The facets of the Sahara

Duration

13 Days

Description

On this desert hike you will discover the Moroccan desert along the Dràa Valley with its beautiful and vast palm groves, small oases in the middle of the dunes, a chain of ksours (fortified villages), its archaeological sites and prehistoric rock engravings. You spend the nights in a tent or under the stars. Beautiful sunrises and sunsets will delight you. During the hike, you will follow a large part of the old caravan route to Timbuktu to the rhythm of the dromedaries. You will discover the life of the desert nomads, the silence and the vastness of the Erg Chegaga desert.

Highlights

A professional and impressive city tour of Marrakech
Visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ait Benhaddou
Meditative hiking through the stone and sand desert of the Sahara
Evenings with a starry sky and campfire
Getting to know the nomadic lifestyle
Breathtaking landscape impressions
Drive along the Draa Valley

Included

All transfers according to program
3 nights in a Riad in Marrakech with breakfast.
Half-day city tour Marrakech
9 nights in camp incl. full board during the desert hike
Water during the hike
Licensed hiking guide for the entire trip
Cooking and camping equipment
Dromedaries + dromedary guide on the desert tour

Excluded

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Marrakech, transfer and overnight stay at the hotel

You will be picked up by your guide at the airport and take a short drive to the medina of Marrakech.

Overnight stay in a riad with breakfast.

Day 2: City tour in Marrakech

After breakfast, you will go on a city tour through the old medina of Marrakech with your guide. You will visit the Saadian tombs, the minaret of the Koutoubia Mosque, the souks and the famous Dejemma el Fena jugglers’ square. The afternoon is at your leisure.

Day 3: Marrakech -Zagora - Faija. 390 km. 07 hrs

Departure by bus over the Tizin’Tichka Pass (2260m) to the starting point of the hike near Zagora. Lunch in Ouarzazate and continue along the Dràa Valley through beautiful palm groves. We are surrounded by the impressive clay architecture of the Ksours with their different ethnic groups, languages and origins. After Zagora, we cross a wide plain to meet our desert team with the dromedaries at the foot of Jebel-Bani.

Dinner and night in the tent. 7h drive

Tag 4: Faija – Hasi Dyabi. 5-6 Std.

Via a narrow path, we climb the Jebel-Bani mountain from the Primary Earth Age. The summit rewards us with a panoramic view of the Faija plain. We descend a gorge towards the Oumsafi Mountains onto a stony plateau with a few acacias and palm trees. Nomads are often to be found here. We follow the foot of the mountains to the oasis of Hasi Dyabi.

Dinner and night in the camp

Day 5: Hassi Diabi - Oued Lamhasser. 4-5 hrs

The hike takes us along the Mhasser mountain range through a lunar landscape with only rudimentary vegetation, limestone and ferrous layers. Here we also meet nomads with their sheep, goats and herds of dromedaries. Lunch in Amdan’Oumsafy. On a plain overgrown with acacia trees near Oued Lamhasser.

Dinner and overnight stay in the camp.

Day 6: Oued Lamhasser - Laabidliya Dune. 6 hrs

We continue our hike across a plain overgrown with acacia and other desert plants over stony and sandy terrain. From midday we cross smaller dunes along a dried-up riverbed overgrown with the endemic calotropis. On arrival at the large dunes of Laabidliya, we enjoy the sunset.

Dinner and overnight stay in the camp.

Day 7: Dune of Laabidliya - Aouinat Nashi. 5 hrs

We hike across a plain framed by hills, the dunes on our right. We cross sand dunes and over a huge plateau (REG) we reach the dunes of Aouinat Naschi, where we spend the night in a tent camp at the foot of the dunes.

Day 8: Aouinat Naschi - Erg Smer. 6 hrs

Again we cross a series of dunes, plains and small tamarisk and acacia-covered dunes to the camp at Erg smer. Dinner and overnight close to the Draa River.

Day 9: : Erg Smer - Erg Saher. 4 hrs

After breakfast, a wonderful hike awaits us through dunes and dry plateaus to Erg Saher, also known as the “Happy Dune”, with its funny shadow plays. From the top of the dune we have an indescribable panoramic view over the whole desert area to the Algerian border. Lunch at the camp next to the highest dune in the area, 120 meters high, and afternoon at leisure.

Day 10: Erg Saher - Sidi Naji holy site 6 hrs

Today we follow the old Timbuktu caravan route towards Zagora. We hike through wide plateaus and over dunes and enjoy the longest and most beautiful stage of the hike. We eat lunch in the shade of the tamarisk trees. The hike then continues across a dry plain and through small dunes to the camp next to the holy site of Sidi Naji and near a small caravan village.

Day 11: Sidi Naji Holy place - Oasis of Rass Nakhel 5 hrs

After breakfast, we hike across a dry plain and through small dunes to the last village before the desert, Mhamid el Ghizlane, where our beautiful hike comes to an end. We spend the night in a tent camp at the oasis of M’hamid el Ghizlane.

Day 12: Mhamid el Ghizlane - Marrakech

We don’t miss the last and special sunrise in the desert and enjoy it on a dune with a view of the incredible natural spectacle.

After breakfast, we set off in the direction of Marrakech and leave the unique world of the desert. Today a long drive awaits us through the stony desert, barren desert landscapes, palm oases and numerous clay villages. We drive over the Tizi-n-Tinifift Pass (1660m) to Ouarzazate. On the way we are impressed by the desert landscapes of the Ait Saoun and the view of the Atlas Mountains. We reach the Hollywood city of Morocco, Ouarzazate, and drive back to Marrakech via the Tichka Pass (2260m).

Day 13: Departure

You will be picked up at the riad 3 hours before your departure and driven to Marrakech airport. We say goodbye to you and say “Beslama” goodbye and see you next time in Morocco.

Travel time: 18 min