You choose! Pick one of the tried and tested treks that gives you a great taste of Berber or Nomadic life OR create your own journey based on the fixed prices listed at the bottom of this page.
Prices for the set treks are all inclusive (food, accommodation & camel hire) and are based on the fixed prices listed at the bottom on this page.
Whatever you decide, each experience will be unique. No holiday with us can ever be repeated.
We are very family friendly and have had guests as old as four months and as young as 65 years! We have hosted solo travellers, families, young couples, friendship groups and larger touring groups. We are open to all.
We currently have 2 guest rooms (one sleeps 4 people and the other 8). Each group is given one room. If you require seperate sleeping arrangments you will need to let us know at the time of booking. You will sleep on traditional Berber sleeping mats and are free to arrange these mats as you like within the room.
~ THE BERBER EXPERIENCE (3 nights) ~
(£86.50 per person based on 2 people travelling together - all inclusive)
We will meet you in Rissani before travelling together on the local minibus to our home in the village of Ras-El-Erg. The bus leaves at 2pm and take about 2 hours, delivering people and produce along the way. If you have your own transport we will still need to guide you – there is no direct road to our home!
On arrival at our home you will be greeted by this children friendly family who will provide you with light refreshments. You will be shown to your room where you can relax and settle in. Warm water will be provided to wash away the dust of the road before you watch the sun set behind the dunes. Later you will be provided with an evening meal (usually tagine or couscous followed by seasonal fruit) before relaxing with your friends or with the family.
In the morning you might like to watch or help the family make the fresh bread that is cooked most days before breakfast. Breakfast usually consists of fresh bread, eggs or tinned fish with sweet black tea or coffee. After breakfast join the family in the daily 10 minute stroll to the well with Arthur, the donkey. Perhaps you would like to help drawing water from the well? This is a good opportunity to catch up on some laundry. If the sun is not too strong you might like to wander round the local village, meet some of the local children or visit the local shop.
After a light lunch (perhaps soup or Moroccan salad) you should start to prepare for your camel trip into the desert, taking an overnight bag is preferable to taking your entire rucksack! The camel ride into the Erg Chebi takes about 2 hours and ends at the ‘oasis’ where the family has a large nomad style tent. Surrounded by massive sand dunes, the fittest of you will be challenged to climb to the top – just to see if you can make it! For the less energetic there are smaller dunes, which enable you to access views that are just as good. Fresh tagine will be cooked and served in the dunes.
If you are lucky enough to be in the dunes on a night with a bright moon, you absolutely must stand on top of a dune to see the seemingly endless desert bathed in a mysterious blue light.
After breakfast in the morning you will head back to the family home and spend the day with the family. You might be lucky enough to play a game of football with the local boys, get your feet painted with henna in the traditional Berber style, learn how to weave a tradition sleeping matt or simply relax with a book in the quite of the afternoon.
We will be sad to say our goodbyes the next day when you catch the early morning bus back to Risanni where you can enjoy a leisurely breakfast and reminisce about your visit into the magnificent Erg Chebi.
~ THE NOMAD EXPERIENCE (7 Nights) ~
(£358.50 per person based on 2 people travelling together - all inclusive)
We will meet you in Rissani before travelling together on the local minibus to our home in the village of Ras-El-Erg. The bus leaves at 2pm and take about 2 hours, delivering people and produce along the way. If you have your own transport we will still need to guide you – there is no direct road to our home!
On arrival at our home you will be greeted by the family who will provide you with light refreshments. You will be shown to your room where you can relax and settle in. Warm water will be provided to wash away the dust of the road before you watch the sun set behind the dunes. Later you will be provided with an evening meal (usually tagine or couscous followed by seasonal fruit) before relaxing with your friends or with the family.
In the morning we will leave early on the 5 day camel trek through the arid rocky planes of the Black Desert to the tranquil oasis of Saf-Saf – a remote spot that is not visited by many tourists. The first day of the trek will include about 5 hours of camel riding, stopping for lunch at Tiserdin before finding a nomadic family with whom to spend the night. Day 2 of the trek is another 5 hours on the camels, broken by lunch under the shade of the palm trees at Midjagh before continuing on to the stunning oasis of Saf-Saf – a green vision of an oasis. You will spend the night under the trees at Saf-Saf and enjoy the next morning in the cool shade of the oasis. Learn how to cook a ‘Berber Pizza’ (traditional North African bread cooked in the sand) before leaving for Lebriket to spend the night with another nomadic family. Before you sleep you can search for the ‘Rose de Sable’ – the unusual rock formations that are found in this region and sold throughout Morocco. You might also be lucky enough to see some local wildlife shading under a cool rock.
Day 4 will be a leisurely 3-4 hours on the camels, stopping for lunch and to draw water from the well at Boulman before relaxing near the Emerrand Trees. After another night with some nomads you will surely feel that you too are nomad as the dramatic black rocky desert starts to turn into the familiar orange sand of the Erg Chebi. On day 5 you will enter the magnificent towering sand dunes of the Erg Chebi (about 5 hours riding). Lunch will be with a local Berber family before you ride to the family tent in the in the heart of the dunes. Surrounded by massive sand dunes, the fittest of you will be challenged to climb to the top – just to see if you can make it! For the less energetic there are smaller dunes, which enable you to access views that are just as good. Fresh tagine will be cooked and served in the dunes. If you are lucky enough to be in the dunes on a night with a bright moon, you absolutely must stand on top of a dune to see the seemingly endless desert bathed in a mysterious blue light.
After breakfast in the morning you will head back to the family home and spend the day with the family. You could learn how to make bread, help fetch water from the well, do your laundry at the well, play a game of football with the local boys, get your feet painted with henna in the traditional Berber style, learn how to weave a tradition sleeping matt or simply relax with a book in the quite of the afternoon.
We will be sad to say our goodbyes the next day when you catch the early morning bus back to Risanni where you can enjoy a leisurely breakfast and reminisce about your visit to the tranquil Saf-Saf and into the magnificent Erg Chebi.
(The Nomad Experience is not recommended for children under 16 during the very hot summer months of June, July & August. We would recommend the Berber Experience for children during this time.)
~ THE CARAVAN EXPERIENCE (minimum 2 weeks) ~
(Estimated price £80.00 per person per day - all inclusive)
This trip could involve a 10-14 day camel trek from our home to Zagora. The trip could be designed as a one way journey or as a round trip. This is truely a once in a lifetime experience and is only for the most hardy and adventurous amoung you. The price will vary depending upon your exact requirements. Please email us to discuss this option further. This trip should only be taken in spring or autumn.
~ YOUR EXPERIENCE (Tailor Made) ~
(Create your own holiday based on the following fixed prices - GBR Pounds Sterling)
Breakfast £3.50
Lunch £3.50
Dinner £4.50
*Fresh well water for drinking Inclusive
Berber Tea Inclusive
Warm water for washing Inclusive
Accommodation £4.00
Single Occupancy Accommodation £8.00
Overnight camel hire £40.00
One day & overnight camel hire £50.00
*We offer water from our well as part of the inclusive cost. Many guests have drunk well water without upset to their tummy. This is the water that we all drink. However, other guests prefer to drink mineral water. The cost of purchasing mineral water is the responsibility of the guest.
