Tizi Nomads
Date palm groves and mud-brick ksour along the Draa Valley
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Oasis

Draa Palm Groves

A slow ride down a two-hundred-kilometre oasis — date palms, mud-brick ksour, and the last caravanserai before the sand takes over.

Route length
4 days · 210 km
Best season
October – March
Where you base
Kasbah camp, Zagora

The route

Four days along the Draa

This one is best on a bicycle. The river road runs flat and shaded between the groves for most of the way, and a support car carries bags and water so you ride light.

If pedalling is not for you, the same route works by car with village walks in the mornings. Either way, the days below are the shape we follow.

  1. Day 1

    Marrakech to Agdz

    Over the Tizi n'Tichka and down past Ouarzazate, then straight into the palm belt — seven hours of driving, ending with dinner on a kasbah terrace above the river.

  2. Day 2

    Agdz to Zagora via Tamnougalt

    A morning in the ksar of Tamnougalt — blue and mud lanes, an old mellah, a caïd house with painted ceilings. Then the river road south to Zagora.

  3. Day 3

    Zagora to M'hamid

    The palms thin out, the road straightens and tamarisk takes over. Sunset at the edge of the first dunes, with the old library of Tamegroute on the way.

  4. Day 4

    M'hamid and back

    An hour on a camel at sunrise, dates and amlou bought in Agdz, and the long drive home with the windows open.

Where you sleep

Kasbahs and camps

  • Kasbah guesthouse, Agdz

    Terraces over the Draa, dinner under the palms, and the river as background noise all night.

  • Bedouin camp, Zagora

    Wool tents just outside town, a fire after dark, and blankets that smell of juniper smoke.

  • Garden guesthouse, M'hamid

    The last shade before the sand — thick walls, a small pool, and cold orange juice at the gate.

What to pack

Panniers and water

  • A bicycle, or a hire arranged in Zagora, with a repair kit
  • Two litres of water per person for every hour of pedalling
  • Loose long sleeves and a scarf for the dust
  • Cycling gloves, sunglasses and lip balm
  • Headlamp and a power bank — power cuts are normal out here
  • Warm layers for the morning; desert nights drop fast in December

Plan this route

Tell us how many riders and which month. We will sort bikes, a support car and the beds along the valley.

Plan this trip

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