The great South

Morning departure from Ouarzazate to the Dades gorges and Todra gorges, passing the oasis of Skoura where we stop to visit the kasbah of Amridil. From here, our route takes us through Kela’a M’gouna, the valley of the roses where we stop for a tea. Later, we drive off-road along the road of a thousand kasbahs to the Dades gorges for lunch. After lunch there is time for a walk alongside the Boumalne Dades valley before continuing to the Todra gorges for the night in a hotel.

After breakfast, we go off-road to N’Qob, passing the Tizi-n-Tazzazert mountain in the Saghro mountain range to the village of N’Qob for lunch. From here our route takes us to the Draa valley at Tansikht in the afternoon, continuing south along the Draa valley till we reach Zagora. Here, the dunes of Nekhla await you for a camel ride, dinner and the night in a desert camp.

If you wake up early enough, you can watch the spectacle of the sunrise. After breakfast, the return to Zagora is on camel back and, after visiting Tamegroute, we drive south to M’hamid for lunch. In the afternoon, we make our way across another 65km through the varying features of the desert; ‘erg’, ‘reg’, ‘hammada’, oases, to the Erg Chagaga which, at 300m high and 45km long, are the largest in Morocco. These dunes afford a wonderful view of the setting sun, before returning to the desert camp for dinner and a night’s rest.

If you wake up early enough, you can watch the spectacle of the sunrise. After breakfast, the road takes us from Erg Chagaga to the Draa valley through another 100km of off-road driving in the desert with varying scenery; dunes, Iriqui lake, mountains and fossils. Lunch will be in Foum Zguid. In the afternoon, the return to the Draa valley takes us through Taznakht. We reach Agdez and the Draa valley by the end of the afternoon, dinner and the night in a hotel.

After breakfast, we drive from Agdez to Ouarzazate via the Anti-Atlas and the mountain pass of Tizi-n-Tinfifte (1660m). Once in Ouarzazate, an unpaved track to the oasis of Fint, nestling among the mountains, which once served as the crossroads of caravans, provides a hidden delight. After lunch, we visit the famous kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou. The return to Ouarzazate will complete the trip at the end of the afternoon.