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Saharan Desert Adventure
Departs daily
Package includes:
• 2 nights accommodation in Nomad tented accommodation (maximum 6 persons per tent sleeping on mattresses with pillow & blankets) as detailed in itinerary
• Transportation in air-conditioned 4x4 vehicles
• Services of an experienced, licensed mountain guide
• Meals as shown (B=breakfast, L=lunch, D=dinner)
• Trained dromedary & drover;
• Chemical toilet.
Package excludes:
• Air-fares and airport taxes
• Meals and sightseeing not mentioned
• Bottled water
• Travel insurance, visa cost and tips
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Itinerary:
DAY 1: MARRAKECH -TEGHRAMT N’AÏT SULTAN
Early morning departure from Marrakech in 4WD over the Glaoua Plain, cross the High Atlas Mountains via the stunning Tizi n’Tichka Pass. Continue to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Aït Ben Haddou, and further into the desert to the ex-French Foreign Legion town of Ouarzazate. Arrive in the oasis village of Zagora. After lunch, set off on camels for a 2½ -hour trek through the oases and Kasbahs. Continue to our Berber black-tented campsite nestling amongst some small dunes. Dinner under the canopy of the starlit heaven.
Overnight: Tent or sleep under the stars (LD)
DAY 2: TEGHRAMT N’AÏT SULTAN - CH’GGAGA DUNESIR
After sunrise, we venture southwest by 4WD vehicles along the Jbel Bani (1095m) - past wells and irrigated fields. Arrive in the village of Foum Zguid, a military outpost once controlling the trans-Saharan trade routes of salt, slaves, spices and gold. Stop for a picnic in a small oasis. Continue to the impressive dunes of this western extension of the Sahara and our Nomad campsite in the middle of nowhere. Watch the sunset as the heavens turn from bright blue to
cobalt; yellow to gold and purple to black.
Overnight: Tent or sleep under the stars (BLD)
DAY 3: CH’GGAGA DUNES - ZAGORA - MARRAKECH
Travel east across the desert plain to the dunes at Erg Lihouïdi. On to the last village in the Draa Valley - M’Hamid El Bhali, once an important trading post and dromedary market for the famous ‘Blue Men’ (Touaregs from the Sudan, Mauritania and Chad). This is still a meeting point for the nomads from the Sahel and deep Sahara. Continue to the ancient village of Tamegroute, a seat
of learning since the XIth century. Stop to visit the still-inhabited Kasbah and the Library, with its XIII century illuminated Koran scrolls written on gazelle hide, some works of Pythagoras, some original maps of Alexandria together with some very early text books. Depart for Zagora, stop for a light lunch.
Continue along the lush Drâa Valley through the French Protectorate-era city of Ouarzazate to Marrakech. (BL)
IT IS RECOMMENDED CLIENTS BRING WITH THEM: rucksack, day pack; windcheater (seasonal), broad-brimmed hat (or you may purchase a ‘Chèche ’ before you set out from Zagora), change of walking socks; lip balm; personal toiletries and towel; hygienic ‘Wipes’; small First Aid kit; torch with batteries (non-essential); filled water bottle; water purification drops - usually iodine; sunscreen, sunglasses; penknife - do not pack in hand baggage for flights; nibbles and/or dried fruit. Drinking chocolate if preferred. Camera, film and plastic bags for lenses; extra toilet rolls could come in handy! For those who wear contact lenses, perhaps it would be a good idea to bring along a spare pair of glasses.
Any dietary requirements must be pre-advised
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