THE FACTS
Location: Morocco, NW Africa
Start point: Marrakech
Best time to visit: October - December, February - April
Activities: Trekking
Tribe: Berber
Duration: 10 days
Guideline Price: From £1,800 (US$ 3,240)
ITINERARY IN BRIEF
Day 1: Arrive in Marrakech and take in Ait-Benhaddou where 'Gladiator' was filmed en route to Ouarzazarte where you will spend the night.
Day 2: Meet your Berber guides and learn how to use the all important Turban and receive your Berber water bottle for the start of the desert trek. Meet the camels and join the camel train to Lmdakik, a small nomadic settlement in the black hammada desert. A hot and thirst quenching natural mint tea awaits you; camp here next to a natural well under the North Africa stars for your first night of desert life!
Day 3: Trek towards Lawina oasis. Palm trees await and a local well will provide the water needed to clean off all the desert sand! Camp by a fire, eat dates and locally cooked (in the sand on hot coals) authentic Berber 'pizza'.
Day 4: Continue through the desert heartlands towards a large oasis, Saf’saf. Overnight in Saf’saf with its mountains surrounding your palm-tree clad home for the night.
Day 5: On towards Erg Chebbi and its huge dunes – these are the dunes that characterize the Sahara in postcards and films. They are iconic and change color depending on the sunrise or sunset – truly amazing.
Day 6: Continue towards Talbardat en route to Erg Chabbi and experience the variety that the desert has to offer, resting with your camels in beautiful desolate wilderness.
Day 7: Spend your day in the heart of Erg Chabbi. Soak up the grandeur of the dunes and marvel at the creatures and people that live here. Your Berber guides will always be on hand to talk about their lives and their stunning desert. Experience Berber music at its best with drums, tambourines and Berber singing.
Day 8: Take your camels to the village of Hassi Labied where your hotel and pool on the edge of the desert await! Take an afternoon out to experience the local Gnoa music.
Day 9: Return to Marrakech for a well-deserved Hammam (massage), some fantastic food and your luxury Riad! Experience the hustle and bustle of the famous Djamaa El Fna, where snake charmers, dancers, market stalls selling all kinds of local delicacies and sooth sawyers create a real attack on the senses.
Day 10: Wake up to the sound of the call to prayer by the Imam and catch your return flight home.
"Living the desert dream trekking with Berbers across Moroccan desert. Experiencing the beauty of the Sahara desert trekking an old caravanserai route for over 50 miles through the desolate rocky desert and spectacular sand dunes to an ancient Kasbah, guided by Berber tribespeople. The heat, and sand, the stars, the sky and the silence – an authentic journey not to be forgotten!"
LOOK FORWARD TO
- The wilderness, silence and beauty of the Sahara, experienced first hand on an exhilarating trek.
- Living alongside Berber peoples with their endless hospitality.
- The magnificent dunes and stony desert of the Sahara, and sunrises that will blow your mind!
GETTING AROUND
On foot, by camel, in 4x4s
EATING AND SLEEPING
You will stay is desert camps during your trek. All of the traditional foold to keep you going will be prepared for you by your Berber guides.
Further details on what's included, kit, medical advice, flights and insurance can be read on the NITTY GRITTY page, or give us a ring!