Berber Lands

Day-by-day itinerary

1. 01

   Day 1

   Ouarzazate – Skoura palm grove – Valley of Roses – Dadès

   We set off at 9 am by 4x4 with our driver / tour leader for the Skoura palm grove, a true oasis south of the Atlas stretching for 25 km among palm trees and old ksour. A lovely track leads us through the villages inside Skoura, then we visit the famous Kasbah Amridil, a fine example of Berber art in southern Morocco: this 17th-century building was the meeting point for caravan traders arriving from every corner of the Sahara.

   We continue to the Valley of Roses, where you can watch the harvest and visit the rose fields in Kelâat M’Gouna. After a local lunch, another beautiful 16 km track takes us to meet the last nomads of the region, who still live in caves. In the late afternoon we reach the Dadès, the ‘happy valley’ as some call it. Dinner and overnight stay in a charming / comfortable guesthouse.

2. 02

   Day 2

   A day’s walk in the mini-canyons of the Dadès

   This day on foot brings you into direct contact with the Berber people of the valley and offers a closer look at their way of life. Accompanied by a local guide, you set out on a 5-hour walk, easy level, through the wild Dadès gorges, less visited than the Todgha (Toudra) gorges. The route is decided the evening before with the guide, depending on the water level in the river.

   The narrowest and most impressive section is at Aït Oudinar, and the Sidi Boubkar gorge is also very wild. At Aït Mouted there is a fine Glaoui kasbah to visit, while the Tamlalt cliff is nicknamed ‘the Monkey Fingers’. At the end of the day, return to the guesthouse (auberge) for the second night.

3. 03

   Day 3

   Dadès – jbel Saghro – N’Kob – Agdz

   We leave the Dadès valley for the Saghro, a chaos of volcanic rocks in a lunar landscape where several settled nomad families live. Our route passes close to the highest point of jbel Saghro, with a superb view over the plain of N’Kob, the village of 45 kasbahs.

   In the afternoon we reach the Drâa valley, the longest palm valley in the country, where the date harvest each October is a true source of life for the local people. We follow the Drâa as far as Agdz for a guided tour of the palm grove, before settling into a charming eco-lodge in the heart of the oasis.

4. 04

   Day 4

   Agdz – Fint oasis – Ouarzazate

   In the morning, visit the Tamnougalt kasbah, close to the eco-lodge. We then leave for Ouarzazate via the Tizi n’Tinififft pass, a valley of volcanic canyons.

   Before Ouarzazate, we take the track to another charming oasis hidden among the rocks, Fint, for lunch with a local family. In the late afternoon, return to Ouarzazate and transfer to your hotel or the airport.

Places on this trip

• Ouarzazate
• Skoura
• Valley of Roses
• Dadès and Todgha gorges
• Drâa valley
• Fint oasis