From The Desert to the Sea

Ouarzazate » M’hamid » Chegaga » Taroudant » Essaouira

 4 Days & 3 Nights

Itinerary

1st day: Ouarzazate – M’hamid
We pick you up from your accommodation in Ouarzazate at 8am and travel by 4×4 to Agdez where the Dra’a Valley starts. We have a short stop here for a tea break, then head off-road along the Dra’a Valley’s ancient caravan route, joining the main road again before reaching Zagora, where we stop for lunch. In the afternoon the route continues to M’hamid which marks the end of the paved road and the beginning of the Sahara. Here a two-hour camel ride leads to the highest dune to enjoy an unforgettable sunset and to spend the beauty of the night in a comfortable nomad tent in our own beautiful camp Atfil just outside M’hamid .

2nd day: M’hamid – Chegaga
After breakfast return to M’hamid, across the now usually dry Dra’a River, to visit the old village. In the afternoon, the 4×4 takes us to the Erg Chegaga dunes, travelling some 60km off-road. This route passes different features of the desert: ‘erg’, ‘reg’, ‘hammada’, and the Sacred Oasis to dunes far away from civilization, in the desert proper where the silence and the expanse of sand is overwhelming. Here you can enjoy a second camel ride if you wish. Dinner and entertainment this night are in a bivouac of nomadic tents.

3rd Day: Chegaga – Taroudant
After breakfast we drive another 90 km across the Sahara over the stony desert, “reg” and “hammada” and across the now dried-up Lake Iriqui. In the middle of this lake, we can search for fossils. At the edge of the desert at Foum Zguid, we drive north to Taznakht, famous for its Berber kelims and carpets, where we stop for lunch. After crossing the Tizi-n-Ikhsane and Tizi-n-Tighatine passes, we reach Taliouine, the heart of the saffron growing region. The road takes us on to Taroudant, where we stop for the night in a riad.

4th Day: Taroudant – Essaouira
In the morning there is a visit to the town known as “the little Marrakesh”. It is spectacular for its massive ramparts and beautiful medina. From here you travel along the Souss river valley with all its argan groves as far as Agadir. The road then travels up the coast along the Paradise Valley, driving through Taghazout and through the mountains. In the afternoon we arrive in Essaouira where you can explore the town, the Skala, the medina and all its innumerable shops as well as the sea front with its fresh fish restaurants. The night is spent in here in Essaouira.

Please Note: Prices for all of our tours include accommodation and access to historical sites.  Unless otherwise stated in the details of the specific tour, breakfast and dinner are included, however lunch and alcohol are not