First day : Morning departure by 4x4 from Ouarzazate to Agdez, where the Dra’a Valley starts, with a short stop here for a tea break, then off-road along the Dra’a Valley’s ancient caravan route as far as Zagora for lunch. In the afternoon the route continues to M’hamid which marks the end of the paved road and the beginning of the Sahara. Here a two-hour camel ride leads to the highest dune to enjoy an unforgettable sunset and to spend the beauty of the night in a nomad tent close to the dunes of Erg Lihoudi.
Second day : The return to M´hamid for lunch is on camel back and, in the afternoon, is the departure for the Erg Cheggaga dunes (300m) with 60km of off-road. This route passes different features of the desert; ‘erg’, ‘reg’, ‘hammada’, oases. These dunes are far away from civilization, in the desert proper … and the silence and the expanse of the sand are overwhelming. Dinner and a night’s sleep are in a bivouac of nomad tents.
Third day : 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 to Ouarzazate is along paved roads via the village of Taznakht, famous for its Berber carpets and rugs, and we arrive in the course of the afternoon.
First Day : Morning departure to the Toudra Gorge, passing the Oasis of Skoura, where numerous ancient kasbahs, some sadly in ruins, stand amongst the palm trees. From here, our route takes us through Kela’a M’gouna, the Valley of Roses, where we 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 drive off-road to the Dades Gorge for lunch. If anyone would like to, it can gladly be arranged to share lunch with Berber nomads. After lunch there is time for a short walk alongside the river before continuing to the Toudra Gorge for the night.
Second Day : After breakfast there is time to walk a little in the Tinghir palm grove and then drive to the Merzouga dunes via the Ziz Valley, the Oasis of Tafilalet and arrive in Erfoud or Rissani in time for lunch. In the afternoon, we continue our trip to the dunes in time for a two-hour camel ride in the Sahara. The sunset from the top of the Erg Chebbi Dunes is spectacular (250m) and afterwards there is dinner and the night in a nomad tent.
Third Day : If you wake up early enough, you can watch the spectacle of the sunrise, when the colour of the dunes and the play of shadows are an awesome sight. After having breakfast we drive by 4x4 back to the Dra’a Valley passing by the villages of Tazzarine (featured in the film ‘Babel’) and N’Qob, where we have lunch. In the afternoon we drive to Tanasikht along the track of the ancient caravan route, reaching the Dra’a valley, full of large palm trees and ancient kasbahs, at Agdez. Here, on the paved road again, we reach Ouarzazate at the end of the day, crossing the mountain pass of Tizi-n-Tinfifite (1660m).
