Marrakech & the Sahara holiday
| country: | Morocco |
| location: | Atlas Mountains, Sahara Desert |
| trip type: | A small group adventure. |
| departures: | 2008: 31 Aug, 14 Sep, 28 Sep, 12 Oct, 19 Oct, 2 Nov, 16 Nov, 30 Nov, 14 Dec, 21 Dec, 28 Dec 2009: 18 Jan, 1 Feb, 15 Feb, 1 Mar, 15 Mar, 29 Mar, 5 Apr, 8 Apr |
| price: | From £764 - £864 (8 days) including flights from UK, from £405 - £455 excluding flights. Local payment Dirham 800 (approx £50). Single supplement £55 |
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the amazing things you'll be doing
A short winter journey to the Moroccan Sahara: Berber kasbahs, remote sand dunes and snow-capped mountains
Merzouga. The south of Morocco is ideal for exploration from autumn through to spring: the air is crisp and clear and the days are pleasantly warm. A harsh but beautiful environment, it is worth visiting for the scenery alone, but the combination of impressive fortified kasbahs and friendly Berber people make this a superb area for a trip.
From the desert town of Zagora we travel by camel into the Sahara to spend the night and watch the sunrise.
Returning north, we visit the beautiful kasbah of Ait Benhaddou and the crumbling remains of the great fortress-palace of Telouet, as romantic a spot as it is possible to imagine. Nearby in a remote and picturesque valley is the village of Tijhza, from where we take a walk into the High Atlas. There is time in the 'Pink City' of Marrakech and the beautiful coastal town of Essaouira (with its excellent seafood) to round off a memorable week.
Merzouga. The south of Morocco is ideal for exploration from autumn through to spring: the air is crisp and clear and the days are pleasantly warm. A harsh but beautiful environment, it is worth visiting for the scenery alone, but the combination of impressive fortified kasbahs and friendly Berber people make this a superb area for a trip.
From the desert town of Zagora we travel by camel into the Sahara to spend the night and watch the sunrise.
Returning north, we visit the beautiful kasbah of Ait Benhaddou and the crumbling remains of the great fortress-palace of Telouet, as romantic a spot as it is possible to imagine. Nearby in a remote and picturesque valley is the village of Tijhza, from where we take a walk into the High Atlas. There is time in the 'Pink City' of Marrakech and the beautiful coastal town of Essaouira (with its excellent seafood) to round off a memorable week.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly to Ouarzazate. |
| Day 2: | To Zagora on the edge of the Sahara; camel trek. |
| Day 3: | To Ait Benhaddou. |
| Day 4: | To Telouet; afternoon walk in the High Atlas. |
| Day 5: | Morning in Tijhza; to Marrakech. |
| Day 6: | Fabled Marrakech: palaces, souks and Djemaa el Fna - the great outdoor market. To Essaouira in the afternoon. |
| Day 7: | Explore old town and beach at Essaouira; return to Marrakech. |
| Day 8: | Fly to London. |
travellers' tales
The most exciting parts of our holiday were riding camels into the desert, and sleeping out - night sky without light pollution.
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small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places.how this holiday makes a difference
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As a part of our continued commitment to responsible tourism, we operate this trip in a way that aims to reduce impacts and to give as much back as possible to the local community. On the village walks the guide is from the local community and so the money for the tour will go straight to the local community. We work with a local operator for this trip and we had a long-term relationship with them.
We use local leaders and have worked with our operator to help train their staff in all aspects of their jobs, helping to improve their knowledge and future prospects. This has included Responsible Tourism and there are regular additional refresher training courses. The leaders will give a briefing on Responsible Tourism issues to help you understand how you can help reduce your impact and maximise the benefits to the local community from your visit. We use all Moroccan owned and run accommodation on this trip. And this again contributes directly to the local communities as local staff are employed and locally produced and sourced goods are used. We also limit the group size to 16 to reduce cultural and environmental impacts. We donated to a water-pipe building project in the Tijhza Valley, to help alleviate a water shortage in the village that we visit. We are also helping to finance the building of a toilet block at the local school to replace very limited facilities. UK Office: We have at our offices worked to reduce our carbon footprint through a reduction of energy use and energy conservation measures. We also actively try reduce the waste produced by having active reduction and recycling policies in place. We run annual staff workshops on Responsible Tourism. Carbon balancing: Global warming is a reality and to help you make a difference by reducing the carbon dioxide that is produced when you travel we offer a chance to carbon balance your flights. We encourage all our clients to do this and do so for all our staff travel. Go on do your bit! |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |