Desert Camel Caravan, Morocco - Adventure Travel - Trekking and hiking on the Sahara

Desert Camel Caravan, Morocco

Trip Program

D1: Meeting at the hotel in Marrakech.
D2: Early morning drive to the south of the Atlas passing the Tizi n'Tichka pass (2260m). We pass Ouarzazate and drive along the Drâ river valley till Zagora, the capital of the fortified villages. We then take a dirt road which takes us into the desert to the Faija plateau where we camp (5h).
D3: We meet our caravan team and start trekking south ascending gently to the Oum Laachar pass. We use one camel for three persons which will carry all our luggage, equipment, kitchen, food and a reserve of water. During this day we will traverse a scarcely populated area and will see some small dunes. Pic nic in a small oases.
After about 5h30 hiking we camp amid the date trees in the oases of Oued Mhasser.
D4: Oued Mhasser-Chegaga dunes (6h30).
We follow a sotny valley which then opens in a vast plateau. Pic nic under some tamarind trees.
Sometimes we see mirages due to the heat of the sun on the earth. We may encounter here gazelles, rabbits, squirrels and lizards. In some time we will see the great Chegaga dunes where we will camp by mid afternoon. During this season the daily temperature ranges the 20-25ºC and 10-15ºC at night.
Our campsite which has a well is normally populated with nomads and their cattle. It is a place where we may try some interesting encounters and where, with luck, we may be invited into a tent to have a really strong Saharian tea with loads of sugar.
Before diner we will stroll on the high dunes and leave our trail along their cornices, before admiring a dramatic sunset on the distant horizon.
D5: Chegaga-Bougarn (5h).
Before departing our personnel will fill the water containers because this will be a dry leg and our next camp has no water. We leave the populated area and will walk through the desert in a great silence that invites to meditation.
We pause at midday to avoid the sun's intensity under any vegetations that we can find. By mid afternoon we stop to camp in a magnificent environment of desert dunes at Bougarn. At the end of the day you may try riding a camel.
D6: We trek south again through the dunes with little references. By noon we stop at oued Naam which has a well. We fill our water containers again because our next camp is dry. Naam means ostrich, which was extinct in not too a distant past and we may find here plenty of bits of their eggs.
We camp farther south amid the dunes after about 5h30 walking.
D7: Short hike to Mhamid, the last village before the frontier. We travel back to Marrakech (7h), passing through Zagora and Ouarzazate.
D8: End of the program after breakfast
Difficulty: Easy (5-6h hiking per day, generally in flat terrain).
Price: Eur 680. per person;
Single room supplement: Eur 38.
Dates: departs every saturday from Oct to May (year end: Dec 27).
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Booking Conditions -
Price - Valid in 2005.
Includes: hotel in double room with breakfast in Marrakech, double tent during the trek, all domestic transport, guide, cook, helpers, mules to carry the luggage.
Does not include: flights, personal equipment, visits on free time, main meals in cities, tips, travel insurance.
Equipment provided: Double tents, mess tent, mattresses.
Guiding: Moroccan guide speaking French and some English.
Group: min 2 persons, max 16.
Luggage: Transported by mules, max 15 kg per person.
Program: Depending on weather conditions, the groups’ condition or other justifiable, the guide may alter the program.
Vaccines: None recommended or mandatory.
Equipment: Trekking boots, sleeping bag (3-4 seasons), waterproof gear, etc.
After your booking you will receive a Trip Information sheet which includes a detailed recommended equipment list.
Documentation: valid passport, please check with your local Morocco consulate or embassy for entry requirements.

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