Morocco's Desert Region

Recommended Excursions into the Sahara and the Deep South

Zagora

		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.

MEHAREE DROMEDARY TREK TO MOROCCO'S ERG LIHOUDI

‘Meharée’ : Trek with 1 dromedary per person + 1 pack camel.

4 DAYS/3 NIGHTS - (ref: ITCLFD03z)

 DAY 1: ZAGORA-BOUATTACH.

From the small kasbah-like Hôtel Fibule Du Drâa in the Amazrou Palmeraie of the oasis village of Zagora where we have been since around 2 o’clock, - we need to have the pack dromedary loaded and your beasts saddled so as to set out around 3 in the afternoon in winter, 4pm in the summer (you’ll have noticed that the dates in this region are amongst the finest you’ll ever find) - for our adventure of some 4 hours towards the south-west into a desert of many small dunes, interspersed with the black gravelly ‘Reg’ stretches interspersed with small dunes of the El Fajia Plateau in the Nebch region, isolated enough to let your imagination take hold. 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 has finally oxidised.

Here, some 20km from Zagora, the low range of the stark, mineral and fossil-rich Jbel Beni hills to our south, we have our camp for the night in a carpeted Bedouin tent at Bou Atacche and, after a welcoming traditional tea ceremony, we shall have our dinner of tagine - which, doubtless, you’ll try your hand at preparing – fruit, bread, tea. The sunsets and sunrises in the rarefied air of our desert can simply take your breath away, far more than the hot air has done, so far. This night may be spent in our nomadic tent or as you prefer out in the open air under an awesome canopy of the starlit heavens.

DAY 2: BOU ATACCHE-DJENIA-OULILI.

Awakening to the splendour of a Saharan sunrise, we tuck into our Bedouin breakfast of tea, milk, ‘sand’ bread and cheeses whilst our dromedaries are being saddled for today’s méharée further towards the south. After some 4 hours across Reg and small sand dunes, the occasional isolated acacia trees breaking the vast horizon, we reach the acacia woods at Djenia, where we’ll stop for our field picnic in the foothills of the Jbel Bani. Once refreshed, we now cross the sun-and-sandblasted Hassi Djenia (the ‘devil’s bowl’) and go up over the Tizi n’Djenia col (1095m). Once across, we enter into a picturesque stretch of small oases, passing between the hamlets of El Fha and Hassi Elagba El Bida, (the ‘white slope in a bowl’)to arrive after some 6 hours at our bivouac site in a oued at Oulili adjoining some vegetable fields of the Aït Isfoul Berber tribe. Whilst our evening meal is being prepared, glass or two of mint tea in hand, perhaps you’d like to bear in mind that the two days’ ride so far would only have taken 1½ hours by car - by the shortest route. But you now know what they would have missed! A simply fabulous sunset is upon us; a different panorama, but the same unforgettable spectacle of Nature showing off.

DAY 3: OULILI - MOUZIT N’BRAHIM OU ALI - ERG LIHOUÏDI.

Sunrise ! Breakfast in an awesome vista in every direction of brightening heavens and the changing colours of the sands as they chase the sun’s elevation. Our dromedaries are being saddled up for today’s venture ever towards the south; south we ride for some 3 hours towards the dunes at Ouzit n’Brahim Ou Ali, where we shall stop for our field picnic.

Refreshed and noonday siesta over, we now set out for a further 3 hours towards the impressive dunes of the Erg Lihouïdi where we have our bivouac and dinner for this the last night of our adventure.

DAY 4: ERG LIHOUÏDI - OULAD DRISS - ZAGORA.

Our final sunrise, our final Bedouin breakfast in this amazing region before setting off towards the last fertile stretch of the Oued Drâa region – the M’Hamid el Gouzlan (Plain of the Gazelles) on our 4 hour swing towards the palmeraie at Oulad Driss – now it is only “50 Days to Timbuktu”, but south of this point the dromedary is king. In this palmeraie we shall have our lunch, before leaving our dromedaries and drovers behind as we board our taxi at around 2:30pm to take us back to the Hôtel Fibule du Drâa original meeting point by around 4 in the afternoon for a quick shower.

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

STANDARD PROGRAMME PRICES PER PERSON IN UK £ no. of persons in your group std. version 2 persons £ 185 4 persons £ 175 6 persons £ 162		DELUXE PROGRAMME PRICES PER PERSON IN UK £ no. of persons in your group deluxe version 2 persons £ 225 4 persons £ 210 6 persons £ 199

PRICES FOR THE STANDARD VERSION INCLUDE:

Experienced licensed bi-lingual desert guide and cook throughout; meals * and tented accommodation (maximum 6 persons per tent) as detailed; trained dromedary & drover; transfer by taxi Oulad Driss-Zagora. * Those vegetarians or vegans amongst us need to pre-advise at time of reservation.

PRICES FOR THE DELUXE VERSION INCLUDE:

Experienced licensed bi-lingual desert guide and cook throughout, tented, carpeted accommodation (maximum 6 persons per tent); ‘Portaloo’; trained dromedary & drover; transfer by taxi Oulad Driss-Zagora. Folklore music & dancing around camp fire; lavabo, mini shampoo & shower gel, bath towels, lanterns and candles; dinner includes Moroccan salad or harira soup, kebabs or ‘kefta’ * , Berber vegetable tajine, fruit, mint tea; 1 bottle of wine between 2 people, soda water served by waiters in traditional costume. Bar service.

PRICES DO NOT INCLUDE:

Personal medical or accident insurance. Gratuity to guide/drover. Any expenditure of a personal nature, 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).

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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