Saharan Adventure in Morocco

Easy to moderate level. 4 to 6 hours of walking per day for 11 days, with no apparent technical difficulty. Be ready to sleep under a tent for 11 nights with the “simple” comfort of bivouac camping.

Nothing to carry, only a small bag with your packed lunch and belongings for the day. Camels carry the baggage.

By minibus or 4X4 for transfers at the beginning and end of the trek.

From 5 to 15 participants.

Guide gratuities are optional and at your discretion. To reward outstanding service, a suggested guideline is 5–10% of the total trip cost. Local currency is preferred.

15 days / 14 nights.

All year round.

Guide Service

Moroccan French-speaking guide, graduate of the Tabant national school, assisted by a cook and camel drivers.

Attention, our mountain guides are not authorized to guide you in the Ouarzazate souk; official tourist guides exist and do not like it when people encroach on their territory. So do not require your guides to accompany you there, you would put them in a difficult position.

Accommodation

In a double room in a hotel in Ouarzazate, and under tents during the hike (dome tents for 2 people set up and taken down by participants, mess tent and collective toilets) or under the stars and one night in a furnished camp at Oulad Driss.

During the hike, comfort will be Saharan, that is to say basic: two-person tents and foam mattresses at your disposal. Do not forget this, you will be during this trip, far from everything and especially from your usual comfort. Here comfort is not a thick soft mattress, but the presence of thousands of stars shining above your heads and which seem so close (indeed the air is pure).

Catering

Meals are prepared (and served) by a Moroccan cook: picnic at noon, mostly consisting of mixed salads. Hot meals cooked in the evening, with alternating various tagines and couscous. We also advise you to bring, according to your habits and personal taste, some energy supplements to eat while walking (dried fruits, cereal bars…). If you have a special diet (allergies, vegetarian), please let us know in advance, as the cook does most of the shopping in Marrakech before departure. Lunches and dinners in Ouarzazate on days 1 and 15 are not included, lunch on day 14 is not included.

Meeting point / Dispersal

Meeting point

On day 1 at the airport in Ouarzazate.

Dispersal

On day 15 at the airport in Ouarzazate.

A last night in a riad: for lovers of these traditional manor houses, organized around a lush garden, and renovated into charming hotels, we suggest spending the last night of your stay in a riad. Supplement from 70 € for a double room (i.e. 35 € / person, if registered as a couple), including: room + breakfast. Please contact us.

You will receive approximately two weeks before your departure, a notice specifying the time and place of the meeting, the name and contact details of the guide as well as the address of your accommodation.

Flights

Charter flights departing from Paris or other regions, or scheduled flights via Casablanca, depending on dates and availability to Marrakech. To Ouarzazate, scheduled flights only; sometimes direct from Paris, or via Casablanca from Paris and other regions.

The prices shown are only valid for certain booking classes with the airlines serving this destination. They may therefore be changed if places are unavailable in these classes at the time of booking. We will then offer you a price supplement which you are entitled to accept or refuse.

Airport, security and fuel surcharge taxes (= air taxes): they may be adjusted without notice until ticket issue (approximately 30 days before departure).

Member of Action for Responsible Tourism (ATR)

Since 2012, Grand Angle has been a member of ATR, the reference association for more responsible tourism. We design our trips – on foot, by bike, on snow – to invite everyone to discover the world differently: with curiosity, respect and kindness.

Present on the board since 2018, we actively contribute to evolving sector practices towards more meaningful approaches. Concretely, we ensure:

• Transparency in our practices and pricing
• Respect for our partners and local communities
• Environmental protection on each of our trips

We also share the values of the traveller’s ethical charter, which encourages everyone to adopt simple actions to protect the places visited and foster meaningful encounters.

Travelife Partner

Since 2025, Grand Angle is recognised Travelife Partner, an international label that certifies our responsible practices in terms of environment, ethics and sustainable management, both within our company and with our partners and in the organisation of our trips.

This label, the second level of a demanding international certification, attests to our concrete actions for responsible tourism. We are actively pursuing our progression towards the higher level, Travelife Certified, in accordance with our sustainable development policy

• A backpack of 30 to 40 litres with ventilated back, adjustable and equipped with a ventral belt, which can hold the picnic and your day’s belongings
• A follow-on bag: a backpack or travel bag to hold all your belongings

• a hat or cap and/or scarf
• a t-shirt for 2 to 3 days of hiking with short sleeves (and/or depending on the season, under long-sleeved sweaters) in breathable fabric
• a warm sweater or windproof or softshell fleece jacket
• a windproof waterproof and breathable jacket
• mountain (trekking) pants
• hiking shorts or better, capris for women
• comfortable pants for the evening
• specific hiking socks (1 pair for 2 to 3 days of hiking),
• a pair of lightweight hiking boots holding the ankle well. Remember to “test” new shoes and those unused for a long time beforehand
• a pair of very lightweight comfort shoes for the evening

• a very WARM sleeping bag (especially in December - January - early February)
• a flashlight or better yet headlamp with spare battery and bulb
• a knife (to be checked in luggage)
• a water bottle of at least one litre or plastic bottle
• sunglasses
• toilet paper (2 rolls) lighter
• ear plugs,
• optionally, depending on your habits: binoculars, camera

Pharmacy

• a toiletry kit
• sun protection for face and lips
• a first aid kit and your personal medications containing: masks, hand sanitiser, plaster, iodised alcohol, sterile gauze, bandage for scrapes, second skin, aspirin or paracetamol, intestinal antiseptic, gastric plaster (Smecta) ultra yeast capsules, small scissors, tweezers, hydrochlorate or micropur to purify water, etc…

Equipment provided on site

• dome tents for 2 people
• mattress
• mess tent
• toilet tent
• kitchen equipment
• mineral water during the trek

Clarifications

When checking in, the checked baggage should not exceed 20kg. Also remember to put your pocket knife and any sharp or pointed object in checked luggage, otherwise it will be confiscated at boarding.

On the other hand, your personal belongings transported by car, mules or camels must be contained in a single piece of luggage (preferably backpack or travel bag) not exceeding 15kg.

Documents

Valid passport. Be aware that customs formalities have changed in Morocco, it is no longer possible for French citizens to enter Morocco with only their ID card.

Generally speaking, the information provided only applies to French nationals. We invite you to check it on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in the advice for travellers section. For other nationalities, please consult the Moroccan consulate in your country.

It is recommended to take out repatriation insurance in case of accident or death, and to consult your doctor before departure.

No vaccination is mandatory, but it is recommended to protect yourself against hepatitis A and B, and typhoid.

Covid-19 Provisions (as of 03/10/2022):
For any registration for our trips to Morocco from 30/09/2022, there are no more health restrictions for entry into Moroccan territory.
Only the passenger’s health form must be properly completed and presented upon arrival at a Moroccan airport.

Regarding currency exchange, the Moroccan Dirham is not an international currency. It is therefore not available in our banks. You will be able to easily exchange currency upon arrival at the airport or hotel.
The Dirham cannot be imported or exported. 1 € = 11,04 Moroccan Dirham as of 23/11/2022).

An international credit card, such as VISA, may also prove very useful in Marrakech or Ouarzazate.
Euros in cash or traveler’s cheques are accepted in all banks.

Between April and October: when it is noon in France, it is 10 o’clock in Morocco.
In winter: when it is noon in France, it is 11 o’clock in Morocco.

From France to Morocco: +212.
From Morocco to France: +33.

GSM Coverage
If you have contracted a “world” option before your departure, GSM coverage has greatly expanded and covers almost the entire country.

Electricity
220 volts at 50 hertz; standard European-type outlets (110 volts in exceptional cases).

Security
Morocco is one of the safest and most stable countries in North Africa. It is recalled that no country in the world can be considered to be free from terrorist risk.
Crime is not very present in city centers and rural areas compared to the outskirts of urban areas, but it is preferable to be vigilant and not display your valuables to avoid attracting the interest of thieves or aggressors. Furthermore, Morocco is one of the world’s major cannabis producers and is also a crossroads for drug trafficking; their trade or consumption is strictly prohibited and severely punished. You can find information on the France Diplomatie.fr website “Advice for Travelers”, select the country and then the “Security” section.

Moroccan National Tourism Office
161 rue Saint-Honoré, 75001 Paris
Moroccan Consulate
Paris: 12 rue de la Saïda 75015 Paris - Tel: 01.56.56.72.00 (open from 9am to 2:30pm)
Lyon: 2/4, rue Carry 69003 LYON - Tel: 04.72.36.96.17
Marseille: 22 allée Léon Gambetta - 13001 MARSEILLE - Tel: 04.91.50.02.96 / 08.91.70.02.13
Toulouse: 5, Avenue Camille Pujol - 31500 TOULOUSE - Tel: 05.62.47.10.47
Bordeaux: 2, rue Mexico - 33200 BORDEAUX - Tel: 05.56.02.42.21

Morocco enjoys a temperate and warm Mediterranean climate, with oceanic influences in the west (from 10° to 26°C), continental conditions in the center and east, and arid or desert-like in the south (with contrasting temperatures, from 0 to 40°C). Moroccan climate consists of two seasons: one dry and hot (May to September), the other cooler and more humid (October to April). Hiking in Morocco is possible year-round. In summer, head to the mountains and coasts. Spring and autumn are ideal for discovering Dadès Valley, the Middle Atlas, and the Sarho and Siroua massifs, for example. Winter is the best season for exploring the desert south.

In Morocco and across the globe, there are three types of desert:

• The Reg: stone desert, rocky plain
• The Hamada: desert plateau, rocky
• The Erg: vast region covered with dunes