4 days/3 nights - Departure Ouarzazate chegaga Dunes, valleys, gorges -
4 days / 3 nights
1st day: Ouarzazate – M’hamid Morning departure by 4x4 from Ouarzazate to Agdez (which is where the Dra’a Valley starts) for a short tea break. Then we drive off-road along the ancient caravan route and arrive in Zagora in time for lunch in a secluded riad on the outskirts of Zagora. Its delightful gardens full of flowers, frogs, palm trees and birds, surrounded by a high adobe wall, make it a small private paradise. There is a small pool for a summer swim. After lunch, the itinerary continues to M’hamid, where the road ends and the desert begins. Here, in Erg Lihoudi, after a short break for a glass of tea, you can take a camel ride for a couple of hours to watch the sunset. The night is spent in a bivouac here.
2nd day: M’hamid – Cheggaga The return to M’hamid is on camel back to have lunch in a riad in the midst of palm trees, and where there is a possibility to freshen up under a shower. In the afternoon, the 4x4 will take us to the Erg Cheggaga dunes (300m) with 60km off-road. This route passes different features of the desert; ‘erg’, ‘hammada’, oases. These dunes are far away from civilization, in the desert proper …… where the silence and the expanse of the sand are overwhelming. Dinner and the night are in a bivouac of nomadic tents.
3rd day: Cheggaga – Ait Ben Haddou After breakfast, the road takes us through another 90km of desert with varying scenery; Lake Iriqui , the mountains and fossils. Lunch will be in Foum Zguid, the first village after the desert, where it is also possible to freshen up with a shower. From here the drive back Ouarzazate is along paved roads via the village of Taznakht , famous for its Berber carpets and rugs. We arrive in the course of the afternoon at Ait Ben Haddou, the oldest and most well-known of Morocco ’s Kasbahs. In 1987 this Kasbah became one of the several UNESCO World Heritage sites in Morocco . We spend the night in a riad opposite the Kasbah.
4th day: Ait Ben Haddou – Ouarzazate Morning departure from Ait Ben Haddou to the Dades Gorges and the Skoura Oasis, travelling off-road to see all the Kasbahs, some sadly in a state of disrepair but idyllically placed amongst the palm trees. The main road passes through the Valley of Roses , with a stop to see the cosmetic articles locally-made from the valley’s abundant roses. These products are well-known throughout Morocco and are highly valued. We continue to the Dades Valley for lunch. After lunch we walk through the gorges themselves and return to Ouarzazate in the afternoon.
