NEW!! Morocco Special - Autumn Migration

Tour Date: 9th – 18th September 2009

9 Nights 10 Days

A wonderful opportunity to enjoy both the migrating and rare breeding birds in Morocco. This tour has been especially tailored to take in some of the rarest birds in Morocco, whilst also timed to allow our fellow travellers to view autumn migration where ‘anything’ might turn-up. We also visit one of the largest breeding colonies in the world for Eleonora’s Falcon!

From the fabulous old city of Marrakech to the Atlantic coast we will journey into the Anti Atlas Mountains and also stay in the southern deserts. The scenery alone is worth joining the tour for. Our usual high standard for accommodation applies and we have carefully selected restaurants and transport. Our journey allows us to take our time and we have selected some of our hotels specifically, not only for their comfort, but also their location. At 3 of these hotels we will spend 2 consecutive nights giving time for relaxation and enjoying their superb locations, these longer stays also give opportunities for individuals to miss touring with the group and do their own thing.

We most strongly recommend booking early for this tour. Those who follow our tours will know how popular our tours to Morocco have become and early bookings are advised in order to avoid disappointment.

Included in the price of this tour is all accommodation, food, free transport (including airport transfers in Marrakech) and guides.

Optional Extras: For those wishing to travel to Marrakech from Spain, then this can be arranged at 300 Euros each for persons travelling as a couple or 350 Euros for lone travellers. The costs include 2 night extra accommodation, ferry charges from Tarifa to Tanger, transport/transfers to Marrakech, food etc. Please contact us for more information.

Direct flights to Marrakech. The price for flights is not included in the tour price. Prospective travellers are requested to check www.easyjet.com flying from London Gatwick or www.ryanair.com flying from Luton.

Important Note: € This key / symbol represents the use of our local Moroccan Guides Scheme (MGS). These guides are approved by us and registered in our scheme which has been designed to promote local awareness and conservation in areas of importance to Moroccan Fauna and Flora. If you intend to travel independently, please consider using these people, they are often the lonely guardians for otherwise unprotected areas. Choosing a good guide can be tricky (we speak from experience!), but we can supply details of MGS guides whom we feel able to recommend upon request.

For our online Booking Form download here  or for further information please complete our enquiry form on Contact us page.

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Tour Description/Itinerary

Day One

Our tour starts with your collection from the city airport in Marrakech. From here we will take you to our superb hotel and with Common Bulbul plus House Buntings flying in the gardens your birding will already have begun. We will take lunch at the hotel and so there will be time for everyone to relax after their flights. We offer options for the afternoon. You can accompany a guide to a valley outside of the city for birding, those wishing to visit the old city quarters and the famous Souk can be guided by an optional local guide (cost not included in the tour price) or if you are tired after your long journey, then you can simply relax around the hotel pool and bar. In the evening before dinner we will discuss our tour itinerary and expectations.

Day Two

After a relaxing breakfast in the tranquil grounds of the hotel we will set-off at around 0900 to our next destination Essaouira. The journey will take us through many different landscapes from grape producing areas to open desert and juniper woodlands. We will have time to stop on route for morning drinks and some birding. On arrival at Essaouira we will book into our hotel and take lunch at the beachside restaurant. The afternoon will be spent observing the Eleonora’s Falcon colony (675 breeding pairs recorded in 2001 which is 10% of the world population) and then visiting the Oued Ksob. The mouth of the river is a good place to find various gull and wader species, whilst the river holds good numbers of migrants. Plain Martin breed here and the chances are good for turning up rarities in the Tamarisk and junipers lining the river. Eleonora’s Falcons are often seen over the river feeding and we are hopeful of getting some close views. Dinner will be taken in our favourite beachside restaurant.




Day Three



We anticipate an early/ish breakfast at around 0730 to allow for time to be spent at and around Tamri lagoon and shoreline before our lunch stop at Tamrhakh. The lagoon and marshes at Tamri are a favoured area for migrants and if we are lucky we might spot Bald Ibis on the surrounding dunes. Lesser Crested, Black, White-winged, Whiskered and Sandwich Terns are also some of this family to use the area on migration. On our last visit here we had spectacular views of Barbary Falcon. Warblers normally include Spectacled and it is possible to find Tristrams here. After our lunch stop we continue through the wonderfully scenic Paradise Valley and we intend to have several stops along this route searching for not only migrant, but also resident species such as Black Wheatear, Blue Rock Thrush, Rock Bunting and hopefully Bonelli’s Eagle. We will eventually arrive at our hotel for 2 nights in the Anti Atlas Mountain village of Imouzzer. The hotel and its terraced garden is a real favourite for us and the views from the terrace are stunning. It will be our base for the next 2 nights and the only problem we encountered on previous visits was our reluctance to leave!

Day Four

Here we are able to offer our travel companions options. The area is a wonderful place to wander and explore, mountain paths, woodland and incredible rock formations. If you want to take timeout from the group, then you have the option to wander around close to the village or simply relax in the hotel and its gardens. We will take journeys into the surrounding valleys and explore the mountain areas for such species as Bonelli’s Eagle, Barbary Partridge, Crossbill and Little Swift etc. We will take lunch at the hotel, so again there is the option to do half a day birding and an afternoon just relaxing in the hotel grounds etc. We will drive into the mountain area behind the hotel during the afternoon and go a hunting Tristram’s Warbler and other exotics, although this route is a bit of a mystery tour as we have not had time to previously explore this particular area, so an adventure! Our intention is to arrive back at the hotel late afternoon to enjoy the terrace and surrounding scenery, of course keeping an eye to the skies for raptors! Time in the evening to tot-up our bird list and enjoy the superb food and drinks served by our hotel.

Day Five

It’s an up and away morning, early breakfast a requirement so we have plenty of time to reach our next destination in the desert west of Guelmim. Our journey takes us around the eastern ring road of Agadir and we hope to have time to stop near the roadside a little further south for birding the Oued Massa. We will stop for lunch in Tiznit and then head towards Guelmim but before we will look around Bouizakarne for White-crowned Black Wheatear. The area between Bouizakarne and Guelmim is good for lark species and we have also had Fulvous Babblers here. After Guelmim we head out into the desert and take a stop near to a small river, where we can walk a little way upstream looking for waders and warblers. The last time we visited here we managed to find Wood, Green and Common Sandpiper, Redshank, Greenshank, Little Ringed Plover, Common Snipe and Black-winged Stilt. Marsh Harrier and Long-legged Buzzards are also found here with both Red-rumped and Desert Wheatear being common. On the approaches to our hotel, set amidst a Bedouin Camp, we found Lanner Falcon and Little Owl. The camp provides a real taste of local life and the hotel provides the comfort! We found the food excellent here and the surrounding desert a great birding area.

Day Six

We will take a leisurely and relaxed breakfast and aim to leave the camp by around 0900. For early risers there are plenty of short walks into the surrounding desert to go looking for birds and we regularly have the African sub-specie of Magpie here. Yet again we are able to offer options for the day, although on this occasion we would recommend our day trip into the surrounding desert and visit to the beach Plage Blanche. For those who fancy walking along the track westwards there is an old and interesting Foreign Legion Fort (Bou-Jerif) and the surrounding desert makes for an ideal stroll from our base. Those who choose to stay around the camp and simply relax can take lunch in the restaurant here. We will journey westward through the desert and search for Desert and Scrub Warbler before reaching a wadi near to the estuary where we will have a short walk searching the area for migrants. We then propose to reach the beach for lunch and for the more adventurous a swim and beach walk. It is possible to do some sea watching here and we can also spend some time around the mouth of the estuary. We will get back to the camp by late afternoon to allow all our party time to relax before dinner and drinks. €

Day Seven

We are able to take a fairly relaxed breakfast and aim to leave the camp by latest 0900, but 0830 if the earlier hour suits the party. We leave and head for the area Sidi R’bat and here we can stop to take in the wadi and see the breeding site for a pair of Bonelli’s Eagle. We will then proceed to our next destination and hotel in the reserve of Oued Massa. The plan is to arrive at the hotel for lunch and check-in, the hotel is in a fabulous position and overlooks the Atlantic Ocean and beach! Here we can relax and stroll down from the hotel gardens to the nature reserve of the Oued Massa checking on the open waters and marginal vegetation for migrants. The beach near the lagoon is well worth checking for unusual gulls among the many Lesser Black-backed and Yellow Legged Gulls. Peter is offering a free drink to the first person who sees and points out Moustached Warbler, hearing their song and call does not qualify for the drink! We will meet our local guide here and discuss our tactics for the next day. If people want to take themselves off for an evening stroll and view magnificent sunsets, then they are most welcome to do so.€

Day Eight

Yes another relaxed breakfast, but with so many good sites close to our hotel we expect some of you to have had a good sized bird list before breakfast. Our local guide will join us for today and our targets will be Black-crowned Tchagra and of course Bald Ibis. The area north and east of our hotel is desert, so we will search this habitat as well as the wadi and marshes. It’s a fair bet we will pick-up a number of new species here as the area is a much favoured one for migrants as well as rare breeding residents. Again we will visit the reserve area and we will take lunch at our hotel. It is in such a magnificent setting we can again offer options to the group for the afternoon, for those wanting to wander off on their own or just sit around the pool sea watching at the same time, so then we are happy to be able to let you have your independence. For the rest of us, we will accompany our local guide for a walk around the reserve. We will return to the hotel by late afternoon for relaxation before dinner.€

Day Nine

We will leave our hotel as close to 0830 as possible, so an early breakfast will be necessary. We travel north towards Agadir and near to the royal palace we head to the mouth of estuary for the Oued Sous. The area offers some good vantage points and a chance to find anything we may have missed at Oued Massa. From here we will make our way towards our next destination in Marrakech. The route takes us through the edges of the High Atlas and is scenically a beautiful route; we will take lunch early into our journey. With time for stopping and exploring likely areas we will travel at a leisurely pace to our hotel in Marrakech. Arriving by late afternoon there will be time for a drink and relax before preparing for our evening dinner.

Day Ten

Our morning will involve a journey into the nearby High Atlas to the Ski resort of Oukaimeden, so an early breakfast is needed in order to depart for 0830. We are hoping to bag a few mountain species here and the primary target is Crimson-winged Finch. Chough, Rock Sparrow and Shore (Horned) Lark are others we should see, but if we really get lucky then Alpine Chough might put in an appearance. Our last visit to the area also produced Golden Eagle and Dipper. We can take a drink break at the Ski resort and have lunch on our way back to Marrakech. Because the tour leaders are staying on for an extra night, guests can store a change of clothes, luggage and have the use of bathroom facilities prior to leaving for the airport (only 15 minutes away from our hotel). And so ends our tour which we will have endeavoured to have made as memorable and enjoyable as possible.

Not just another birding tour, this 10 day adventure has been specifically designed to suit those discerning individuals who consider comfort and relaxation an essential part of any well earned holiday!

At A Glance 10 Day Itinerary
	Accommodation		Visited Areas
Day One	Marrakech		Collection from Marrakech Airport and transfer to Hotel. See options
Day Two	Essaouira		Oued Ksob, Eleonora’s Falcon Colony, Juniper Woodlands
Day Three	Imouzzer		Tamri, Paradise Valley, Imouzzer
Day Four	Imouzzer		Imouzzer and surrounding mountains/valleys
Day Five	Guelmim Bou Jerif		Guelmim Desert and surroundings
Day Six	Guelmim Bou Jerif		Oued Noun and Wadi, Desert, Plage Blanche (beach)
Day Seven	Massa		Oued Noun and Wadi, Oued Massa
Day Eight	Massa		Oued Massa Reserve, Desert and Atlantic Ocean coast
Day Nine	Marrakech		Oued Sous, Atlas Mountain route to Marrakech
Day Ten	Marrakech		Morning visit to Ski Resort Oukaimeden and departure Marrakech Airport
Price Details for this Tour
		Price per person		Single Room Supplement
		1,595 Euros		300 Euros
Deposit pp		600 Euros
Please note: Above prices exclude Flights, Insurance and personal purchases
Included in the tour costs are all accommodation, all meals, all free transport including airport transfers and guides.

For our online Booking Form download here  or for further information please complete our enquiry form on Contact us page.