The Drâa Valley, a Legendary River

Day-by-day itinerary

1. 01

   Day 1

   Marrakech – Ouarzazate

   Arrival at Marrakech airport and welcome by our team, followed by a direct transfer to Ouarzazate (4 hours’ drive), with a stop for refreshments. Night in a guesthouse (auberge), half board.

2. 02

   Day 2

   Ouarzazate – Agdz – Zagora – Beni Ali: start of the trek

   After a hearty breakfast, we set off by 4x4 for the famous Drâa valley. We follow the long green ribbon of its palm groves and pass the caravan towns of Agdz and Zagora to reach Beni Ali, where the cameleers are waiting. Desert camp in the palm grove after two hours’ walking.

3. 03

   Day 3

   Beni Ali – Drâa river – Nesrate

   We leave Beni Ali after our first breakfast in the wild. We walk down the Drâa valley through an abundance of palm trees: on the right, the green oases; on the left, arid plateaux. Lunch at Imi n’Taqquat, in the shade of tall tamarisks, where the Drâa meets the foot of the jbel Bani.

   During the day we meet many children and ford the Drâa river. Five hours’ walking. Desert camp and night under canvas.

4. 04

   Day 4

   Nesrate – Bou Gaiwarne dunes

   We discover the charming Berber villages of Ignaoun and Moulay Ali Achrif. Lunch is prepared by our cook in the middle of a palm oasis. After an hour’s walk, we reach the golden dunes of Bou Gaiwarne. Five hours’ walking on this third day of trekking, and a night under canvas.

5. 05

   Day 5

   Bou Gaiwarne dunes – Sidi Salah marabout – Tidri dunes

   We follow the cameleers’ path across the Drâa river to the village of Zaouiat Sidi Salah. Lunch on the edge of the village in the middle of the oasis, with a chance to meet the villagers. Tonight’s camp lies at the foot of the great dune of Tidri. Five hours’ walking and a night under canvas.

6. 06

   Day 6

   Tidri dunes – Ergabi – Oulad Driss

   We continue down the Drâa through magnificent desert landscapes. Lunch near the village of Ergabi. In the afternoon, we cross the village and oasis of Ergabi to reach the village of Oulad Driss. Five and a half hours’ walking and a night under canvas.

7. 07

   Day 7

   Oulad Driss – Tamegroute – Ouarzazate

   After saying goodbye to our team of cameleers, we leave Oulad Driss by 4x4 for Ouarzazate, travelling via Tamegroute. We stop at the zaouïa Naciria, one of the most prestigious zaouïas in North Africa. Its madrasa houses a uniquely rich library: ancient manuscripts nine centuries old, precious scientific treatises, religious works from the Andalusian golden age and illuminated Korans.

   On the edge of the town stands the potters’ cooperative, Tamegroute’s other pride. These workshops, the oldest and most famous in Morocco, have existed since the 16th century and employ 260 people. The potters still work in the traditional way: they extract their clay from underground galleries, prepare the slip by treading it underfoot and fire their pottery in kilns heated with palm fronds and dry brushwood. Tamegroute ceramics, in a subtle green somewhere between mignonette and fir, are renowned throughout Morocco.

   In the afternoon we reach Ouarzazate. Check-in at the guesthouse, followed by a traditional hammam and massage. Dinner and night at the guesthouse.

8. 08

   Day 8

   Ouarzazate – Marrakech

   Return transfer to Marrakech airport, according to your flight times.

Places on this trip

• Marrakech
• Ouarzazate
• Drâa valley