16 Day Moroccan Photography Adventure

This fabulous Moroccan Photo Adventure will be led by professional photographer and tutor, Michael Snedic, as well as a Swiss Photographer based in Morocco, who will guide you to places at the right time for optimal light and minimum crowds. Relationships with local restaurants, as well as places we will visit mean the best access possible. In addition, they will take you to the fascinating away-from-tourists back walkways for the opportunity of very special photography indeed!

We will travel over 60km into the Sahara Desert to both the High dunes and the Low Dunes. Beside the touristic Erg Chebbi sand dunes, you will also see some less touristic sand dunes, so it is a true Moroccan desert experience. Imagine sunrises and sunsets from the top of pristine dunes - a very special experience to photograph. Stay in a comfortable desert camp with comfort and ensuites.

After breakfast, we will explore the probably most interesting city in Morocco: Marrakech. The highlights can include some architectural interesting sites such as the Medersa Ben Youssef or the Bahia Palace, but the main focus will be the lively medina (old town), with its colourful shops and souks (markets), followed by the famous place Djemaa el’Fna with the snake charmers, acrobats and storytellers. At sunset, we will enjoy the view from a rooftop restaurant for sunset images.

Accommodation in a hotel in Marrakech.

Photographic highlights: Marrakech and its historical sites, the medina, and the place Djemaa el’Fna.

After breakfast, we will begin our photographic adventure to the Sahara desert. We will leave Marrakech and drive south across the High Atlas Mountains and the col of Tizi-n-Tichka. We will stop for pictures along the way to enjoy the panoramic view and to capture some images of these majestic mountains. In the afternoon, we will continue to one of the most impressive and well-preserved kasbahs and UNESCO World Heritage site, the ksar of Ait Ben Haddou. We will visit this picturesque fortified village, which has been used as a film location in numerous famous films such as Gladiator, Alexander, The Mummy, Kundun, The Jewel of the Nile, and many more. It is an exciting place to explore and photograph.

Accommodation in a hotel in Ouarzazate.

Photographic highlights: The High Atlas Mountains, small Berber villages, and the Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou

In the morning, we will leave Ouarzazate, driving through mountainous, wild landscapes, until we reach the first town in the Draa Valley called Agdez. We continue through the Draa Valley along the life-spending Draa River with its huge date palm oases. The Draa Valley once served as a link between the Sahara and the North of Morocco for the trading caravan routes that passed by the river for centuries. This part of Morocco is still much preserved in term of traditional customs and way of life. After Zagora the landscape becomes more and more deserted and arid. After the small village of Tagounite, we will drive off-road to reach the windswept dunes of Erg Lihoudi. There will be enough time to explore the dunes with its special sand patterns that offer unique photo opportunities.

Accommodation in a hotel in M’hamid.

Photographic highlights: Small Berber villages, Draa Valley and Draa River, oases, and the sand dunes of Erg Lihoudi.

In M'hamid the paved road ends and from here, we start an adventure of 60km off-road. The route passes different features of the desert: erg (sand dunes), reg (rocky desert), hammada (stony desert) and oases. The Chagaga sand dunes are far away from any civilization. It’s a mesmerizing place, where you can really feel the overwhelming tranquillity and expanse of the desert. The Chagaga sand dunes area is the largest in Morocco.

Accommodation in a desert camp at the Chagaga sand dunes.

Photographic highlights: Stony desert landscapes, camels, and the Chagaga sand dunes.

Early risers can watch the sunrise from a high dune and experience the soft light of the new day. In the course of the morning, we will leave the bivouac, driving again off-road over stony desert, back to M’hamid. In the afternoon, we will explore the little village M’hamid and its people.

Accommodation in a hotel in M’hamid.

Photographic highlights: Chagaga sand dunes, desert landscape, the village M’hamid, and desert life.

In the morning, we will leave for a new desert adventure to Merzouga. First, we will drive to Zagora and the Draa Valley that is famous for its dates. In Zagora, we will leave the Draa Valley and drive through dry desert landscapes, dotted with acacia trees and small Berber villages, until we reach Rissani, and later Merzouga. After arriving at the sand dunes of Erg Chebbi, we will have time to explore the beautiful sand dunes during the ‘golden hour’.

Accommodation in a hotel near the sand dunes of Erg Chebbi.

Photographic highlights: Oases, desert landscapes, and the sand dunes of Erg Chebbi.

Early risers can experience the sunrise and the wonderful soft morning light in ‘the sea of sand’. After the breakfast, we will drive to Rissani and visit the Sunday market with the famous donkey “parking place”. It is a colorful, very authentic, rural market, where the farmers come on their donkeys from far to buy and sell their goods. Before sunset, you will enjoy a camel ride into the sand dunes.

Accommodation in a hotel near the sand dunes of Erg Chebbi.

Photographic highlights: The market of Rissani, sand dunes of Erg Chebbi and desert life.

After saying ‘Good-by’ to the magnificent sand dunes, we will drive to Erfoud that is famous for its dates and fossils. We will then continue, via the Ziz Valley, to Midelt, with view of the Middle Atlas Mountains. In the afternoon, we will cross the mountains, heading east via Ifrane to Fès. Ifrane is often called ‘The Moroccan Switzerland’ because of its special architecture. On the way, we will hopefully be able to see and photograph some Berber monkeys in a forest. At the end of the day, we arrive in Fès, which is the oldest of the four imperial cities. Fès is also called the cultural, intellectual and spiritual capital of Morocco.

Accommodation in a hotel in Fès.

Photographic highlights: Desert landscapes, date palm oases, and kasbahs.

Today, you will enjoy a day tour of Fès, considered as Athens of Africa. It is famous for its historical monuments, rich heritage and handicraft. You will discover the mysterious Medina called Fès El Bali (UNESCO World Heritage site), with its narrow alleyways and lanes with shops, medersas, mosques, and residences. Highlights of the city tour can include: the Borj Sued and Borj Nord, the Bouanania Medersa, and the tanneries. Fès is an interesting place for people who enjoy street photography.

Accommodation in a hotel in Fès.

Photographic highlights: Fès and its historical sites and lively medina.

After breakfast, we will leave Fès, heading eastwards to Chefchaouen. We will drive through green mountains, covered with trees, until we reach the blue city of Chefchaouen. The small, charming mountain-village Chefchaouen is a photographer’s paradise. The blue and white painted houses and the small colourful medina, invite you to explore and photograph this peaceful place, hidden away in the mountains.

Accommodation in a hotel in Chefchaouen.

Photographic highlights: City of Chefchaouen.

Today, we will enjoy photographing Chefchaouen, old, blue painted houses, street cats on their search for food, and the plenty tiny shops, offering special handicraft of the region. The medina invites you to get creative and enjoy wonderful street photography.

Accommodation in a hotel in Chefchaouen.

Photographic highlights: Chefchaouen, kasbah, medina and street scenes.