Team building in the Agafay desert almost always follows the same pattern: leave Marrakech in the early afternoon, two hours of quad biking on the plateau, then dinner at the camp as night falls and a shuttle back to town. Sunset sets everything else: it comes at around 17:30 in December and around 19:40 in July, Moroccan time, so the departure time shifts by more than two hours depending on the month. For 40 participants, quad biking, a private evening at the camp and a DJ come to about €12,000 to €20,000, or €300 to €500 per person; for 80 participants, the cost per person drops to €220 to €360, because the camp hire does not depend on the number of guests.
What time should you leave, month by month?
The simplest approach is to finish the quad ride as the sun goes down, then sit down to dinner. You then work backwards: two hours of riding, time for kit and safety instructions before setting off, and the drive from Marrakech. Agafay begins less than an hour’s drive from the centre; in the table below, we allow one hour of travel and half an hour for kit and briefing. These are working assumptions, so the times in the table are estimates, rounded to the quarter hour: ask the provider how long its briefing actually takes and the travel time to its starting point.
| Month | Sunset (15th, calculated) | Quad ride (estimate) | Leave the hotel (estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 17:49 | 15:45 – 17:45 | 14:15 |
| February | 18:18 | 16:15 – 18:15 | 14:45 |
| March | 18:40 | 16:45 – 18:45 | 15:15 |
| April | 19:00 | 17:00 – 19:00 | 15:30 |
| May | 19:20 | 17:15 – 19:15 | 15:45 |
| June | 19:38 | 17:45 – 19:45 | 16:15 |
| July | 19:39 | 17:45 – 19:45 | 16:15 |
| August | 19:17 | 17:15 – 19:15 | 15:45 |
| September | 18:39 | 16:45 – 18:45 | 15:15 |
| October | 18:01 | 16:00 – 18:00 | 14:30 |
| November | 17:34 | 15:30 – 17:30 | 14:00 |
| December | 17:30 | 15:30 – 17:30 | 14:00 |
Sunset times are calculated for Marrakech, to within two minutes, in Moroccan legal time. Since 20 September 2026, Morocco has stayed on GMT all year round: one hour behind Paris in winter and two hours behind in summer, and the same time as London in winter, one hour behind in summer. Keep this in mind when you set a meeting or video call time with colleagues back home on the day of the activity.
The table has a direct consequence for the working day. From November to January, departure is around 14:00: the afternoon session disappears and lunch has to be early. From May to August, you can work until mid-afternoon. It is one of the rare cases where winter shortens the working day more than summer does.
What to do in summer, when the afternoon is too hot?
In July and August, the average maximum in Marrakech is above 37°C. INRS, the French occupational health and safety institute, uses 28°C as a benchmark for physical work; riding a quad for two hours in full sun counts. Even with the ride moved to the last two hours of daylight, as in the table, the group is still riding in the late-afternoon heat.
There are two solutions. The first flips the day: quad biking at sunrise, around 5:30 or 6:00, back in town before the worst of the heat, and the Agafay evening becomes a separate event. The second keeps the evening and drops the quad ride, or replaces it with a calm activity at the camp at dusk. From May to October, the average maximum is above 28°C: throughout that period, plan plenty of water, breaks in the shade and a support vehicle following the group.
How many quads for the group, and what about those who don’t ride?
Under operators’ terms, a quad carries two people at most, and the rider must be at least 16; a driving licence is generally not required. For 40 participants, you therefore need at least 20 machines if everyone rides in pairs, and up to 40 if everyone rides alone. Ask the provider how many quads it can line up at once and how many guides accompany each group: beyond its capacity, it will send the group out in several waves, and the half-day gets longer.
In any group, some people will not want to or cannot ride: nerves, a bad back, pregnancy, or simply no wish to. Three options work. They ride as passengers, provided the rider agrees to a gentle pace. They stay at the camp, where a calmer activity can be organised during the two hours of riding. Or they join the group directly for dinner, on the evening shuttle. Announce these options in the invitation, so that nobody has to justify themselves on the day.
What does the quad price cover?
In our costing model, two hours of quad biking in Agafay cost €65 to €90 per participant before contingency, or about €2,900 to €4,000 for 40 people once the 10% contingency is added. That price covers the activity alone. Before comparing two offers, get it in writing whether they include:
- transport between Marrakech and the starting point, both ways;
- the helmet and protective gear, in the right size for everyone;
- the number of guides per group and whether a support vehicle is present;
- insurance for the activity, with a certificate in your company’s name;
- the cancellation policy in case of wind, rain or heat.
Supervision, the support vehicle and insurance matter particularly: the French Foreign Ministry’s travel advice points out that risky activities such as quad biking must take into account local emergency response capacity that is often limited. Our article on corporate events in the Agafay desert covers safety recommendations, distances and the evening cold: we do not repeat them here.
How much do the afternoon and evening cost?
The camp evening is made up of three items: dinner, charged per person; hire of the venue, which does not depend on the number of guests; and return shuttles. It is the venue hire that creates the economy of scale. The figures below include two hours of quad biking, a private evening in Agafay and a DJ, with 10% contingency included.
| Participants | Quad + evening + DJ | Per person |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | €9,000 to €15,600 | €450 to €780 |
| 40 | €12,000 to €20,000 | €300 to €500 |
| 80 | €17,900 to €28,800 | €220 to €360 |
For 20 people, the venue hire accounts for more than half of the budget: at that size, an evening at a shared camp, or dinner at the hotel after the quad ride, makes more sense. From 40 participants, a private evening becomes reasonable per head. Without quad biking, the evening alone for 40 people comes to about €8,600 to €14,700, or €210 to €370 per participant: that is the cost to plan for if part of the group only comes for dinner. These figures exclude flights, accommodation, alcohol, tourist tax and organisation fees. Team challenges at the camp, olympics or scripted games are not in our model: they are quoted on request.
Keep one rule of pace in mind: an afternoon of quad biking followed by an evening at the camp makes for a long day, and the next morning is poorly suited to a demanding work session. Schedule Agafay instead the day before a free morning or a late-afternoon departure.
How do you get back to town after dinner?
With dinner served at nightfall, the return takes place in the middle of the evening. The French Foreign Ministry advises against driving at night: the return should therefore be by coach or minibus with professional drivers, never in rental cars driven by participants who have had dinner and sometimes a drink. Set one departure time, or two at most, rather than a trickle of returns. If the evening includes a DJ, the music often stops between midnight and 1 am: line up the last shuttle with that time.
If you are looking for another activity to reward a team, our article on hot air ballooning for a company group covers Marrakech’s other big outing, at dawn this time. To compare Agafay with the other options, see our comparison of team building activities in Marrakech.
Frequently asked questions
How much does quad biking in Agafay cost for a group?
According to our model, two hours of quad biking cost about €2,900 to €4,000 for 40 people, contingency included, excluding transport and the evening. With a private evening at the camp and a DJ, allow €12,000 to €20,000.
Do you need a licence to ride a quad in Agafay?
Under operators’ terms, no: you generally need to be at least 16, and two people at most ride on one machine. Check these conditions with the provider you choose.
What time should we leave Marrakech for sunset?
By our estimate, with one hour of travel and half an hour for kit: around 14:00 from November to January, around 15:15 in March and September, around 16:15 in June and July, for two hours of riding ending at sunset. Have the provider confirm the timing.
Can we do team building in Agafay in summer?
Yes, by flipping the day: quad biking at sunrise and back before the heat, or just the evening at the camp. In July and August, the average maximum is above 37°C.
We choose the camp and the quad provider, set the timing to the season and organise the shuttles back: find out more about our team building organisation in Marrakech, try different scenarios with the seminar and team building budget calculator, or ask for a free quote with your dates and number of participants.