Experience the beauty, wonder and vastness of the Sahara desert. You will be able to walk the sand dunes, trek by camels and have an authentic BerBer meal as you enjoy music and tales under a canopy of stars. The Sahara desert is a memorable experience and this tour will be led by Saharian nomads who know the desert like the back of their hands.
MARRAKECH – OUARZAZATE
High Atlas Mountains - We pick you up from your hotel or riad in Marrakesh and depart at 8am to travel into and across the High Atlas Mountains.
Telouet Kasbah - After a spectacular drive on the Tizi-n-Tichka pass, we take a side road to the Telouet Kasbah, a superb example of Moorish architecture, which belonged to the Lords of the Atlas, the Glaoui family, and which now stands in ruins after the last Pasha fled the country following the departure of the French from The Kingdom of Morocco.
Ait Ben Haddou - From there we continue on to lunch at Ait Ben Haddou. This is the most famous Kasbah in Morocco and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Many films have been shot in Ait Ben Haddou including Gladiator, Prince of Persia, and parts of the series Game of Thrones.
Ouarzazate - Later we continue to Ouarzazate where we spend the night.
OUARZAZATE – M’HAMID
Tamnougalt - After breakfast we travel to Agdz where we explore the Kasbah Tamnougalt before taking the ancient caravan road between the river and the mountains.
Zagora - On the way we pass many villages, farms, palmeries and gardens. Once we reach the Zagora oasis, we stop for lunch in the town, renown for having the best dates in the country.
Tamegroute - After lunch we drive to Tamegroute and visit a traditional ceramic workshop, display centre and Quranic library.
M’Hamid - We then drive to M’hamid, the gateway to the Moroccan Sahara desert.
Erg Chigaga - We then have a one- to two-hour camel ride to Erg Chigaga, the highest dune, to enjoy an unforgettable sunset and spend the beauty of the night in a nomad tent close to the dunes of Erg Lihoudi. Here we have dinner, are entertained by local musicians then spend the night.
M’HAMID – CHEGAGA
Erg Chigaga - After breakfast, we return to town to visit the ancient kasbah of M’hamid and then make our way across another 60km through the varying features of the desert; ‘erg’, ‘reg’, ‘hammada’, and oasis. We stop for lunch at an oasis and then continue to the Erg Chegaga dunes. These are the greatest dunes in Morocco and are approximately 300m high and 35 km long. You will go via camel to the bottom of the dunes for a wonderful view of the setting sun, before returning to the bivouac at the foot of the dunes.
ERG CHEGAGA – MARRAKESH
Erg Chigaga - After breakfast at Chegaga, we travel the desert by 4WD, which takes us through a further 90 km travelling by Lake Iriqui, the desert mountains and fossil sites.
Foum Zguid - Lunch will be in Foum Zguid, the first village after the desert, where it is also possible to freshen up with a shower.
Ouarzazate - From here the drive back to Ouarzazate via the village of Taznakht, famous for its Berber carpets and rugs. We stop at a local Berber carpet cooperative where local female artists create their artwork and sell it directly to the public. We can watch the process from dying the raw wool to spinning the fiber into strands before weaving the carpet or rug.
Marrakech - We then travel the rest of the way across the High Atlas mountains to Marrakech and spend the night in either a riad or hotel.
- Dinner
- Breakfast
- Lunch & other meals not stated in itinerary
If you cancel at least 7 day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.
If you cancel between 3 and 6 day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a 50% refund.
If you cancel within 2 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.
