The departure is after breakfast from Ouarzazate toTinghir and Todra gorges via the oasis of Skoura, drivingoff-road to see all the kasbahs, some sadly in a state of disrepair but idyllically placed amongst the palm trees. Once back on the main road, an off-road track passes through the valley of the roses – also known as thevalley of a thousand kasbahs – to the Dades gorges with a stop for lunch. After lunch and before taking the road again to the Todra gorges, there is time for a walk alongside the Boumalne Dades river, dinner and night in a hotel.

In the morning there is time for a walk in the Tinghirpalm-grove before heading for Merzouga through the Ziz valley and the oasis of Tafilalet, arriving in Erfoudfor lunch. Merzouga is the destination towards the end of the afternoon but there is still time to make a two-hour camel ride to the bivouacnear the dunes of Erg Chebbi(250m). From the top of the dunes, the sunset is spectacular. Here, at Erg Chebbi, we will have dinner and spend the night in abivouac.

If you wake up early enough, you can watch the spectacle of the sunrise, when the colour of the dunes and the play of shadows are an awesome sight. The return to the hotel in Merzouga for having a shower is on camel back and, after having breakfast, the drive continues to the Dra’avalley via the villages ofRissani, Alnif,  Tazzarine(now featured in the film ‘Babel’) and N’Qob where we stop to have lunch. After this break, the route continues toZagora along the magic Dra’a valley with all its kasbahs. The night is spent in a beautiful riad set in Zagora.

Relaxing morning spent in the riad, with time to rest and swim in pool in the middle of the riad’s delightful gardens full of flowers, frogs, palm trees and birds, surrounded by a high adobe wall. It is truly a secluded private paradise. After lunch, the itinerary continues to M’hamid, where the road ends and the desert begins. Once again, a two-hour camel ride to enjoy thesunset is on the programme, returning to the bivouac at Erg Lihoudi dunes for the night.

After breakfast, the return toM´hamid for lunch is on camel back and, in the afternoon, is the departure for Erg Chagaga (300m) with 65km of off-road driving. This route passes different features of the desert; ‘erg’, ‘reg’, ‘hammada’, oases. The sunsetis spectacular. Here, at Erg Chagaga, we will have dinner and spend the night in a bivouac of nomad tents.

After breakfast, the route crosses another 100km of off-road driving in the sahara desert, following a track winding through unusual vegetation, and crossing the dried-up lake Iriqui. Once across this vast expanse oflake, we stop for lunch inFoum Zguid, the first village on leaving the desert. The road back to Ouarzazatetakes us through the village ofTaznakht, well known for its Berber carpets, and we arrive in the course of the afternoon.

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