusian-Moroccan Adventure: From the Mediterranean to the Atlas

29 Mar 2025

/Lars Wuestman

/Markus Hellrigl

Česká verze níže. Czech version below. Welcome to the blog of our motorcycle adventure through southern Spain and Morocco! Here, we’ll be sharing daily updates on what we’ve been up to, so you can follow along with our journey. We’re kicking things off in Marbella, riding along the coast to the southern tip of Tarifa. From there, we’ll head inland, making our way through Ronda and up towards Córdoba. After that, it’s back to the coast at Marbella, before hopping over to Marrakech. Once in Morocco, we’ve got a few more days of exploring—both inland and along the coast—so stay tuned for the daily updates! **** Vítejte na blogu naší motorkářské dobrodružství po jižním Španělsku a Maroku! Zde budeme každý den sdílet aktualizace o tom, co jsme právě zažili, abyste mohli sledovat naši cestu. Začínáme v Marbelle, jedeme podél pobřeží až na jižní cíp Tarify. Odtud se vydáme do vnitrozemí, projedeme Rondou a zamíříme směrem na Córdobu. Poté se vrátíme zpět na pobřeží do Marbelly, než přejedeme do Marrákeše. V Maroku nás čeká ještě několik dní objevování – jak vnitrozemí, tak i pobřeží – takže zůstaňte naladěni na každodenní aktualizace!

Česká verze níže. Czech version below. First Ride of Our Spain & Morocco Trip Today was the first ride of our Spain and Morocco adventure! We kicked off the day from our lovely hotel in Marbella, where our motorcycles and cars were lined up, ready to go. After a short briefing about the day's plan, we made our way out of town. The first stretch was on the highway, giving us time to get comfortable on the bikes before diving into the fun part. As soon as we left the coast, the road became twistier, and we got to enjoy the sweeping curves of southern Spain. The recent rains had turned the landscape lush and green, making the scenery even more stunning. Our first proper stop was at a small café, the kind that doesn’t see many tourists—perfect for a local experience. We grabbed some coffee and breakfast tapas to fuel up (though, as it turns out, tapas can also be great for napping through most of the ride as a passenger princess). From there, the route took us further inland, winding through countless turns before leading us back towards the coast. Our lunch stop was in Algeciras, and we arrived a little ahead of schedule—so early, in fact, that the restaurant staff were still having their own lunch! Despite that, they welcomed us in and took great care of us. They set up a table on the rooftop terrace, overlooking the beach and ocean—a perfect spot. We started with tapas, followed by steaks or tuna, making sure we weren’t missing out on anything. To top it off, we even got mini cappuccinos—so we had all bases covered. After lunch, we made our way to Tarifa. Normally, the town is buzzing with surfers and kitesurfers, but today the wind was missing, so we didn’t see any action. Still, the beach was absolutely beautiful and well worth the visit. The road ran parallel to the coastline for a while before heading back inland. We made a quick stop at the Roman ruins, then returned to the hotel. To wrap up the day, we headed to the poolside bar, overlooking the ocean, for some well-deserved drinks and cigars—the perfect way to wind down. Not everyone joined the ride today due to feeling under the weather, but thanks to a special kind of support vehicle, everyone was able to meet up for drinks in the evening. All in all, a fantastic start to the tour—and a great sign of what’s to come! ***** První jízda naší španělsko-marocké tour Dnes jsme zahájili první jízdu našeho dobrodružství ve Španělsku a Maroku! Začali jsme den v našem krásném hotelu v Marbelle, kde už byly připravené naše motocykly a auta. Po krátkém briefingu o plánu dne jsme vyrazili z města. První úsek vedl po dálnici, abychom se mohli v klidu seznámit s motorkami, než začne ta pravá zábava. Jakmile jsme opustili pobřeží, silnice se stala klikatější, a my jsme si mohli užít zatáčky jižního Španělska. Po nedávných deštích byla krajina nádherně zelená a svěží, což ještě umocnilo krásu výhledu. Naším prvním opravdovým zastavením byla malá kavárna, která nevidí mnoho turistů – ideální místo pro místní zážitek. Dopřáli jsme si kávu a snídaňové tapas, abychom doplnili energii (i když se ukázalo, že tapas jsou také skvělé na to, abyste jako passenger princess prospali většinu cesty). Odtud nás čekala cesta dál do vnitrozemí, s nekonečnými zatáčkami, než jsme se opět vydali směrem k pobřeží. Na oběd jsme zastavili v Algeciras a dorazili jsme o něco dříve, než jsme plánovali – tak brzy, že personál restaurace ještě měl vlastní oběd! I přesto nás přivítali a postarali se o nás skvěle. Připravili pro nás stůl na střešní terase s výhledem na pláž a oceán – ideální místo. Začali jsme tapas, následovaly steaky nebo tuňák, abychom si užili vše, co nabízeli. Na závěr jsme dostali mini cappuccina – všechno bylo dokonale zařízené. Po obědě jsme pokračovali do Tarify. Obvykle je toto město plné surfařů a kitesurfařů, ale dnes tu chyběl vítr, takže jsme žádnou akci neviděli. I přesto byla pláž naprosto krásná a stála za návštěvu. Cesta nás vedla nějaký čas podél pobřeží, než jsme se opět vydali do vnitrozemí. Krátce jsme se zastavili u římských ruin, a pak jsme se vrátili zpět do hotelu. Den jsme zakončili u pool baru s výhledem na moře, kde jsme si dali pár zasloužených drinků a cigár – ideální způsob, jak zakončit den. Ne každý se dnešní jízdy zúčastnil, protože někteří se necítili úplně fit, ale díky speciálnímu podpoře vozidla se nakonec všichni večer sešli na drinky. Celkově to byl fantastický start do naší tour – a dobré znamení toho, co nás ještě čeká!

Česká verze níže. Czech version below. Twists, Turns & Stausees – A Perfect Riding Day Day three, and the adventure keeps getting better! We rolled out of Ronda in the morning, easing into the day with a few highway kilometers—just enough time to wake up properly and get into the groove. It was a bit cooler today, so some of us layered up before setting off. But the straight roads didn’t last long (thankfully!). Soon, we were back in our element, carving through gorgeous, twisty roads, leaning into every turn, and soaking up the Andalusian scenery. Our first stop? Setenil de las Bodegas, a town famous for its houses built right into the cliffs. A quick coffee break gave us a moment to admire the unique architecture before hopping back on the bikes. Not long after, we reached the first of three big reservoirs, or Stausees. But nature had left its mark—recent floods had washed away parts of the road. Nothing like a little detour to spice things up! After a bit of a navigation puzzle (and some teamwork), we found our way and enjoyed the stunning valley views from a scenic overlook. From there, we rode to Garganta del Chorro, home to the legendary Caminito del Rey, a wooden walkway clinging to the cliffs above a deep gorge. The bridge spanning the canyon was a sight to behold, and since our restaurant had a prime viewing spot, we got to enjoy the scenery with a side of delicious Spanish lunch. Post-lunch, the roads opened up, allowing us to pick up the pace and flow through the green landscape. No rush, just pure riding bliss. After a while, we had to make a stop for a very odd kind of traffic jam, about 200 sheep coming the opposite direction way, and filing up the road. A nice chance to see another part of the local culture up close Many, many turns later, we arrived at El Torcal, a surreal mountain landscape where the rocks look like they were stacked by a giant with way too much time on his hands. A short walk took us to the viewpoint, offering an epic panoramic view of the valley below. And, of course, we couldn’t leave without a group photo—which, after two failed attempts, we finally nailed on the third try. All in all, another fantastic riding day. Perfect roads, stunning views, a bit of adventure, and great company—what more could we ask for? On to the next one! ***** Zatáčky, Stausee a perfektní den na cestách Třetí den a dobrodružství je čím dál lepší! Ráno jsme vyrazili z Rondy a den jsme začali pár kilometry po dálnici – tak akorát na to, abychom se pořádně probudili a dostali se do rytmu. Ráno bylo trochu chladnější, takže někteří z nás si přidali jednu vrstvu navíc. Ale rovné silnice nám naštěstí dlouho nevydržely! Brzy jsme byli zpět v našem živlu, projížděli nádherné klikaté silnice, užívali si každou zatáčku a nasávali andaluskou krajinu. Naše první zastávka? Setenil de las Bodegas, město známé svými domy vestavěnými přímo do skály. Rychlá pauza na kávu nám dala chvilku k obdivování téhle jedinečné architektury, než jsme zase naskočili na motorky. O něco později jsme dorazili k prvnímu ze tří velkých přehradních jezer – Stausee. Příroda tu ale zanechala své stopy. Nedávné záplavy odplavily části silnice, takže jsme si museli poradit s malou objížďkou. Po menší navigační hádance (a troše týmové práce) jsme našli správnou cestu a mohli si užít nádherné výhledy do údolí. Odtud jsme pokračovali do Garganta del Chorro, kde se nachází legendární Caminito del Rey – dřevěná stezka přilepená ke skalám nad hlubokou soutěskou. Pohled na most, který se klene přes kaňon, byl úchvatný, a protože náš oběd byl v restauraci s dokonalým výhledem, mohli jsme si tu krásu vychutnat ještě o něco déle. Po obědě se silnice trochu rozšířily, takže jsme mohli zrychlit a vychutnat si plynulost jízdy. Žádný spěch, jen čistá radost z jízdy. Po nějaké době jsme však museli zastavit kvůli velmi neobvyklé dopravní zácpě – asi 200 ovcí nám šlo naproti a zaplnilo celou silnici. Skvělá příležitost vidět další část místní kultury zblízka. Mnoho a mnoho zatáček později jsme dorazili do El Torcalu, surrealistické horské oblasti, kde skály vypadají, jako by je naskládal obr s až příliš volného času. Krátká procházka nás dovedla k vyhlídce s úžasným panoramatickým výhledem do údolí. A samozřejmě jsme nemohli odjet bez společné fotky – na potřetí se nám ji konečně podařilo zachytit. Celkově vzato další fantastický den na motorce. Perfektní silnice, úžasné výhledy, trocha dobrodružství a skvělá parta – co víc si přát? Těšíme se na další jízdu!

Yesterday, we made the transfer from Spain to Morocco. We covered the last stretch to Málaga, where we had some time to prepare for our flight before hopping over to Marrakech. A lovely dinner on the rooftop of our hotel was the perfect way to kick off our Moroccan adventure. This morning, we had to get used to our new bikes, as we’re riding different ones here in Morocco. There wasn’t much time to adjust, though, as we were immediately thrown into the lively traffic of Marrakech. Once you figure out the system, it actually works quite well—but at first, it’s a bit chaotic. Our route took us through Essaouira, which we reached by crossing the desert. The first part of the journey was mostly straight roads, but we passed through several towns and markets, so there was plenty to see. We even found some rough gravel that was supposed to be paved and ended up riding a bit faster than our side case could handle. After that, we decided it would be smarter to take a slightly longer but fully paved route instead. Lunch turned out to be slow food in the worst sense of the word—they really made us wait for it. But after lunch, things got a bit more interesting, as the wind suddenly picked up and stayed strong for the rest of the day. It was gusty enough that we were riding at an angle most of the time, which meant we had to be extra careful coming around corners and when passing oncoming traffic. To add to the excitement, we ran into some roadworks where they had basically removed the asphalt for several kilometers, leaving us with a long stretch of gravel. Our patience was rewarded with some much-needed curves in the mountains, finally breaking up the straight roads we’d been on all morning. The wind kept things tricky, but we still managed to enjoy the sweeping bends. For our last coffee stop, we pulled into a small town. I parked my bike a couple of meters behind a car and turned around to check on the group as they parked. Next thing I knew, I felt pressure on my leg and nearly got knocked over—the car had reversed into me. I’m guessing the driver had trouble finding first gear because he kept rolling back, pinning me even tighter against my bike before finally moving forward. Luckily, I was on a BMW GS with a boxer engine, which meant my leg only got pushed slightly while the engine casing took the hit. That probably saved me from a trip to the hospital. Thanks, BMW. To top it off, the coffee machine was broken at the place we stopped, so all in all, not the best break. We decided to just head to the hotel and have a relaxed evening there. Tomorrow, we’ll be riding parallel to the coast, heading south. Let’s see what the next day brings!

This morning, the wind had calmed down quite a bit, making for a much more comfortable start to the day. It didn’t take long, though, before a puff of blue smoke and the loss of rear brake function brought us to a stop. Turns out the rear brake had likely been dragging, which caused it to overheat, build up pressure, and eventually crack the brake caliper. The brake was done for, and fluid was leaking out. We swapped the bike with the tour guide’s, and just a few minutes later we were back on the road. Riding with only the front brake and engine braking meant taking it a bit easier, but it worked out fine for the rest of the day. A replacement bike will be waiting for us at the hotel this evening. From there, we rode along the coast for a while—nice, sleepy roads with better visibility and asphalt than yesterday, when we had more blind corners. It made for a smoother ride and a really fun cruise heading south. We stopped for lunch at a great traditional restaurant that only serves different types of tagine. The owner warned us that the beef would take 40 minutes to prepare. After 80 minutes, we were finally served, and it was worth the wait—everything fresh from their own garden or local farms, home-cooked in a family-run kitchen. Absolutely delicious. After that, we headed inland, into the mountains toward Paradise Valley. The planned route started off really fun—lots of curves, clean asphalt, and great riding. But eventually, the road turned to gravel, and then into a full off-road trail. So we had to turn around and continue along the coast instead. Not ready to call it a day, we found another loop with plenty of great twists and turns, which eventually led us along a beautiful river in the mountains with some truly stunning views. Leaving the valley behind, we made our way back to the coast and into Agadir. We weren’t the only bikers around—Morocco Desert Challenge is currently in town, and during the ride we were overtaken by some pretty wild-looking desert race machines. Tonight’s accommodation feels worlds apart from the rally vibes—our hotel is fancy and super comfortable, the perfect place to rest up and recharge for a big day with lots of kilometers ahead tomorrow.