Itinerary
All Race Days include 5K-12K trail runs (Subject To Change)
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We begin our journey on the North Atlantic Seaboard of North Africa, Casablanca! You may have first heard that name when referring to the 1942 classic movie, but the culture, sites, and sounds run much deeper than that. Granted, you’ll need to stop by Rick’s Cafe, but mosques, chic neighborhoods, and your first taste of Moroccan cuisine will be the single-best way to enter Morocco.
Casablanca is much different than other regions of Morocco. It is as green as Southern Europe. Enjoy the sights and sounds of our first glimpse of this beautiful country, and then head to the hotel for registration and check-in, 5pm and on.
Rise and shine because we have a lot of terrain to cover. It starts with a long drive south to Essaouira, where we’ll find plenty of sun and sand along the West Coast of Africa. Essaouira is known for its artisan industries. Its Mediterranean style rings clear with painted white houses everywhere. Fresh seafood and beautiful sunsets will be the evident themes here. In addition, the tradewinds make this an ideal spot for surfing, windsurfing, and kitesurfing.
We’re kicking off our first race here, on the beach! Atypical of our days, this run will be later on in the day, still allowing plenty of time for us to enjoy the region’s famous sunset.
We’ll dine at an amazing restaurant overlooking the ocean, coastline, and a familiar sight to those missing their Sunday night Game of Thrones fix.
We’re leaving the beach and headed East, into everything else Morocco has in store for us. Our first stop is to get some exercise in AGAFAY! This hard sand slice of desert is perfect for a morning run/walk.
Then we’ll continue onto Marrakesh! Our home for the next two nights. We hate to pick favorites. We really do. But Marrakesh, oh Marrakesh. It’s the best party place, best restaurants, and there’s so much to do, both day and night. We’ll devote every waking minute to exploring this spectacular city.
Later on in the evening, we’ve arranged a special Marrakesh dining experience at CHEZ ALI. Watch a video about Chez Ali.
We hate to go, Marrakesh, but we have a lot of ground to cover and we’ll be back tonight! We’re headed to the gateway to the Atlas Mountains! Our first stop on Day 4 is in a beautiful town at the foot of the highest peak in North Africa (The Toukal).
We’ll then have lunch in Imlil. This will be our first contact with Berber culture (categorized by farmers in the mountains and valleys throughout northern Africa, often associated with transporting goods by camel caravans). The scenery is indescribable.
Imilil is the biggest hiking destination in Africa after Kilimanjaro. Today, we hike, run, and race this massive landmark! After, it’s back to Marrakesh.
It’s time to make our way to the famous Ait Ben Haddou…by foot! We’ll run straight to this UNESCO world heritage site. Film buffs will be thrilled to know Gladiator, Ben Hur, and Game of Thrones were all filmed here.
Tonight, we’ll rest down the way from Ait Ben Haddou, at Ourzazate and Ourzazate Studios, an extension of this film-centric area.
Cities, beaches, mountains, and fields have been conquered. Next up, the Sahara Desert! We’ll approach the gateway to the desert, which is a spectacle of itself, lined with Moroccan ruins. We’ll race our way through Tinhir, on the path known as “The route of 1000 Kasbahs”!
With a little luck, and some extra development between now and 2025, we may have the privilege of having lunch at Ksar.
Erfoud is where we sleep for the next two nights, a central location in the desert for us to dive a little deeper into the Sahara.
Today we will reach the pinnacle of our journey, the Saharan dunes!
Merzouga is the most beautiful part of the Sahara desert in Morocco. It is a small town in the southeast of Morocco, about 20 km from the border of Algeria. It is known all over the world for its beautiful landscapes and huge sand dunes. This part of the desert is home to an incredible number of natural wonders.
After our daily intake of walking, running, or racing (you choose), we’ll have the opportunity to ride camels, hop in SUVs, or simply lounge around the pool at our afternoon oasis.
Sunrise and sunset are vibrant displays of color between the dunes and the sky. We’ll time this afternoon perfectly, and pass through some of Merzouga’s highest dunes just as the sun sets.
After a day in the desert, filled with adventure, dune climbing, camel riding, and an Auberge oasis, we’re headed back to Erfoud, for our final R2A party. This evening promises to be filled with lots of food, drinks, music, dancing, and our hotel is ready to host us through the night. YOU DID IT! TIME TO CELEBRATE!
Today we travel from Erfoud to Errachidia. The drive comes with plenty of views. We will be passing by a gorgeous belt of green palm trees. Then it’s a quick flight back to Casablanca again!
To cap off our cultural whirlwind tour, we’ll visit Hasan II. Hassan II is the world’s 7th largest mosque.
After that, it’s time to enjoy your final moments with old and new friends. Find a great place in town to hang, reflect on the journey behind you, and of course, start planning your next R2A together!
We did it! Another epic Race2Adventure in the books! And on a brand new continent nonetheless!
From cities to beaches to Marrakesh markets to jaw-dropping mountainscapes to camels in the desert – We did it! We wouldn’t blame you if you decide to take a little more time around this beautiful country, but for a lot of us, this journey has come to an end.
Will this be the last Africa sees of Race2Adventure? Not a chance! R2A can say with the utmost certainty, “See you soon, Africa.”
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