Berber Trekking in the Southern Desert 12 Days

This is a perfect trekking for well experienced hikers and desert lovers, as you are mostly hiking in the dunes and on desert plateaus. This tour can also be organized from/to Zagora.

DAY 1: Arrival in Zagora Welcome in the Sahara! You will be picked up by your driver after arrival at Zagora Airport or from the bus station and we will bring you to Riad in the Draa valley. Depending on your arrival time, you have some free time to relax in the Riad, or you can go out on your own to explore the town. Individual lunch and dinner in your Riad or in Zagora center. Overnight in a Riad in the Draa Valley.

DAY 2: Zagora – M'Hamid (96 km) After breakfast in your Riad you have the opportunity to visit the oasis of Zagora where you can enjoy a 1 h guided tour, and you can discover the Draa Valley which is famous for its huge date groves and henna fields. Along the way to M'Hamid, we will enjoy lunch and buy some food for our trekking. Now it is time for the real desert! The village M'Hamid lies at the end of the road from Zagora. From there on only undiscovered desert! Here we'll meet our caravane with the camels and local guides/cooks. Dinner and overnight in your tent outside M'Hamid.

DAY 3: Start of the Trekking (Hiking distance 15 km) After a rich breakfast, the guides will pack your equipment on the camels and we start the trekking at about 9 o'clock. We are hiking from M'Hamid through a palm grove in the shade of palm trees.Extended lunch break and time to relax, then continue towards Sidi Naji for about 2 hours more. In the late afternoon, we build up our camp and it is time to relax. Freshly cooked dinner under the evening sky and second night in the tent or on mattresses under the sky.

DAY 4: Trekking to Erg Ezahar (Hiking distance 16 km After your yummy breakfast in the desert, we will start our second day of hiking in the beautiful landscape and to the rhythm of your camels. We'll enjoy our lunch in the shade of big tamarisk trees and continue our way in the afternoon for another 2 hours until we reach the large dune of Erg Ezahar. This big dune lies in the middle of smaller golden dunes and is a howling dune which wails when the wind kicks up.Enjoy this beautiful view while your guides install our camp under a big tree below the golden dune. Climb the big dune for sunset and take some nice pictures of this fascinating landscape. Dinner will be prepared by our guides and you'll enjoy your third night in your tent or outside.

DAY 5: Trekking to Erg Laghair (Hiking distance 11 km) Today we start our Trekking in direction of Erg Smar, an old abandoned village which the desert sands took over while the years were passing by. After our lunch break under some big tamarisk trees we continue to Erg Laghair. Enjoy the mesmerizing silence of the desert from our camp under some big trees. Dinner will be prepared by our guides and you'll enjoy sitting around a campfire and listen to some berber music. Forth night in your tent or outside.

DAY 6: Trekking to Erg Chegaga (Hiking distance 18 km) After breakfast, we'll continue our journey to reach the big dunes of Erg Chegaga, the biggest and most famous ones of the region, some over 30 m high. Climb the dunes and take some wonderful photos of the sunset from the top. What a spectacle! Dinner will be prepared by our guides and you'll enjoy your fifth night in your tent or outside.

DAY 7: Trekking to Oum Laâlag (Hiking distance 16 km) After sunrise over the grand Chegaga dunes and a nice breakfast, we continue our road to Maihat Assolah and after lunch further to the Oasis of Oum Laâlag, where we’ll spend our sixth desert night. Relax and enjoy the shining stars over the desert.

DAY 8: Trekking to Bourgane (Hiking distance 16 km) After our daily rich breakfast, our goal of the day is to reach Oued Laatache, the „river of thirst“. Our lunch break will take place near a well, which is an important stop for the nomads in the region. After lunch, we’ll continue our way in direction Bourgane, where we’ll pass our seventh night in the wilderness.

**DAY 9: Trekking to Oued Naâm (Hiking distance 16 km)**Today, after our usual desert breakfast, we walk at our pace until we reach Oued Naâm, the „River of ostriches“, where we’ll have lunch and regain our strengths to walk a little further until the spot where we’ll put our tents for the night in some small dunes. Here we’ll spend our eight and last night on the trekking.

DAY 10: Trekking to Ouled Driss (Hiking distance 16 km) After breakfast, we start our last day of trekking over the the „Hamada du Draâ“, a plain desert landscape full of volcanic stones. After eating a delicious meal at lunch time, we'll go for the last part until we reach the small village Ouled Driss with its palm groves. If you’ll arrive early enough before dinner, you can visit the typical old berber village with its old houses mad of clay and small stones. Dinner will be prepared by our guides and overnight in the camping.

DAY 11: Ouled Driss – Zagora (100 km) After breakfast in the camping, we'll start our drive with our 4x4 back to Zagora and enjoy the views of the Draa Valley along the way. After lunch break with a nomad family we'll bring you to your Riad, where you can relax at the pool from your adventure!

DAY 12: Departure Breakfast in your Riad and transfer to the airport for your flight back or start of your individual program. Have a safe journey and see you soon again!