Family Atlas Mountain and Sahara Adventure

Experiencing the love of travel and passing on the bug to your family is priceless.  This 8 day small group family adventure to Morocco combines fun, must see sights and once in a lifetime experiences. ExploreNorth Africa’s highest mountains and the world’s largest desert. Ride mules in the High Atlas and cycle the southern mountain slopes. Explore the great Sahara Desert by camel and sleep in a traditional Berber tent among the dunes. Finally discover the ancient city of Marrakech and experience the evening street entertainment of the atmospheric Djemma el Fna Square.  The trip has been created by our partners at Exodus, group sizes are usually between 12 and 16 people.

Day One – Arrive Marrakech

Morocco’s famous Red City, Marrakech is the spiritual heart of the country, a cultural melting pot of the mountain Berbers and the desert peoples of the south. Blessed with some of the most stunning architecture in Morocco its mix of tradition, colour and history makes it the ideal starting point.

There are no activities planned today, so you are free to arrive in Marrakech at any time. If your flight arrives earlier in the day, perhaps you might choose to relax beside the hotel’s swimming pool or take a stroll around Djemma El Fna Square. The hotel is located in the heart of the new town surrounded by many restaurants with easy access to the main avenue to the old town.

Day Two – Drive to Anmiter and ride mules to the remote Atlas village of Tighza

Head south from Marrakech after breakfast, crossing over the Tizi ‘n Tichka Pass (2260m) following a meandering course that takes you deep into the towering peaks of the Atlas Mountains.

North Africa’s greatest mountain range, the High Atlas presents us with some of the country’s wildest landscapes, a region culturally removed from the rest of Morocco and one that has provided a barrier between the northern plains and the pre-Sahara for centuries. This is the land of the fiercely independent Berbers, the ‘Lords of the Atlas’, whose traditions and ways still hold sway up here in their mountain strongholds far away from the cities below. The Berbers present us with a unique view of a way of life lost to the rest of North Africa, where music and dance, even language and religion, are far removed from their Arab neighbours.

Our morning’s journey brings you past the ruined Glaoui Kasbah of Telouet to the fortified village of Anmiter. Here you’ll meet your mules and at a relaxed pace, follow a winding track with stunning views onto the small village of Tighza where you’ll spend the night in a remote, local gite high above the valley.

Your base for tonight is a family owned village house in the outskirts of Tighza. This small property features traditional decor throughout and offers large panoramic terraces for you to enjoy views across the village and the High Atlas mountains. There is a small restaurant and tea room where you can enjoy Berber cuisine; made from fruit and vegetables grown in their own garden. Bathrooms are shared facilities. It’s a very peaceful place to stay allowing you to fully appreciate the tranquillity of our surroundings.

Day Three – Morning Valley hike, drive to Ait Ben Haddou for a tour of the historic Kasbah

After breakfast you will head out out for a hike through the valley in this remote corner of the Atlas. Walking along cultivated fields, learn about the traditional irrigation used in this arid region with channels built to divert the snow melt waters into the terraces and mud built villages. Heading down the southern slopes of the High Atlas, reach the trailhead in Anmiter where you will be reunited with your vehicle. The total hike duration is between two and three hours.

The chef will prepare a deserved picnic lunch under the shade of almond trees before you continue our journey.

After a drive along the picturesque Ounila Valley, with its barren slopes in sharp contrast to the rich green valley floor, you’ll reach your hotel located opposite the famous Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou.

The rest of the afternoon is free to relax and enjoy the swimming pool. Late afternoon when the lights are better suited for photos, take a guided tour of Ait Ben Haddou. This UNESCO Heritage Site presents you with one of Morocco’s most famous locations, a once important stop along the old trading routes between Marrakech and the Sahara during the 16th century and a superb example of a typical fortified ksar.

Day Four – Bike ride to Ouarzazate, visit film studios and drive to Tamnougalt

This morning you’ll take to the saddle and cycle from Ait Ben Haddou down towards the fertile landscapes of the Draa Valley and the town of Ouarzazate. Helmets are supplied in two sizes or you can bring your own for a better fit. The total duration is 21km, a support vehicle is also in attendance and available for non-cyclists. During the summer months, you’ll will set off early to avoid the midday heat.

Known as the ‘Doorway to the Desert’ this fascinating outpost lies to the south of the High Atlas and is sandwiched between the high mountains and the expansive sands of the Sahara. It is home to one of the largest movie studios in the world. The Atlas Film Studios boasts an impressive array of productions including The Mummy, Gladiator, Babel, Kingdom of Heaven and Lawrence of Arabia. Pay a visit to the studios, taking a tour of some of these famous film sets before continuing through the beautiful Draa Valley.

Your drive takes you across a landscape lined with palm groves, Kasbahs and traditional ksours (villages), as you make your way to the village of Tamnougalt to explore what was once the capital of this remote desert region. The village’s name translates as ‘meeting point’ and its history has been interwoven with the ruling qaids (masters) of the Mezguita region for centuries. Even today it hosts an annual festival in October when all the surrounding villages gather for a celebration of the religious and cultural traditions of these hardy people.

Your kasbah style accommodation is located in the middle of the Draa Valley with its green palm groves. It has a swimming pool and easy access to the valley for nice walks in the fields. The rooms are air conditioned.

Day Five – Drive vi Zagora to Tiraf dunes in the desert, afternoon camel ride

Turning south today, you will follow the course of the Draa River, spending the morning driving through the ever-changing scenery as you make our way towards the vast oasis of Zagora, referred to by many as ‘The Gate of the Desert’. Once a major outpost along the caravan routes, it takes 52 days by camel from here to Timbuktu, or so a nearby sign indicates! Continue on to Tagounite, which lies at the outer fringes of a line of undulating sand dunes that provide a taste of the immense grandeur of the Saharan Desert beyond. Amidst this seemingly inhospitable landscape the desert heat causes the air to blur and quiver, creating mirages that shimmer in the soaring temperatures, the ideal setting to explore in the time honoured manner of the Tuareg nomads.

Taking to camels, you’ll form your own caravan from the oasis of Tiraf dunes (the camel ride may take place in the late afternoon on summer departures).

Stopping to enjoy the quiet desolation of the setting and to learn something of desert life, you will eventually reach your overnight camp in time for a late afternoon of bread making. Your evening meal tonight is a hearty Berber style dish which you’ll enjoy into under the vast desert sky.

Your desert camp for the night consists of a combination of twin person tents and some 3 and 4 person family tents with a central communal tent where our evening meal and breakfast is served. Rather than sleeping in tents, you may choose simply to sleep out in the open, enjoying the rare majesty of the setting and watching out for shooting stars across the horizon.

Day Six – Visit Tamegroute, drive to Ouazazate

Retracing your steps this morning head north once more by camel for a couple of hours back to the road. You’ll make a stop at the settlement of Tamegroute to visit its famous 17th century zaouia, one of the most important in the Moroccan Sahara. This was once a centre of great learning and the base of the Naciri Brotherhood, who for centuries held sway over the tribes of the Draa Valley. The holy leaders of Tamegroute were traditionally (up until quite recent times) the arbitrators of desert disputes, settling differences amongst the residents of the surrounding kours and the traders that passed through these lands on the great camel caravans that journeyed through Zagora. Pay a visit to the local potters’ cooperative, before continuing back to Ouarzazate later this afternoon.

Located in the main avenue of Ouarzazate and close to the main market, the hotel has a swimming pool and the rooms are air conditioned.

Day Seven – Drive to Marrakech, afternoon city tour

A morning drive takes you northwest back to Marrakech, where you’ll have the rest of the day to explore a city that has for centuries been a meeting place for the mountain Berbers and the desert peoples of the south. This afternoon there is the opportunity to explore its rich heritage with a sightseeing tour of this famed Red City. Renowned for its beautiful architecture, pass the rose-coloured Koutoubia ‘booksellers’ Mosque and enter the Saadian tombs, a magnificent complex, showcasing intricate Moroccan design at its finest. Your next stop is the Bahia Palace, a fusion of Moroccan and Islamic styles that is an excellently preserved open-air museum, and is naturally cool, making it a pleasure to wander around!

Munching on fresh pastries from a traditional bakery, continue into the Medina on foot. Being guided through the labyrinth of colourful spice-scented souks serves up a feast for the senses. Rugs, leather goods, silverware and crockery of all shapes and sizes are on offer.  Have a true Marrakech experience by getting stuck in, haggling with one of the local traders to come away with an authentic souvenir. Visit a spice shop and see the variety of mouth-watering food on offer, sampling ripe dates with almonds from the stall sellers. Navigating your way out of the souks, find yourselves in the midst of the frantic Djemma el-Fna Square. Watch the street performers up close or head to a rooftop cafe to sip freshly squeezed orange juice and marvel at the spectacle unfolding below.

After your tour you may like to enjoy more of the remarkable Medina, by haggling for a bargain or two, or simply sit at one of the rooftop cafés and watch the street tableaux unfold before you. Do remember that many of the mosques may be forbidden to non- Muslims and be careful of photographing women, as this may be unacceptable, it is always best to ask.

Day Eight – Depart Marrakech

 

Price from £760 per person including flights, accommodation, transport in destination, breakfast, lunch on 4 days, dinner on 2 nights, explore tour leader/guide.

To find out more about this family adventure to Marrakech, get in touch.