Moroccan Mountains, Steppes & Sahara Discovery

Meet our representative on landing in Oujda Airport. A trip briefing at your hotel is followed by a sightseeing tour of Oujda's old city. See Bab El Ouahab, Saint Louis Cathedral, the Grand Mosque of Oujda and a clock tower.

Stay overnight in Oujda.

Set off to explore one of the most remote corners in Morocco that is yet to appear on the Lonely Planet list of Morocco's trekking routes. Hop into off-road vehicles with your group and drive across the massif of Jebel Metsila, passing by typical Berber villages of Guenfouda and Jbel Bou Keltoum to reach the Jerada Pass.

Hike down to the lush steppes of Marija where we will stop for lunch after visiting the Rass el Ain springs and the cascades of Benimathar. The afternoon will be devoted traversing a desert where the only inhabitants are nomads who can cope with vastness, isolation and remoteness of the desert life.

Stop at Borj de Trarite Rhars-Allah where you can have mint tea with the locals. Then proceed to Tendrara and continue onward to Bouarfa, where we will set camps for two nights. Enjoy your dinner in Bouarfa town and spend the night in a desert camp.

Continue your hike to Figuig, which is located on the Morocco-Algeria border. A less-visited oasis absolutely under the tourist radar, Figuig is nevertheless a beautiful valley with palm groves where you can experience authentic Saharan life.

Leave your vehicles over a hill and hike down a footpath to the oasis of Zenaga, as well as Merires village and the town of Figuig itself, where adobe hamlets punctuate dense green palm groves. Lunch will be in a typical kasbah where a local family will offer you local staples unique to this region. Experience life in an oasis as you explore the trails and alleys of Saharan hamlets.

Hit the road back to your camp in Bouarfa late in the afternoon.

Continue your trek to Boudnib after breakfast. The next destination on today's itinerary is the lush oasis of Meski, where we will set up our camp and enjoy lunch.

Head out to the Ziz Valley and the canyons of El Kenz in the afternoon. Hike through the trails leading to Ksar Jdid Ait Amira. Explore Zaouia Jdida and Douirat oases by foot. Stop for tea at a local's home in Burj Yardi where your vehicle will be waiting to take you back to your camp at Meski.

Your day starts early today. Travel to the dunes of Merzouga, one of Morocco's most popular highlights, and enjoy hiking over the dunes. See an amazing sunrise from the Sahara Desert. Then take a camel to Kasbah Leila, where you will enjoy your breakfast.

You are off to Rissani after that. Despite the advent of modernity, Rissani still retains its old-world charm and is a centre of trade in the sub-Saharan region. A local guide will show you around town. Learn more about life in a desert and tribes like Bedouins and Tuaregs who live here.

Have your lunch in Rissani then get into the vehicle for a return drive to Meski with a detour to Erfoud, where you will visit its souks. Have dinner while listening to Saharan music in Meski and get back to your camp for a good night's sleep.

Time to leave Meski. Today, you will get the chance to behold one of the most popular natural landmarks of Morocco, the Todra Gorges.

Drive to Tinghir after breakfast and meet your local mountain guide who will take you on a sightseeing tour of terracotta villages and castles made with sun-baked bricks. Then head out to the Todra Valley which you will explore on foot during a hiking trip.

Learn more about the life of the people in the valley, specially he history of Judaism among the Berber tribes of Ait Atta. Your hiking continues after lunch before it is time to return to Tinghir for dinner.

Stay overnight at Kasbah Lamrani.

Leave Tinghir for Zagora in the morning. Enjoy beautiful scenery of the Anti-Atlas (also known as the Lesser Atlas) along with the Jbel Saghro along the way. The Jbel Saghro range is defined by unique rock formations and the austere beauty of a lunar landscape.

Hike through Berber villages at high elevation to reach the lush Draa Valley, where greenery prevails amid bone-dry, desert landscape thanks to the serpentine Draa River. Continue past Agdez and other hamlets with stops along the way. Your journey comes to an end on reaching Zagora, where you will stay at Tinsouline Hotel.

A full-day hike awaits you today in Zagora, the gateway to the Moroccan Saharan. Drive through the lowlands and then along mountain passes to reach Tamegroute. Stop for a visit to a famous Moorish Koranic library, home to rare books and documents, some are written on gazelle hide and dating back to the 13th century.

Continue your journey through the sandy terrain all the way to the dunes of M’Hamid El Ghizlanes, located in the heart of the Moroccan Sahara. Tonight, you will camp near Iriki Lake. Do not forget to see the starry African sky before going to sleep.

Explore the trails between the Sahara and the Atlas by foot. Your journey today will take you through some of the most remote and breathtaking landscapes unique to this part of the world. Traverse an immense plateau to reach Foum Zguid Oasis, where the horizon forces your imagination to comprehend the vastness and isolation of the Sahara Desert.

Continue to the paved road in the direction of Tata Oasis, your final destination of the day. Spend the night in a typical kasbah.

After breakfast, we will continue our adventure discovering Bedouin caravan trails west to Guelmime, an ancient trading outpost, namely the exotic oasis of Guelimime. Caravans still gather in this oasis once in a year during a fair to buy, sell and barter goods brought from major sub-Saharan countries of the Sahel and West Africa and sometimes even from as far as East Africa.

Guelmime is, in fact, a bustling souk at the edge of the desert connecting North Africa to the sub-Saharan countries of the Sahel.

Leave Goulimine in the morning and travel to the jewel of southwestern Morocco, the magnificent Tiznit. Named after a woman who has left her mark in Moroccan myths and legends, Tiznit still lives up to the reputation of its founder. Here is where you will find the best silversmiths in Morocco working on beautiful Berber jewellery. Your lunch will be at one of the best eateries in the Berber region of Souss.

Continue with your adventure after lunch, traveling through the backroads as you head for the lush plateaus of Ait Baha in the High Atlas Mountains. Spend your afternoon hiking and exploring Neolithic rock carvings this region is known for.

Travel across Berber villages known for their distinguished beauty and along the trails of Ait Baha. Stop for lunch at the exotic Tiout Oasis. Reach the walled medieval city of Taroudant, located at the entrance to the valley of Souss.

Explore the city surrounded by red-ochre walls, often referred to as 'little Marrakech' with your local guide. One can even argue that Taroudant surpasses the charm and beauty of Marrakech with its authenticity and traditional Berber style. You will stay in a riad tonight.

Proceed to Imlil via Asni and cross the Tizi-n-Test Pass, located at an elevation of 2,093 m. Today's hike involves the Atlas Mountains and deep valleys.

The morning will be spent exploring the Toubkal Plateau on foot. Leave for Marrakech after lunch. The centre of finance in Morocco now, Marrakech was earlier a marketplace where southern tribesmen and Berber villagers brought their wares and spent their money buying goods. Your dinner tonight will be at a typical Moroccan restaurant.

Go out on a walking tour of Marrakech with your local tour guide today. Discovering the historical highlights of the city in the morning. See the Menara Gardens, Bab Agnaw Gate, Saadian Tombs and Bahia Palace. Explore the vibrant souks of Marrakech in the afternoon.

Tonight's dinner will be Sheherazade Restaurant.

We will drive you to Mohammed V International Airport for your flight back home. We hope you have enjoyed every moment of this small-group overland tour. Please let us know if you would like to extend your Morocco stay.