Who is this alternative trip to Morocco for?
If you’re looking to go off the beaten path—whether because you’ve already explored Morocco’s classic highlights or because you want a deeper, more authentic connection with local culture—this alternative trip to Morocco, thoughtfully designed by Trip to Help, could be the perfect choice for you.
Experience the desert in a more adventurous way and immerse yourself in the vibrant, real culture of the Atlas Mountains. This journey is all about unique experiences and meaningful encounters.
Itinerary Highlights
PART 1: Departure from Marrakech
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.
PART 2: From the Atlas to the Desert
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.
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.
On one of these nights, you’ll witness the unique process of baking bread in the desert sand. This age-old technique, born of necessity, involves burying dough under hot sand heated by a fire. The result? Some of the most delicious bread you’ll ever taste.
How to book this signature trip to Morocco?
Booking this unique journey is easy through our website. Simply select your preferred dates, but keep in mind that confirmation depends on the availability of our local guides.
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.
You can also contact us via WhatsApp for availability inquiries, and we’ll respond as quickly 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.
