Day 1
Meet in Marrakech at 09:30 and begin the ascent into the High Atlas Mountains. Cross the Tichka Pass, continue via Telouet and optionally visit Kasbah Glaoui before following the historic Ounila Valley caravan route. Reach the Ait Ben Haddou region by late afternoon and stay in a restored kasbah-style guest house near the UNESCO site.
Day 2
Enjoy breakfast and optional time exploring Ait Ben Haddou before the day’s drive south. Travel through Ouarzazate and the Anti-Atlas foothills to Agdz, where you join the Draa Valley. Follow Morocco’s longest river past palm groves and kasbahs before reaching Zagora. Overnight in a charming guest house with pool among the palms.
Day 3
After an early breakfast, drive to Mhamid El Ghizlane where the tarmac ends. Meet your Sahrawi guides, camel caravan and desert support team. Your luggage travels by camel while you hike westwards through Iriqui National Park. Walk approximately five hours with a shaded lunch stop before reaching a remote wilderness camp for dinner and campfire conversation.
Day 4
Break camp after breakfast and continue trekking through changing desert scenery of scrubland, plateaux and tamarisk groves. Walk approximately three hours before lunch in the shade. Afterwards, rejoin your driver and continue by 4×4 across the desert to Erg Chigaga. Climb the dunes for sunset and spend the night in a fixed desert camp.
Day 5
Enjoy a relaxed morning exploring the dunes on foot before departing camp. Drive approximately 90 kilometres off-road through remote desert landscapes towards Foum Zguid. Pass Lake Iriqui’s vast dry salt flats, Acacia groves, canyon scenery and mountain ridges. Picnic lunch is recommended. Overnight in guest-house accommodation near the desert frontier town.
Day 6
Travel west through dramatic Anti-Atlas landscapes, passing the Jebel Bani, oasis settlements and arid valleys. Continue via Tazenakht and Taliouine, known as Morocco’s saffron-producing region and gateway to the Jebel Sirwa area. Descend towards the Souss plain and Taroudant. Time permitting, explore the town walls before overnighting at a nearby hotel.
Day 7
Return to Marrakech via the adventurous Tizi n Test Pass route, weather permitting. Climb through dramatic mountain scenery with extensive views across the Souss Valley before descending through villages including Ijoukak and Ouirgane. Continue towards the Marrakech plain and arrive during the afternoon. Alternative drop-off near Imlil may be arranged on request.