Morocco Photography Tour

Marrakech , Oceans and Deserts

Duration

9 days

Tour Type

Photo tours

Overview

Photographer Tarik Belasri is a well-known Travel Photographer/Filmmaker expert in Morocco. He has been to and shot more than ten different nations throughout the last decade.

Like many other travelers, Tarik is fascinated by new places, and he found Morocco to be a magnet. The peacefulness of Morocco’s surroundings immediately captured his heart, and now he wants to share that feeling with you. Tarik will take you to some of his favorite spots in Morocco, many of which are seldom frequented by tourists but would make for an exciting picture experience.

His photograph of the Milky Way above the Erg Chigaga dunes won him the award for best picture of the year. Take a peek at digitalphoto.com for additional info.

Tour Plan

Day 1:Arrival To Marrakech /Overnight In The Medina

At 3 o'clock, we'll all be gathering at our Riad in the heart of Marrakech's Medina. We rush out into the vibrant Medina to see what we can see. We navigate the maze of back streets leading to the Museum of Photography in search of travel motivation. Then, we go to the roof to take pictures of the city of Marrakech and the distant Atlas Mountains. We like to hang out at the Jmaa el Fna plaza when the sun goes down. Before continuing our tour the next day, we will return to our Riad for a traditional Moroccan meal and a debriefing. Schedule your departure from Marrakech for no later than 8:30 am. The trip will take around 4.5 hours in the car (excluding visits en-route).

Day 2:Travel From Marrakesh Across The High Atlas To Tamadagh (Via Talouat Kasabah)

We leave Marrakech and go westward via the High Atlas Mountains to the Ounila Valley. We stop along the way to take pictures of the beautiful mountain scenery. You'll need a telephoto lens to properly capture the sun's rays reflecting off the mountains' many strata. We arrive to the Telouet Kasbah about lunchtime and spend the afternoon wandering its halls. To document the eclectic blend of architectural styles present in this Kasbah, we took photographs. After that, we'll travel through the pristine Ounila Valley to Tamdaght, where we'll overnight in a stunning Riad outside the Kasbah's ancient walls. Our evening's picture topic is this Kasbah as well.

Day 3: Travel To Erg Chigaga & The Berber Desert Camp

After travelling to the UNESCO site of Ait Ben Haddou to shoot dawn we have a long journey ahead of us (approx. 6.5 hours excluding breaks en-route) to reach the centerpiece of our trip, the Erg Chigaga dunes. For two nights, we camp out in the middle of the erg in what seems like a genuine Berber desert. There is no shortage of picture ops at this site, including those of the Erg Chigaga. We climb several dunes to look out over the sandy landscape.

DAY 4: Day At Leisure In The Dune Of Erg Chigaga With Option To Visit Nomad Family .

On our first night there, we go to the tallest dune in the vicinity. At this vantage point, we can take pictures in each way as the desert changes from gold to red to blue as the sun sinks beyond the horizon. About an hour may be spent in the vehicle if you want to. We leave the campsite 2.5 hours before dawn to picture the Milky Way rising above the sand dunes, and then we wait to see how the sun's rays gradually alter the desert landscape. To get the most shots of stars, we'll be using a wide-angle lens. We may spend the day learning about the nomadic lifestyle by paying a visit to a local family in the desert. We begin setting up for our second sunset shot in the Sahara later that afternoon. After photographing the dromedaries in the sand dunes, we'll ride them back to the desert camp on the evening of our last night.

Day 5:Travel To The Canyon Landscape Near Foum Zguid

It will take around 2.5 hours to drive from the Erg Chigaga dunes, assuming you stop halfway to take pictures of the mountains around Lake Iriqui, the Jebel Bani, and Madouar. Our amazing time in the Erg Chigaga dunes continues with one more morning shot. After that, we'll have some more time to take in the desert's peaceful atmosphere before making our way to the mountains of Foum Zguid. Rarely have photographers captured these breathtaking cliffs and mountains on film. By setting up our makeshift tents in the woods nearby, we'll be able to get some stunning images of the area at both dawn and dusk. We'll spend around 5.5 hours on the road today as we go west into the Anti-Atlas mountains.

Day 6:Travel From Sahara Desert To Tafraoute

After getting up early to capture the sunrise near our wild camp and eating breakfast, we hit the road towards Tafraoute, which is located in the Anti-Atlas. Once we've settled into our accommodation in the Ameln Valley (just outside of Tafraoute), we go out to explore the surrounding mountains in quest of photogenic images among the many interesting rock formations and massive boulders. Since this region of Morocco is seldom documented in photography, we should have many possibilities to bring back some very unique shots. In the afternoon, we will be searching for photogenic locations to revisit in the early morning hours and capture in the soft light of sunrise.

Day 7:Exploring Around The Amlen Valley & Tafraoute

We had a picture session in the hills outside of Tafraoute first thing in the morning, and now we're back at the hotel for breakfast and to plan out the rest of the day. We can make a couple shorter treks to see some of the wonderful sights in and around Tafraoute, such as the surrounding mountains and/or the neighboring settlements. The drivers can take us a little farther if we'd like, but it's not required (e.g. to the Ait Mansour Gorge with its palm oasis). This is the ideal day for those who like venturing off the beaten path and coming across fresh musical arrangements. At twilight, we'll go to the spot with our favorite vistas, but not before we eat at the hotel or in Tafraoute town and take it easy.

Day 8:Travel To Essaouira At The Cost

Approximately 6.5 hours of driving time is required to reach Essaouira (excluding stops en-route). We will be taking a lengthy and interesting route to the Atlantic coast, so we will need to get up early and eat. We leave the Anti-Atlas Mountains behind and head towards Agadir, then go north down the coast road, and finally make our way through the Argan Biosphere Reserve and on to Essaouira.

Day 9: Travel To Marrakech Airport Or Medina

We spend the night here after a day of visiting the city's Medina and fortifications. There, around blue hour, we set up our cameras to capture the stunning shoreline. After an incredible trip in Morocco, we celebrate with a farewell supper. Time spent driving is around three hours. After one last breakfast, we say goodbye to Marrakech and travel back to the airport. Participants are dropped off at the Marrakech airport or in the city's historic Medina (for those not departing today).

Liste Accommodations

Included/Exclude

Morocco Photography Tour

For updated scheduling information, we invite you to contact us (TBA). Here are the final workshop particulars.

Our Morocco photography trip is available to photographers of all abilities. Join us if you are wanting to enhance your creative photography talents and travel through Morocco’s most intriguing landscapes, from desert to coast.

See the far Saharan sands and Anti-Atlas mountains near Tafraoute, in contrast to the bustling cities of Marrakech and Essaouira.

We plan our Morocco photography trip around the season of the new moon to enhance prospects for night shooting.

We arrange for you to camp beneath the Milky Way for 3 nights, with one wilderness camp adjacent to the canyon mountains of Iriqui National Park, and two nights in Erg Chigaga dunes.

Your guide will help you schedule your arrival to scenic overlooks and city streets to get the best shots possible.

Who is the Wild Morocco photography tour designed for?

Photographers with a penchant for the great outdoors will find a home on our Morocco photography trip. While we will be seeing some of Morocco’s more famous landmarks (including Marrakech, Essaouira, the Ait Ben Haddou UNESCO site, and the Sahara), the majority of our time will be spent in less-traveled but no less gorgeous regions.

Because of the low tourist volume in the winter, our photographic trip will be all the more memorable.

We have scheduled the trip such that we will be in the Sahara desert at a period of no moonlight, perfect for anyone who are interested in night/astro photography (i.e. at Erg Chigaga dunes in the Iriqui National Park). There is no nearby light pollution within 60 kilometers.

We urge that everyone interested in joining the trip have a solid grasp of their photographic gear. This way, we can put our attention where it belongs—on the artistic side of photography—and make the most of the incredible opportunities afforded by our travels.

If you want to picture the dawn, you’ll need to get up early; in February, the sun doesn’t rise until after 8 a.m., and the Milky Way doesn’t shine until after 6 a.m.

We want to explore the area surrounding our desert camp by hiking and climbing the many sand dunes there. Hikes might be as short as 30 minutes or as long as two hours, and we can go on as many as four or five in a day. However, you may easily bypass some of the lengthier climbs to take pictures of the dunes that are closer to camp. The plan for the Tafraoute region is the same, with daytime and nighttime excursions to potential picture locations for the sun’s rising and setting.

Michael, your tour leader and instructor, has been to Morocco twice and has done extensive research on all of the sites you will see. While the primary goal of our Morocco photography tour is to ensure that you have the best possible opportunity to capture stunning images, we will also provide instruction in landscape and cityscape photography techniques such as the use of filters, focus stacking, and night photography, as well as compositional advice. Aside from that, Michael is approachable and willing to impart his wisdom onto everyone who seeks it.

Additional information

This will be an opportune time of year to participate in the Wild Morocco photography tour. We will be camping in the Erg Chigaga dunes just after a new moon with clear night skies to see and photograph the stars above the Iriqui National Park. The Erg Chigaga dunes is one of the best places in Morocco to photograph the stars, being 60km away from the nearest light pollution and not crowded. We will see many stars and experience true desert nights in relative isolation.