Woman with blonde hair and sunglasses in a desert

Cycling in Morocco – by Sarah

A short trip to Marrakesh

A short trip to Marrakesh, the red city. Famous for its Souks, with tempting wares and Jemaa-el-fnaa square which comes alive at night with street food sellers, dancing and singing. It’s a city that assaults all of your senses, it’s noisy, smells amazing, bright, busy, densely populated where you share the narrow streets with cycles and motorbikes!

As part of our trip we took a cycle tour to the Palmeraie, a palm grove situated outside of the city. Palmeraie is a palm oasis of several hundred thousand trees. It is situated at the edge of the city’s northern section, it measures 5 miles (8.0 km) in length, and covers an area of 54 square miles (140 km2). Legend has it that over 1,000 years ago Sultan Yusuf ibn Tashfin, while searching for land to establish his Almoravid dynasty had camped at the plain of Haouz. His soldiers, who had camped there, after consuming palm-dates had thrown the date seeds around and some of them had dropped into holes created by the lances which they had pitched there, and these sprouted into trees.
The area is protected from development by the Government and cared for mainly by the local people, for who dates are an important part of their culture. The Amazigh are the native people of Morocco. It means free people. They do not like to be referred to as Berber people as this means savage. They live mainly in the mountain villages but here also in the Palmeraie. Palm trees are important as providers of leaves for weaving, wood for cooking and dates of course for eating!

Our tour was with Pikala bikes, a community cycling hub who provide training and employment for local people and teach women, girls and children how to cycle. Pikala mean “Bicycle” in Darija, the Moroccan colloquial Arabic language. Their aim is to make Marrakesh the cycling capital of Africa!

Cyclists with their guide from Pikala Bikes


We picked up our bikes early in the morning and were joined by a local guide, Yassin and set off out of the hustle and bustle of the city into the countryside. We casually asked before we set off if there were any rules about cycling on the roads we should be aware of. Yassin proudly announced there there were no rules that apply to cyclists in Morocco! He reassured us it would be safe, as every driver knows that if they knock off a cyclist it will be assumed to be their fault and they would be in trouble! OK then, that makes it all OK and off we go!

The first 10 minutes were mad! The roads are chaotic, plus cycling down alleyways and paths in the medina used by pedestrians, motorcyclist, donkeys and carts is perfectly normal here! We also jumped a red light, in front of some police as Yassin shouted, ‘no worries, remember there are no rules’!

By contrast out in the Palmeraie it was a quiet oasis. The road led us deep into the countryside and there we joined a dessert like track into the palm grove. We stopped to take in the sheer size of the grove and the palms.
We then cycled on to visit a local village. Each village has an oven that is shared for the baking of bread. People make their bread and bring it to be baked. In the village this is done by women who close the oven with wet rags, when the cloth is dry the bread is ready! After watching the opening of the oven we went to eat breakfast. A feast of olives, fried bread, cheese, jam and of course mint tea. The tea is poured at height into a glass to create bubbles on the top. It should then be returned to the pot three times. The height the tea is poured indicates how much respect the pourer has for you as recipients of the tea! It was delicious!


Yassin shared with us the history of the Palmeraie and current worries about its health and survival. As you can imagine water is key. For centuries water has been cleverly piped from the mountains to give towns and cities like Marrakesh life! However it’s becoming a challenge as global warming takes effect. Lack of rain has meant the river in Marrakesh has been dry for 12 years. The lack of rain is affecting the grove. Though there are calls for it to be protected it falls largely to local people who also have scare resources. We visited wells that have since dried up as water is directed towards habitations and the city. The future of the grove is unsure at best.
After breakfast and a return to the grove, we cycled back into the madness of the Medina and Pikala bikes. A fantastic experience, and we would recommend it to anyone travelling to Marrakesh. Look them up and remember its perfectly safe as there are no rules!

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