Holidays
Morocco Family Adventure Desert Trek

1 review

Ke Classic

Holidays

Morocco Family Adventure Desert Trek

Morocco

1 review

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Multi Activity

Family

LEISURELY

Camel trekking in the desert and sleeping out under the stars

Trip Code: FPC

Minimum child age: 6

Child discount up to and including age: 11

Our Holiday Grades Explained

To show the relative difficulty of our holidays, each trip is graded on a scale of 1 to 12, with 12 being the most challenging. Although we have tried to make our grading system as clear as possible, it cannot take into account your personal interests, abilities or experience. If you have any questions about the nature of a particular trip or its suitability for you, please read the 'Is this holiday for you?' section or contact us.

1 - 3 LEISURELY

Suitable for most people in good health, holidays at this grade include only limited amounts of activity.

View leisurely holidays

4 - 6 MODERATE

Suitable for reasonably fit individuals, such as weekend walkers and cyclists. There can be the occasional more difficult day.

View moderate holidays

7 - 9 CHALLENGING

Physically challenging holidays, where you need to be prepared before you go.

View challenging holidays

10 - 12 TOUGH

Our toughest holidays, involving many long days, often in isolated areas. A high level of fitness and previous wilderness and mountain experience is essential.

View Tough holidays

Section:

Morocco Family Adventure Desert Trek

Age

Camel Trek

Animals And Wildlife

Sand Dunes

Highlights

A super family adventure desert walking holiday in Morocco
Traditional camel caravan on the edge of the Sahara Desert
Trek with the camels and explore the magic of Marrakech
Camp under the stars in the Moroccan desert with your family

At a Glance

Group Size 5 to 15
4 days walking with camel support
Join In Marrakech

Accommodation & Meals

7 Breakfasts
6 Lunches
5 Dinners
2 nights Hotel with swimming pool
4 nights Camping
1 nights Bedouin Camp

Overview

This super family walking holiday with camels in Morocco starts out beyond the Atlas Mountains amongst the palm-fringed oases of the Draa Valley. Here, we meet our Berber crew and their team of camels and set out on a 4-day walk on the edge of the great Sahara Desert. Travelling in the traditional way of the camel caravan, our route will take us across high sand dunes to isolated villages and rock ridge viewpoints. Camping out in the desert, meeting Saharan dwellers and hunting for fossils, this is an enchanting experience for the whole family. We sell this in conjunction with our partners in France, so there might be a mix of French and English families - great for diversity and learning a little more French. All guides speak English and French. The holiday also includes time for sightseeing in the wonderful city of Marrakech where the evening entertainment is still provided by jugglers, acrobats and story-tellers.

View our full range of adventure holidays in Morocco.

Is this holiday for you?

Suitable for children from 6 yrs old

This is a walking and camping holiday for the family in Morocco where camels carry all of our equipment. During each day's walk you need only carry what you require that day. The walking has been tailored with children in mind and involves walking through desert terrain in a traditional camel caravan. If necessary, tired, small individuals can be carried by camels for parts of the day's walk. Children should wear cycling helmets and riding on the camels are at entirely your own risk. This is a walking holiday and not a camel riding holiday! The terrain here is more of a hard-packed sand rather than dunes. We will be walking for up to 5 hours each day at a leisurely pace with plenty of time for stops to explore the desert, examine the rock art, search for fossils etc.

Why KE?

A super way to escape the crowds on a great value week long holiday in Morocco, exploring the varying landscapes of the desert, camping under starry desert skies, led by superb guides (the best in the business) and supported on trek with quirky camels!

Itinerary

Download Trip Notes

Day 1

Meet at the group hotel in Marrakech. Transfers from Marrakech Airport are provided.

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Your holiday starts at the hotel in Marrakech. On arrival at Marrakech Airport you will be met by a KE representative who will assist with the short transfer to the group hotel. After settling in you may have the time to do a little exploration. There is lots to see and do in Marrakech, and quite easy to get around. You can head for the central square, Djemaa-el-Fna, beneath the imposing tower of the Koutoubia Mosque. The main labyrinth of souks is also found here if we fancy looking around and chatting to the local sellers. We can have dinner at the hotel or a nearby restaurant.

Accommodation

Hotel with swimming pool

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Day 2

Transfer to Tamsahlte in the heart of the desert via Ouarzazate and the Draa Valley.

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We have an early breakfast ahead of a full day of driving to cross the Western High Atlas. From Marrakech we drive southeast across the Haouz Plain before reaching the switchback road through the mountains. Passing Berber villages en route we cross the spectacular Tizi n’Tichka (2260m) - the highest road pass in Morocco - then gently down alongside the Assif Imini, through the ‘Beau Geste’ city of Ouarzazate where we take our lunch. From Ouarzazate we set off on a 2 hour drive through the Draa Valley. This part of the world has been a popular choice for movie-makers, with block-busters such as Lawrence of Arabia being filmed here. Our route takes us through an area of striking rock formations (folded brightly striped strata) in the vicinity of Agdz and through the village of N’Kob to reach Tamsahlte on the edge of the Sahara. Here we have our first overnight camp in the desert and meet our camels and their handlers.

Accommodation

Camping

Meals

B L D

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Day 3

First day of trekking with our camels across the desert, volcanic landscapes. Camp near Ait Ouazzik.

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Our first day of camel trekking. Camels walk at a slow pace and we walk with this 'camel caravan' as we pass through an incredible volcanic landscape, following in the footsteps of the first Saharan nomads. We climb to the tizi n'Oujgal and then across the tizi n'Inejdane where we have superb views over the desert and the mountains. The scenery here is similar to the Hoggar mountains of central Sahara in Algeria with serrated ridges and isolated formations of weather-worn rock sticking up out of the desert floor. Neolithic tribes once inhabited these lands and we can see evidence of this in the form of petroglyphs and cave drawings. We make camp close to Aït Ouazzik.

Accommodation

Camping

Meals

B L D

Ascent

130 M

Descent

150 M

Time

5 hrs walking

Distance

15 KM

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Day 4

Visit the nearby Kasbah, then trek through the gorge to the oasis village of Amred to camp tonight.

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This morning we pay a visit to the Kasbah in Aït Ouazzik before setting off on the day’s trek. We pass through a gorge to reach the well of Imi n'Ouarg where we can take lunch. Beyond Imi n'Ouarg, we climb to a rocky plateau and eventually follow a splendid avenue of acacias into the village of Amred, a true oasis in the desert. We camp beside palm trees and slender tamarisk bushes close to the water.

Accommodation

Camping

Meals

B L D

Ascent

15 M

Descent

115 M

Time

4 - 5 hrs walking

Distance

20 KM

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Day 5

Continuing with the camels the trek takes the route to the dunes of Barghou and Foum Tizza to camp.

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Leaving the oasis of Armed we take our camels deep into the heart of the desert. Travelling with our camels through the vast expanse of the Sahara we pass a succession of oases as little by little, we near the dunes of Barghou which appear on our horizon. At Foum Tizza, where a long rocky crest thrusts out to meet this wave of dunes, we make our camp.

Accommodation

Camping

Meals

B L D

Ascent

40 M

Descent

30 M

Time

4 - 5 hrs walking

Distance

14 KM

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Day 6

Final trekking day through the Saredrar mountains with its fossils to the camp in Bedouin tents.

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A great day’s trekking through a spectacular landscape. Our caravan now crosses the Saredrar mountains where fossils can be found and towards the end of our day’s trek, more imposing dunes appear. These high dunes of Saredrar at the foot of the mountains should be reached in the early afternoon. Here we stay at a fixed camp of khaimas (traditional tents of the desert Bedouin nomads) which has comfortable beds and showers.

Accommodation

Bedouin Camp

Meals

B L D

Ascent

30 M

Descent

30 M

Time

3 - 4 hrs walking

Distance

8 KM

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Day 7

Transfer back to Marrakech. Afternoon free for sightseeings and the Djemaa el-Fna.

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After breakfast we make the drive back to Marrakech, and check in to our Hotel. We have another chance to visit the remarkable Djemaa el-Fna. The hustle and bustle of the crowds, the jugglers, story-tellers, and acrobats will be quite a contrast to the quiet and calm of the desert.

Accommodation

Hotel with swimming pool

Meals

B L

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Day 8

Departure day. Marrakech Airport transfers provided.

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Your holiday ends after breakfast. Airport transfers are provided on this day.

Meals

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Download Trip Notes

The Route

Airport

Point

Peaks

Direction

Transfer

Trek

Essential Information

We've compiled some of our Frequently Asked Questions to help you learn more about this amazing trip.

Holiday

General

Equipment

What's Included

An experienced professional English and French speaking Moroccan leader
Marrakech Airport transfers (on first and last day of itinerary)
All land transport and hotel accommodation involved in the itinerary
Meals as per the Meal Plan
Once on trek a full service including food and all equipment (excluding personal equipment)

What's not Included

Travel insurance
Tips for staff
Meals as per the meal plan
Airport transfers (other than on Day 1 and 8)
Miscellaneous expenses - souvenirs and drinks etc

Joining Arrangements & Transfers

TRAVEL TO YOUR DESTINATION

If flying from the UK there are low cost airlines available to the start and from the end of your holiday.

To benefit from full financial protection, ease your holiday planning, and avoid dealing with airlines, we can book scheduled flights from the UK as part of a flight inclusive package. Scheduled flights are usually more expensive that low cost alternatives, however potentially less stressful if your flight is cancelled or delayed. If you book flights through KE Adventure Travel we will offset the carbon of your flight.

The group will meet at the hotel in Marrakech.

Airport transfers are provided for all clients to the group hotel.

Hotel contact details and an emergency number will be provided with your booking confirmation.

Meal Plan

All meals are included except for 2 dinners whilst in Marrakech (day 1 & day 7).

Food & Water

It is not recommended to drink untreated water from the taps. You should take purification tablets or a filter bottle (such as a Water-To-Go bottle) to treat your water. We do not encourage the purchasing of single use plastic bottles.

On trek, the food is a mixture of local and Western, all purchased locally and cooked for us by our trek cooks. Breakfasts are continental style, with tea and coffee, orange juice, cereals including muesli, bread, jam, honey and cheese. A morning snack is also provided and this usually consists of a piece of fruit (apple, orange), together with Moroccan “trail mix” of dried figs and dates, peanuts, sugar coated peanuts and other nuts. Lunch usually starts with the Berber specialty of mint tea, followed by a freshly prepared salad. Hard and soft cheeses, tinned fish, olives, biscuits and bread are also on the lunchtime menu. Dinner starts off with soup and bread. The main course is usually rice, pasta, cous-cous, spaghetti or chips, with a vegetable stew (or tagine) consisting of some of the following - onion, potato, carrot, green pepper, zucchini, turnip, parsnip. green beans, peas. There will be some meat (usually chicken, lamb or beef). Meat is not prominent in the menu. All dishes come with traditional sauces which are rarely (spicy) hot. Desserts usually consist of fruit, some fresh but more likely tinned, including pineapple, apricot, pears, peaches or mixed. Moroccan tinned fruit is excellent quality. To round off dinner, there is the usual range of hot drinks.

Accommodation

During this holiday the group will spend 2 nights at a comfortable family orientated hotel in Marrakech with swimming pool. There are 5 nights camping during the holiday. On the last night of trek this will be at a comfortable fixed camp with basic facilities. The other four nights will be in a Caravanniers' camp, with 2 man tents, made up each day in the desert. Mattresses are provided at each camp. All family members should take a 4 season sleeping bag for the camping nights. This will be carried along with your main luggage by the camels.

In the Marrakech hotel, 3-person families will share a triple room, whilst 4-person families will have adjacent twin-bed rooms. We will do everything to ensure that you are happy with your rooming allocation.

Additional hotel nights are available pre and post the holiday. Hotels are subject to availability and prices may vary.

Group Leader & Support Staff

The group will be accompanied by an experienced bi-lingual Moroccan leader throughout the holiday. On trek we have the services of a professional cook and the assistance of camels and their drivers to carry our equipment and personal baggage.

Spending Money

Approximately £300 (or equivalent in US dollars, Euros etc.) per family (mum, dad and 2 kids) should be allowed for miscellaneous expenses, tips for the crew, non-included meals, soft drinks and modest souvenirs. Marrakech is a great place for souvenir buying. If you are intending to buy expensive items, you should budget accordingly and you may wish to pay by credit card. You can withdraw money in local currency from ATM’s in Marrakech or your travel money can be carried in the form of cash. (Sterling and US dollars are easily exchanged). Credit cards can be used to purchase goods and it is a good idea to carry one in case of emergency.

Guidance on Tipping

Tips are the accepted way of saying ‘thank you’ to your local guides and porters. They do not form part of their wages. KE always pays local crews the best rates of pay, no matter what country they are in and any tips they receive are seen as a personal thank you from group members. For our part, we advise local teams that tips are not a duty or a prerequisite but are a bonus and entirely dependent on the service that was given. For your trek crews we recommend that you give a tip if you feel that their services have met your satisfaction. As a rough guide we suggest you allow a total of £100-150 for tipping per family.

Baggage Allowance

For this holiday you should take one piece of luggage, which should be a soft bag, and a daypack. Your bag on trek will be carried by camels and should not weigh more than 15kg. It is possible to leave clothes or other items not required at the group hotel. For international flights please check your baggage allowance with your airline.

Group Size & Holiday Status

For each holiday there is a minimum number of participants required to enable it to go ahead. Once the minimum number is reached, the trip status will change from 'Available' to 'Guaranteed to run'. You can check the trip status for each departure in the ‘Dates and Prices’ table. Other than in exceptional circumstances, we will not cancel a trip once it has achieved this guaranteed to run status so you are free to proceed with your international flight booking and other travel arrangements.

Passport & Visas

The information that we provide is for UK passport holders. A passport with 6 months remaining validity at the end of your stay is generally required, and you should have at least 2 blank pages for each country that you visit.

It is your responsibility to ensure that you have the correct travel documents and visas for your holiday. Please ensure that you check for the latest advice before travel. For the most up to date information on entry requirements, please visit the UK Government website.

Visa Morocco

UK and USA passport holders do not require a visa for short stays.

Health & Vaccinations

If you have a severe allergy please inform the KE office before you travel. We will do all we can to help, but we cannot guarantee an allergy free environment on KE trips. You will need to carry your own treatment for the allergy with you, as 'adrenaline auto-injectors' are not carried as standard by KE leaders and staff. You should inform your leader on arrival of your allergy, and let them know where you keep your adrenaline pen.

VACCINATIONS

You should contact your doctor or travel clinic to check whether you require any specific vaccinations or other preventive measures. You should be up to date with routine courses and boosters as recommended in the UK e.g. diphtheria-tetanus-polio and measles-mumps-rubella, along with hepatitis A and typhoid. A good online resource is Travel Health Pro.

Currency

The unit of currency in Morocco is the Moroccan Dirham.

Climate

In Marrakech it is warm during the day in the winter months (Dec – Feb) and we can expect daytime temperatures to be around 20ºC. Evenings are cooler and night time temperatures can drop as low as 6ºC. While trekking in the desert we can expect only slightly higher daytime temperatures though it may feel much hotter than this in the strong sun. At night in the desert it can get very cold with temperatures falling to freezing or below levels. For April departures temperatures will be in the order of 3 to 5 degrees of Celsius warmer than the above temperatures. Most of Morocco’s little rain occurs in the winter months and it is possible you will get some rain or even short lived heavy downpours while in Marrakech. Rain is much less likely in the desert though it cannot be completely ruled out.

Travel Aware

As a reputable tour operator, KE supports the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's ‘Travel Aware’ campaign to enable British citizens to prepare for their journeys overseas. The 'Travel Aware' website provides a single, authoritative source of advice for all kinds of travellers and we recommend that before travel, all KE clients visit the official UK Government website at travelaware.campaign.gov.uk and read the FCDO Travel Advice for their chosen destination. North Americans can also check out the U.S. Department of State website: www.travel.state.gov for essential travel advice and tips.

KE treat the safety and security of all clients as the most important aspect of any trip we organise. We would not run any trip that we did not consider reasonably safe. Should the FCDO advise against travel for any reason, we will contact everyone booked to travel to discuss the situation. We receive regular updates directly from the FCDO and are in constant touch with our contacts on the ground. If you have any questions about government travel advice, please call our office.

Single Use Plastic

KE do not encourage the use of single use plastic items. We are ensuring that our agents all over the world are working together to reduce the problem and educate those around them. We are leading by example in our KE office by reducing our plastic use.

FAQ’s about our family holidays

We welcome all family dynamics and we will try to accommodate you in the roomings of your choice. The only stipulation for joining a family group holiday is that 1 party member is 17yrs or under, and they are accompanied by an adult. An average group size is around 10 members in total. Further general information and FAQ's are available here: KE Family Adventure Holidays general information.

Travel Insurance

It is an essential condition of joining a holiday with KE Adventure Travel that you have a valid travel insurance policy to cover the cost of medical treatment and to protect the value of your holiday in the event of cancellation. When taking out insurance please ensure the policy you choose covers you for the activities and altitude included in your itinerary.

For appropriate insurance cover we recommend Campbell Irvine Direct. Please go to our Travel Insurance page for further information and to get a quote.

Explore International

This holiday is part of our Explore International range. Participants on these trips can book through KE or through one of our international partners. This helps us to gather together sufficient numbers of like-minded adventurers to get your holiday up and running quickly. Led by an English-speaking guide, the cosmopolitan nature of these groups can be an important part of the experience!

Equipment List

Please try to keep the weight of your baggage to a minimum. See the ‘baggage allowance’ section for further details.

You should bring the following items:

Hiking boots or sturdy walking shoes
Trekking trousers
Underwear & socks
Baselayer shirts (short sleeve & long sleeve)
Shirts or T-shirts (wicking)
Fleece jacket or warm jumper
Thick fleece jacket (Dec/Feb departures)
Waterproof jacket & trousers
Lightweight thermal or fleece gloves
Sunhat
Warm hat (for chilly evenings)
Sunglasses
Sun protection (including total bloc for lips, nose etc.)
Water bottles 1 Litre (x2) (we encourage re-filling water bottles rather than single use plastic)
Water purification tablets
Antibacterial handwash
Washbag and toiletries
Small towel
Daypack 20 to 30 litres (depending on how much of the kids' stuff you need to carry)
Selection of dry bags (to keep trek bag contents dry)
Headtorch and spare batteries
Sleeping bag (comfort rated +5⁰C or 0⁰C in December & February)
Basic First Aid Kit including: Antiseptic cream, throat lozenges, diarrhoea treatment (Imodium), painkillers, plasters and blister treatment. Glucose tablets and multi-vitamin tablets are also a good idea.

The following items are optional:

Cycle helmet** – see notes
Trekking poles
Sleeping bag liner
Thermarest (note that foam mattresses are provided)
Trainers or sandals for camp
Spare laces
Shorts
Insect repellent
Camera
Pen-knife (note: always pack sharp objects in hold baggage)
Repair kit – (eg. needle, thread, duct tape)
Swimwear
Travel clothes
Games / books / football / kite etc.
Reusable cloth bag for shopping (to avoid plastic bags)

Notes

**We recommend you bring a cycle helmet for anyone intending to ride the camels. Please note that these animals can be unpredictable and difficult to control, and if you wish to ride, this is at your own risk.

*Available for hire/rental through KE Adventure Travel

Recommended Outdoor Retailers

Many of the equipment items listed above are available from Cotswold Outdoor - our 'Official Recommended Outdoor Retailer'. When you book a holiday with KE you will receive a 12.5% discount with Cotswold Outdoor, Snow+Rock and Runners Need. The discount code can be downloaded from your MyKE account and you can use this code at the checkout, either in store or online.

Extensions

Essaouira Coastal Hotel Extension

4 Days

Friendly Essaouira provides a beautiful base for this colouful Atlantic Coast extension which offers a fantastic start or end to our holidays in Morocco. Described as the prettiest town in the country, the UNESCO port and medina are a riot of colour and activity. To ensure a relaxing time in Essaouira we take care of private return transfers and accommodation for 3 nights in a hotel with swimming pool. Essaouira has plenty of things to so and do so we leave your days free for you to enjoy at leisure. This extension starts and ends in Marrakech.

Extension Code: ESS1

Extension Itinerary

Day 1

Show Details

This morning you'll be picked up from your hotel for the picturesque 2.5hrs drive to Essaouira. On arrival, you'll check into your hotel with swimming pool. An excellent place to relax for the rest of the day.

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Day 2

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A great place to explore is the Skala du Port, down by the harbour, offering the classic walled medina view. Complete with swirling seagulls and local fishing boats, this area is the best place to see local boat builders and the famous fish auction outside the port gates. Essaouira's UNESCO medina is a haven of winding streets, colourful shops, whitewashed houses and decorated doors.

Meals

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Day 3

Show Details

Along the beach at Essaouira there are various water-sports available. For example you could have a morning learning how to surf or windsurfing. All surf lessons can be booked locally and are entirely at your own risk.

Meals

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Day 4

Show Details

After breakfast, you'll be picked up for your return drive back to Marrakech. If you are flying out that day, you'll be transported to the airport, ensuring a relaxed end to your time in Morocco. Alternatively, you may wish to fly direct from Essaouira to start your onward journey and your airport transfer would be included.

Meals

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Whats Included

Accommodation in Essaouira (3 nights) on a bed and breakfast basis
Transfers to and from Essaouira by private taxi (1 to 3 persons) or private minibus (3 or more persons)
Final transfer to Marrakech Airport

What's Not Included

Meals other than breakfasts
Miscellaneous expenses - drinks and souvenirs etc
FAMILY PRICE: This price is based on 4 people travelling together and 2 rooms. Please call the KE office for twin or triple room prices and different sized family groups.

Reviews

5 out of 5 from 1 review

fantastic family holiday ★★★★★

It was our first trip to morocco, so we didn't really know what to expect. We had a brilliant time. The guide, cook and camel drivers looked after well. The scenery and weather were fantastic. we didn't want to come home.