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MOROCCO DESERT CAMPING SAFARI – 4 DAYS
PACKAGE PRICE STARTS FROM:
€540 per person including 1 night at Berber Camp.
Price based on two people travelling by private vehicle.
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Difficulty rating
Key: on a scale of 1-5
1 = short driving days and / or short overall distance
5 = sustained driving days and / or long hours in the car
When to tour?
Try to avoid the height of summer and depth of winter
Temperatures not only in the Sahara but also in Marrakech, Ouarzazate & Anti-Atlas are in the 40s °C in summer. In winter (typically January) snow in the mountains can close the high passes at times, or lead to unexpected delays and route changes. The weather conditions in the desert are prone to change quickly and never predictable. However windy conditions in the desert are common, this is not the same as a sandstorm.
Going the extra mile
Don’t underestimate geographical distances and travel times. Although Morocco is smaller than Spain, traveling in the South can lead to long driving hours due to the nature of the terrain here (mountains, desert, valleys). Be prepared to travel on average 5-6 hours per day. It’s far better to miss out a couple of places to maximise time elsewhere and to enjoy the journey. You can always come back!
Aït Ben Haddou
Since 1987, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, formed of a series of pise (earth/mud) constructed dwellings and fortified walls, barely inhabited now, but some families have remained.
It is an extraordinary ensemble of buildings offering a complete panorama of pre-Saharan earth construction techniques. The oldest constructions do not appear to be earlier than the 17th century, although their structure and technique were propagated from a very early period in the valleys of southern Morocco. The site was also one of the many trading posts on the commercial route linking ancient Sudan to Marrakesh by the Draa Valley and the Tizi-n’Telouet Pass.
On our Morocco desert camping safari, you will have far more choice available on how to structure the tour and manage the driving distances across 4 days. Season-dependent, take one or two nights desert camping with various options for overnight points en-route to/from the desert; click on our Map icons above to see the locations of each kasbah guest house. This does not change the overall driving route.
With two nights for the desert camping safari, allow yourself a full day in the desert to enjoy a longer camel-trek or hike with picnic lunch. Alternatively, with two nights en-route at guest houses (and one night at the camp), enjoy short walks in the palm oases and Atlas mountain foothills.
Please note that overall driving hours from Marrakech round-trip are approx. 20 hours. We are able to collect you at an alternative location in Morocco for the desert camping safari, such as Zagora or Ouarzazate. For a start point of Agadir we offer an alternative itinerary ‘Coast to Desert‘.
Click on the images to enlarge / © Images courtesy of A. Disaro, R. Fiserova & Wild Morocco
OPTION 1
Day 1 / Marrakech to Ait Ben Haddou
Transfer from Marrakech by 4×4 vehicle with driver-guide towards the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the fortified village of Ait Ben Haddou. Traverse the High Atlas Mountains via the highest main road pass in Morocco (at 2260m), offering some exhilarating driving via lush valleys and traditional Berber villages. Take the route to Telouet (for the Kasbah Glaoui) and then follow the course of the beautiful Ounila Valley to reach Ait Ben Haddou.
Ait Ben Haddou is essentially a living museum, comprising a ksar and has been used as the backdrop in many international movies. You will overnight just outside this village in a restored kasbah guest-house, with evening meal & breakfast included.
Day 2 / Erg Chigaga & Lake Iriqui
Drive from your guest-house near Ait Ben Haddou to the Berber desert camp in the Moroccan Sahara, at the great dunes of Erg Chigaga. The route passes through the town of Taznakht and then Foum Zguid, where you leave the tarmac road behind to drive off-road for 3 hours, via arguably some of the finest remote scenery in Morocco (including the dried salt flats, at Lake Iriqui). Arrive at your desert camp with chance to camel trek & climb the nearby large dunes. Watch the sunset from a vantage point. Overnight at camp with evening meal & breakfast included. Enjoy traditional music next to the campfire at night.
Day 3 / Draa Valley to Agdz
Another opportunity to walk amidst the dunes after breakfast. Then drive Erg Chigaga dunes to Agdz. Drive off-road for 2 hours, to join the tarmac road at M’hamid El Ghezlane, then follow the course of the Draa Valley northwards via Tamegroute and Zagora (the Draa is Morocco’s longest river, flanked by vast palm oases & crumbling kasbahs). Overnight in a kasbah guest-house at the palm grove of Agdz, with evening meal & breakfast included.
Day 4 / Agdz to Marrakech
Drive from Agdz to Marrakech, via the Anti-Atlas mountains and Ouarzazate. Once more, cross the High Atlas mountains and arrive in Marrakech by mid afternoon. We can suggest riads / hotels in Marrakech for you.
The itinerary includes:
- 4×4 vehicle with driver-guide for 4 days, with collection and return at riad / hotel (or airport) in Marrakech;
- 2 nights guest-house accommodation (with breakfast and evening meal at each);
- 1 night Berber desert camp tented accommodation (with breakfast and evening meal, drinking water, hot drinks);
- guided camel-ride from camp.
OPTION 2
Day 1 / Marrakech to Ouarzazate
Transfer from Marrakech by 4×4 vehicle with driver to Ouarzazate. Traverse the High Atlas Mountains via the highest main road pass in Morocco (at 2260m), offering some exhilarating driving via lush valleys and traditional Berber villages. Take the route to Telouet (for the Kasbah Glaoui) and then follow the course of the beautiful Ounila Valley to reach the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ait Ben Haddou. Ait Ben Haddou is essentially a living museum, comprising a ksar and has been used as the backdrop in many international movies. A further 30mins from there, reach Ouarzazate and overnight in the palm grove there at kasbah guest-house (with breakfast & evening meal included).
Day 2 / Draa Valley & Erg Chigaga
Drive today to your Berber desert camp in the Moroccan Sahara, at the great dunes of Erg Chigaga. The route follows the course of the Draa River, passing via Agdz, Zagora and M’hamid El Ghezlane (where you’ll leave the tarmac road behind). Drive off-road for 2hrs to reach camp, arriving well before the sunset. Enjoy the campfire and star-gaze. Evening meal & breakfast included on both nights.
Day 3 / Day in the Desert
Day at leisure in the Sahara Desert. Camel-trek out from camp after breakfast and then walk to explore the tallest dunes. Lunch is included today. Possibly take a short ride out in the 4×4 before returning to camp in time for sunset. Overnight at camp once more.
Day 4 / Crossing High Atlas to Marrakech
Early breakfast, then drive back to Marrakech, exit the desert a different route, to reach the tarmac road at Foum Zguid (after 3 hours off-road drive via the dried salt flats at Lake Iriqui). Follow the route north via Tazenakht to once more join the route across the High Atlas mountain range per day 1. Expect to reach Marrakech late afternoon / early evening.
The itinerary includes:
- 4×4 vehicle with driver-guide for 4 days, with collection and return at riad / hotel (or airport) in Marrakech;
- 1 night guest-house accommodation (with breakfast and evening meal);
- 2 nights Berber desert camp tented accommodation (with breakfast and evening meal, 1 lunch, drinking water, hot drinks);
- guided camel-ride from camp.
Please contact us for a tailor-made price quotation.
For further images of the Morocco desert camping safari, please click here.