Desert 2 Mountain - Morocco

Relax & Meet the Travelteer Team

All volunteers will be staying in the same hotel, so this is a great place to relax with friends before kicking off the tour! During the evening, the Travelteer team will provide an induction and tour briefing, ensuring that everybody is on the same page and excited to kick off their tour! The group will have dinner together and have the chance to taste delicious Moroccan delicacies and relax for the evening.

Discovering the Souks and Palaces

For the second day of the expedition, students will enjoy a guided tour of Marrakech’s famous souks (markets) selling everything from lanterns to colourful babouches (traditional Moroccan slippers). This is a great way to experience the city's rich and colourful culture - explore bustling streets filled with exotic spices and try your hand at haggling for souvenirs! Next, it’s onto the palaces of the old medina and the opportunity to explore the Jamna el Fnaa square with its story tellers, juice sellers and the Koutoubia Mosque.

Beach Day and City Tour

Leaving Marrakech on day three, the group start with a 3-hour drive across the Agafay Desert towards the city of Essaouira and the Atlantic coastline - make sure to look out for goats grazing in the trees! This beautiful city overlooks the Atlantic Ocean, and its historic centre (the Medina) was made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2001. The group will spend the afternoon relaxing on Essaouira beach before exploring the beautiful city and enjoying its cafes, shops, and beautiful architecture.

Camel Trekking and sandboarding

This is your opportunity to experience the Sahara Desert! The group will trek with camels through sand dunes, small farms & fishing huts to reach the campsite for the night. Students can help with watering and feeding the camels as well as helping the cooks prepare the evening meal - a great opportunity to learn about traditional Moroccan cuisine! In the evening, the group enjoys sunset sandboarding in the dunes followed by a night of wild camping in the desert.

Surf lessons and Crocoparc

The group heads to the seaside town of Tamraght to a surf camp for private surf sessions. All equipment is included alongside surf coaches! Students will then visit the Crocoparc, to learn more about Nile Crocodiles and tour the botanical gardens. 

We then travel to the day's destination and former Berber capital of Morocco, Taroudant. The evening will be spent relaxing in the hotel or visiting the city's souks.

Atlas Studios 

After breakfast on the day six, we will drive through beautiful terrain to Ouarzazate, high in the Atlas Mountains. Known as the gateway to the Sahara Desert, the area features spectacular palaces and fortified cities. The area is a noted film-making location and films such as Lawrence of Arabia (1962) & The Mummy (1999) were shot here, as was part of the TV series Game of Thrones. 

The group will tour the film sets of Atlas studios where films such as Black Hawk Down, Kingdom of Heaven and Gladiator were created!

Ancient Towns and Atlas Mountains

On day 7, The group will visit the Kasbah of Ait Benhaddou, A World Heritage site and a prime example of an ancient, fortified town. It also has been used in many films and series including Game of Thrones.

Following our visit to the Kasbah, we drive into the Atlas Mountains with the temperature getting cooler as we gain altitude – to about 2000m. Reaching the village of Telouet, the group settles into a 'Gite' - we will then meet local villagers who will be assisting with volunteer projects!