Trekking tour in the moroccan desert
This trek through the region around Tazzarine is a great way to discover the Moroccan desert on foot. Here, the Sahara extends to the foothills of the Atlas Mountains across the open plains of the south. You’ll see small oases and massive dunes along this fantastic trek. Camels carry the luggage and equipment and you’ll sleep in bivouac shelters after having walked from two to five hours each day.
The stages of your journey :
Day 1 : Ouarzazate
Day 2 : Ouarzazate - Amrad. 3h30 de trajet et 1h30 de marche environ
Day 3 : Amrad - Oued Taghbalt. 5 heures de marche environ
Day 4 : Oued Taghbalt - Foum Tizza. 4 heures de marche environ
Day 5 : Foum Tizza - Mchilou. 4h30 de marche
Day 6 : Mchilou - Isk n’Brahim. 5 heures de marche environ.
Day 7 : Isk n’Brahim - Ouarzazate. 2 heures de marche et 3 heures de trajet environ.
Day 8 : Ouarzazate.
Summary :
Level of difficulty: easy (between two and five hours of walking per day)
The support of a guide, cook and camel driving team.
Your accomodation
> 5 nights in a bivouac shelter : 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.
> Hôtel : 2 nights in a 3*** hôtel in Ouarzazate
> 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 640€ per person based on a 2 person trip
Your hiking tour starting from 380€ per person based on a 4 person trip
Your hiking tour starting from 340€ per person based on a 6 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 :
- All transfers
- 5 nights in a bivouac shelter (double igloo tents)
- 2 nights in a three star hotel in Ouarzazate, in a double room with breakfasts
- 1 picnic on the road on the way there
- One lunch in a restaurant on the way back
- Camels to carry luggage and equipment
- The services of an accredited guide during the hike
- A cook during the hike
- All meals during the trek, made from fresh local products
- Bivouac equipment: double igloo tent, foam mattresses with covers, mess tent, toilet tent, kitchen utensils
Not included :
- Meals in Ouarzazate
- A sleeping bag. Rent available upon request
- Tips and extras
- International flights
Votre voyage jour par jour
Day 1 : Ouarzazate
Settle into your Ouarzazate accommodations. Dinner at your leisure. We can organize a transfer from Marrakech for a supplement.
Day 2 : Ouarzazate - Amrad
3h30 drive & about 1h30 of walking
In the morning you’ll meet your team, a guide, a cook and a driver. You leave Ouarzazate in a minibus on the road that goes through the Jebel Sahro. From Agdz, walk along the ribbon of green that is the Draa Valley Oasis. You’ll reach Tazzarine in the early afternoon. Have a picnic lunch in the shade of an acacia near the village of Amrad. Here, you’ll meet your camel drivers that watch over the equipment and luggage and start your trek from the village. First overnight in a bivouac in the middle of the desert.
Day 3 : Amrad - Oued Taghbalt
About 5h of walking
Walk from village to village along the Taghbalt oued: oases of palms, gardens, shady paths and fortified ksars. The landscapes are stunning. Set up your bivouac shelter in the heart of the oasis to take advantage of its freshness.
Day 4 : Oued Taghbalt - Foum Tizza
About 4h of walking
Leaving the Taghbalt oasis behind, you reach the desert plateau of Toubkal. You hike along its sandy crest before reaching the spectacular dune sea of Foum Tizza. Set up camp in the dune’s hollow.
Day 5 : Foum Tizza - Mchilou
4h30 of walking
You cross the gorges of Foum Tizza and climb a bit to reach the crest of Jebel Amgharfi, a mountain range of characteristic sandy canyons. At the top, you’ll have a panoramic view over the Tazzarine region and the Jebel Sahro in the northwest. Descend to the north in the direction of the village of Mchilou.
Day 6 : Mchilou - Isk n’Brahim
5h of walking
Cross great Saharan expanses that resemble the surface of the moon in the direction of Isk N’Brahim and its fossil rich rocky peaks. Bivouac in the shade of some palm trees.
Day 7 : Isk n’Brahim - Ouarzazate
2h of walking & about 3h of driving
In the morning, one last hike with view over the Jebel Saghdrars blue peaks. You’ll recover the vehicle near the village of Timhanine and it will take you back to Ouarzazate. On your way, you’ll stop to eat lunch at a little restaurant. You’ll arrive in Ouarzazate by the end of the day. Settle into your hotel and have dinner at your leisure.
Day 8 : Ouarzazate
Breakfast at your hotel then transfer to the airport.
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.