Price: £1395/person
THE REPTILES OF MOROCCO TOUR
Day 1: Arrive in Agadir
Arrive anytime, if time permits we go out seeking for reptiles in the desert in the evening.
Overnight in Agadir.
Meals included: None
Day 2: Travel to Guelmim
After breakfast, we leave Agadir. For the next three days we will move towards the inland, deeper in the desert looking for some really unique reptiles. Our base for the next 3 nights will be near Guelmim. Our targets will be Uromastyx nigriventris, Chamaeleo chamaeleon, Spalerosophis dolichospilus, M. monspessulanus saharatlanticus, Myriopholis algeriensis etc. It should also be a great pace to find Egyptian cobras.
Overnight in Guelmim.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Day 3: A day trip to Assa
Today we travel further to spend the day deep inside the Sahara Desert looking for another desired snake species, the White-bellied carpet viper (Echis leucogaster) and get our first chance for Varanus griseus and Cerastes cerastes.
Overnight in Guelmim.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Day 4: Herping around Guelmim
After a long day in Assa, we will have a more relaxed day around Guelmim where we continue with exploring the desert and rescue reptiles from the wells.
Overnight near Guelmim.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Day 5: Travel to the Atlantic Coast
After breakfast, we start our journey towards the Atlantic coast, to El Outia. We will spend most of the day along the rural roads between Guelmim and TanTan. The area is home to scorpions, skinks, whipsnakes and the Egyptian cobra.
Overnight in TanTan Plage.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Day 6: Herping in Western Sahara
We travel South today (3-4h) to visit the Western Sahara region. It is an arid region where we can find some very unique retiles. We will be looking for geckos, vipers, and a large lizard, the desert monitor. There will be also chance to see the Sudanese dob (Uromastyx dispar flavifasciata) in their habitat. And at night geckos will take over the place. (Tarentola annularis, Tarentola hoggarensis, Stenodactylus petrii). Seeing the inland morph of Cerastes vipera and Cerastes cerastes will be possible too with some luck. We will drive back at night to Tantan.
Overnight in TanTan Plage.
Meals included: Breakfast
Day 7 : Herping near the Atlantic coast
After a long day in Western Sahara, we will start slowly and focus in the Tantan region.
If time permits we will get back to the humid Atlantic Coast and spend our last full day at and around Khenifiss National Park. We will take a walk on the sand dunes to look for the coastal morph of the Sahara sand viper (Cerastes vipera). We will also look for the beautiful Tarentola chazaliae with the unicolor pattern typical of this area.
Overnight in TanTan Plage.
Meals included: Breakfast
Day 8: Travel to Sidi Ifni
After breakfast, we leave El Outia and will head towards the coastal town of Sidi Ifni. We will spend the day in the area, looking for an impressive snake, the mighty Puff adder (Bitis arietans). We will also be searching for trapped animals in the water cisterns and wells, focusing on the Egyptian cobra and the Moorish viper. At night, during road cruising we will have a good chance seeing Tarentola chazaliae, Stenodactylus mauritanicus and Boaedon fuliginosus.
Overnight in Sidi Ifni.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Day 9: Departure day
Today we head back North again, towards the Souss Valley, to spend the majority of the day to look for reptiles and birds in the area. We will be back to Agadir at around 17:00 where you can fly out from. Overnight in Agadir is possible at a small extra surcharge.
Meals included: Breakfast
Throughout the holiday we will be staying at simple hotels and Berber guesthouses. All accommodation will be en-suite.
The overnights:
1 Night in/near Agadir
3 nights near Guelmim
3 nights in El Ouatia (TanTan Plage)
1 night in Sidi Ifni
Prices & Inclusions
21st – 29th May 2027 – 5 spots left
24th September – 2nd October 2027 – 5 Spots left
|
Holiday Price: |
£1395/person |
|
| Single Supplement | £200/person |
Inclusions
- Accommodation at mentioned hotels or similar for 8 nights on a twin share basis
- Daily breakfasts
- Transportation as per the itinerary
- Local Herpetologist expert throughout the holiday
- Guided daily walks as per the itinerary
- Full financial protection by Protected Trust Services
Exclusions
- International flights
- Airport transfers
- Meals (lunches and dinners)
- Drinks
- Tips
- Travel Insurance
TOUR SUMMARY
On this holiday we will discover South Morocco and the northern part of Western Sahara. It is a small group tour with a maximum of 6 guests, led by biologist Max Benito Smeele. The main activates will be looking for reptiles in the desert, rescuing reptiles and amphibians from wells and water cisterns and we will be road cruising at night looking for nocturnal reptiles.
A typical day will start around 9am with breakfast, we will then visit different locations in the desert. During the day the main focus will be rescuing reptiles. Lunch is usually spent on the field. We return to our accommodation around 7pm for dinner, and go out around 8pm for field walks and road cruising. The day usually ends around midnight- 2am. We will walk around 5-7 miles a day.
YOUR GUIDE
Max Benito Smeele
Max is a biologist from the Universidad de Salamanca in Spain. His main interests are around amphibian and reptile conservation, as well as in nature photography as a way to spread knowledge and awareness about these animals. He has worked as a researcher in Spain and Costa Rica, to which he travelled 5 times, with the aim to explore its overwhelming biodiversity. Currently he resides in Spain were he works as photographer for the Exsitu Project, tour leader, teaches courses about Iberian herpetofauna and studies a masters in tropical biodiversity. Moreover he speaks Spanish, Dutch and English fluently. On this tour Max will be accompanied by Lucia Alonso, a naturalist guide from Spain.
THE GALLERY
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Morocco: Morocco is one of the closest exotic destination to Europe. It offers great hospitality, historic towns and beautiful landscapes. The country is also an excellent destination for herpetology-lovers as it has a very unique and diverse herpetofauna. Most of the species have perfectly adapted for the arid landscape and the endless sand dunes of the Sahara Desert.
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