6 DYYS TREK IN SAHARA DESERT
Day 1: (One thousand and one) nights in Marrakech
We are met by our Moroccan friends at the airport in Marrakech and driven to the city’s medina where we will stay in a riad, a traditional Moroccan house, for the first night. In the huge square Djemaa el-Fna, the Place of the Dead, which is located in the middle of the medina, you get the feeling of walking straight into the thousand and one nights. This is one of the largest, busiest and most exotic squares in Africa, and is constantly buzzing with life. Here it teems with snake charmers, acrobats, tourists, sizzling grill plates, musicians, fortune tellers, street dentists and henna tattoo artists. This square has been the scene of slave markets, beheadings and trade for centuries. In the evening we have dinner together and get to know each other better.
Day 2: We arrive in the Sahara
We have an early breakfast at our riad, before getting into the minibus and heading southeast towards the high Atlas Mountains. The drive goes over the Tizi’n Tichka pass, which is the highest drivable pass in the High Atlas, at 2260 m above sea level. It’s beautiful here! Mighty mountains, lush valleys and ochre-coloured Berber villages as far as the eye can see. We stop for lunch just after the desert town of Ouarzazate. This is Morocco’s answer to Hollywood, with several major film studios. Films such as Prince of Persia, Troy and scenes from Game of Thrones have been shot here. We continue the trip over the Ait Saouné pass and the long descent towards the famous Drâa valley known for all its date palms. We stop in the small town of Zagora where the great desert begins. Here we can buy the hamla, the traditional head scarf, and enjoy a last cold drink before starting the desert trek. We meet our invaluable friends with camels for the coming week and camp at the foot of the Jebel Bani mountain.
Day 3: Into the desert
We are woken up for an early breakfast, and are ready for the great desert adventure. We pack up the camp and the luggage is loaded onto the camels before we set off up the ridge of Jebel Bani. We go over the pass and on to the rocky Faija plateau. We glimpse tamarind and acacia trees in the distance and it is here, in the shade, that we stop for lunch that our friends have conjured up. After a good break, we continue parallel to the characteristic Saghro mountains through the stone desert until we reach an oasis with tall date palms in the middle of all the dry land. Here we set up camp and can enjoy the afternoon exploring the local area. Perhaps we will help by collecting wood for the evening’s bonfire. We eat dinner in the fair tent before gathering around a sparkling fire under the starry sky
Day 4: Jbel Abbes
The day starts down a dried-up river bed, a fascinating sight and it is easy to walk on the bare mountains. We follow the valley and eventually we have rock formations on both sides. Up until now, we have walked on mountains, rocks and gravel, but gradually there is more and more sand and the terrain changes. We arrive at the camp in the early afternoon and here there are several opportunities for excursions up the ridge of Jbel Abbes. The chef dishes up a tasty dinner and if you are tempted, you can sleep outside under the open sky and enjoy the stars until you fall asleep
Day 5: The mighty Chegaga Dunes
Today will be an intense day, as we will be going up and down, and you will feel that it is hard to put one foot in front of the other in the dunes. After breakfast, we leave the valley and continue walking along the banks of a dry river and then plunge further onto the plateau, before the great sand dunes of the Sahara desert. It begins with a large, rocky plateau just after we pass the El Abbes pass. We have huge panoramic views of the desert and now we can finally see the mighty Chegaga Dunes. We follow a path used by nomads with camels and it is a challenge to walk under the scorching sun. Under an acacia tree we find shade, eat lunch and relax. Then we continue from the rocky desert to the smooth, fascinating sand dunes. We accelerate in the sand and reach the amazing dunes of Chegaga! We head to the top of the dunes in what has to be the world’s most beautiful sunset. Magical! We eat dinner in the camp and share the day’s experiences around the campfire.
Day 6: Large and small dunes
We get up as soon as it gets light and catch the sunrise from the top of the highest dune. The view is formidable. After breakfast we continue our walk in the beautiful Chegaga dunes and walk east of Jbel Abbes in the direction of M’hamid. Walking in the dunes is difficult, so we continue on the plateau of the wide Drâa valley, finding necessary shade under the tamarind trees. Eating lunch and filling up our water bottles. Then we head towards the great dunes of Bougarne. We go up and down several small sand dunes and clusters of tamarind trees. The walk is tough, the boots fill with sand and we sink into the sand as we walk. We are in wild and beautiful areas of the desert that are little visited and at the largest of the Bougarn dunes we set up camp. The starry sky is huge above us and we relax around the fire,
Day 7: Back to Marrakech
The desert adventure in the Sahara is over, and after an early breakfast we say goodbye to the camels and our good helpers. We get into the minibus and drive west through the Drâa Valley, on to exotic Ouarzazate, over the Tizi’n Tichka Pass in the Atlas Mountains and are once again fascinated by the majestic mountains and the red and ocher Berber villages. We have lunch along the way, and in the early afternoon we arrive at our riad in Marrakech. Here we are enjoying a well deserved shower! The rest of the afternoon is at your disposal and you can relax on the roof terrace, stroll around the bazaars or watch the exciting change of scene from day to night in Djemaa el-Fna Square. In the evening we gather for a pleasant farewell dinner at one of the city’s good restaurants.
Day 8: Journey home
The morning is at your disposal and, on this last day, you might want to visit a real Moroccan hammam with bath, sauna, scrub, cleansing and body care. Or stroll around the city’s medina, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and visit the bazaars and narrow streets that are well worth taking in. Here you will find many fun souvenirs and you can take the last shopping with you before we go home. We are driven to the airport in the middle of the day and are home in Norway late in the evening.
We are met by our Moroccan friends at the airport in Marrakech and driven to the city’s medina where we will stay in a riad, a traditional Moroccan house, for the first night. In the huge square Djemaa el-Fna, the Place of the Dead, which is located in the middle of the medina, you get the feeling of walking straight into the thousand and one nights. This is one of the largest, busiest and most exotic squares in Africa, and is constantly buzzing with life. Here it teems with snake charmers, acrobats, tourists, sizzling grill plates, musicians, fortune tellers, street dentists and henna tattoo artists. This square has been the scene of slave markets, beheadings and trade for centuries. In the evening we have dinner together and get to know each other better.
Day 2: We arrive in the Sahara
We have an early breakfast at our riad, before getting into the minibus and heading southeast towards the high Atlas Mountains. The drive goes over the Tizi’n Tichka pass, which is the highest drivable pass in the High Atlas, at 2260 m above sea level. It’s beautiful here! Mighty mountains, lush valleys and ochre-coloured Berber villages as far as the eye can see. We stop for lunch just after the desert town of Ouarzazate. This is Morocco’s answer to Hollywood, with several major film studios. Films such as Prince of Persia, Troy and scenes from Game of Thrones have been shot here. We continue the trip over the Ait Saouné pass and the long descent towards the famous Drâa valley known for all its date palms. We stop in the small town of Zagora where the great desert begins. Here we can buy the hamla, the traditional head scarf, and enjoy a last cold drink before starting the desert trek. We meet our invaluable friends with camels for the coming week and camp at the foot of the Jebel Bani mountain.
Day 3: Into the desert
We are woken up for an early breakfast, and are ready for the great desert adventure. We pack up the camp and the luggage is loaded onto the camels before we set off up the ridge of Jebel Bani. We go over the pass and on to the rocky Faija plateau. We glimpse tamarind and acacia trees in the distance and it is here, in the shade, that we stop for lunch that our friends have conjured up. After a good break, we continue parallel to the characteristic Saghro mountains through the stone desert until we reach an oasis with tall date palms in the middle of all the dry land. Here we set up camp and can enjoy the afternoon exploring the local area. Perhaps we will help by collecting wood for the evening’s bonfire. We eat dinner in the fair tent before gathering around a sparkling fire under the starry sky
Day 4: Jbel Abbes
The day starts down a dried-up river bed, a fascinating sight and it is easy to walk on the bare mountains. We follow the valley and eventually we have rock formations on both sides. Up until now, we have walked on mountains, rocks and gravel, but gradually there is more and more sand and the terrain changes. We arrive at the camp in the early afternoon and here there are several opportunities for excursions up the ridge of Jbel Abbes. The chef dishes up a tasty dinner and if you are tempted, you can sleep outside under the open sky and enjoy the stars until you fall asleep
Day 5: The mighty Chegaga Dunes
Today will be an intense day, as we will be going up and down, and you will feel that it is hard to put one foot in front of the other in the dunes. After breakfast, we leave the valley and continue walking along the banks of a dry river and then plunge further onto the plateau, before the great sand dunes of the Sahara desert. It begins with a large, rocky plateau just after we pass the El Abbes pass. We have huge panoramic views of the desert and now we can finally see the mighty Chegaga Dunes. We follow a path used by nomads with camels and it is a challenge to walk under the scorching sun. Under an acacia tree we find shade, eat lunch and relax. Then we continue from the rocky desert to the smooth, fascinating sand dunes. We accelerate in the sand and reach the amazing dunes of Chegaga! We head to the top of the dunes in what has to be the world’s most beautiful sunset. Magical! We eat dinner in the camp and share the day’s experiences around the campfire.
Day 6: Large and small dunes
We get up as soon as it gets light and catch the sunrise from the top of the highest dune. The view is formidable. After breakfast we continue our walk in the beautiful Chegaga dunes and walk east of Jbel Abbes in the direction of M’hamid. Walking in the dunes is difficult, so we continue on the plateau of the wide Drâa valley, finding necessary shade under the tamarind trees. Eating lunch and filling up our water bottles. Then we head towards the great dunes of Bougarne. We go up and down several small sand dunes and clusters of tamarind trees. The walk is tough, the boots fill with sand and we sink into the sand as we walk. We are in wild and beautiful areas of the desert that are little visited and at the largest of the Bougarn dunes we set up camp. The starry sky is huge above us and we relax around the fire,
Day 7: Back to Marrakech
The desert adventure in the Sahara is over, and after an early breakfast we say goodbye to the camels and our good helpers. We get into the minibus and drive west through the Drâa Valley, on to exotic Ouarzazate, over the Tizi’n Tichka Pass in the Atlas Mountains and are once again fascinated by the majestic mountains and the red and ocher Berber villages. We have lunch along the way, and in the early afternoon we arrive at our riad in Marrakech. Here we are enjoying a well deserved shower! The rest of the afternoon is at your disposal and you can relax on the roof terrace, stroll around the bazaars or watch the exciting change of scene from day to night in Djemaa el-Fna Square. In the evening we gather for a pleasant farewell dinner at one of the city’s good restaurants.
Day 8: Journey home
The morning is at your disposal and, on this last day, you might want to visit a real Moroccan hammam with bath, sauna, scrub, cleansing and body care. Or stroll around the city’s medina, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and visit the bazaars and narrow streets that are well worth taking in. Here you will find many fun souvenirs and you can take the last shopping with you before we go home. We are driven to the airport in the middle of the day and are home in Norway late in the evening.
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