MOROCCO

Sahara Desert Trek

8 days

ITINERARY

5 days

TREKKING

78km

DISTANCE

Dates

2024 & 2025

Take on the rolling Dunes of the world's largest Desert

This all-inclusive 8-day Moroccan challenge takes you into the heart of the Sahara Desert. Over 5 days of trekking, you will follow dried riverbeds from oasis to oasis, climb shifting sand dunes and camp in Bedouin tents underneath a blanket of stars. Expect hot sands, cool nights, and a brilliant celebration dinner in exotic Marrakech on your final night.

The Challenge

Stunning Scenery, Magical Marrakech

The Sahara is the world’s largest and most famous desert. For 5 days, we will trek from camp to camp through the hot sands, with rolling sand dunes surrounding us to the horizon. The trek will follow ancient riverbeds and routes used by camel caravans for centuries, past desert oases. Each night, we settle in to a traditional Bedouin camp, where we enjoy Moroccan feasts around the campfire. The clear desert air and lack of clouds offer up spectacular views of the stars above, which we can enjoy in the desert silence. Back in Marrakech we explore the atmospheric souks and the bustling Djemaa el-Fna square before celebrating our Saharan adventure with a delicious feast and partying into the night!

The Experience

Life on the trek

On an Action Challenge trip you’ll be part of a team which takes on an adventure together – and that’s what makes the experience so special. Getting to know others, supporting each other when the going gets tough, laughing together, and sharing those special moments & the new friendships that will stay with you for many years. Led by a UK Mountain Leader and supported by a Medic overseeing the group’s wellbeing – you’ll be in safe hands, and our expert local logistics team & guides will ensure it all runs like clockwork. These are ‘fully inclusive’ trips – leaving you to focus on your challenge, and to enjoy it!

An Action Challenge trip is much more than a holiday! It brings like-minded people together in fantastic landscapes, provides the best support & great hospitality, and enables the group to take on a tough & unforgettable challenge which forges new friendships, broaden horizons, and leaves you wanting more of life’s adventures!

The blueprint for Action Challenge trip is based on delivering a high quality enjoyable experience – and doing it all safely. An experienced UK Mountain Leader ensures that all aspects of the challenge run to plan – and one of our UK Medics with an expedition med kit is on-hand to look after the group’s wellbeing – enabling everyone to have the best chance of successfully competing their challenge.

We go to great lengths to ensure that we only use the best local organisations to supply the all-important ground logistics and the on-challenge support, catering, and hospitality teams – with experienced guides leading the way on the trails with their deep local knowledge and authentic style.

Like minded people with a similar sense of adventure – but often from very different backgrounds, and with a wide range of experience, ages, levels of fitness, and personal ambitions. Our trips are perfect for individuals, couples, and small groups of friends to join – and then to take on a unique challenge as part of a larger group which shapes & bonds as the adventure unfolds!

Whether its’s the hotels,  restaurants & transfers before & after the main challenge – or the challenge accommodation & meals whilst out on the trails – our all inclusive packages mean that you will get a top quality experience at a great value price! Flights are generally included, but there’s a ‘land only’ option if you’d prefer to book your own – and single supplement accommodation upgrades are available.

The group comes together – takes on a tough challenge together – and then celebrates its achievements in style on the final night of the trip in a local restaurant or hotel, with medals, awards, and a maybe a bit of a party! Many of our participants make new special friends on our trips – and quite a few come back together for another challenge in the following years!

A successful challenge starts with good preparation. The better prepared you are the more confident you’ll be, and the more you’ll enjoy it! Our ‘Challenge App’ will have all the info & details of what to expect on your challenge – and how to prepare for it – and we have optional training walks, training weekends , and a place on one of our UK Ultra Challenge events to get out on the tails and test your fitness, kit, & equipment.

Itinerary & Route

Please note that some details of the itinerary may change, you will be provided with a detailed itinerary once you are signed up to the challenge.

We arrive at night in the city of Ouarzazate – an ancient staging town situated in the heart of the Draa Valley, whose name is derived from the Arabic meaning “the door of the desert”. Ouarzazate is also know as the Morocco’s Hollywood, and you may recognise scenes from Gladiator, Game of Thrones, and Lawrence of Arabia that were all filmed in the town. Here we retire to our hotel and prepare ourselves for the challenge ahead.

Day 2, we transfer to Ouled Driss, where we load our camels and begin our trek to our first camp, set amongst the rolling dunes of Rad Nkhal. Tonight we enjoy a traditional Moroccan dinner by a campfire under huge African skies.

Meals: D Accom: Hotel (day 1)

Meals: BLD Accom: Tent (day 2)

We start trekking early, making the most of the morning’s cooler temperature. Together with our guides and camels, we trek past the impressive dunes of the southern Drâa valley and over pristine wind-smoothed dunes. We climb the dunes of Ait Ounir to arrive in tonight’s camp, shaded by the Tamarisk trees, an ideal canopy for dining under!

Today we head north towards Djbel Bani, trekking over dried out river beds which snake through the emptiness of the desert.  After lunch we continue to Erg Smar and the wells of Tel Attin and in its tranquil oasis we set up our camp for the night.

Meals: BLD Accom: Tent

Our desert adventures continue across flat sun-baked desert rock as we head for Mzouaria. Here we pause for a relaxing lunch under the shade of the ubiquitous Tamarisk trees. We continue our hike on the impressive rocky plateau known as the Djbel Bani foothills, which form the southern tail of the Anti-Atlas mountains. Tonight we camp on the banks of Oued Mzouaria.

Meals: BLD Accom: Tent

Today we have a half day trek back towards the lush palmeraies of Ouled Driss via the Erg Lihoudi dunes. We then transfer back to Ouarzazate where we have an early night to prepare for our time in Marrakech.

This morning we transfer to Marrakech and spend half of the day in one of Morocco’s most exciting cities, exploring the famous souks, bustling medina and Djemaa el-Fna square. Tonight, we mark our achievements with an evening of celebrations!

Meals: BLD   Accom: Hotel (day 6)

Meals: B Accom: Hotel (day 7)

This morning we transfer to the airport for our return flight to London. When we arrive back in London we bid farewell to our newfound friends.

Meals: B

Costs & Fundraising

We’ve three payment & fundraising options for you to take on this challenge.

Self Funding

Sign up with a £195 online deposit & balance payment due 12 weeks before, with no fundraising target.

Fundraise for Charity

Sign up with a £195 online deposit & fundraise for a charity of your choice, with different target options.

Our Brochure

The Challenge brochure details the full itinerary, inclusions, and more – download for a full run down of the challenge details. 

Dates & Prices

GET IN TOUCH

Enquire with us below or if you want to speak to one of the team call on +44 (0)207 6695

About You
Trip Enquiry

How it works...

SELF FUNDING

It’s like paying for an all-inclusive holiday.

You pay the registration deposit. The final balance for the trip cost will be due no later than 10 weeks before your departure date

If you want to fundraise for charity, you may still do this separately – either on or offline. All fundraising will be a direct donation to your chosen charity. Please contact them for more information.

How it works...

CHARITY FUNDRAISING

Take on one of our challenges and support a charity of your choice. You can choose how much of the trip cost you want to pay, and support your charity by fundraising the rest.

You pay the registration deposit, then fundraise double the remaining trip cost for a charity of your choice.

Action Challenge will invoice your charity for your final balance 12 weeks before departure.

You must complete 80% of your fundraising by 12 weeks before departure, with the remaining 20% completed 4 weeks after departure.

Let us know what charity you want to support when registering so that we can set up your challenge agreement.