A Journey Across Timeless Morocco
Morocco, with its world-class hospitality and enchanting landscapes, from the vibrant souks of Marrakech to Zagora, the wild desert frontier is the perfect location for a photographic journey through this enchanting and vibrant land.
During the trip we use a mixture of 4 x 4 off road jeeps, camels and a private vehicle whilst we journey across the High Atlas, Middle Atlas and Sahara, visiting UNESCO Kasbah’s, establishing camps under the star-filled night sky, learning the Berber lifestyle and visiting the Saffron kingdom of Taliouine across the endless desert. We spend two nights in a mesmerizing Riad in the Taroudant region, steeped in history and beauty.
A trip of bountiful rewards across every sand dune, it’s easy to understand how Morocco has enthralled travellers with its endless appeal of romance and desert adventure.
October 19th – 27th, 2024
(Private departures also available)
Duration: 9 days
Grade: Easy to Moderate
Airport: Marrakech (RAK)
Cost: €1100 pp (including extension trek)
All accommodation, transfers, 4 x 4 Land cruisers, breakfast, lunch & dinners, guided visits + camel trek included
Professional licensed local guide
Authentic, flavourful Moroccan cuisine
Traditional Riad in Marrakech
Optional Hot Air Balloon Flight / Hammam
Private vehicle support during the trip
Days 1 - 2
Beginning in Marrakech in a enchanting Riad, we acclimatise by exploring the hidden secrets of this ancient, enchanting city including the legendary souks full of spices and charms. Energised, the adventure begins as we travel across the Atlas Mountains to Ben Haddou and the Tizi n’Tichka Pass (2260m), following the timeless route used by journeymen traders making the trek from sub-saharan Africa. We overnight in front of Kasbah of Ait Benhadou, a UNESCO site and the location of films such as Lawrence of Arabia, Game of Thrones and Gladiator.
Days 3 - 6
3. Driving to Ouarzazate we visit the Atlas Studio before continuing across the Anti Atlas mountains enjoying its magnificant landscapes through the Draa valley with its river, the longest in Morocco and lush with Palm and Fig trees. Overnighting in Zagora with time to enjoy the hotel facilities. Visiting one of the oldest Koranic schools, Zaouia Nassiria and its library dating back to the 16th century where scholars are still educated today.
Trek EXTENSION
From Zagora you can embark on a 3 day trek across the wilds if the desert, camping under the stars:
4. Zagora – 40 min drive to trail head over the Plateau of Faija to Diabet camp – 5/6 hours trekking
5. Diabet to Oum Laachar – 5 / 6 hours trekking
6. Camp over the Dunes of Bougern to reach Erg Chegaga 5 /6 hours trekking – Luxury camp with fire & music.
Day 7
Erg Chigaga affords the opportunity to explore the dune sea, either on foot or by camel. The sand dunes of Chegaga offer 40 kilometres square of exploration. Meeting with Nomads we have an opportunity to better understand the Berber way of life. Camping in the established camp, the African adventure comes into it’s own as the sun sets and the unspoilt night sky comes alive. Leaving the camp we take a pass used on the Dakar Rally arriving at Forum Zguid for lunch. We continue on to Taznakht the town described by Charles de Foucauld in 1883 as the ‘Home of the Khnif’ which means carpets where the entire population is occupied in weaving and embroidery. In the afternoon we walk through the fields of Saffron in Taliouine before arriving in our wonderful Riad in Oulad Berhil were we enjoy two nights and an opportunity to consolidate our photographic journey.
Days 8 - 9
After breakfast we leave Riad Hida to explore different landscapes passing by different villages, through Argan forests and seeing goats climbing the Argan trees. We cross the Tizi n’Test (2090m) followed by a visit to the Tinmal Mosque which is considered one of Morocco’s most important historical sites, built during the 12th century. Returning to Marrakech we enjoy our final dinner in Jamaa Ifnaa Square. The following day if you have an afternoon flight, you will have the opportunity to take a hot air balloon ride watching the sunrise over the High Atlas mountains, and enjoying a delicious Moroccan style brunch afterwards, a little time for shopping or prehaps a hammam before you head home.
Need To Know
Accommodation
2 x nights in a traditional Riad Hotel in Marrakech
1 x night in country Hotel with Swimming Pool
3 x nights camping in the Sahara, tents
1 x night staying in a simple hotel
2 x nights in a beautiful Riad with gardens and pool
What’s included
All breakfasts, lunches and dinners including bottled water.
Traditional Moroccan cuisine such as tagines, Moroccan flatbread, mint teas, rice, olives, prunes. *Specific dietary requirements catered for on request.
We provide private vehicle support throughout the trip including 4×4 jeeps in the desert and not forgetting our Camel train!
Photographic guidance and tuition with Vanessa Miles & local Moroccan Guide ( Hassan ) who is exceptional!
Entrance to Telouet Kasbah and the Koranic school in Tamgroute.
Optional: Hot Air Balloon Flight / Hammam and treatments.
Guides
Our guides are exceptionally experienced with a passion for sharing the mountains, desert, flora, fauna and culture. Qualified and licensed Mountain Leaders will bring the trip alive.
We adopt an excellent guiding ratio meaning we can cater for differing levels. You will be accompanied by an LBH guide (Hassan) working alongside a local team including specialist guides for certain sites, bus driver, 4 x 4 driver and camel drivers.
Booking and Price
Cost:
€1100 pp To secure your place a deposit is required of €250pp, the balance is due 3 months before departure.
Single Supplement available for some accommodation if requested.
We manage every booking independently to ensure attention to detail and provide a personalised service.
Terms & Conditions
Terms and Conditions (updated Jan 2021) – All trips are sold subject to these Terms and Conditions (hereinafter T&Cs).
1. Insurance
All clients need to be adequately insured for all activities they are taking part in. Insurance must include repatriation and details should be provided at the beginning of each trip.
All European clients should obtain a European Health insurance card (EHIC), however, this is not a substitute for travel insurance.
2. Health and fitness
Trip members have the responsibility to select a trip appropriate to their abilities and interests. In order to assist with this, all trips are graded and we welcome the opportunity to discuss trip details/answer questions in advance of your reservation. Trip members must be in sufficiently good health to undertake the trip, and if unsure seek medical advice in advance. For your own safety, you need to inform us of any medical conditions in advance or at the start of the trip. Trip members are also required to bring adequate clothing/equipment as advised in the pre-departure information.
3. Dietary Requirements
We endeavor to work with clients and accommodate their dietary requirements. However such is the nature of adventure travel we may be limited to specific menus e.g remote Mountain Huts, Tea Houses in the Himalaya’s etc. We fully encourage you to contact us in advance to discuss your requirements then we have every opportunity to explore options thereafter.
4. Cancellations and Fee Schedule Per Person
91 days or more prior to departure – €250 cancellation fee
61 – 90 days before departure – 25% of the trip cost
46 – 60 days before departure – 50% of the trip cost
45 days or less: 100% of trip cost
Fees are calculated from the date we receive written cancellation notice which can be via email. If clients are unable to access email and cancel over the phone we will confirm in writing the cancellation.
If you cancel 91 days or more prior to departure, it may be possible to transfer to another trip without occurring any fees. Please discuss this with us in the first instance.
With specific departures, there may be an increase in cancellation fee if the accommodation provider T & Cs mean we are liable for payment.
4.1 Cancellation due to COVID travel restrictions.
If your chosen destination country or the country where you reside have restrictions in place due to COVID, meaning you are unable to travel, you have three options:
4.11 Postpone your trip until a later date.
4.12 Take a credit note and use against a future trip with LBH.
4.13 Request a full refund.
If any other reasons prevent you from travelling, including quarantine measures then our normal (4) T&Cs will apply. We recommend that you check with your travel insurance provider to fully understand your level of cover.
5. Complaints
If you have a complaint, please contact us as soon as possible, in the first instance your leader is often your obvious point of contact. This ensures we have every opportunity to explores solutions to the problem(s) arising and we will do all we reasonably can to resolve the complaint. You must tell us within 4 weeks after your holiday of any complaints that you feel have not been dealt with properly.
6. Alterations By Us
We will tell you as soon as reasonably possible if we must make any alteration to your holiday. Most alterations are minor, but very occasionally we might have to make a major alteration. A major alteration is a change of location or to a lower standard of accommodation for a substantial part of your holiday, a change in start/finish dates or necessary price rise in your holiday caused by rises in costs (e.g. exchange rates, internal transport etc). You may then choose as follows:
- To accept these alterations
- To withdraw from the holiday, in which case we will repay all monies paid to us including your deposit and this is the sum of our liability to you
- To accept an alternative holiday that we may propose to you, in which case if the proposed holiday is a lower price we will pay you the difference and if it is a higher price we may ask for the difference.
You must inform us of your choice as soon as possible after we contact you.
7. Group Leadership
On a guided holiday your leader is responsible for the safety and enjoyment of the whole group and has sole discretion, on behalf of Live Breathe Hike, to exclude temporarily a participant from the group. They may also choose to terminate the participants holiday without the possibility of a refund if the leader thinks the participant is likely to endanger the group safety or spoil its enjoyment.
8. Your Responsibility
Mountain holidays by their very nature are adventurous, with a certain level of risk is undertaken. Individuals need to conduct themselves in a safe and responsible manner at all times; responding to advice, guidance, and instruction that may be given by the group leader / experienced professional and take all reasonable actions to eliminate accidents or injury.
9. Our Responsibilities
We will take all reasonable care to ensure that the information we give to you is accurate, including on our website, in your schedule and information pack. We will do all that we can to provide the service as described in the information we give to you. We are not liable if any failure is:
- Attributable to anyone other than us
- Attributable to a third party unconnected to us, and unforeseeable or unavoidable
- Due to unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control and could not have been avoided even if all due care had been taken
- Due to an event which even with all due care we could not foresee or forestall
10. Cancellation By Us
Live Breathe Hike reserves the right to cancel any trip prior to departure for any reason whatsoever, including insufficient signup or logistics problems that may impede trip operations. The refund of all land payments received shall relate Live Breathe Hike from any further liability.
Live Breathe Hike must normally make substantial payments to its suppliers far in advance of the scheduled trip departure date. If a trip is canceled due to force majeure; (acts of God, war, strikes, earthquake, flooding etc), Live Breathe Hike will promptly refund the portion of the trip cost not already advanced to suppliers and use its best efforts to recover and refund the balance as promptly as possible. However, Live Breathe Hike does not guarantee recovery of any or all of the advance payments made.
11. Additional Costs
Live Breathe Hike shall not be liable for (a) expenses such as additional nights and meals not specified in the individual trip itineraries, but which may required to get to from a trip start or end; expenses due to the delay of a trip for any reason (e.g. bad weather, trails conditions, land slides, flooding, sickness etc); (c) expenses occurred in recovering lost luggage by airlines, belongings left behind on a trip or in shipping purchases or other goods home from abroad; (d) visa and other incidental costs.
Live Breathe Hike reserves the right to take photographic or film records of any trips, and may use any such records for promotional and/or commercial purposes without payment.