The Moroccan Great South Tour

Itinerary:

• Day 1: Marrakech/Ouarzazate – accommodation: host farm  Dar Alfourssane.
• Day 2: Ouarzazate/M’Hamid – accommodation: Kasbah Alladin
• Day 3: Camel excursion – night: wild bivouac (optional for 5-days tour)
• Day 4: Chegaga – accommodation: bivouac “Le Charme d’Aladdin” at the foot of the dunes
• Day 5: Chegaga/Marrrakech

Included In the Offer:

• All transfers by 4×4 vehicle with French speaking guide/driver
• Half board during the tour
• Accommodation for 1 night in Ouarzazate, host farm Dar Alfourssane
• Accommodation for 1 night in M’Hamid, Kasbah Aladdin
• Desert excursion one day with guide/camel driver, overnight wild bivouac (optional for 5-days tour)
• Accommodation for 1 night bivouac “Le Charme d’Aladdin” at the foot of the large dunes of Chegaga
• The excursions mentioned in the itinerary

Not included In the Offer:

• Lunch, beverages and personal expenses
• Optional excursions
• Tips

Tour details:

Day 1 : Marrakech-Ouarzazate 
After breakfast, on the way to the Great Moroccan South through the Tizn-n Tichka Pass (2260 mts) and the majestic and contrasting landscapes of the High Atlas. At 20 kms from the pass we will turn off to take the Teluet road. This is the ancient capital of the Glaoua country, and you can visit the ruins of the kasbah Andalusian style Glaoui Palace, which were the lords of the Atlas and Pasha of Marrakech until the independence of Morocco.
Historically, this was the passage of market caravans, which linked the desert in the south of Morocco to the big cities north of the High Atlas.
We will then continue our dayney south along the beautiful Ourina Valley, with its kasbahs scattered throughout the landscape, especially those of Ameniter or Tamdagh to reach the ksar Aït Ben-Haddou.  This fortified pre-Saharan city, surrounded by walls, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has been the setting for many film shoots. Meals en route in a typical inn.
We will finally arrive at the majestic Ouarzazate.
Since 1984, Ouarzazate has been inextricably linked to cinema. Between mountains and deserts, its landscapes, its ideal climatic and economic conditions have made it an attraction for Hollywood and other major film producers and directors for years. You can visit the settings of these big productions such as Lawrence of Arabia, Asterix and Obelix, Mission Cleopatra, The Sheltering Sky, The English Patient, Babel and Gladiator.
Dinner and overnight at Dar Alfourssane guest farm.

Day 2 : Ouarzazate-M’Hamid
At the exit of Ouarzazate we cross a small wadi, then grey and hairy hills. In Agdz, 70 kilometres further away, amazement: this is the beginning of the Draa Valley, Morocco’s longest river, which starts in the snow-covered peaks of the Atlas and ends in the Atlantic Ocean north of Tan Tan after feeding arid lands under palm trees. To the end of the road there will be this paradox: on the left, the magnificent landscape of the palm grove with its plantations of date palms, olive trees, fruit trees, market gardening, and on the right, an implacable drought and arid lands. The Draa Valley is also known for its sumptuous Ksours and kasbah in adobe soil, one of the most remarkable of which is that of Tamnougalt.
We arrive in Zagora, the capital of the region where an old sign indicating the route to Timbuktu 52 days welcomes us and makes us feel the emotion of our close encounter with the magnificent Sahara desert. This was the starting point for the large camel caravans that crossed the Sahara to Mali.
The next stop will be Tamegroute, a quiet adobe village renowned for its green ceramics and its very old Koranic library.
90 km southeast of Zagora and only a few dunes from a huge desert leading to the Moroccan-Algerian borders, we will finally reach the peaceful oasis of M’hamid El Ghizlane (or M’Hamid des gazelles), where the road ends to make way for the desert. You will cross the new M’Hamid, created on a garrison town during the French protectorate and travel a few kilometers in the middle of the palm grove to discover the old M’Hamid, ksar having preserved its adobe architecture intact and where life has continued its rhythm since the beginning of time. Already in the 16th century, M’Hamid was the starting point of Ahmed El Mansour Addahbi, who left with his warriors, his camels and his whole tribe to conquer Timbuktu.
Ali will welcome you to the kasbah Aladdin according to the hospitality of the region and will try to transmit to you the magic of this place which preserves the sacred character of the zaouïa where his ancestor the marabout lived. He will share with you his memories of his youth as a nomad and a shepherd, and will evoke the not so distant time when you could fish a few dozen minutes from the village in what is now a desert of sand and semi-underground palm trees. You will also discover the joy of living and the sense of humour that is still present despite the harshness of life of the inhabitants on the edge of the Sahara. If you wish, you can attend the activities of the association & quot;Hope and Sharing”; which help women to carry out a craft activity and offers children a place of study and leisure.
You can finally admire the sunset from the terrace with a magnificent view of the palm grove or climb on a nearby dune for a taste of the desert.
Typical dinner and night.

Day 3 : M’Hamid Camel Trip (for the 5 days option).
Your camel driver will pick you up at the kasbah and you will follow the track through the palm grove to reach the dunes. You will discover the different aspects of the desert to the rhythm of the camels, accompanied by the stories and songs of your guide. At nightfall a delicious tagine will be prepared for you and if the conditions allow it you can participate in the baking of the sand bread. The evening will continue under the stars and you can spend your first night in the desert in tents or under the stars.
The next day you will continue your dayney to a meeting point with our 4×4 which will take you to the large dunes of Chegaga.

Day 4 : M’hamid-Chegaga 
Erg Chegaga is one of the two great dune deserts of the Moroccan Sahara, which is accessible after about fifty kilometers from M’Hamid by the track between Reg and sand. Unlike the erg Chebbi, his brother very popular near Merzouga, this desert of vast dunes is won: four days of camel riding or two hours of track in a 4×4, it has the advantage of being larger and wild. Another important point is that it is much less touristy. Erg Chegaga is composed of several very intertwined ergs, over an area of about forty kilometers long and fifteen wide, some dunes reach 40 meters high (a 16-story building) for a maximum altitude of 520 meters.
Once on the perfect fold at the top, the view of the waves of light and shade dunes is impressive. Many then feel the magic of the desert, through its silence, its geometric shapes and at the same time its fluidity, its changing colors, and then the infinite number of stars that cover you like a luminous protective cloak.
You can also take an optional camel ride around the dunes.
Meal and evening entertainment around the fire to the sound of nomadic music.
Night at our charming bivouac at the foot of the large dunes.

Day 5 : Chegaga-Marrakech 
After breakfast the return to Marrakech will be by a different route. At the end of the dunes we will cross the immense Lake Iriki, generally drained by a lack of endemic rainfall and where the clay brings mirages to the surface. It is a mythical place in southern Morocco and which was only a few decades ago the favourite place of the gazelles of the south. We take the asphalt road again and head back to the village of Tazenakh, which is a craft centre of Berber mountain carpets, known as & quot;Ouaouzguites”;, Ouzguiti or Gloui, the most popular and popular ones.
This village was home to a large Hebrew population, and today we can admire a synagogue and a cemetery.
The N-10 road continues east through the Anti-Atlas Plateau, an arid and sparsely populated area, before climbing the mountain range through the mountain ports of Ikshane and Tagatine, at 1650 and 1890 metres, and reaching Taliouine, known for its saffron cultivation and Ouarzazate. The return to Marrakech is via the Tichka Pass.