Monkey Run Morocco
Full Details: Monkey Run Morocco
Take a tiny 50cc Monkey Bike and wobble forth into the Sahara Desert. Then force it up and over the Atlas Mountains and finish in a dusty cloud of glory just outside Marrakech.
This is a perfectly balanced adventuring recipe with equal measures of pain and glory set to the soundtrack of other people’s laughter. They’re laughing at you because you’re pushing a Monkey Bike up a mountain. You’ll be grinning because you’re driving the world’s most perfectly unsuitable adventure machine across Morocco.
1. The Unroute
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START CAMP
Erg Chebbi Sand Dunes, near Merzouga
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FINISH LINE
Desert Camp, near Marrakech

Erg Chebbi Sand Dunes



The first bit looks like Mars
From here your un-route journey begins with the first of many navigational decisions.
We strongly advise heading vaguely in the general direction of the Atlas Mountains via as much off roading as you can muster. Avoid the main highways at all costs and find the dirt tracks leading to nowhere.



Head in the wrong direction. On purpose.
“We spent two days spent driving in the completely wrong direction. Two more spent on hiking trails and unmapped “roads” in the mountains, ignoring the protesting locals we kept to the mantra: “always forwards, even if it’s backwards.” On day five we met most of the other teams crossing the Atlas towards Marrakech as we happily headed in the opposite direction.
“Somehow we managed to get to the finish line for the party with the other teams but I reckon we drove in the wrong direction for 3 of the 7 days.”


Hit the back roads





The Atlas Mountains
Not only will you lose weight but you'll be driving on some of the most spectacular roads in Africa.



2. Dates
May 2023 - NEW DATES
29th April 2023: Test driving & launch party
30th April 2023: Launch day
6th May 2023: Finish line & party
October 2023
14th October 2023: Test driving & launch party
15th October 2023: Launch day
21st October 2023: Finish line & party
3. Entry Fee & What's Included
What you get for your entry fee:
• A mighty if diminutive bike to fall in love with
• The bike transported to the start line
• Bike paperwork and 3rd party vehicle insurance ready to go
• A launch party to kill half your brain and a finish party to kill the other
• The most ridiculous week of adventuring chaos imaginable
Paying by instalments?
• If you have chosen to pay by instalments then you would have been charged for the first bit immediately. The next payment will come out of your bank automatically around 28 days later. Following payments will come out on the same day each month until the full amount is paid.
4. The Monkey Bike
"These bikes are completely impractical. That’s why you don’t see thousands of them driving up and down the country. It’s because they’re useless."
• It's close to the ground, so you don't have far to fall.
• It's about the size of a rollerskate, so will fit through tiny gaps in traffic.
• It's incredibly light, so when it inevitably breaks down it's easy to carry.
• It's mechanically basic so a chimp could fix it.
They also have a super handy luggage rack over the rear wheel which can easily hold your wallet and maybe your keys (probably best to stick to three of four keys).
Engine: 48cc of 4 stroke genius
Power: 2.1 BHP
Weight: 69kg
Brakes: Disc front, drum rear

5. Driving License & Insurance
• If you have a UK driving licence from pre-2002 you can drive a 50cc bike without a licence
• In Morocco, you can drive a bike up to 50cc without a licence
• When describing the particulars of the event, it would be worth checking your insurers are aware of your driving qualifications. It might be legal for you to whizz around on a 50cc bike in Morocco on your license - but maybe not in your country of origin, this could be a factor in your insurance quest.
Bike insurance
• The bikes come with the legally required third party insurance
Travel Insurance
• You'll need travel insurance to cover you for the whole of the Run. You should make sure it specifically covers you for what you are doing and where.
Visa
• For many nationalities, you can get a visa-on-arrival - double check yours before you go.
Vehicle deposit
• We charge a £300 returnable vehicle deposit to make sure we get our bikes back at the end of the adventure, this is fully returnable and we won't charge you for general wear and tear. The deposit will be due around a month before the launch.
6. How much does it cost?
• Likewise with food & water. You probably want to avoid tap-water in more rural areas, unless you enjoy defecating through the eye of a needle
• Camping is the most versatile plan for a place to lay your hat, but you'll find a fair few pensions in the towns & mountains

7. On your own
We give you a start line, a finish line, some training and more or less enough time to reach said finish line. The rest is up to you.

8. Going solo?

9. Saving the world
Cool Earth works alongside indigenous villages to halt rainforest destruction. Local people stand to lose the most from deforestation but the most to gain from its protection, that’s why they are the forest’s best possible custodians.
All Cool Earth partnerships are community-owned and led.
By developing local livelihoods, their mission is to end the cycle of deforestation entrenching villages into further poverty. Creating strong, self-determining communities.
10. Contacts
11. Follow the Monkey Run
Follow The Adventurists
12. The Warning
Your chances of being seriously injured or dying as a result of taking part are high. Individuals who have taken part in past Adventurists' adventures have been permanently disfigured, seriously disabled and even lost their life.
This is not a glorified holiday, it's an unsupported adventure and so by its very nature extremely risky. You really are on your own and you really are putting both your health and life at risk. This is what makes them adventures.