Anti-Atlas discovery

Morning departure from Ouarzazate to the oasis of Skoura where many ancient Kasbahs stand amongst the palm trees. The route continues to Kela’a M’gouna, with a stop for a tea. We continue off-road through the valley of the roses and the valley of a thousand kasbahs to the Dades gorges for lunch. In the afternoon a walk alongside the Boumalne dades river is followed by a night in a hotel here.

After breakfast, a mountain trek of three days and three nights in the area surrounding the Dades gorges begins. During the mountain trek, mules carry the equipment (blankets, mattresses, kitchen equipment as well as personal luggage). The guide and the muleteers will point out the special features of the landscape and describe the life of the local Berbers who live in the mountains. The pace and length of each portion of the trek is set by the hikers, allowing time to stop as and when desirable or necessary. You will spend one night with a Berber family and the other higher up the mountains in caves with Berber nomads tending their goats up there.

In the morning, we walk back to the hotel to freshen up with a shower, before driving to the dunes of Merzouga, stopping along the way to visit the Todra gorges and stopping again later in the Ziz valley for lunch. We reach the sahara desert by the afternoon. Here, at the dunes of Merzouga, we will have dinner and spend the night in a campsite.

In the morning, a three-hour camel ride across the great sand dunes and through the stony Sahara, is scheduled, stopping to prepare lunch among the dunes. In the afternoon, a camel ride for another three hours is programmed to reach the high dunes (Erg Chebbi). From here, at 250m, the sunset is a spectacular sight. Dinner and the night are in a bivouac at the foot of the dunes.

– Walking time is approximately 6 hours a day (3 hours in the morning, and the same again in the afternoon), although it is also possible to ride the camels. Other camels are there to carry the equipment. Meals and tents are prepared by our guides and camel drivers.

The return to the hotel in Merzouga for having a shower is on camel back and, after having breakfast, the itinerary continues back to the Draa valley and Ouarzazate passing by the villages of Rissani, Alnif, Tazzarine (featured in the film ‘Babel’) and N’Qob for lunch. In the afternoon we drive to Tanasikht along the track of the ancient caravan route, reaching the Dra’a valley, full of large palm trees and ancient kasbahs, at Agdez. Here, on the paved road again, we reach Ouarzazate at the end of the day, crossing the Anti-Atlas and the mountain pass of Tizi-n-Tinfifite (1660m), dinner and night in a hotel.