Draa Desert
for one week

Departure to Marrakech. Reception at the airport. Transfer to the hotel in the center of Marrakech.

Marrakech – Tichka Pass – Ouarzazate – Zagora – Tagounite – Nesrate dunes – camp – approximately 7 hours and 30 minutes of travel, 430 km. We leave early at around 8 a.m. and cross the Tichka Pass at 2,260 meters, often snow-covered in winter. It is the highest road pass in Morocco. We then discover the beautiful green valleys of the High Atlas, large villages perched on mountain ridges. We cross the Ait Saoune Pass at 1,700 meters, with a beautiful view of the snow-capped peaks in spring and winter of the High Atlas of M’Goun and Saghro. The road becomes increasingly mountainous and arid, and suddenly the beautiful Draa Valley appears with its thousands of date palms, a valley that continues to widen, irrigated by the Mansour Dam in Ouarzazate. We pass through the famous gateway to the desert (Zagora). We arrive in Tagounite, the first bivouac near the dunes. Dinner and overnight in tents.

Tagounite – Zaouiat – Sidi Saleh – Tidiri – camp – 5 to 6 hours of walking. Meet our dromedaries who will carry our luggage and equipment during the hike. Departure for the hike around 8:30 a.m. We cross small dunes, the palm grove, and finally the edge of the valley to reach the village of Zaouiat Sidi Saleh. We cross this large, fairly populated village and leave the villages to find ourselves in a large oasis. Lunch and water supply in the village before following a large plateau surrounded by palm groves, and finally arriving in TIDIRI at the foot of the Larjam mountain. Camp near the Draa River in the dunes, approximately 5 to 6 hours of walking.

Tidiri – Erg Sahil dunes – about 5 hours and 30 minutes of walking – camp. From Tidiri, continue between dunes and hamada to our bivouac in the heart of Erg Sahel. Our day will be quite varied as we leave the Tidiri dunes and reach the left bank of the Draa River and the hamada of Draa (rocky desert). We arrive at the Erg Sahel dunes, and lunch will be in the shade of a beautiful acacia tree, the only one in the area. In the afternoon, we continue our walk for about 1 hour and 30 minutes through the rocky desert, near the Algerian border, and no villages further in the great desert. Camp in the dunes.

Erg Sahel – Elhnichat dunes – 4 hours and 30 minutes of walking. We continue through the dunes to discover a different desert from the previous day. We arrive at the edge of the Draa River; lunch is according to our pace. We follow the river, which leads us to the end of the Elkhouzlane palm grove. We continue through the dunes and some villages to reach our bivouac near the Elhnichat dunes. Bivouac.

Elhnichat – Palm grove of Mhamid – 4 hours and 30 minutes of walking. Hiking in the vast Saharan spaces, discovering the palm grove of M’Hamid and its many ksour (fortified villages). Lunch will be in the palm grove; we cross the wheat and barley fields according to the season and reach the bivouac.

Day 7: MHAMID / MARRAKECH VIA ZAGORA

Transfer to the airport according to the flight schedule, with many memories of this journey.