What to wear and bring for quad biking
What to wear quad biking in Marrakech: closed shoes, sunglasses, a face covering and a warm layer for the evening. Season by season, with a checklist.
What to wear quad biking in Marrakech: closed shoes, long trousers you do not mind washing, sunglasses, and something to cover your face against the dust. We provide the helmet; you bring water, sun cream, a hat for the stops and a warm layer if your outing ends after sunset.
The rides take place in the Agafay desert, 45 minutes by road south-west of central Marrakech: a stony plateau of pale hills, open to the sun, with very little shade. What follows goes through the kit piece by piece, then season by season, then for the evening outings that end at a table.
What to wear quad biking in Marrakech, piece by piece
The short answer is closed shoes, long trousers, a top you do not mind getting dirty, sunglasses and a face covering. Every quad and buggy outing gives the same two essentials, closed shoes and sunglasses, for the same reason: the tracks are dusty, and the dust travels.
- Closed shoes. Trainers are enough. Your feet sit close to moving wheels, and the ground is loose stone. Sandals and flip-flops are not suitable, including for a passenger.
- Long trousers. They keep the sun, the dust and the odd stone off your legs. Choose a pair you were going to wash anyway: fine pale dust gets into fabric and does not brush off cleanly.
- A light top, ideally with sleeves. In summer, long sleeves in a light fabric protect you from the sun better than bare arms and sun cream alone.
- Sunglasses. They keep the dust out of your eyes and cut the glare off the pale stone, which is bright even in winter.
- Something over your face. A scarf or a buff, pulled up over nose and mouth while you ride. It is the difference between arriving dusty and arriving with grit in your teeth. Tuck the ends in so nothing flaps near the wheels.
- Long hair tied back, so it sits comfortably under the helmet.
Nothing technical is needed. You are out for one or two hours on a machine, not on an expedition.
What does Quad Marrakech provide for the ride?
We provide the helmet, the briefing and the guide; clothing and personal items are up to you. The helmet is handed out and adjusted at the base before the first start, and it must be worn on every motorised activity, driver and passenger alike. You do not need to bring one.
Every departure starts with a safety briefing on the controls and braking, then a practice loop, and a guide stays with the group from start to finish. Arrival, paperwork and helmet fitting take about fifteen minutes. Quad and buggy safety explains what we provide and what is left to you on the tracks.
What the quad-only rides do not include is anything to eat or drink: meals and drinks are listed as not included on the one-hour and two-hour rides. The outings with dinner serve mint tea and water at the table.
What to pack for the Agafay desert: water, sun cream, a hat and a layer
Pack water, sun cream, a hat for when the helmet comes off, a warm layer if you stay out after sunset, and cash. There is little shade in the Agafay at any time of year, which is why the sun matters in January as much as in July.
- Water. Drinks are not included on the rides themselves; bring your own, and more than you think in summer.
- Sun cream. Put it on before you leave, on the face, the neck and the backs of the hands.
- A hat. It does not go under the helmet, but it is welcome at the base, during stops and on a camel ride.
- A warm layer. The plateau loses its heat quickly once the sun is down, whatever the season.
- Cash. You can pay at the base before the start, in dirhams or foreign currency, or online with PayPal when you book; there is no card payment at the base.
The quad biking page lists every departure and its price table, and each outing says whether it ends in daylight or after dark.
What should you wear in each season?
The kit stays the same all year; what changes is how much sun protection and how much warmth you add. The Agafay shares Marrakech’s climate, but the plateau is open, so the sun is harder by day and the cold arrives faster at night. The figures below are Marrakech averages, from the weather guide, month by month.
| Season | Average high | Average low | What to add |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring (March to May) | 24 to 29 °C | 10 to 15 °C | Light clothes by day, a warm layer for the evening |
| Summer (June to September) | 32 to 38 °C | 18 to 21 °C | Light covering clothes, hat, sun cream, water at all times; a jumper after dark |
| Autumn (October and November) | 23 to 29 °C | 11 to 16 °C | Light clothes by day, a jacket for the evening |
| Winter (December to February) | 19 to 21 °C | 6 to 8 °C | A fleece for the ride, a proper coat for the evening |
In summer, ride in the morning or late in the day: between roughly noon and four, the plateau is hard work. In winter, the afternoons are mild and pleasant to ride in, but sunset comes around 5:30 pm in December and the evenings are cold. Most rain falls between November and April, in short spells; the ground is firm stone, so the tracks stay usable after rain, and clothes you do not mind washing matter even more.
Do you dress differently for a buggy than for a quad?
No, the same clothes work for both, with one difference: a buggy throws up more dust than a quad. The face covering and the sunglasses count even more in a buggy, for the passenger as much as for the driver.
On a buggy, you sit side by side inside a roll cage, each in your own seat with a harness, and a helmet is fitted at the base as on a quad. On a quad, one machine per rider, a passenger rides behind the driver; children can ride as passengers from the age of 6, with a responsible adult, and need closed shoes like everyone else. Drivers must be 16 or over on a quad, and 18 or over with a driving licence on a buggy.
What should you wear for a quad ride with dinner in the evening?
Dress for dust first and for cold second: closed shoes and sunglasses for the ride, then a warm layer for the table. On the quad and dinner outing, you ride and eat on the same site: you hand back the helmet and sit down, with no time to change.
Dinner is served under tents, at low tables with benches and rugs, and the sides are closed when the evening turns cold. You will be sitting still, after dark, on an open plateau, which is when people notice the drop. Bring a jumper even in July, and a proper coat between November and March. The sunset outing, which ends latest, needs it most; Agafay at sunset gives the sunset time for each month.
What should you leave at the hotel?
Leave jewellery and valuables at the hotel, and carry only what you need. The tracks are dusty and the vehicles are open, and we are not liable for the loss of or damage to personal belongings carried during the activity, phones and cameras in particular.
Keep your phone in a zipped pocket or a small bag that closes, never in your hand while driving: stop first to take a photograph. A pocket that closes is worth more than a large one. Loose scarves or straps that could catch are better left behind or tucked in.
Checklist: what to wear and bring for quad biking in Agafay
| Item | Why | When |
|---|---|---|
| Closed shoes | Loose stone, moving wheels | Every outing |
| Long trousers you can wash | Dust, sun | Every outing |
| Sunglasses | Dust and glare | Every outing |
| Scarf or buff | Dust over the face, more in a buggy | Every outing |
| Water | Drinks not included on the rides | Every outing, more in summer |
| Sun cream and a hat | Little shade in any season | Daytime, all year |
| Warm layer | Cold after sunset | Any outing that ends after dark |
| Cash | Payment at the base, no card | Every outing |
| Helmet | Provided and fitted at the base | Nothing to bring |
