Morocco Coastal Trek & Essaouira

Day 1 - Fly London to Marrakesh. Group transfer to hotel.

Arriving in Marrakesh you will be met at the airport and transferred to your riad accommodation in the heart of the Medina. The journey takes about 15 minutes to get to the old city walls and your driver will get you as near as possible to your overnight accommodation. Riads are converted town houses in the old parts of Moroccan cities and are often down small lanes where no cars or traffic can get to, so often a porter will help you with your luggage and his small cart will be able to take luggage to the riad from the minibus. Riads are built with rooms facing out onto a central courtyard and a garden/pool which is open to the sky; this is for coolness in the heat of the summer. The windows open to the courtyard and there are no windows to the street, as that would be noisy and hot. Often the riad is a haven from the heat and bustle outside, with a terrace where you can relax and enjoy views over the city and the High Atlas Mountains in the distance.

In the evening there will be a traditional dinner to welcome you to Morocco (paid locally).

Overnight: Riad Palais De Princesses Or Riad Challa Or Similar, Marrakesh

Day 2 - Drive to start of the trek at Sidi Kakoui - 3½ hours. Trek to near Oued Tidzi – 1½ hours.

Leaving your riad after breakfast you meet your guide and transport and start on the journey to the coast which will take about 3½ hours. As you leave Marrakesh behind, you encounter the edges of a dry, rocky desert near Agafay. There are no sand dunes here, but it has still been the location for various films such as the Prince of Persia. As you drive closer to the coast the landscape gets greener and more fertile with fields of wheat and poppies in spring and white limestone walls surrounding argan tree orchards.

Near the town of Essaouira, the road goes south down the coast for about 20 minutes to the village of Sidi Kakoui with its cafes, long sandy beaches and oak and argan scrub on the dunes. Sidi Kakoui is where Jimi Hendrix and the Rolling Stones hung out in the 1960s. Here, you leave your vehicle and meet your camel team near the wadi (seasonal river). When all the bags and kit are loaded on the camels you start your walk along the beach heading southwards.

Today is just a short trek over relatively flat terrain, (with maybe small ascents for sand dunes) to reach the site where you will be camping above the Oued Tidzi ; a small river flows into the sea at this point although it is not always full of water depending on the amount of rain that has been falling.

You arrive into your excellent campsite for the night where your camp crew will have everything organised and ready waiting for you. The cook will serve your evening meal and you can get to know the team better around the camp fire. The camp itself is among trees and bushes and you may well see goats climbing into the trees to nibble the leaves. The sound of the Atlantic rollers is very evocative as you drift off to sleep.

Distance: 3 km. Virtually no ascent or descent.

Overnight: Camp

Day 3 - Trek from Oued Tidzi to Aghbalou near Bizergane – 4-5 hours.

After breakfast you continue along the coastline with no real ascent except for some small sand dunes along two beaches. As the heat of the day increases you will divert slightly inland to get some welcome shade while walking through coastal trees and small farms and fields. The coastal scrub will sometimes open out into argan trees and it is possible to see goats feeding on the argan nuts and comically climbing the trees to get the best crop.

Descending from the scrubland to the beach you eventually reach the small cove of Oued Aghbalou where another wadi enters the sea. In this pretty location you will camp near the bay. The deserted house here is really a shrine to a local man who was renowned for his healing powers. His tombstone is actually inside the house and locals come here to pray. There is also a nice cove here to explore and enjoy. But be warned, the sea currents are dangerous so do not attempt to go swimming.

Later, you may like to help the cook prepare the bread for the evening meal by heating flat stones and baking the bread in a sand oven.

Distance: 8-9km. Ascent: approximately 60m.

Overnight: Camp

Day 4 - Trek from Aghbalou to Sidi Ahmad Essaih – 7½ miles, 4½ hours.

Today's trek begins by following the lovely coastline along a small path past the village of Ait Idir. Then you climb for around 160m as the beach terrain changes to a rocky coast and the trek follows a path above the low cliffs. The path here is mainly a mule track and is easy to follow as it winds through Berber villages of small houses built from the local limestone surrounded by fields. The trek passes lots of beautiful coves and cliffs with great views out to sea and then descends to Iftane Bay - a fishing bay where boats and nets are hauled up onto the beach when they are not out at sea. You may well meet fishermen along this stretch fishing from the shore.

Passing the boats and a few buildings you continue along the beach to the marabout of Sidi Ahmed Essaih (a white painted shrine to a local saint).

Distance: 9-10 km. Ascent: 160m-200m.

Overnight: Camp

Day 5 - Trek from Sidi Ahmed Essaih to near Tassila – 4-5 hours.

This morning you head slightly inland to avoid the sea cliffs of the Taskssout-n-Tahra, passing a small village and then ascending to the plateau of Awgzmir, climbing up to about 200m. There is then a descent to the valley of Dou Oussaggawr with its argan forests and fields of barley. You continue onwards on faint mule tracks to a campsite near to the small village of Tassila which you reach by ascending and descending past stream inlets and coves. This is one of the best days walking with stunning coves and sea arches.

Distance: 8-9 km. Ascent approximately 250m.

Overnight: Camp

Day 6 - Trek to Tafena – 1-1½ hours. Camel ride - 1 hour. Drive to Essaouira – 1-1½ hours. Visit a hammam.

It is just a short walk today to reach the end of your trek. You begin by trekking slightly inland again to avoid the cliffs as you descend from the plateau. Here you reach a track which will take you to the port of Tafena - a very small village next to a sheltered beach and cove.

Your trek comes to an end here, but instead you hop aboard the 'ship of the desert' for a short camel ride up the coast. Alternatively you may prefer to relax on the beach for an hour or so before saying a fond farewell to your camel team and cooks. Your transport will then take you northwards along a small road, past Smimou, and onwards to the coastal town of Essaouira.

You will have the afternoon at leisure and to settle in to your riad before visiting the local hammam. The Moroccan people have visited public steam baths since ancient times and a regular hammam trip to cleanse, socialise, relax and rejuvenate is still very much part of modern day life across the country.

Distance: 3km. Descent approximately 100m.

Overnight: Riad Dar Liouba Or Similar, Essaouira

Day 7 - Drive to Marrakesh - 3 hours. Guided tour. Farewell dinner.

In the morning you will be driven back to Marrakesh, perhaps visiting an Argan oil cooperative on the way to see how the nuts are processed and to try a sample. The cooperatives are mainly run by women and they spend a lot of the day grinding the nuts to make a paste and oils. The oil is delicious with fresh bread and also can be made into various beauty products. After arriving in Marrakesh, you'll take a short break to freshen up before heading out on a guided tour of the souks and palaces of the old medina. Marrakesh is famous for its souks and it's not possible to visit everything in a short tour, however you should have a chance to see the main sights and perhaps do some haggling in the silver, magic or clothing souks.

In the evening there will be a farewell meal in Palais Dar Es Salam, a traditional restaurant in an old converted palace.

Overnight: Riad Palais De Princesses Or Riad Challa Or Similar, Marrakesh

Day 8 - Group transfer to airport for flight back to London.

After breakfast you will be transferred to the airport for your flight home.