SEEKING & TRAVELLING DEEPER

Desert pastoralists and nomads of Southern Morocco

A journey from Marakesh, through the High Atlas, to the trading cites and Kasbahs in the foothills of the Atlas and an exploration with the Sahrawi and Berber people of the landscapes, traditions and modern life of the deserts of Southern Morocco.

Journey Essentials

12 days/11 nights starting and finishing in Marrakesh
Internationally and locally led
6 nights in hotels - 2 nights in Marrakesh, 2 nights in Ait Benhaddou, 1 night in a luxury camp at Erg Chegega, and 1 night in a hotel in Agdz.
5 nights wild camping: 4 in wild locations with our local team and 1 beside a modern Nomad family who will host us.
5 days moderate walking.
Price: to be confirmed soon

Journey Dates:

2026 Journeys

5th to 16th December 2026

2027 Journeys

February (dates to be announced shortly)
December (dates To be confirmed)

Talk to us about private and bespoke journeys for groups of 2 to 5

Journey Highlights

Travel from Marrakesh through the snow capped high Atlas to the arid foot hills of the Atlas visiting kasbahs (fortified houses)and villages on the way
Explore and stay in the ancient heart of iconic UNESCO listed Ait Benhaddou: A filming location of numerous films (including Lawrence of Arabia, Game of Thrones, Gladiator).
Led by local Berber guides walk from Ait Benhaddou across a stunning sand and rock landscape to the palm lined Asif Ounila river valley.
Undertake a 4 day journey with a Camel train led by our local Saharawi guides gaining an understanding of the importance of the camel to travel, trade and livelihoods in the Sahara.
Spend 4 nights in desert wild camps – set up with beautiful communal tents and lantern and camp fire lit at night and sleep in private tents or under the stunning night skies of the Sahara.
Experience true Sahara hospitality with amazing food, conversation and music.
Be hosted for a night by a Berber Nomad Family to understand the modern life of the traditionally pastoral nomadic people who live by herding goats and camels.
At the end of our wild and local exploration, spend a final night in the deset in a fixed luxury camp in the huge Erg Chegega (sand dune) area.
Climb the highest sand dune in Morocco to see the sun set across the dunes.
Travel by 4WD on the off-road modern highways of the desert and see the stunning transitions of the desert- through dune, rock desert, fossil encusted hills, dried lake beds, palm oasis, sculpted sandstone cliffs back to the road head.

Summary Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Marrakesh: Night in the Marrakesh Madina (old walled city)
Day 2: Travel by car through the high Atlas and then back roads through local villages, stopping at Kasbahs and points of interest to arrive at iconic Ait Benhaddou. Evening exploration of the old town of Ait Benhaddou. Stay in the guest house in the restored heart of the walled town.
Day 3: Trek with Berber guides across the hills above Ait Benhaddou and to the palm groves of the Asif Oumila River for lunch. Walk to and explore the ancient cave dwelling complex of the Tazaght Caves and return by car for a 2nd night at Ait Benhaddou
Day 4: Travel by car through the Anti-Atlas and the stunning landscapes of Sothern Morocco and to the roadhead at Mhamid. Our luggage will be loaded onto camels and we will walk around an hour to our first wild camp that will have been established at the edge of the Wad (Palm tree area) and desert.
Day 5:T. After seeing and participating in the loading of the camels, walk with the camel train to Sidi Naji (about 4 hours) an oasis established in historical times by a revered holy man. A second wild camp will be set up.
Day 6: We will again move camp and walk to the Erg (desert Area) of Ezahar (about 4 hours). We will explore the desert area and watch the sun drop on the sand dunes with the changing light and shadows. Our third camp will be established in a sheltered area within Erg Ezahar..
Day 7:We will move with camels for the last time to a second desert area of Erg Essmar (about 2 hours) to explore this area and the stories and raditions of the desert. We will establish our last wild camp
Day 8: We will walk a short time (less than an hour) to meet 4WD vehicles which will take us through the desert to the North to a Berber Nomad Family who will host us. We will establish a camp beside their tents and makeshift huts and be hosed for tea and dinner and explore the history and culture of the desert Nomads
Day 9: We will visit a Desert Nomad tented school and nearby oasis, seeing traditional desert bread making and then drive to the Erg Chegega - a large dune area with the highest dune in Morocco. We will have the opportunity to travel by Camel to the foot of this dune and then ascend to see the sunset over a vista of sand dunes. We will spend our last desert night in a luxury tented camp.
Day 10: We will then take a 4WD journey across the seeing a wide array of landscapes and arrive at the roadhead in the early afternoon. We will then be taken by car for a 2-hour journey to a guest house in Agdz.
Day 11: After a relatively leisurely morning, we will take the 5-hour journey North back to Marrakech for our last night in the Medina of Marrakesh and a farewell dinner
Day 12: Departure day from Marrakesh.

Background of the journey

Discover Remote Nepal

Our Morocco journey came about through the contact of a valued Belgium based client (Jan) who joined us on one of our Dolpo journeys. Jan had a fried (Sophie) who was working with the Sahrawi people to support tourism in the area and they linked us to the wonderful Ali Bouhouda our local guide and his company

The mix of off the beaten track, stunning landscapes, fascinating history and an exploration of a fascinating people and culture living in an environment hugely different from our other destinations was a draw. We scoped the journey in February 2026, totally fell in love with the area and people, and plan our first inaugural trip in December 2026. Thanks so much to Jan and particularly to sophie and Ali.