Morocco Fossil and Geology Tour: 8 Days from Marrakech

Overview

Highlights

• High Atlas folds and red beds on the Tizi n'Tichka pass
• Volcanic landscapes of Jbel Saghro
• Trilobite area of Alnif and a fossil preparation workshop
• Orthoceras 'black marble' quarries and workshops in Erfoud
• Hamar Laghdad Devonian mud mounds (Kess Kess)
• Todra limestone canyon and Dades 'monkey fingers'

Day-by-day itinerary

1. 1

   Day 1

   Day 1: Arrival in Marrakech, briefing with your guide

   Your driver meets you at Marrakech airport and takes you to your riad. In the late afternoon you meet your specialised guide for a short briefing. With maps, you look at the main stages of the trip: the young mountains of the High Atlas, the very old rocks of the Anti-Atlas and the Devonian sea beds of the Tafilalet. The evening is free to visit Jemaa el-Fna square. Night in Marrakech.

   Overnight: Marrakech

2. 2

   Day 2

   Day 2: High Atlas geology – Aït Ben Haddou – Ouarzazate

   You cross the High Atlas by the Tizi n'Tichka pass. Your guide stops at road cuts to show strong rock folding and red sandstone beds, and explains how Africa and Europe pushed these mountains up. In the afternoon you visit Aït Ben Haddou, a UNESCO earth village built with local clay and stone. Night in Ouarzazate, a town on a wide plateau between two mountain ranges.

   Overnight: Ouarzazate

3. 3

   Day 3

   Day 3: Anti-Atlas: Jbel Saghro – Agdz – N'Kob – Alnif

   Today you enter the Anti-Atlas, with some of the oldest rocks in Morocco. Around Jbel Saghro you see dark volcanic landscapes and old lava flows. You pass Agdz and N'Kob, then reach Alnif, known all over the world for its trilobites. You visit a local workshop where people prepare fossils by hand with fine tools. Night in Alnif, with dinner at your hotel.

   Overnight: Alnif

4. 4

   Day 4

   Day 4: Erfoud fossil quarries – Merzouga dunes

   Near Erfoud you visit quarries and workshops of the famous Devonian 'black marble', full of orthoceras and goniatites, ancient sea animals with shells. You see how large stones are cut and polished into tables and sinks. In the afternoon you continue to Merzouga, where your guide explains how the Erg Chebbi sand sea formed. Camel ride at sunset and night in a desert camp.

   Overnight: Merzouga (Erg Chebbi)

5. 5

   Day 5

   Day 5: Hamar Laghdad Kess Kess – Tafilalet fossil beds – Rissani

   Today you visit Hamar Laghdad, a site with Devonian mud mounds called Kess Kess. These cone-shaped hills formed on the old sea floor about 400 million years ago. In the Tafilalet area you look for trilobite and crinoid beds with your guide (only observation, no collecting). In the afternoon you visit Rissani and its local market. Second night in Merzouga.

   Overnight: Merzouga (Erg Chebbi)

6. 6

   Day 6

   Day 6: Todra Gorges and Dades Gorges

   You drive west to Tinghir and walk inside the Todra Gorges, a limestone canyon with walls up to about 300 metres high, cut by a small river. After lunch you continue to the Dades Valley. Here you see the famous 'monkey fingers', strange rounded rock forms made of conglomerate. Your guide explains how water and wind shaped them. Night in a kasbah-style hotel in Dades.

   Overnight: Dades Valley

7. 7

   Day 7

   Day 7: Dades – Ouarzazate – Tichka – Marrakech

   This is a travel day back to Marrakech. You pass the Rose Valley and Ouarzazate, then cross the High Atlas again by the Tizi n'Tichka pass. Now you can recognise the rock layers you saw on the first days. You can stop at a small mineral shop in the mountains, but choose carefully (see our buying rules below). You arrive in Marrakech in the late afternoon. Night in a riad.

   Overnight: Marrakech

8. 8

   Day 8

   Day 8: Departure from Marrakech

   After breakfast your driver takes you to Marrakech airport for your flight home. If you have time, you can visit the Bahia Palace or the souks in the morning. Before you pack, check the receipts for any fossils you bought, because customs may ask for them. Remember that it is not allowed to take fossils from protected sites. We hope you enjoyed this journey through the history of the Earth.

Route map

Marrakech → Tizi n'Tichka pass → Ouarzazate → Agdz → N'Kob → Alnif → Erfoud → Hamar Laghdad → Merzouga (Erg Chebbi) → Todra Gorges (Tinghir) → Dades Valley → Marrakech

Accommodation by category

Choose your hotel category. The final hotel names are confirmed when you book, depending on availability.

Photo gallery

Frequently asked questions