"If local knowledge of where to find the birds, something that can change annually, and be able to point them out to fellow travellers means anything, then Peter is one of the very best and most experienced wildlife guides to lead groups in Morocco"
Worldwide Birding Tours
Itinerary for Morocco Safari - The Grand Tour 14th to 24th April 2020
Group size 10 guests 1 leader/guide
Day 0ne. 14th April
Arrive at Marrakech Airport, where we will meet
the journeymen at arrivals and then transfer to our nearby hotel. Depending on arrival
time we can bird the hotel gardens and/or allow guests to rest after their
journey. Please note dinner is not included for the first night.
Day Two. 15th April
A morning spent exploring the famous Medina and
Souk of Marrakech with our local expert guide. The afternoon will be spent
resting, but late afternoon a group meeting will be held to explain the tour
itinerary and field any questions guests have about the tour.
Day Three. 16th April
An amazing journey crossing the highest pass in
the High Atlas Mountains, where the views are spectacular as well as varied. The
northern aspect of the mountain range is influenced by the Atlantic Ocean,
hence the vegetation is green and lush, but as we climb so the landscape
changes and vegetation clings to areas where water passes and becomes sparse on
the steep slopes of the multi-coloured mountains. Lunch is taken just before
the highest point of the mountain pass and here we can relax enjoying a light
lunch and birds that visit the surrounding area. The afternoon drive is
downhill headed towards our first encounter of the fringes for the Sahara
Desert, a landscape to take your breath away, especially on a planned excursion
to seek difficult bird species such as Maghreb Wheatear and other exotics. A
walk near to a few palm fringed wadis and a river crossing will produce some
migrant birds on their way to their European breeding grounds. We make our way
to the town of Ouarzazate, the gateway for the Sahara Desert and famous for
it’s movie studios (Lawrence of Arabia was filmed here). We aim to arrive at
our hotel with time for guests to relax and cleanup before our dinner and the
run through on our bird checklist.
Day Four. 17th April
Most people think of the Sahara Desert as
endless rolling sand dunes, but our journey today will bear testimony to the
fact that it is anything but. Stone desert interspersed with bare rock
mountains, yet where water courses flow above and below ground, green fingers
run through the rocky terrain, small oasis form and hold both migrating and
resident birds, we will visit a few of these areas. After a drink break we will
pass over the Jbel Saghro Mountains, a mountain range of unique features that
form a mosaic of shapes created by the lines of strata, from here we descend
into the Draa Valley. The Draa Valley is a river system that is lined by
palmeries and small villages; it is also a main highway for migrant birds
arriving from the vast expanse of the unpopulated Sahara Desert. We should find
our first Blue-cheeked Bee Eater here among other exotic migrants, so we need
to be on our best ‘find the bird’ mode.
From this wonderful valley we head east and make our way to the largest
sand dune complex of the Moroccan Sahara, Erg Chebi. We will be making this
unique area our home for 2 nights. Glamping for our first night and then we
transfer to a hotel for the 2nd night (Note: Our desert camp, not so much
camping as glamping, consists of personal large tents with en suite facilities
including toilet, wash area and shower, luxury in the Sahara, as if that wasn’t
enough the food is wonderful and campfire entertainment provides a glimpse into
Berber life).
Day Five. 18th April
A day in the desert, traversing the dunes and
open areas in our 4x4 vehicles, we will be searching for our target birds
namely Egyptian Nightjar, Desert Warbler, Crowned and Spotted Sandgrouse,
Hoopoe Lark, Cream-coloured Courser, Fulvous Babbler and Lanner Falcon, to name
but a few of the specialist birds we will see. The scenery is stunning and we
really will be on an adventure day with birds. Later in the day we will lunch
and then make our way to the sand plains nearby for Pharaoh Eagle Owl and a
nesting place for Lanner Falcon. Desert Sparrow is likely to already have been
seen at our camp on the first night of our visit. It will for sure be a day to
remember. Late afternoon we will head for our hotel overlooking the amazing
high points of the Erg Chebi dune complex, there is a water outfall very near
the main entrance to the hotel and here we will find many small migrant birds
coming to drink and bathe, one to look for here is the amazing Hoopoe.
Day Six. 19th April
We will look outside our hotel for early morning
birds, but before that we highly recommend going up to the hotel rooftop bar and
terrace, here you can witness the sunrise over the high sand dunes and it is
spectacular as well as an amazing experience. We will start our journey to the
high plateau near Boumalne soon after breakfast, we will stop at a few birding
spots along the way, but our aim will be to get to our next destination for a
late lunch, so we will stop to get a few onboard snacks during this part of the
journey. After lunch we will drive through the Gorges du Dades, an amazing deep
sided valley with equally amazing geological features, we will stop along the
way to take in the scenery and keep our eyes to the sky as we are now in
Bonelli’s Eagle territory. Our hotel for the next 2 nights is a favourite, a
place to relax and enjoy the superb cuisine and in house entertainment from
members of the family who run the hotel. Crag Martins and Blue Rock Thrush are
often seen from the terraces, whilst Nightingale will be singing at the river’s
edge below our hotel.
Day Seven. 20th April
We concentrate our birding efforts today on the
high plateau east of Boumalne. Here we will search the plains for lark and
wheatear species, but the area can also hold surprises such as Stone Curlew and
Black-bellied Sandgrouse. We will transect the plains, stopping to scan
favourable areas and attempt to find the elusive Thick-billed Lark as well as
the entertaining Fat Desert Rat. We will take lunch in a family hostel within
the plains and hopefully here we might also find Moussier’s Redstart and
European Bee Eater. Wheatear species are also a feature in the area and on a
good day it is possible to see 6 species including the very handsome Red-rumped
Wheatear. After our lunch we will search a couple of green areas, cultivated by
local villagers, to look for migrants such as Roller and warbler species. Later
we will pass by our hotel and explore the gorge for more migrant birds, a
coffee or mint tea and admire the stunning scenery. We will also look for a
target bird the Rock Bunting.
Day Eight. 21st April
We will take a leisurely drive to our next
destination, a return to Ouarzazate. The journey will provide places where we
can stop to seek a few birds and we will also pass through the Valley of the
Roses, a famous region in Morocco where women’s cooperatives harvest Rose
petals and Rosehips to manufacture cosmetics and lotions. If the group wants to
view these products we will make time for stopping at a cooperative showroom.
We will either take our lunch at a desert Kasbah near to the town of Skoura, or
journey onwards for lunch in Ouarzazate. We will arrive in good time at our
hotel and guests are free to rest, enjoy the swimming pool or just relax, or maybe
accompany the guide to explore the shoreline of the nearby lake for some water
birds that will include Greater Flamingo, the choices will be yours.
Day Nine. 22nd April
Our road trip today takes us back to Marrakech
and over the high pass of Tizi N’Tichka. On route we will explore the river
areas near to Amerzgane and also the desert area around Tizgzaouine for later
migrants such as Ortolan Bunting, Whinchat, Rufous Bush Robin and also desert
birds Trumpeter Finch, Desert Lark and wheatear species. The area is
breathtaking with desert scenes that have a backdrop of snowcapped mountains,
forming a landscape unique to our journey. We will again take lunch at the high
point of the mountain crossing and here we might explore the local surrounds
for Common Rock Thrush and Rock Sparrow. The descending journey will provide
opportunities for us to stop and find more birds and depending on time, we will
stop to enjoy a mint tea on a café terrace overlooking some amazing tree lined
valleys. Late afternoon and we arrive at our garden Riad for a 2-night stay,
here the accommodation is rustic, clean and comfortable with tranquil gardens and
large swimming pool, the homemade food is possibly our most favourite cuisine
on this tour. Worth to mention that last spring Rufous Bush Robin had taken up
residence in this garden.
Day Ten. 23rd April
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. Our previous visits and success at finding
these target birds has ranged from very easy to difficult, much will depend on
the weather, so all things crossed the weather is kind and we have no
difficulties finding our birds. We will lunch in the resort area and afterwards
we will make our descent taking several opportunities to stop and find mountain
birds, also the lower reaches of our road will give us a chance to find the
elusive Levaillant’s Woodpecker and Tristram’s Warbler. It is a day of amazing
scenery and wonderful birds, before we head back to our own private gardens and
wonderful food.
Day Eleven. 24th April
Departure day and thus
a time to relax depending on your time for the homeward bound flight. A very
leisurely approach to breakfast with time to pack and later you can also relax
with an extra coffee or tea. Lunch can be available for those not leaving until
the afternoon or early evening, although this is not included in the cost of
the tour.
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