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.

" Extended Meharee and visit to the Dunes of Erg Lihoudi "

3 DAYS / 2 NIGHTS - ref. ITCLFD07z

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 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.

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, or the hotel of your selection, to arrive around 1pm (lunch not included).

Your day is now free to relax around the pool, to stroll through the surrounding palmeraie (oasis) or to wander around this desert town to the shops found around the mosque (their souq is on Wednesdays), framed by the distant Jbel Rhart and the peaks of Jbels Sarhro to the east-north-east and Beni to the south-east; you might even get to see real Touaregs, and not just those Moroccans dressed up as the “Blue Men”. You should try out, or even buy, the great variety of dates for which this region is renowned.

DAY 3: ZAGORA – FINT OASIS – AIT BEN HADDOU - MARRAKECH.

After breakfast, at around 9 o’clock we make our way back up north for some 30 miles off-road adventure in the Valley of 1000 Kasbahs and back onto the main road through the Drâa Valley, perhaps to stop at the ancient kasbah at Agdz or other en-route points worthy of a photo-opportunity. Just before reaching Ouarzazate we detour along a piste road to visit the magnificent Oasis of Fint.

On now to visit the remarkable UNESCO World Heritage Site of the magnificently exotic Ksour of Aït Ben Haddou (guide not included and not really necessary). Here we alight from our vehicle to visit these various kasbahs, so closely-knit that they appear to be but one complete building, backed up against the looming mountain in a stretch of unforgiving hammada. The thick, high, sheer, elaborately decorated pisé walls, stepped-up housing, turreted, crenellated ramparts, balustrades and arched ‘babs’ are a sight not to be missed. Obviously, here Hollywood has shot many of its films, including, as everyone will tell you, “Lawrence of Arabia”. One of the more spectacular sights in the Atlas ranges, set upon a rock above a reed-strewn Assif, commanding the area for miles around, this Kasbah controlled the route to Marrakech until the French blasted a road through the Tizi n’Tichka in the late 1920s.

We’ll stop nearby for a light lunch here at the Haj Tibou Restaurant before continuing ever further north over the Adrar n’Deren range of mountains to arrive around 7pm at your hotel or riad in Marrakech after a really incredible journey into Morocco ’s sub-Sahara.

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

Transfer by air-conditioned Land Cruiser Marrakech-Ouarzazate-Zagora/Oulad Driss-Zagora-Fint Oasis-Marrakech. One night’s accommodation in the hotel of your selection on half board. Experienced chamellier throughout (desert), trained dromedary, cook; luncheon at the Fibule Du Drâa on first arrival; tagine dinner (alcoholic beverages excluded), overnight and breakfast in Berber nomad tented, carpeted accommodation sleeping on mattresses with sheets and blankets; European toilet. Visit of the Library, Potteries and Kasbah at Tamegroute. Off-road adventure in the Valley of 1000 Kasbahs. Visit of the Fint Oasis. Unguided visit of the Ksour at Aït Ben Haddou (you may hire a local guide, though not really necessary) and light lunch.

Transfer by air-conditioned Land Cruiser Marrakech-Ouarzazate-Zagora/Oulad Driss-Zagora-Fint Oasis-Marrakech. 1 night’s accommodation in the hotel of your selection on half board. E xperienced chamellier throughout (desert), trained dromedary, cook; visit of Library, Potteries and Kasbah at Tamegroute. Lunch at the Fibule Du Drâa on arrival at Zagora; dinner, overnight and breakfast in Caudal tented, carpeted accommodation (maximum 4 persons per partitioned tent); raised bed with mattress with sheets and blankets; European toilet’. Off-road adventure in the Fint Oasis. Unguided visit of the Ksour at Aït Ben Haddou (guide not really necessary here, but useful) and light lunch. Lavabo, mini shampoo, towels, lanterns and candles; dinner (alcoholic beverages excluded) 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 (BYOB is best).

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

OUR TOURS DO NOT INCLUDE:

Personal medical or accident insurance outside of the vehicle. Gratuity to driver, waiters, camp headman and chamellier. Any expenditure of a personal nature. Bottled or gaseous waters/sodas, nor anything not specifically mentioned in the itinerary.

Meals consist of vegetables, eggs and fruits and some 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:

"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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