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sahara desert hiking by foot & jeep tour
Tour Overview
SAHARA DESERT HIKING BY FOOT & JEEP TOUR
This 7-day, round-trip excursion from Marrakech allows you to hike and 4×4 across the Moroccan Sahara Desert. Tizi n Tichka and Tizi n Test are two of the most well-known high passes in the Atlas Mountains; they’re both above 2,000 meters in altitude. Discover the southern Moroccan hospitality of the kasbahs. An ideal introduction to Morocco’s natural wonders for those seeking a mix of off-the-beaten-path desert trekking and camping and cozy rural lodging. Staying at Ouirgane, in the Atlas Mountains, before heading back to Marrakech is an option.
The Desert Frontier: An Alternative Route
With the advent of flights to Zagora, the settlement of Mhamid (the trail’s starting point) is more accessible than ever. You may fly directly to Zagora (or Ouarzazate) from Casablanca, and we’ll pick you up when you arrive.
Included/Exclude
- 4×4 vehicle with driver-guide for 7 days;
- Â guest-house accommodation on 4 nights;
- Â desert guide and cook for 2 days desert hiking;
- camel caravan for 2 days desert hiking (transport of equipment, luggage, and with option to ride by camel);
- Â 1 night wild camping, camping equipment provided (dome tents, sleeping mats, blankets);
-  1 night fixed desert camp tented accommodation at Erg Chigaga great dunes – either Deluxe tents or Berber tents;
- Â all breakfasts;
- Â all evening meals;
- 3 lunches in the desert;
- Â drinking water and hot drinks during the desert trek and at fixed desert camp (at the Deluxe camp, also included unlimited alcohol and soft drinks, with sunset aperitifs on the dunes);
- special dietary requests catered for.
Morocco Itinerary
The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ait Ben Haddou is a short drive from Marrakech. Leaving the plain of Marrakech behind, you'll gradually ascend until you're crossing the High Atlas Mountains through the Tichka Pass (at 2260m), where you'll enjoy thrilling driving through verdant valleys and quaint, traditional pise villages. If you want to reach Ait Ben Haddou from the pass, you can either take the road to Telouet (where you can see the Kasbah Glaoua) or you may descend through the stunning Ounila Valley*, which is located in the foothills. With its various ksar (a series of earth houses), Ait Ben Haddou is basically a living museum that has served as the setting for a wide variety of films from throughout the world. You will spend the night in a renovated kasbah guesthouse not far from Ait Ben Haddou. This is why we recommend Kasbah Ellouze. The Riad Caravane is another option. Both houses are tucked away in quaint villages.
From sub-Saharan Africa, caravans would travel up the Ounila Valley and over the Telouet Pass to reach Marrakech (centuries before the French constructed the road used today, across the Tichka Pass).
Possible early rise to join some Berber neighbors in their kitchen for a morning of bread baking. Have some fresh bread right out of the oven with your morning. (If you stay at the Riad Caravane guest house, you won't be able to do this; however, you can take a guided tour in the morning and see Ait Ben Haddou before the crowds arrive). The next day, leave for Zagora, avoiding Ouarzazate on the way, and then travel via the Anti-Atlas Mountains to Agdz, where you'll meet up with the Draa Valley. Travelers will go south along the Draa, Morocco's longest river, which is surrounded by beautiful palm oasis and ancient kasbahs. You may cut down on travel time by staying the night in the Zagora palm grove. Dar Sofian is the name of the proposed inn in Zagora. You may swim in the pool and unwind in the shade of the palm trees the moment you arrive (but you should get up early for your tour the next day).
After a hearty morning meal, go south to M'hamid El Ghezlane, the last settlement on the paved route. You'll meet up with your desert guide and camel caravan a little way outside of M'hamid. Today and tomorrow morning, you'll load up the camels and begin your adventure into the desert, heading west toward the Erg Chigaga Great Dunes. After noon the next day, your driver and car will be waiting for you. Today's hike should take around 5 hours (and break for a leisurely lunch in shade).
In the late afternoon, your Berber hosts will lead you to a secluded area of tiny dunes, where they will set up a wild camp, light a fire, and begin preparing supper.
Morning hike to the west begins after breakfast and the camp is broken. Today's hike will take about three hours, including a lunch break among some Tamarisk trees. Desert scrub and wide plateaus make up the varied landscape. Camel rides are an option if you'd want to break up the walking.
After lunch, you'll be picked up by your driver and transported the last 90 minutes of the way through the desert in an off-road vehicle to your permanent desert camp near the Erg Chigaga big dunes (either the rustic Berber camp, or a luxurious camp). To emphasize, the Berber camp is located at the base of the Erg Chigaga's highest sand ridges, therefore we recommend that all of our visitors who want to stay there take the time to climb to the area's "peak" before sundown.
In the late afternoon, you will arrive at the desert camp and have time to refresh yourself before venturing out among the sand dunes. Behold the sun go down from a lofty vantage point. After supper, sing around the fire and listen to some music. One night at the permanent desert camp.
Have a leisurely morning after breakfast, and then go for a stroll among the sand dunes. Get back in the car and go north-west out of the desert, away from the camp. Take a four-wheel-drive vehicle across the desert for 90 kilometers to the village of Foum Zguid, passing through some of Morocco's most breathtaking rural landscapes (including the vast dried salt flats, at Lake Iriqui, the imposing mountain ridges of the Jebel Bani and Madouar canyons, and acacia tree groves). You'll also go through expansive fossil beds where you may go on a fossil search.
In order to avoid having to stop for food too often, we recommend packing a picnic lunch to eat on the road or at camp before you go off. Stay in the Foum Zguid guest home in the Bab Rimal neighborhood.
Travel westward from Foum Zguid via the Anti-Atlas mountains (the Jebel Bani) through stunning and dry terrain punctuated by palm oasis and tiny towns. Travel through the cities of Tazenakht and Taliouine, Morocco's saffron capital. These settlements serve as the entryway to the Jebel Sirwa mountain range. From Taliouine, you'll make your way down to the Souss River plain and the historic walled town of Taroudant, where you'll spend the night. Dar Zitoune is the name of the inn we recommend. Time permitting, we recommend exploring the remparts in the early evening.
Today, you will travel back to Marrakesh from Taroudant through the scenic road via the High Atlas Mountains, passing through some breathtaking alpine landscape at an altitude of around 2100 meters (at the Tizi n Test pass, weather permitting). As you climb, you'll find that the road narrows to a single lane in many spots. Travel down via the towns of Ijoukak and Ouirgane, pausing on way to see the Tin Mal mosque if you choose. You'll leave the mountainous region around Marrakech behind somewhere in the afternoon. Please note that it is possible to prolong your journey by staying at a mountain hotel in Ouirgane.
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