Desert Excursion - Sahara Holiday - Trekking - Traveling in Morocco

As you leave the Atlas mountains heading south east to Ouarzazate, you find yourself, almost without warning, in an arid semi-desert which blends gradually into the classic sand dunes and rocky ranges of the Sahara. But these first brushes with the desert are surprisingly well-watered, thanks to the run-off from the Atlas, with bright green riverside meadows and extensive palmeries dotted with once-wealthy ksour.

Ouarzazate itself is a modern, regional administrative town with little of interest for the tourist, but 32km away is the famous Ait Benhaddou, one the best preserved kasbah-towns in the Atlas and featured in many films, including Lawrence of Arabia. If you continue past the throngs of Ait Benhaddou, you reach the equally lovely and lesser-visited village of Tamadaght with its crumbling fortifications and alleys.

From Ouarzazate, there are two main routes to the desert:

1. To Erfoud (and the dunes at Merzouga) via the Dades Valley (aka the Valley of a thousand Kasbahs'), Tinerhir and the Todra Gorge.

2. To Zagora (for the dunes at M'hamid) via the Draa Valley.

Ouarzazate to Erfoud

From Ouarzazate to Tinerhir you drive along the Valley of a thousand kasbahs, and soon pass the huge and well-watered palmery of Skoura. Continue east and you pass the town of El Kelaa M'Gouna, well known for its rose water and rose gardens. Go in May and you might catch the rose festival (the date is dependent upon the time of harvest).

The dramatic Todra and Dades gorges snake inland from near here. Underground and seasonal rivers have drained the Atlas range of its snow- and storm-waters, carving out deep ravines as they go. In places they are neck-craningly steep-sided, with 300m high walls whose pink rock glows as the sun sets. With a little help from a jeep, a mountain bike, or a local travel company, you can make a circuit of both gorges, starting and ending at Tinerhir, a surprisingly lively little town about 2 hours from Ouarzazate

Approximate Distances

Marrakech-Ouarzazate: 200km/4hrs

Taroudant-Ouarzazate: 5 hrs

Ouirgane/Asni-Ouarzazate: 5hrs

Kasbah du Toubkal-Ouarzazate: 6 hrs

Ouarzazate-Tinerhir: 165km/3.5hrs

Tinerhir-Erfoud: 120km/2hrs

Erfoud-Rissani-Merzouga: 50km/2-3hrs

Ouarzazate to Zagora

An alternative trip into the desert from Ouarzazate is to drive south to the oasis town of Zagora, the last of of a string of settlements in the lower Draa valley (you can also drive to Zagora from Tinehir in a jeep across the extraordinary, jagged peaks of the Jebel Saghro) The rarely visible river feeds extensive date palm groves, which form a long green ribbon bisecting the cliff-ringed mountains on either side. Every now and then a crumbling kasbah, whose mud walls are slowly being reclaimed by mother Earth, reminds you of the importance of this historic trans-Saharan trade route.

Zagora to Mhamid :

From Zagora you can head south for an hour to Mhamid and then on another 64km to reach the beautiful Erg Chegaga sand dunes . These are Morocco's most beautiful and accessible dunes, reaching 300m in height, but be warned, it is on the tourist trail, so touts will hassle you to go on sunrise excursions. We recommend booking ahead. You can also book quad-biking, sand-boarding and multi-day desert excursions through them.

Approximate Distances

Marrakech-Ouarzazate: 200km/4hrs

Taroudant-Ouarzazate: 5 hrs

La Roseraie-Ouarzazate: 5hrs

Kasbah du Toubkal-Ouarzazate: 6 hrs

Ouarzazate-Zagora: 170km/4hrs

Zagora-Tinfou: 25km

Zagora-M'hamid: 95km/2-3hrs