Dunes and Oases of Southern Morocco

Easy to moderate. Between 3 and 6 hours of walking per day, with no technical difficulties. Suitable for anyone with a normal level of fitness. There is little change in elevation, but walking on sand can be tiring. You should be prepared to sleep in a tent for 5 nights with the basic comforts of a bivouac.

You only need to carry a small daypack with your picnic lunch and belongings for the day. Camels carry the luggage.

Transfers at the start and end of the trek are by minibus or 4×4.

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.

8 days / 7 nights.

From October to April.

Guides and support team

A French-speaking Moroccan guide, qualified at the national school in Tabant, assisted by a cook and camel handlers.
Please note that our mountain guides are not authorised to guide you through the souk in Ouarzazate. Licensed tourist guides operate there and take a dim view of anyone encroaching on their territory. Please do not insist that your guides accompany you there, as this would put them in a difficult position.

Accommodation

In a hotel in Ouarzazate (days 1 and 7), in double rooms with en-suite bathrooms. The hotel has a swimming pool, but swimming is only really feasible at the very beginning and end of the season. For the rest of the trip, accommodation is in tents (dome tents for 2 people, put up and taken down by participants, with a communal dining tent and toilet tent).
During the trek, comfort will be Saharan-style, meaning basic: two-person tents and foam mattresses are provided. Remember that on this trip you will be far from everything, especially your usual comforts. Here, comfort means thousands of stars shining above your heads and seeming so close (thanks to the clear air), rather than a thick, soft mattress.

Meals

Meals are prepared (and served) by a Moroccan cook: a picnic lunch, usually based on mixed salads. Hot, freshly cooked meals in the evening, alternating between a wide variety of tagines and couscous. We also recommend bringing a few energy snacks to eat while walking, according to your usual habits and personal preferences (dried fruit, cereal bars, etc.). Water is provided throughout the trek. Lunch and dinner on days 1 and 8 are not included.

Although we can cater for vegetarians, the menus offered may have a more limited choice. However, we cannot cater for special diets, as it is very difficult (and sometimes impossible) to accommodate a wide range of dietary requirements. You will therefore need to supplement your meals with food / snacks you have brought with you. Please note that we cannot provide separate menus and accept no responsibility for problems related to specific diets or intolerances.

Meeting point / End of trip

Meeting point

On day 1 at Ouarzazate airport.

End of trip

On day 8 at Ouarzazate airport.

A final night in a riad: if you love these traditional grand houses, arranged 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 (equivalent to 35 € / person when booking as a couple), including: room + breakfast. Please contact us.

Flights

Charter flights from Paris or regional French airports, 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 regional French airports.
For flights departing from regional French airports, please contact us.

The prices shown are only valid for certain booking classes on airlines serving this destination. They may therefore change if seats in these classes are unavailable at the time of booking. We will then offer you a fare supplement, which you are free to accept or decline.
Airport taxes, security charges and fuel surcharges (= air travel taxes): these may be adjusted without notice until tickets are issued (approximately 30 days before departure).

Approximately two weeks before departure, you will receive joining instructions specifying the meeting time and place, your guide’s name and contact details, and the address of your accommodation.

Member of Agir pour un Tourisme Responsable (ATR)

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

As members of the board of directors since 2018, we actively help the sector move towards more meaningful practices. In practical terms, we focus on:

• Transparency in our practices and prices
• Respect for our partners and local communities
• Protecting the environment on every trip

We also share the values of the traveller’s ethical charter, which encourages everyone to take simple steps to protect the places they visit and foster rewarding encounters.

Travelife Partner

Since 2025, Grand Angle has been recognised as a Travelife Partner, an international label certifying our responsible practices in environmental protection, ethics and sustainable management, both within our company and in our work with partners and the organisation of our trips.

This label, the second level of a rigorous international certification scheme, recognises our concrete actions to support responsible tourism. We are actively working towards the next level, Travelife Certified, in accordance with our sustainable development policy

• A 30 to 40 litre backpack with a ventilated back panel, an adjustable fit and a hip belt, with enough room for your picnic lunch and everything you need for the day
• A bag for luggage transfers: a backpack or travel bag to hold all your belongings

• a hat or cap and/or scarf
• one short-sleeved T-shirt for every 2 to 3 days of walking, made from breathable fabric (and/or, depending on the season, long-sleeved base layers)
• a warm jumper or a windproof fleece or softshell jacket
• a waterproof, windproof and breathable jacket
• a pair of mountain walking (trekking) trousers
• a pair of hiking shorts or, preferably for women, cropped trousers
• a pair of comfortable trousers for the evening
• hiking socks (1 pair for every 2 to 3 days of walking),
• a pair of lightweight hiking boots with good ankle support. Remember to try out new boots and any that have not been used for a long time beforehand
• a pair of very lightweight casual shoes for the evening

• a very WARM sleeping bag (especially in December, January and early February)
• a torch or, better still, a head torch with a spare battery and bulb
• a knife (to be packed in checked baggage)
• a water bottle holding at least one litre or a plastic bottle
• sunglasses
• toilet paper (2 rolls), a lighter
• earplugs,
• optional, depending on your preferences: binoculars, camera

First aid and toiletries

• a toiletry kit
• sun protection for your face and lips
• a first aid kit and your personal medication, including: surgical masks, hand sanitiser, Elastoplast, iodine antiseptic solution, sterile gauze, dressings for grazes, second-skin blister dressings, aspirin or paracetamol, intestinal antiseptic medication, a gastrointestinal protective treatment (Smecta), Ultra-Levure capsules, small scissors, tweezers, Hydroclonazone or Micropur for purifying water, etc.

Equipment provided locally

• dome tents for 2 people
• mattresses
• a dining tent
• a toilet tent
• cooking equipment
• mineral water during the trek

Additional details

At check-in, your checked baggage must not exceed 20kg. Remember to pack your pocket knife and any sharp or pointed objects in your checked baggage, otherwise they will be confiscated when you board.

Your personal belongings transported by car, mule or camel must also fit into a single bag (preferably a backpack or travel bag) weighing no more than 15kg.

Travel documents

A valid passport. Please note that entry requirements have changed in Morocco: French nationals can no longer enter Morocco using only their identity card.
In general, the information provided applies only to French nationals. Please check it on the Ministry for Foreign Affairs website, in the travel advice section. For other nationalities, please consult the Moroccan consulate in your country.

It is recommended that you take out insurance covering repatriation in the event of an accident or death, and consult your doctor before departure. No vaccinations are compulsory, but protection against hepatitis A and B and typhoid is recommended.

Covid19 provisions (as of 03/10/2022):
For all bookings on our trips to Morocco from 30/09/2022, there are no longer any health restrictions on entry into Morocco.
Only the passenger health form must be completed in full and handed in on arrival at a Moroccan airport.

When exchanging money, please note that the Moroccan dirham is not an international currency. It is therefore not available from banks in France. You can easily exchange money on arrival at the airport or at your hotel.
The dirham may neither be imported nor exported. 1 € = 11,04 Moroccan dirhams as of 23/11/2022).

An international credit card, such as VISA, can also be very useful in Marrakech or Ouarzazate.
Euros in cash or travellers' cheques are accepted at 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.

Mobile phone coverage
If you have activated a worldwide roaming option before departure, GSM coverage has expanded considerably and now covers almost the entire country.

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

Safety
Morocco is one of the safest and most stable countries in North Africa. Please remember that no country in the world can be considered free from the risk of terrorism. Crime is less common in city centres and rural areas than on the outskirts of urban areas. However, it is advisable to remain vigilant and avoid displaying valuables, so as not to attract the attention of thieves or potential attackers. Morocco is also one of the world’s major cannabis producers and a hub for drug trafficking. The sale or use of drugs is strictly prohibited and carries severe penalties.
You can find information on the France Diplomatie.fr website under “Travel advice”: select the country, then the “Safety” section.

Moroccan National Tourist 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 09:00 to 14:30)
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 has a mild to hot Mediterranean climate, with oceanic influences in the west (from 10° to 26°C), continental influences in the centre and east, and arid or desert conditions in the south (widely varying temperatures, from 0 to 40 °C). Morocco’s climate has two seasons: one dry and hot (May to September), the other cooler and wetter (October to April). Hiking in Morocco is possible throughout the year. In summer, head to the mountains and the coast. Spring and autumn are the ideal times to explore the Dadès Valley, the Middle Atlas and the Sarho and Siroua mountain ranges, for example. Winter, meanwhile, is the recommended season for the desert south.
In Morocco and around the world, there are three types of desert:

• Reg: a stone desert, a rocky plain.
• Hamada: a rocky desert plateau.
• Erg: a vast area covered by sand dunes.