Name: Morocco ~ The Draa Valley Journey to the Sahara Desert
Item: Morocco ~ The Draa Valley Journey to the Sahara Desert
Author: Fernando Vacaflores

WELCOME TO MOROCCO PHOTO TOUR, “THE DRA VALLEY JOURNEY TO THE SAHARA DESERT”

This Morocco Photo Tour is definetly for you if you love both photography and travelling. Morocco offers a varied geography, a rich nature and a very multi-cultured atmosphere with its Arab and Berber people. The sun is almost guaranteed the whole year round and a good tool for light and shades effects. It makes Morocco one of the best countries in the world to explore with your camera!

This photo tour takes you to the Sahara desert in Mhamid for 2 days. We will depart from Marrakech which is the most visited city in Morocco. We will go through the Atlas Moutains, the highest mountain range in North Africa. It offers amazing landscapes with different tones of colours and traditional Berber villages. We will then visit Ait Benhaddou, a UNESCO World Heritage site, which has often been used as a film location. Next we will visit Ouarzazate also known as the Gate to the desert city; its main attractions being the Fint Oasis and the film studios. We will then head towards the desert and make various stops to photograph the plateaux and palmeraie of the Draa Valley. Finally, we will arrive at the Sahara Desert and spend a couple of nights there. You will experience the sights of sand dunes, sunset and sunrise in the wilderness. We will have a camel ride and go by 4×4 to the famous Erg Chigaga Dunes. Marrakech will be our final place for photography on this tour, we will spend time in the souk, the Koranic school, walk around the Koutoubia Mosque and the Jemaa El Fna Square. (7 nights / 8 days)

DAY 1 | MARRAKECH
Transfers from the airport to the hotel in the morning which is located near the famous Jemaa El Fna Square. We will have lunch together and following this, an introduction to our programme will be delivered (it will include cultural awareness and tips for photography in Morocco). Following this, we will have a photo walk in the Medina. There will be a welcome evening around a traditional Moroccan dinner.

DAY 2 | ATLAS MOUNTAINS
We will leave Marrakech after breakfast and travel to Ouarzazate through the Tichka mountains (part of the High Atlas which is the bigest mountains range in North Africa). This road offers a panoramic view of the Atlas chain that gives great opportunities for landscape pictures. After a 5 hours drive we will arrive in Ait Benhaddou, a fortified village used for film making. The way to the top of the village is made of narrow alleys and earthen made houses, the view from the top being outstanding. Then, we will go to Ouarzazate (about 30 min away) also known as the “Hollywood of North Africa” where we will stay for the night.

DAY 3 | OUARZAZATE TO MHAMID
We will head to the Draa Valley which is the former route of caravans for Sahara Traders. There will be various stops to admire the largest palm grove in the world (220 km, 1 500 000 palm trees), the scenic road with its river, the mud brick towns and the kasbahs. Our Berber guide will drive us to the desert where camels will be waiting for us for a trek into the dunes before sunset. We will be served a traditional diner and enjoy a camp fire. The night is spend in small houses (with toilets and showers).

DAY 4 | MHAMID – ERG CHIGAGA DUNES
We will have an early start of the day to photograph the dunes at sunrise. After breakfast, we will go further into the desert by 4×4 to Erg Chigaga. We will stop at an Oasis for lunch. We will spend the day taking pictures of the desert and its vegetation. The dunes are a real delight for the camera. We will return to our camp for sunset. At night, the sky is spotted with stars and offers another type of amazing view. Your tripod will be useful for that moment!

DAY 5 | MHAMID TO OUARZAZATE
On our return to Ouarzazate we will first stop in Zagora to look at the green pottery and ceramics, most of the time we can watch the making of the pottery and take photos. We will then visit the Kasbah Tamnougalt interesting for its architecture, it is also famous for its film-making (The Passion of Christ, Babel and The Prince of Persia). We will arrive in Ouarzazate for our evening meal and rest at the hotel.

DAY 6 | OUARZAZATE – FINT OASIS – MARRAKECH
In the morning we will visit the Fint Oasis (by quad if preferred), which is about 10 km from Ouarzazate. We will take photos as we will stand on a cliff overlooking the Oasis. After lunch we will leave for Marrakech and arrive late afternoon for our evening meal and hotel rest.

DAY 7 | DISCOVERING MARRAKECH
In the morning we will have breakfast at the famous Jemaa El Fnaa square followed by a photo walk around the Koutoubia Mosque and its garden which stand as an emblem to the city. We will then explore the medina which includes a visit to the Photography Museum and a walk through the narrow streets of the Souk to discover various artisanal works. Another intersest for us will be the Ben Youssef Medersa Koranic School that is also part of the Medina, this is the largest Koranic School in Morocco with a capacity of 900 students, its architecture and decoration will be our main focus. The streets of the medina are a delight for photography because of its many details, colors and diversity! In the evening we will have a Farewell Dinner.

DAY 8 | MARRAKECH – DEPARTURE
After breakfast we will have our last photo walk in the souk. After that we will review our photos of the week, and have our last group discution. We will say our goodbyes and will provide airport transfer for you during the day.

PRICES

Price for one person only : 2400 euros | for two or more : 1700 euros

My name is Fernando Vacaflores, I am a Chilean street and documentary Photographer based in Ouarzazate, South of Morocco, near to Marrakech and the Sahara desert. I studied Cinema and Photography at the University of Valparaiso in Chile. Then, I went to continue my studies in Brazil where I met my wife. We now live and work in Morocco. The country is a wonderful place to work with street photography. The fortified cities known as medinas and Kasbahs are a remnant of the past and offers with its local people great opportunities for street photography. The dunes of the desert, the caravans of camels along with its majestic sunrise and sunset are a joy for the eyes and the camera for a Photo Tour. That is why Morocco’s name in Arabic is “Maghreb”, which also means “the place where the sun sets.” I created “Photo Chronicles” in 2014 and I have started to organize Street Photography Walks and Workshops in Marrakech and Photo Tours to the Sahara desert, South of Morocco.

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