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House Bunting getting to grips with a seedhead |
Tour date: April 4th to April 12th 8 nights 9 days
"A unique High Atlas Mountain to Sahara Desert
experience where you will be accompanied by one of the most experienced bird guides in
Morocco".
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Boumalne High Atlas Plateau |
Day 1. Arrival day and the group will stay 30 minutes
away from the main airport of Marrakech. The gardens are rich in birdlife, so
birding begins upon arrival.
Day 2. We drive over the highest pass in the High
Atlas Mountains, stopping at various vantage points to view specialist birds.
We will also make a diversion, a loop that re-joins the main road, so we can
find some difficult species such as Maghreb Wheatear. We stay overnight in the
gateway to the Sahara Desert, the charming town of Ouarzazate.
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Our journey through the High Atlas Mountains |
Day 3. We set-off south and will stop at a wadi, here
we have great chances of finding elusive migrant birds hard to find elsewhere,
before crossing the The Jbel Saghro (or Djebel Sahrho) Mountains. We will
follow the Oued Draa and then divert eastwards to our next destination Erg
Chebbi and it’s impressive dune complex. Our hotel here is ideally placed to
find migrant warblers and some typical desert species.
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Deep into the Sahara Desert |
Day 4. A day in the Sahara Desert and chances to see
all of our target birds including Desert Sparrow, Egyptian Nightjar, Dunn’s
Lark, Cream-coloured Courser, Pharaoh Eagle Owl, Lanner Falcon and many more,
that will also include Sandgrouse species.
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Our favourite desert Lark sp. The Hoopoe Lark. |
Day 5. We travel northwest to the high plateau of
Boumalne de Dades. We should add several new species here to our growing bird
list, the area is renowned for the site Tagdilt Track, but there are so many
other great sites we will also visit.
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Red-rumped Wheatear has to be one of the most impressive of wheatears in Morocco |
Day 6. We revisit our hotel in Ouarzazate, before
departing we will visit various sites at Boumalne and stop at other sites before
we arrive at Ouarzazate. On this occasion we will have time to explore the
local lake and surrounds of our last desert location.
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Gorges de Dades |
Day 7. Time to head back over the highest pass of The
High Atlas Mountains revisiting a few special sites, including a river crossing
and wadis. Being a week later we will have the chance to spot later migrants
such Ortolan Bunting, Orphean Warbler and possibly both Eastern and Western
Olivaceous Warblers etc. We will stay in the garden Riad as of our first night
outside of Marrakech.
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Emerging on the Atlantic side of the High Atlas Mountains |
Day 8. After birding the gardens before breakfast we
will head up high into the High Atlas Mountains to the ski resort of
Oukaïmeden. A real departure from our desert experience we will be looking for
high mountain species such as Horned Lark, Crimson-winged Finch, Seebohm Wheatear, Alpine Chough and Red-billed Chough, we will also look for good views
of Barbary Falcon and Moussier’s Redstart. Dipper and Common Rock Thrush might
also be seen here.
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Cream-coloured Courser always a favourite |
Day 9.
A relaxed start to breakfast, packing
and then airport transfers as required. Hopefully everyone will have enjoyed
their adventure in an exotic and the unforgettable Morocco.
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Sunrise over the Sahara Desert |
For further information please email Worldwide Birding Tours at adm.spanish.nature@gmail.com
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The highlight of the Sahara, an Egyptian Nightjar |
4 comments:
Must visit
Must visit
Must visit
Must visit
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