Tour 4: Short birding trip to the Atlas Mountains & Tagdilt track
(5 days / 4 nights)
Tour Dates 2025:
26 – 30 October 2025 (Spaces Available)
26 – 30 November 2025 (Spaces Available)
27 – 31 December 2025 (Spaces Available)
NOTE: If you have a specific date please let us know your arrival and departure dates!
Tour Cost: The price is depends on number of participants, for the price please contact us!
Group Size: Max 7 people, if you are a tour company or big group please contact us!
Tour starting/ending: Marrakech airport, Morocco
Price includes:
* Comfortable transport.
* 4 Nights hotel accommodation en-suite rooms and Half-board
* Guiding services and general assistance where and when required.
Price excludes:
* International airfare
* Lunches & drinks
* Travel insurance
* Item of a personal nature and tips
Target Birds on this trip: Pharaoh Eagle Owl, Long-legged Buzzard, Cream-coloured Courser, Little Swift, Levaillant’s Green Woodpecker, Desert Lark, Thick-billed Lark, Hoopoe Lark, Red-rumped Wheatear, Maghreb Wheatear, White-crowned Wheatear, Black Wheatear, Desert Wheatear, Tristram’s Warbler, Common Bulbul, Alpine Chough, Alpine Accentor, Trumpeter Finch, African Crimson-winged Finch, House Bunting, Bonelli’s Eagle, Moussier’s redstart, Temminck’s Lark, Atlas Horned Lark,…etc!
INTRODUCTION
Superb 5 days birdwatching tour to Morocco at the best time of the year. To the spectacular Atlas mountains, but this Trip goes further than a simple birdwatching tour, the culture and history of the region will amaze you, and the landscape will take your breath away. We will be covering most of the southern part of the country. Morocco has bird specialities and near-endemics found only in the southern part of the Western Palearctic, and this country provides amazing opportunities for birding that seem to have been put together for this purpose alone. The variety of habitats visited during this tour includes lakes, rivers and high mountains, where we will drive up to around 2,600 metres
ITINERARY
Day 1: Marrakech Airport – High Atlas Mountains – Oukaimeden
Meet and welcome you at Marrakech Airport or hotel in Marrakech then we will drive up to the High Atlas Mountains. As we drive along the cultivated fields, we should find a good mix of resident species such as Southern Grey Shrike, Little Owl, Sardinian Warbler, Spotless Starling, Moroccan Magpie, Moussier’s Redstart and House Bunting. Slightly higher up, among the rocky slopes, we will search for Blue Rock Thrush and the endemic Levaillant’s Green Woodpecker. When we reach the ski resort at Oukaimeden, we will check the snowline for the handsome Crimson-winged Finch. Other species here include Rock Sparrow, Black Wheatear, Alpine Accentor, Alpine Chough and Atlas Horned Lark.
Dinner and accommodation at the Atlas Mountains.
Day 2: High Atlas Mountains – Ouarzazate – Boumalne du Dades
After an early breakfast we leave the mountains behind, perhaps pausing again en route for Levaillant’s Woodpecker. From the flat plains of Marrakech we turn back uphill, and drive to Boumalne du Dades via the Tizi-n-Tichka pass (2260 Meters), a spectacular and long drive. On the way we’ll try for yet another endemic, Tristram’s Warbler. This species has very specific habitat requirements away from its wintering grounds and not always easy to find. As the road climbs into the hills, we may start to see some raptors such as Long-legged Buzzard and Bonelli’s Eagle both possible. Before reaching Boumalne du Dades we’ll stop in Ouarzazate to explore the barrage at Mansour Eddahbi. Here we have the chance of seeing Marbled Duck, Ruddy Shelduck, Black winged Stilts and Maghreb Lark, as well as Cormorants and Herons and a selection of waders.
Dinner and accommodation in Boumalne du Dades.
Day 3: Boumalne du Dades – Tagdilt Track – Dades Gorge – Ouarzazate
Today we will start early, to head to the Tagdilt Track before sunrise. This is without doubt one of the top areas for birding in Southern Morocco. Excellent chances exist for seeing for Red-rumped Wheatear, Desert Wheatear, Trumpeter Finch, Thekla Lark, Hoopoe Lark, Temminck’s Lark, Short-toed Lark, Cream-coloured Courser and the highly nomadic Thick-billed Lark. If the heat allows, we will dedicate most of our day to exploring this area, Chances also exist for the Pharaoh Eagle Owl “GAYUIN“. Early in the afternoon we will visit the Dades gorges where Bonelli’s Eagle and Tristram’s Warbler breeds then we travel back to Ouarzazate.
Dinner and accommodation in Ouarzazate.
Day 4: Ouarzazate – High Atlas Mountains – Marrakech
A long journey back from Ouarzazate to Marrakech. We will drive through the High Atlas Mountains, stopping at the scenic and impressive Tizi `n’ Tichka Pass (2260 Meters) to admire its fabulous geological rock formations, We will do some birding stops in the road. Late in the afternoon we arrive to Marrakech. Free evening to visit the old quarter of Marrakech and the impressive Jema-el-fna square which is an unbelievable experience for any visitor – snake charmers, water sellers and spice stalls plus the charm of bargaining in the Souk (OPTIONAL).
Dinner and accommodation in Marrakech.
Day 5: Marrakech – Airport
If time allows some more birding in the Marrakech area, then transfer to the airport where the trip ends.
NOTE: This is a flexible itinerary which may be adjusted to allow for changes in arrival and departure times, weather conditions and other related factors.
MORE INFORMATION
Accommodation: We stay in a selection of comfortable hotel, all rooms are en-suite.
Food: All hotels provide a simple breakfast typical of Morocco, consisting of fresh bread, butter, honey and jam. Fruit juice and tea or coffee is also available. For lunch we will have picnic lunches when out in the field. Evening meals will be a mixture of local and international dishes.
Walking: The tour is not strenuous. Leisurely walking, very occasionally over moderately rough terrain, is the only physical requirement on most days. Most birding is done close to our vehicle, though we will need to walk to see mountain species, and some exertion will be required in mountain environments. There will be the option to stay close to the vehicle, should anyone wish to go back.
Weather: Typical temperatures. Changeable and sometimes cold, windy or wet weather is very possible on the Atlantic and the Atlas Mountains, so bring a warm jacket, gloves, warm layers and adequate rainwear.
Group size: Max 7 people, if you are a tour company or big group please contact us!