Recommended Excursions into the Sahara and the Deep South

			Reservations - All our holidays are tailor-made so please feel free to request any combination of hotels, riads or tours for your own holiday. The minimum reservation for our accommodation only service is 3 nights in total, although not necessarily at same property. Simply contact us by phone or email or complete one of our enquiry forms. Why Rediscover? - All our reservations staff have worked in Morocco (or visited extensively) and will be more than happy to offer advice and suggestions on any of our featured destinations, tours and properties. Prices - our prices are similar to or quite often cheaper than our internet competitors or booking directly and significantly cheaper than those producing expensive brochures whilst our service, knowledge and after sales care is second to none. Security - Rediscover the World is a member of the TTA (T6816), we also hold our own ATOL bond (T7172). We therefore provide full financial security and assistance should any part of your holiday not happen entirely to plan. If you were to assemble your holiday yourself you may not have this sort of protection.

"4WD and Meharee to the Distant Dunes of Erg Lihoudi"

2DAYS / 1NIGHT - ref. ITCLFD05z

DAY 1: MARRAKECH - OUARZAZATE - ZAGORA - OULAD DRISS - ERG LIHOUÏDI.

Departing from your hotel or riad in Marrakech by 06:45 at the latest, we set off south in our 4WD over the Glaoua Plain to cross the High Atlas Mountains via the fabulous Tizi n’Tichka Pass - hold on to your hats. We continue down alongside the Oued Ouarzazate to the ex-French Foreign Legion town of Ouarzazate and on for 100 miles through the delightful and dramatic Valley of the Oued Drâa until you arrive at the small, charming kasbah-like Hotel Fibule Du Drâa in the oasis small town of Zagora. The town of Zagora (an Arabised version of the name Caesar) was once famously “52 days to Timbuctou” and is dominated by the tagine pot-shaped Jbel Zagora. Here you will have your midday lunch (included in tour), setting out - around 2 in the afternoon in winter (3pm in the summer) for your adventure towards the south-east deep into a sub-Saharan desert landscape of many small dunes, interspersed with the black gravelly ‘Reg’ stretches of the Jbel Tadrart basin.

			As the air has heated up, the winds have risen to make the sand swirl about us, you’ll notice that older dunes appear darker, for the iron in the sand there has finally oxidised. Some 34 miles south of Zagora we arrive at the little village of Oulad Driss in the Hamada Du Drâa, close to the undefined border with Algeria, around 4pm. At this remote hamlet, once a stop for the trans-Saharan caravans of salt, gold and slaves the Oued Drâa finally sinks into the desert. Now we are in time to mount our dromedaries for our “méharée” over the small dunes and stony plateaux for some 3 hours until we reach the dunes of Erg Lihouïdi in time for Mother Nature’s tremendous show of light and (no) sound at sunset. These dunes are the closest one can get to the Sahara in this region of Morocco. There is also the ’real’ Sahara found in the Merzouga region to the eastern border of Morocco with Algeria - this is a little further from Marrakech but we offer adventures there too. After a welcoming traditional glass or two of mint tea, we shall have our dinner of vegetable tagine, or of chicken, couscous, mint tea, bread and fruit.

This night may be spent in our tents or out in the open air if you wish, under the awesome canopy of the starlit heavens around a blazing fire (subject to local conditions) to witness the magnificent sunset, the rarefied heavens turning from bright blue to cobalt, to yellow to gold, to purple to black. The sands and stones change their colour too, in step with the lowering rays.

DAY 2: ERG LIHOUÏDI - AÏT ISFOUL - TAMEGROUTE - ZAGORA - OUARZAZATE - MARRAKECH.

Having witnessed an awesome sunset the night before, now is the hour for an even more startling sunrise before our Bedouin breakfast of mint tea, bread, jams and cheeses. After which, your ships of the desert saddled up, you’ll somewhat reluctantly strike off back towards the north-east and relative civilisation for your almost 2 hour long dromedary ‘méharée’ covering some 12 miles of Hamada. Arriving around 10:00 - and now only 50 Days To Timbuktu - to rejoin our 4WD some 11 miles north of M’Hamid which will take you right at the trailing edge of the Jbel Bani across the dunes of Aït Isfoul and through an oasis via the nearby ancient and remote Jewish kasbahs of Beni Hayoun and Beni Sbih.

Back now onto the tarmac road at Tagounite and on to an unusual tightly-knitted grouping of ksours and still-inhabited underground kasbahs; this is the ancient village of Tamegroute, a seat of learning since the XIth century, with its Library of XIII century illuminated Koran scrolls written on gazelle hide, some works of Pythagoras and some original maps of Alexandria, together with some very early mathematics text books; a - voluntary - contribution to the upkeep of the Library is always appreciated. We continue our stroll through the alleyways of the underground kasbah to the ancient Pottery Co-Operative, where pottery being produced in the simplest of manners, in the simplest of kilns. If you have been to Fes, or have seen photographs of this Imperial City, here you’ll see the famous green glaze associated with its tiled roofs, for the founders of the XVIIth century Abou Ben Naceur ‘Naciri Brotherhood’ in Tamegroute invited craftsmen and potters to this remote area with the intent to turn it into a thriving caravan hub city.

Onwards now to the Fibule Du Drâa, perhaps to take a shower, before continuing on our way back up north for some 14km off-road adventure in the Valley of 1000 Kasbahs and on to Ouarzazate in the Drâa (‘Black’) Valley and the remarkable UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Ksar Aït Ben Haddou. We’ll stop here for a brief visit of the kasbah and a light lunch at the Restaurant Haj Tibou before continuing on over the Adrar N’Dern Mountains to your hotel or riad in Marrakech, arriving there around 8 o’clock at night after a really incredible journey into the Sahara.

NB: Prices are based on the number of people in your group; each desert trip is an individual reservation.

THE STANDARD VERSION INCLUDES:

Transfer by air-conditioned Land Cruiser Marrakech-Ouarzazate-Zagora-Oulad Driss-Zagora-Ouarzazate-Marrakech. Experienced chamellier and trained dromedary; cook; luncheon at the Fibule Du Drâa on arrival; dinner and breakfast in Berber tented, carpeted accommodation sleeping on mattresses; toilet. Visit of Library, Potteries and Kasbah at Tamegroute. Off-road adventure in the Valley of 1000 Kasbahs. Unguided visit of the Ksour at Aït Ben Haddou and light lunch on day 2.

Supplement per person for live Moroccan folklore musicians: £17.50

THE DELUXE VERSION INCLUDES:

Transfer by air-conditioned Land Cruiser Marrakech-Ouarzazate-Zagora-Oulad Driss-Zagora-Ouarzazate-Marrakech. Experienced chamellier, trained dromedary and cook throughout (desert). Visit of Library, Potteries and Kasbah at Tamegroute. Lunch at the Fibule Du Drâa on arrival at Zagora; dinner and breakfast in Caidal tented, carpeted accommodation (maximum 6 persons per tent); raised bed with mattress; toilet. Off-road adventure in the Valley of 1000 Kasbahs. Unguided visit of the Ksour at Aït Ben Haddou and light lunch. Lavabo, towels, lanterns and candles; dinner includes Moroccan salad or harira soup, kebabs or ‘kefta’*, Berber vegetable tagine, fruit, Moroccan pastries and mint tea served by a waiter in traditional costume. Live Moroccan folklore musicians. Bar service.

* Those vegetarians or vegans amongst us need to pre-advise at time of reservation.

OUR TOURS DO NOT INCLUDE:

Medical or accident insurance outside of the vehicles. Gratuity to guide/drover. Any expenditure of a personal nature. Bottled or gaseous water, nor anything not specifically mentioned in the itinerary.

Meals consist of vegetables, eggs and fruits (vegetarian) except the first day which has meat (please advise if you wish all vegetarian).

IT IS RECOMMENDED YOU BRING:

Day pack (for camera, water bottle,hat, etc.); windcheater (seasonal), broad-brimmed hat (or you may purchase a ‘Chèche’ before you set out from Zagora; personal toiletries and towel; hygienic ‘wipes’; small First Aid kit; torch with batteries (non-essential); filled water bottle(s); sunscreen, sunglasses; 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.

Customer comments:

"The guide, Ali; the dromedary drover, Ali and cook, Youssef were all excellent. The whole experience was wonderful, especially the camels and bivouac camp. The food was both plentiful and great"

"We were so glad that we booked it as it turned out to be the highlight of our holiday. Ehmed, our driver, was excellent, punctual, a safe driver and helpful and informative. We arrived at our destination where our camels were waiting for us and were led on a magical, unforgettable ride through the breathtaking scenery as the sun set over the dunes. It's a great trip and we'd recommend it to anyone visiting Morocco."

"Our driver from Marrakech to the desert, Ali, was the absolute BEST. A very careful, safe driver and a kind friendly person, we would HIGHLY recommend him. When we arrived at the camp our beds were made with fresh linen and lots of warm blankets ... the staff were very friendly and we were welcomed with the usual mint tea and a lovely dinner."

"Our camel excursion was very memorable: Youssef who was our guide, was fantastic and had a great sense of humour - he may deal with tour groups every day but he certainly made us feel special."

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