Family trip in the Sahara
Who hasn’t dreamt of going to the desert with their children? This hike in Southern Morocco around the Tagounit oasis is what you’ve been waiting for! Quick and easy to get to from Ouarzazate, dunes as far as the eye can see, friendly and professional camel drivers: everything you need for a family trip to Morocco! The legs are easy and short, 2 hours in the morning and 2 in the afternoon on average. If you’d like you can reserve a saddle camel, very well trained and equipped with a pommel to hold on tight!
The stages of your journey :
Day 1 : Ouarzazate
Day 2 : Ouarzazate - Ait Issfoul 4h drive et about 2h of walking
Day 3 : Ait Issfoul - Tidri. 3 to 5 hours of walking
Day 4 : Tidri - Erg Sahel. About 4 hours of walking
Day 5 : Erg Sahel - Erg Laaniti. About 4 hours of walking
Day 6 : Erg Laaniti - Mhamid El Ghozlane. About 4h30 of walking
Day 7 : Mhamid El Ghozlane - Ouarzazate. About 250 km et 5h of driving
Day 8 : Ouarzazate
Summary :
Easy legs of walking: between 2 and 4 hours on foot each day
Camels carry all of the equipment
Nights in bivouac under a tent
Your accomodation
>5 nights in bivouac : Each night, igloo tents (Ferrino brand) are set up near the kitchen tent and the mess tent where meals are taken. Floor cushions and rugs help make seating comfortable and lanterns add ambiance! Wash is quick and conveniences rustic. What is prioritized on this kind of trip is meeting local people and getting to know your Berber team (guide, cook, and mule driver).No worries! Your team will help you the first couple of times with setting up your tent if you need it.
> Hotel : 2 nights in a 3*** hôtel in Ouarzazate with breakfast included. The hotel has a pool and is near the city centre
> The menu during the hike : We do our best to offer you varied, tasty, nutritious and authentic Moroccan meals on our treks
Breakfast: cereal, bread, marmelade, milk, black tea, mint tea, coffee, hot chocolate
Lunch: a variety of salads or vegetable stews, cheeses, seasonal fruits, mint tea
Dinner: Moroccan soup and a hot entrée: tajine, couscous or noodles with desert and tea
Snacks/Dessert: crepes, apple fritter, seasonal fruit salad, cinnamon oranges, dates, rice pudding
Price for this journey in Morocco
Your hiking tour starting from 460€ per person based on a 3 person trip
Your hiking tour starting from 400€ per person based on a 4 person trip
Your hiking tour starting from 350€ per person based on a 5 person trip
This price is per person based on persons sharing a room
Final price will vary according to the number of people, the season and the dates of travelling.
Included :
- Transfer to and from the trek
- 5 nights in a bivouac
- 2 nights in a three star hotel in Ouarzazate with breakfast included, standard double room
- The services of an English speaking guide during the hike
- The services of a cook during the hike
- Camels to carry the luggage and equipment
- All meals during the trek
- Equipment: igloo tent – mess tent – mattress and cover – kitchen utensils
Not included :
- Sleeping bag
- Single supplement
- Tips and extras
- Meals and drink in Ouarzazate
Your itinerary
Day 1 : Ouarzazate
Greeting at the Ouarzazate airport and transfer to your hotel.
Day 2 : Ouarzazate - Ait Issfoul
4h drive & about 2h of walking
You’ll take off from Ouarzazate by mini bus and descend the Draa valley going through Agds, Zagora and Tagounit. In the beginning of the afternoon you’ll arrive to the Ait Issfoul oasis and meet your camel driving team. The trek starts through the palm grove and henna gardens. Set up camp in the red dunes of Bougayoir.
First night in a bivouac in the desert. A double tent for sleeping and a mess tent for meals.
Day 3 : Ait Issfoul - Tidri
About 3h to 5h of walking
You’ll go by the Zaouiat and the village of Sdi Salah to reach the sandy slopes of Tidri. Set up camp here, at the feet of the peaks that loom over the Draa oued (desert river). Optional afternoon hike to discover beautiful rock carvings
Day 4 : Tidri - Erg Sahel
About 4h of walking
This leg heads straigh south on the left bank of the Draa oued towards the Sahel Erg (dune sea). A total immersion into the Saharan universe, you’ll set up camp on virgin dunes.
Day 5 : Erg Sahel - Erg Laaniti
About 4h of walking
Cross huge Saharan expanses, discovering the ruins of ancient abandoned villages, and sites cluttered with old ceramic wares. You’ll set up camp in the Laaniti Erg facing the Bounou Ksar.
Day 6 : Erg Laaniti - Mhamid El Ghozlane
About 4h30 of walking
A day to discover the natural richness of the heart of the Mhamid palm grove. You’ll visit ancient villages. The path takes you to the outskirts of the palmeraie to your campsite, located between dunes and palm trees.
Day 7 : Mhamid El Ghozlane - Ouarzazate
250 km & about 5h of walking
A short morning walk to reach the minibus in the centre of Mhamid, then you’ll drive back to Ouarzazate up the Draa valley. On the way you’ll eat at a pretty little restaurant in Zagora to make it to Ouarzazat in the mid-afternoon. Settle into your hotel. .
Day 8 : Ouarzazate
Breakfast at your hotel, end of the trek, transfer to the Ouarzazate airport
Extra charge for a transfer back to Marrakech
Friendly tips
> Equipment for the hike :
- A small backpack for carrying your personal belongings during the day (camera, sunscreen, glasses, money, ...)
- A flexible travel bag to prefer to a suitcase (difficult to carry on camel back)
- A sun hat or cap
- A pair of sunglasses of excellent quality
- Sunscreen and lipstick
- Short and long sleeve t-shirts
- A warm jacket for evenings
- Comfortable pants or trousers, avoid short shorts out of respect for the inhabitants.
- A pair of light footwear tenant well ankle (firm sole, type Vibram)
- A pair of sandals to walk in the sand and the bivouac
- A first aid pharmacy is provided and placed under the responsibility of your guide. Think about your usual medications and treatments
> During your tour :
An accredited mountain guide recognized by Morocco’s ministry of tourism. Your guide knows how to adapt the trek to beginner and expert hikers. Also on the team is a cook and one or a few camel drivers, depending on the size of the group.
