10-Day Morocco Birding Tour: Atlas, Sahara and Souss-Massa
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- Duration
- 10 days / 9 nights
- Tour type
- Multi-day tours
- Availability
- All year; best from February to May
- Difficulty
- Easy to moderate (early starts and long drives)
Overview
Ten private days with a licensed nature guide, from the High Atlas to the Merzouga desert and the Souss-Massa coast, the last great stronghold of the Northern Bald Ibis.
Tour highlights
- Northern Bald Ibis at Souss-Massa and Tamri One of the world's most threatened birds, in its last great wild stronghold.
- Crimson-winged Finch at Oukaïmeden The High Atlas speciality, on the plateau at about 2,600 m.
- Larks and coursers of Tagdilt Thick-billed Lark, Temminck's Lark and Cream-coloured Courser.
- The Merzouga desert Desert Sparrow, Egyptian Nightjar and African Desert Warbler.
- Oued Massa and the Souss estuary Black-crowned Tchagra in the reeds, waders, gulls and spoonbills.
- Pharaoh Eagle-Owl and Lanner Falcon Raptors of the southern canyons.
Route at a glance
10 days / 9 nights
- Your accommodation in Marrakech Starting point
- Oukaïmeden
- Ouarzazate
- Merzouga
- Souss-Massa
- Dades Valley
- Your accommodation in Marrakech Ending point
About this tour
This is our most complete Morocco birding tour. To the three southern habitats, the Oukaïmeden plateau, the Tagdilt and Imider hamada and the Erg Chebbi at Merzouga, it adds the Atlantic coast of Souss-Massa, home to almost the entire wild population of Northern Bald Ibis, a threatened species that now depends on this strip of cliffs and coastal steppe.
The first six days follow the 7-day Atlas and Sahara tour. We then travel west through Taliouine and Taroudant, between the Siroua massif and the Anti-Atlas, and spend two days on the coast: Souss-Massa National Park and the reedbeds of Oued Massa, then Tamri and the Souss estuary north and south of Agadir, with waders, gulls and spoonbills.
You travel privately in a 4×4 with a licensed nature guide who plans each outing around your target list or your photography. Accommodation is with partners, dinner and breakfast included.
Day by day itinerary
Print this itinerary-
Day 01
Day 1 of 10
High Atlas birds
Marrakech · Oukaïmeden · Marrakech
Included highlight Crimson-winged Finch on the plateau
Early departure for Oukaïmeden, about 75 km away. On the way up we stop in the valleys for Moussier's Redstart, Maghreb Magpie and Levaillant's Woodpecker.
On the plateau, around 2,600 m, we look for Crimson-winged Finch, Red-billed and Alpine Choughs, Rock Sparrow, Atlas Horned Lark and, in spring, Seebohm's Wheatear. Back to Marrakech in the afternoon.
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Day 02
Day 2 of 10
Over the Atlas to the Dades
Marrakech · Tizi n'Tichka · Ouarzazate · Boumalne Dadès
Included highlight First southern birds on the Ouarzazate steppe
We cross the High Atlas over the Tizi n'Tichka pass, stopping on the slopes for mountain birds and raptors.
Beyond Ouarzazate, the steppe around the El Mansour Eddahbi reservoir and the Skoura road bring the first southern species: wheatears, larks and, depending on the season, waterbirds on the lake. Arrival in Boumalne Dadès in the afternoon.
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Day 03
Day 3 of 10
The Tagdilt track and Imider
Boumalne Dadès · Tagdilt · Imider
Included highlight Thick-billed Lark and Cream-coloured Courser
A full day on the hamada. At dawn we work the Tagdilt track, famous among birders for Thick-billed Lark, Temminck's Lark, Cream-coloured Courser, Red-rumped Wheatear and sandgrouse.
Later we explore the canyons and plains of Imider, where patience turns up Pharaoh Eagle-Owl at its roost, Lanner Falcon, Maghreb Wheatear and Trumpeter Finch. In the late afternoon, a walk in the Dades gorge for Tristram's Warbler.
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Day 04
Day 4 of 10
Wadis and palm groves to the Sahara
Boumalne Dadès · Tinghir · Goulmima · Rissani · Merzouga
Included highlight Fulvous Babblers in the palm groves
We head east, stopping in wadis with tamarisk and acacia for Fulvous Babbler, Olivaceous Warbler and other warblers, and in the villages for House Bunting.
In the Rissani palm groves we look again for Fulvous Babbler and, from spring to late summer, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater. Arrival in Merzouga in the afternoon, facing the Erg Chebbi dunes.
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Day 05
Day 5 of 10
A full day in Merzouga
Erg Chebbi · hamada · Dayet Srij
Included highlight Desert Sparrow and Egyptian Nightjar
We leave at dawn for the hamada and the edges of Erg Chebbi: Desert Sparrow, African Desert Warbler, Greater Hoopoe-Lark in display flight, White-crowned Wheatear and, from March to September, Egyptian Nightjar at its daytime roost. Early in the morning sandgrouse come in to drink.
If Dayet Srij lake holds water, usually from November to May, we check its shores for flamingos, Ruddy Shelducks and waders. The hot hours are for resting.
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Day 06
Day 6 of 10
From the Tafilalt to Ouarzazate
Merzouga · Rissani · Tinghir · Ouarzazate
Included highlight A last try for Pharaoh Eagle-Owl
A last early outing near Merzouga or Rissani for anything still missing, such as Pharaoh Eagle-Owl or Fulvous Babbler.
Then a long drive west along the Road of the Kasbahs, with stops in steppe and oases. Night in Ouarzazate.
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Day 07
Day 7 of 10
Between the Siroua and the Anti-Atlas
Ouarzazate · Taliouine · Taroudant
Included highlight Siroua and Anti-Atlas scenery
We leave the south by the Taliouine road, saffron country, between the Siroua massif and the Anti-Atlas, with stops in scrub and ravines for warblers, wheatears and raptors.
Arrival in Taroudant, the walled town of the Souss valley, where Maghreb Magpies are common in the orchards.
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Day 08
Day 8 of 10
Souss-Massa and the Bald Ibis
Souss-Massa National Park · Oued Massa
Included highlight Wild Northern Bald Ibis
A morning in Souss-Massa National Park, created in 1991 to protect the Northern Bald Ibis. We look for the birds on their feeding grounds on the coastal steppe, from a distance and never inside the breeding colonies.
In the afternoon we explore Oued Massa: reedbeds and riverbanks with Black-crowned Tchagra, herons, waders and, in season, migrants. Night in the Agadir area.
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Day 09
Day 9 of 10
Tamri and the Souss estuary
Tamri · Oued Souss · Agadir
Included highlight Waders and seabirds at the Souss estuary
North of Agadir, the cliffs of Tamri above the Atlantic are the other Bald Ibis area, a second chance if the previous day was quiet.
In the afternoon, the Souss estuary, with sandbanks and saltmarsh where waders, gulls, terns and spoonbills rest.
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Day 10
Day 10 of 10
Back to Marrakech
Agadir · Marrakech
Included highlight End of the tour in Marrakech
A short final outing if a species is still missing, then back to Marrakech on the motorway across the western end of the Atlas. Arrival at your accommodation in the afternoon.
What's included
Included
- Private air-conditioned 4x4, fuel included
- Licensed nature guide for the whole trip
- Pickup and drop-off at your accommodation in Marrakech
- 9 nights in partner hotels, kasbahs or guesthouses (1 in Marrakech, 2 in Boumalne Dadès, 2 in Merzouga, 1 in Ouarzazate, 1 in Taroudant, 2 in the Agadir area), dinner and breakfast included
Not included
- Lunches and drinks
- Entrance fees
- Binoculars and scope (ask us)
- Flights
- Tips
- Travel insurance (mandatory)
What to bring
- Binoculars and, if you have one, a spotting scope
- Layers: dawn is cold in the Atlas and on the hamada, midday is hot
- Comfortable closed shoes
- Cap, sunglasses, sunscreen and a scarf for dust
- Head torch
- Your field guide or an ID app
Good to know
Pace of the trip
Outings start at dawn, when birds are most active, and the middle of the day is for driving or resting. Distances and driving times are indicative.
Field ethics
We keep our distance from nests and from owl and nightjar roosts, and we do not use playback near breeding birds. No species can be guaranteed.
Northern Bald Ibis
Breeding colonies are protected. We watch the birds on their feeding grounds, from a distance and following the park wardens' guidance.
Booking and cancellation
Accommodation and third-party services are booked with licensed partners. Deposit as agreed and the balance in cash when we meet, in any currency accepted in Morocco. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before if no third-party service is involved; otherwise the partner's policy applies. Travel insurance is mandatory.
Frequently asked questions
Am I sure to see the Northern Bald Ibis?
Chances are good, since Morocco holds almost the entire wild population and the tour gives two days to its areas, but no wild bird can be guaranteed.
When is the best time?
February to May for the whole route. On the coast, autumn and winter are also good for waders and wintering birds.
Can I start or finish in Agadir?
Yes. As a private trip, the route can be reversed or end in Agadir. Just ask when booking.
Is it suitable for photographers?
Yes. More time goes to the spots with the best light and to slow approaches, always keeping a safe distance from nests and roosts.
Will I travel with other people?
No. It is a private trip for you and your companions, on the dates you choose.
