Alternative travel in Morocco: from the Atlas Mountains to the desert
Who is this alternative trip to Morocco for?
If you are looking to get off the beaten track, either because you have already visited the most typical in Morocco or because you want to go a little beyond the typical and see something more real and more in touch with the local people, this trip to Morocco alternative and designed by Trip to Help, may be your perfect choice.
To live the desert experience in a more adventurous way, to live an immersive, real and cultural experience visiting the Atlas, this alternative trip through Morocco we have thought for you.
Departure from Marrakech, to visit the Atlas Mountains, a local guide will take us to meet a local market to continue an excursion on foot through the Atlas Mountains. During the excursion we will cross small villages (some have suffered and can still see the effects of the 2022 earthquake). We will stop for lunch with local families, who will prepare homemade food for us and our guides. This allows these families to have extra money, as they are paid fairly. We will follow the route until we reach the house where we will spend the night, again, with a local family. We will sleep and the next morning, after breakfast, we will continue our route on foot to return to Amizmiz, from where we will continue our journey to the desert of Zagora.
Immersive tourism in the Atlas
After the Atlas, we will reach the desert of M’hamid where we will sleep in a sustainable Oasis that works for permaculture, in an area where access to fresh water is very limited, and they have been working for years so that the crops get used to water with more salt than usual. Why is the water in that area salty? The water they draw from wells is salty, similar to sea water. This makes it impossible for them to grow crops. But don’t worry, we will always have bottled and drinkable water.
We will spend 3 nights in the oasis, where we will be able to see how they grow palm trees and other plants. One of the nights will be spent among the dunes. A unique experience, very different from the tourist experiences in Merzouga. Here we are talking about a desert of dunes without hotels or permanent tents, where you can only sleep if you camp in a tent and then when you leave you dismantle everything without a trace of human presence.
Virgin dunes in Morocco. Photo Trip to Help
On our expedition to the desert we will go with a local Saharawi guide and a cook. Once we find a place to camp, we will pitch our tents and prepare the typical Moroccan tea. We will watch the sunset, and prepare a bonfire where our cook will prepare a tajine. Night will fall, and the fire will be the meeting point. Tranquility, silence, relaxation… Everything that is difficult to find in the desert of Merzouga, we will find here. In this Moroccan desert, there are no quads, no motorcycles, and we will only come across some intrepid travelers like us who have decided to go further and live a unique, alternative and adventurous trip.
Preparing tea in the Moroccan desert. Photo Trip to Help.
Tonight we will see how the Saharawis make bread from the desert sand. You may wonder why they make bread this way, well it’s easy to answer. Historically, it was the way to cook bread when there were no ovens or stoves to do so. And how is it cooked? Once the dough is made and once they have had a fire going for several hours, they separate the ashes and sink the bread under the hot sand. In a few minutes the bread will be done and we can assure you that it is one of the best breads we have ever eaten.
Free camping in the Moroccan desert. Photo Trip to Help.
How to book this signature trip to Morocco?
To book this alternative trip in Morocco, you can do it through the web, with the dates you want to do it.
However, due to the irreplaceable role played by the local guides, the trip will not be 100% confirmed until Trip to Help checks that they have availability on the selected dates. Because the local Atlas guide may be on another excursion with other travelers, we must confirm that he will be available. That is why it is important that you book it in advance, since we only work with them in that area.
If you want you can contact us by Whatsapp, ask us for availability on the dates that suit you and we will respond as soon as possible.
It is a signature trip, designed by Trip to Help, and requires that all trip stakeholders are available. There are no substitutes, if they can’t, you can’t make the trip. If this is the case, other available dates will be sought or the trip will be cancelled.