7 Days Geology Morocco Tour
7 Days 6 Nights Geological Mineral Fossil Morocco Tour from Marrakech
ITINERARY OVERVIEWS :
Explore Morocco’s geological wonders on a 4×4 trip from the Atlas Mountains to the Sahara Desert. The country’s vast expanses of rocks are full of fossils and minerals. With GeoWorld Travel, you can see incredible wonders, including the Fezouata Ordovician deposit, trilobite quarries, dinosaur fossil beds, a mineral mine, a salt mine, towering dunes, and World Heritage Kasbahs.
Day 1 : Marrakech – Sidi Rahal – High Atlas – Ait ben Haddou – Ouarzazate
We’ll travel across the Atlas Mountains to the fossil-rich areas of the Anti-Atlas. Our first stop will be near Sidi Rahal, where we can visit an agate mine in Triassic lava. Then, we’ll head to the Col du Tichka, 2260m above sea level, and take a break before following layers of Triassic sediments and lava flows to a salt mine. After visiting the salt mine, we’ll continue south through Jurassic, Cretaceous, and Eocene strata to reach Ouarzazate. There, we’ll stay in a comfortable 4-star hotel for the night.
Day 2 : Ouarzazate – Agdez – Draa Valley – Beni zoli – Alnif
We’ll start our 7-day Geological Minerals Fossils tour by visiting a site containing 600 million-year-old stromatolites. Then, we’ll head to the Draa Valley to see giant cold-water trilobites that live 20-30 cm long. Lastly, we’ll visit the Fezouata Shale deposit, where exceptional preservation has revealed soft-bodied “Burgess Shale” type fauna. We’ll spend the night in the nearby town of Zagora.
Day 3: Exploring the Alnif area
Our 7-day tour of Geological Minerals Fossils will begin with a visit to the Saredrar Orthoceras quarry near Tazzarine. Then, we will head to Alnif, known as the “Trilobite Capital of the World,” to check out various fossil shops and see the giant yellow Cambrian trilobites. Finally, we will visit the renowned Jebel Tiskaouine and stay at a hotel outside Alnif.
Day 4: Alnif – Merzouga Desert
Today, We’ll visit the Maider Basin, known as the lost world of trilobites. Our first stop is Bou Dib, a famous trilobite site located on the northern escarpment of Jbel Isoumour. We will observe fossils near Rissani and proceed to Merzouga for camel rides and three nights at a hotel.
Day 5: Exploring the Merzouga area
We drove to Taouz and then to the Kem Kem site, known for its diverse fossils. We found remnants of crinoids and laccoliths in a neighboring site, alongside fossils on display in Erfoud. Our next stop was the Filon 12 mine, which now extracts mineral specimens like vanadinite, haematite, goethite, and quartz. We will spend the evening stargazing at the hotel in Merzouga.
Day 6: Merzouga – Todra gorges – Ouarzazate
Today, we will drive back to Ouarzazate from Merzouga. We will make a stop at the beautiful Todra Gorge, which is located halfway along our route. The gorge is carved through Jurassic layers on the edge of the High Atlas. We will spend about an hour exploring the area. Afterward, we will have lunch and continue our journey. We should arrive in Ouarzazate by late afternoon.
Day 7: Ouarzazate – High Atlas – Marrakech
Our itinerary includes visiting the World Heritage Sites of Kasbah Ait-Ben-Hoddou and the Medina and Souk of Marrakesh. We stopped at Kasbah Ait-Ben-Hoddou, a fortified settlement and a film set for many movies. After crossing the Atlas Mountains, we had lunch before reaching Marrakech. We spent some free time shopping at the souk, a World Heritage Site and spent the night at the same hotel as day one.
The itinerary can be changed as you wish. Please, tell usif you like to do that.
INCLUDED
– Geological tour guide
– Local guide and driver
– Hotel accommodation
– Dinner and breakfast in the hotels
– Picnic lunch
– Bottled water on day excursions
– Transportation in Landcruiser
NOT INCLUDED
– Flights
– Alcohol and soft drinks
– Bottled water in hotels
We’d be more than happy to assist you in planning your geology tour. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us for any help you may need!