The Monkey Run Morocco is a unique and challenging adventure that takes you across 600 kilometers of diverse Moroccan terrain on a tiny 50cc Monkey Bike. It's an experience filled with chaos, camaraderie, and the thrill of the unexpected.
What is the Monkey Run Morocco?
The Monkey Run Morocco is a seven-day adventure where you traverse a large slab of Morocco on a 50cc Monkey Bike. Expect sweaty desert, endless plains, snow-capped mountains, river crossings, back roads twisting through epic gorges, bike-mangling off-road tracks, and lots of camels.
The Monkey Run Morocco is a finely balanced blend of overland chaos set to the soundtrack of other people’s laughter. They’ll laugh at you because you’re pushing a tiny bike up a mountain. Give your buttocks the gift of a monkey and Morocco will deliver by the giant spade-load.
The Nuts and Bolts
Your adventure kicks off with pre-adventure beers in Marrakech. The next morning, the rider bus delivers you to the start camp tucked away behind giant sand dunes in southeast Morocco. On test driving day, we show you the ways of the monkey, and you practice piloting the ultimate miniature adventure machine. There’s a slightly dangerous sand-riding time-trial, a sun-downer session on top of a massive dune, followed by the evening launch party.
Then the early morning launch ceremony sends you off into the splendid unknown. After a week of being jabbed in the ribs with the pointy stick of mayhem, you roll into the finish camp in the desert just outside Marrakech. There’s a finish line stage, Chesterfield sofas, and a pop-up bar and kitchen overlooking the empty plains of Agafay. Watch your fellow fools roll in covered in dust and smelling a bit like old socks while you share tales of adventuring disaster and tiny bike triumphs.
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Preparing for the Adventure
All you need to do is turn up in Marrakech with a helmet, a spare pair of underpants, and a healthy disregard for health & safety. Then mount your 50cc wonder machine, and Morocco will deliver the rest.
The entry fee is £1,595 per rider. You'll get access to an online adventure handbook to help you prepare (or not, depending on your adventuring style) after you sign up. We update it with everything we think you need to know as your adventure looms ever closer, including how to raise money for charity.
The Mighty Monkey Bike
A mighty, if diminutive bike to fall in love with. It's 49cc of pure underpowered genius, all prepped to carry you and your glory across some of the world's gnarliest terrain.
These bikes are completely impractical. That’s why you don’t see thousands of them driving up and down the country. The Monkey Run is perfect for those going solo because, well, you can only fit one person on a monkey bike. Some do sign up with friends, but there are runners that tackle the Monkey Run solo every time. It's easy to meet others during the test driving to convoy for at least part of the trip if you don't fancy going alone.
The Route and Challenges
Monkey Run Morocco 2023
You start from the edge of the Sahara in southeast Morocco. The iconic sea of 150-meter sand dunes tower over your test driving arena at the Monkey Run camp. The first bit looks like Mars.
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Heading north, you wobble out of the desert on a few kilometers of rough track towards Erfoud. This area is famous for being used as a giant film set and looking a bit like Mars. If Mars had camels.
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.
On your second day, you have a choice to make that will set the tone for the rest of your adventure. So be like Mike. But not superstar athlete Michael Jordan. “We spent two days driving in the completely wrong direction. This is Mike. If you hadn't guessed. This is Mike's bike. Not on a highway. A true example of the benefits of adventuring ignorance. Mike demonstrates that knowing where you are is highly overrated. So make sure you avoid the main highways between the desert and the foothills of the Atlas and get totally and completely lost.
The Atlas Mountains
The un-route has been carefully crafted to force you and your 50cc Monkey Bike to tackle the massive Atlas Mountain range. There's no way around it. You can go any way you want, but you'll definitely be pushing your monkey up the side of a mountain.
Important Considerations
No Motorcycle License Required
You can ride a monkey bike in Morocco on a standard car license. Technically speaking, you don't need any license to drive a 50cc bike over there. But you must have a standard driving license to take part in the Monkey Run. If you only have a bike license, that's fine too. But if you don't have any driving license at all, you need to go and get one.
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Riders have taken part before with minimal experience, but we don't recommend it. Your chances of losing limbs or getting squashed by a truck are increased if you don't know how to properly pilot a tiny motorbike. Get some time in the tiny-bike saddle and build up some two-wheeled experience before you take on the Sahara desert and Atlas mountains.
Insurance
Your monkey bikes come with the legally required third-party vehicle insurance and the registration documents you need to drive in Morocco. But be aware the cover is limited and rarely used in practice. If you damage another vehicle or someone's property, you may be asked to pay for the damage at the time on the roadside, in cash.
The insurance doesn't cover damage to the bike, that comes out of your deposit. We only make deductions if you do real harm to our beauties - we don't charge for the standard kicking you'll give the bike just by taking on the adventure.
You'll need travel insurance that covers you for exactly what you're doing and exactly where you're going. We wouldn't scrimp on this one. We might make the odd joke about how dangerous this all is, but when the shit really hits the fan, you'll want decent medical and legal cover as an absolute minimum.
Imagine how proud your family will be when they get a $50,000 hospital bill because you were too lazy to do a bit of boring paperwork for your adventure, then go do and sort the boring paperwork instead.
Saving the World
Not only is the Monkey Run an industrial dose of adventure, it’s also about Saving the World. Cool Earth works alongside indigenous villages to halt rainforest destruction. All their partnerships are community-owned and led.
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. Why? We need to save every rainforest in the world so future generations have somewhere to get stuck. Not because we’re tree hugging sandal weavers, but because the world would be shit without them.
The best way to raise these funds is through your friends and families, people you work with, or anyone who's got a dirty little secret only you know about. Your donors can chuck cash their way via your page, and it saves on fees. You've got until 2 weeks after the end of your adventure to raise the minimum amount of £500. If you don't raise £500 by the deadline, unfortunately, you will go to hell.
Together with Cool Earth, we give you tips and resources to help you fundraise. Then 2 weeks after the finish line party, we will pester you for your final total. But don't panic, we won’t set any dogs on you, or force you to sell your children.
The Risks
These are genuinely dangerous things to do. Your chances of being seriously injured or dying as a result of taking part are high. 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.
Embrace the Chaos
The Monkey Run Morocco is more than just a race; it's an experience. It's about pushing yourself, embracing the unknown, and creating memories that will last a lifetime.
Registration is open now. Press the button of adventuring destiny and set forth into the unknown on the mighty monkey bike.
Participant Experiences
“Monkey bikes are not meant for much. They’re certainly not designed to travel almost 620 mi / 1000 km up and over enormous mountains or across tough terrain. So this is exactly what we put them through. They are, and I whisper this, because I am secretly in love with mine, a piece of junk. Our Monkeys were incredibly unreliable, unsophisticated and at times a temperamental toy. They will, at any moment, break down which made planning our journey almost pointless. We had to learn to let go of distance goals, and just run with what the Monkeys gave us.” - Laura Coughlin
That being said, there is something absolutely special about the Monkey. “Our bikes never failed to impress me. ‘How the f%$# did it just make it over that mountain?’ ‘How the f%$# did the tire not burst over that rocky road?’ ‘How the f%$# did I manage to stay upright riding into that massive riverbed?’ The thing about the Monkey is that no matter where you go, people smile when they see you. People want to talk to you, they want to high-five you, they want to ride with you. The proper bikers may think we’re mad, but they’re also secretly a little bit jealous.
“I only started learning how to ride motorcycles when I moved to the UAE. There is a lot of deserts to explore, and I wanted to find the best mode of transport to do that. Technically I don’t have a motorcycle license, yet. Although I’m in the process of righting this terrible wrong.”
“I was looking for a unique adventure, something that would take me to a new country, that would push me to a new limit, but ultimately would be a hell of a lot of fun. I’d been following The Adventurists for a long time. They organize crazy events each year such as the Mongol Rally and the Rickshaw Run. Back in 2015, I’d completed the 2175 mi / 3500 km Rickshaw Run across India with two friends. Despite having a few near-death experiences I truly enjoyed it. So by the end of last year, I was itching for a new adventure, and the Monkey Run caught my eye.”
Taking place in Morocco, which is a well-established and loved destination for motorcyclists, the Monkey Run sees about 50 participants from around the world “race” across the country on a Chinese version of Honda’s famed Monkey bike. “It was the perfect adventure for me.”
The Adventurists deliver the bikes to the starting line in Merzouga, Morocco. “We arrived after a twelve-hour bus ride from Marrakech to a basic campsite in the middle of the desert. And there they were, all lined up and waiting for us.”
The trip was a substantial distance for a mass-produced $300 duplicate of Japanese ingenuity. “According to my highly inaccurate odometer on the bike, we traveled just shy of 560 mi / 900km.”
With such mechanical devices of dubious production there thankfully wasn’t many issues during the entire trip. “I got off pretty lightly with my bike; she barely had any problems at all. But within the group, there was a long list of breakdowns. One bike’s piston rings burned out completely, so it was rebuilt at a local shop using a found pre-used piston. We saw front wheel bearings basically turn to dust on one bike. It just collapsed and seized up completely. Other than that we had issues like a snapped key in the steering lock barrel, so we had to hotwire the bike, and of course, everyone’s foot-pegs either fell off or got loose. One bike lost its handlebars 1 mi / 1.5 km before the finish line after the rider accidental slipped into a ditch. We probably should have done more than we did. At best we made sure the bikes were topped with oil and the chains were well-lubricated.”
Gunning a 50 cc motorcycle across Morocco’s rugged mountainous landscape is no small feat in itself. Doing so for extended days of riding with barely any typical Adventure motorcycling gear is even more impressive. “I thought I would want to dig a little hole and bury the bastard by the end of each night. I thought sitting hunched over for hours with my knees up to my chin would be unbearable. It turns out; it was surprisingly comfortable!”
Just as the bikes themselves navigation was a bit simpler than your average $400 GPS product. “I had a physical map of Morocco that we used to get us across the country. The signal for our smartphones, especially high up in the mountains, was pretty limited, so we relied on the map and some local knowledge for much of the journey.”
The Monkey Bike also has zero luggage space, so the riders had to get creative. “I found a 30cm-long wooden pallet and zip-tied it lengthways to the back of the bike to give my bag a little ‘shelf.’ I brought a tiny sports bag and packed very, very light; one pair of jeans, one denim jacket, three t-shirts, two ratchet straps, a head torch, wash bag, and that’s about it. And to be honest, I smelled pretty funky by day five.”
The History of the Monkey Bike
The original Monkey was launched in 1964 with the Z50M model. The first model of the Honda Z-series, however, was produced as a children’s ride at a Japanese amusement park. Its popularity grew, and it was eventually refined for mass production with its first European launch in 1967. The name, ironically, stems from “the way people are said to look when riding on these bikes.” A monkey or a gorilla astride a circus-size motorcycle.
These early versions featured a 4.5 hp, 49 cc, single horizontal cylinder four-stroke-engine, and a seat height less than 22 in / 56 cm. Fitted with 5 in / 12.7 cm wheels the initial models had no suspension and relied on the bulbous tires to ease bumps in the road. It didn’t take long though before Honda added necessary front forks for rider comfort. A decade later in 1974 saw the release of the first model with rear suspension, the Z50J.
The Monkey has achieved such a cult status that Honda has launched a fully revised version to hit showroom floors in 2019. The new edition will feature a Single-cylinder 125cc SOHC four-stroke engine with a four-speed manual gearbox. The seat height comes in at 30.6 in / 77 cm making it “easy to flat-foot it in parking lots or at stop lights.” Along with the upgraded suspension, the new Monkey will see Honda’s Anti-Lock Braking System making the fun much saver for those emergency stops. The new editions are available in two colorways; Pearl Nebula Red and of course Banana Yellow.
Lasting Impressions
“It’s hard to imagine that any riding experience will ever top the feeling I had riding across Morocco on a monkey bike. Will there be better, or more memorable times in my biking lifetime? I certainly hope so. But if not, I reckon I’d die happy with these moments alone.”
A particular day that stood out was on day three of the run. “The sky was blue, and we were at our highest point on the trip. A good 8200 f / 2500 m above sea level in a small, freezing town called Imilchil, with a downhill adventure to our next stop. Never have I seen eight adults so happy, winding down the Atlas Mountains without a care in the world. In reality, our speeds never topped more than 40 mph /65 kmh, but it sure felt like we were elite racers. My friend called it our ‘Bluebird Day,’ carefree like a bird on a blue sky day. It was one of the single most special moments of my life.”
And as for any future unconventional adventures of the two-wheeled variety. “The wonderful Scottish gang that we innocently teamed up with at the beginning are planning their next incredible adventure for June 2019; Riding affordably priced scooters around Scotland’s scenic North Coast 500 route. The rules so far are that it must be a 125 cc or smaller step-thru scooter costing a maximum of 400 earth pounds, that’s around $500 US. Bring. It.
The Initial Challenges
The race started in Merzouga on the edge of the Sahara. Not a bad place to start. It was beautiful and, as they could see, a mecca for off-road bikers from all over the world. The start was challenging, but without falling over, they fought their way out to a paved road, and the adventure could begin.
On the first day, they already moved away from the paved road and into what is popularly called the Berber desert. It went well at first, but quickly, the very fine sand began to pose challenges.The tiny wheels on their cute monkey bikes almost dug into the sand, causing them to come to a halt. They had to carry them back onto solid ground and continue. The joy didn’t last long, for about 50 meters later, it happened all over again.
In a moment of inspiration, they thought of driving off the road or trail to avoid the sandy areas, but unfortunately, there were both thorny plants and stones. Now they began to crash - repeatedly. It was a choice between getting stuck and carrying their little motorized friend out of trouble, or constantly falling over. As they got tired, they also started to fall when they got stuck in the sand. After a break, they realized they were also lost, and to top it all off, a sandstorm began.
After the frustration gave way to a sort of acceptance of the situation, they continued the impossible journey and, after many hours, found solid ground under the tires again. By now, it had become dark and really cold. After almost 30 freezing kilometers, they finally reached the guest house they had booked. Here, they were treated to all sorts of local delicacies.
Journey Through the Atlas Mountains
That was only the first day, and they were already almost overwhelmed by experiences. A bit surprised by how tough the first day was for their nearly 50-year-old bodies, they decided to take it easy and continue driving only in the afternoon. They also had some air filters to clean, chains and other parts to free from a mixture of sand and oil, and they needed to decide on a route.
Their common wish was to avoid the sand a bit, so they headed up into the Atlas Mountains. It was simply beautiful, and they alternated between driving 5 km per hour in first gear up the mountains, crossing flooded roads, and racing downhill at a thrilling 60 km per hour. Again, they were caught by the sunset and the cold.
Now they were in a pickle because they were incredibly cold. The solution was to stay overnight with a local Berber in his house, built of mud and stone. He lived there with his family and goats - and now them.The experience was fine but also quite awkward since they couldn’t communicate with their host. Therefore, they continued very early the next morning. The sun had barely risen, and there was ice on the puddles. Their hands were so cold, even though they were wearing the finest gloves from Fuel Motorcycles. They stopped every fifteen minutes to warm their hands on the cylinder.
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