Desert Tour with Camel Trek

Day 1 : Transport from Marrakech over the Tizi n’Tichka Pass , through Ouarzatate where we will stop for lunch. Then along the Draa Valley to our overnight stop in Zagora with the chance to see the stars in the black Saharan sky.

Day 2: Our drive continues along the Draa valley, through isolated villages and small towns, with outcrops of rock and acacia trees. We stop for lunch near Rissani and then head for the Erg Chebbi dunes. We arrive late afternoon in Merzouga where we meet our camels for the first time. After we have got to know them we ride into the dunes at sunset to our campsite where we will enjoy a traditional Moroccan evening meal.

Day 3: We return by camel to Merzouga and then set off to the village of Tinehir , passing fossil bearing rocks on the way. We can stop and visit a fossil workshop and admire the rich varieties of fossil to be found in the area. We will also visit the famous Todra Gorge, where sheer limestone walls rise up to 300m at its narrowest point. After a picnic lunch there will be a chance to walk through the villages, palm trees and Kasbahs to get a closer look at the traditional Berber way of life. We arrive in Tinehir where we stay in a Berber house (gite) and enjoy traditional Berber hospitality.

Day 4: Today we set out for the Dades valley – the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs – driving off road into the barren hillsides to visit isolated Berber villages. Tonight we stay in a gite with splendid views over the valley and villages.

Day 5: After breakfast we drive back towards Ouarzatate for lunch. On the way we drive through the spectacular Valley of Roses and the Skoura Oasis. After lunch we head for the World Heritage site of Ait Benhaddou – a village which has been the backdrop for over 20 films and an important stronghold on the Old Salt Road , used by caravans to bring slaves, ivory and salt from Saharan Africa to Marrakech. From here we return over the Tizi n’Tichka Pass to Marrakech.