MOROCCO!
The Sahara to the
Atlantic Coast
March 21 - 31, 2023

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Situated in northwest Africa, Morocco has drawn travelers in search of adventure and the exotic for centuries. This incredible country is full of contrasting images and colorful sights and has a fascinating history and culture. From a birding perspective, Morocco offers amazing diversity in a variety of habitats from arid stony deserts (hammada), dry wadis (valleys), sand dunes, lakes, rivers, estuaries and the immense, snow-capped Atlas Mountains.

With one of the most interesting avifaunas in the Western Palearctic, Morocco attracts bird watchers from all over the world with some very special species and near endemics. The critically endangered Bald Ibis, Cream-colored Courser, Levaillant’s Woodpecker, Moussier’s Redstart, Black-crowned Tchagra, Thick-billed Lark, Crimson-winged Finch and Desert Sparrow are just a few of the avian treasures on offer.

 

Our itinerary is efficient and easy paced with no long drives and a chance to experience some of Morocco’s distinct culture as we pass ancient ruins and Kasbahs on our way to palm fringed oases out in the desert. Timed to coincide with the spectacle of spring migration from Africa to Europe against the backdrop of picturesque scenery, our tour to Morocco promises a superb birding experience.

Join us for an unforgettable tour of magnificent Morocco!

ABOUT MOROCCO
Steeped in history, Morocco is a mystical land close to Europe but with its own distinct culture. It has a developing economy and modern tourist facilities are widely available. The landscape is rugged and mountainous in the interior with sea coasts on the Atlantic and Mediterranean and the Sahara desert in the south. Moroccan people are renowned for their friendliness. US citizens traveling to Morocco need a valid passport but no Visa and no vaccinations are required.

TOP BIRDS TO SEE IN MOROCCO
Bald Ibis, Desert Sparrow, Tristram´s Warbler, Pharaoh Eagle Owl, Moussier´s Redstart, African Crimson-winged Finch, Magreb Wheatear, Red-rumped Wheatear, Thick-billed Lark, Hoopoe Lark, Levaillant´s Woodpecker, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Egyptian Nightjar, Desert Lark, Bar-tailed Lark, Fulvous Babbler, Crowned Sandgrouse, Spotted Sandgrouse, Cream-colored Courser, Houbara Bustard, Desert Wheatear, Scrub Warbler, Barbary Partridge, Barbary Falcon, Lanner Falcon and more!

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ITINERARY

 

Day 1: Welcome to Morocco!
Our tour begins today at Marrakesh-Menara Airport (Airport code: RAK). On arrival, our group will assemble and check for House Buntings around the terminal building. Outside the airport is an excellent place to start birding with Common Bulbul, Pallid Swift and Little Swift possible and migrant birds feeding in the gardens.  On the way to our hotel, we may be welcomed by the abundant White Stork. 

 

Before dinner we will take a short walk around the nearby gardens and there is an optional visit to Marrakesh city after dinner. House Bunting and Laughing Dove are likely to be seen inside the city. Overnight in Marrakesh.

 

Day 2: Visit to the high Atlas Mountains
This morning we drive up into the High Atlas Mountains and visit Oukaimeden. As we drive along the cultivated valley we should find a good mix of resident and migrant species such as Woodchat Shrike, Common Crossbill, Hawfinch, Brambling, House, Rock and Cirl Bunting and we may see the stunning Moussier's Redstart.

Slightly higher up among the rocky slopes we will search for Barbary Partridge, Blue Rock Thrush and the endemic Levaillant's Woodpecker. When we finally reach the ski resort of Oukaimeden we will take some time to admire the stunning scenery before beginning our search of the snow line for handsome Crimson-winged Finch. Other species here include Alpine Accentor, Rock Sparrow, Water Pipit, Atlas Wheatear, Red-billed and Alpine Chough and Shore (Horned) Lark spp atlae. Raptors to keep an eye out for include Golden, Bonelli’s, Booted Eagle, and possibly Long-legged Buzzard. Overnight in Marrakesh.

 

 

Day 3: Marrakesh to Boulmane
Today, we will travel through the High Atlas Mountains where snowy peaks visible from miles away decorate the landscape. We will stop at an excellent raptor watch point where we will scan the blue Moroccan skies for resident and migrant birds including Lanner Falcon, Barbary Falcon, Lesser Kestrel, Black Kite, Long-legged Buzzard, Short-toed and Booted Eagle. We will stop at the scenic and impressive Tizi n'Tichka pass (7415 feet) to admire its fabulous geological rock formations before continuing on our journey to the stony desert. We will take our time, stopping at a few convenient locations for specialties such as Levaillant´s Woodpecker, Mourning Wheatear and Trumpeter Finch. We will stay for two nights in Boumalne at the edge of a desert plateau with impressive views of the Dades River.

 

Day 4: Steppes of Boumalne-Tagdilt
Today we will make an early morning visit to the famous (among birders) Tagdilt Track. Despite the nearby rubbish tip this is still an excellent area for some very special birds. Careful searching could reveal Cream-colored Courser, Black-bellied and Crowned Sandgrouse, Thick-billed, Bar-tailed, Desert and Temminck's Horned Lark, as well as Red-rumped and Desert Wheatear and Trumpeter Finch. We also keep watching overhead for Lanner, Long-legged Buzzard, Booted Eagle, Montagu's Harrier and other migrants.

In the afternoon we will head for the spectacular Dades Gorge, where the towering pink rock walls are home to Crag Martin, Pale Crag Martin, Alpine Swift, Blue Rock Thrush, Barbary Partridge, Rock Bunting and Bonelli's Eagle. In the open areas are Mourning Wheatear and Desert Lark, and here we have our first chance of North-west African endemic - Tristram's Warbler.

 

Day 5: Boumalne to Merzouga
After a last look at the Tagdilt Track we drive on towards our secluded hotel at Merzouga, situated right on the edge of the Chebbi dunes. The drive east will no doubt be punctuated with stops to check out the numerous wadis and palm-fringed oases, as we look for Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Lanner Falcon and migrants such as Subalpine Warbler, European Bee-eater and many others. A short walk before Merzouga will give us the chance to see the magnificent desert race of Eagle Owl in one of two places. We stay for three nights in Merzouga/Rissani area.

 

Days 6 & 7: 4x4 in the DESERT!! – Hamada and sandy deserts
Our hotel is set in attractive gardens with surrounding palm trees which attract a good variety of migrants, and the immediate area is worth checking at every opportunity for species such as Hoopoe, Woodchat Shrike, Wryneck, Rufous Bush Robin or Nightingale. We will spend a whole day checking various sites around the edge of the red sand dunes of the Erg Chebbi - the largest dune system in Morocco. Our major prize should be found around the various cafes that are dotted about the landscape, elusive Desert Sparrow. Other species include Fulvous Babbler, Hoopoe Lark, African Desert Warbler and Brown-necked Raven.

There are sometimes seasonal lakes, which attract numerous wildfowl and waders - an amazing sight out here in the desert! It is always worth scanning the skies, and as the day warms up it is possible to see good numbers of storks and raptors rising on the thermals and heading north towards their breeding grounds. We will also spend some time at dawn or dusk searching for the rather unpredictable Egyptian Nightjar, which sometimes breeds in nearby wadis. Other species in this area include Short-toed and Bar-tailed Desert Lark, Desert and Black-eared Wheatear, Dartford and Spectacled Warbler, Trumpeter Finch, Southern Gray Shrike and possibly Spotted Sandgrouse. One early morning we drive through the desert areas near the Algerian border in the search of the scarce Houbara Bustard.

 

Day 8: Merzouga to Ouarzazate
We will drive through the Anti-Atlas Mountains, taking in the landscape of rocky hills, cliffs and deep gorges of volcanic geological formations. Roadside birding will produce migrants and lots of wheatears, and perhaps Bonelli´s Eagle. We will walk around Ouarzazate reservoir with a tremendous selection of birds on offer which may include Moussiers Redstart, Wryneck, Western Bonelli's, Western Orphean, Subalpine and Olivaceous Warbler, Desert, Northern and Black-eared Wheatear, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Rock and House Bunting. Birding around Ouarzazate also offers water birds as Osprey, Black Stork, Night Heron, Little and Cattle Egret, Ruddy Shelduck, Black-winged Stilt, Little Ringed Plover, and White Wagtail of the subpersonata Moroccan race. Overnight in Ouarzazate.

 

Day 9: Ouarzazate to Agadir
After breakfast we head towards Agadir on the Atlantic coast. We will stop in the famous medieval Kasbah Ait Benhadou, where birding is first class and may include local specialties Desert Lark, Trumpeter Finch and Mourning Wheatear. After lunch in the scenic Tzin Izhsane we continue to the fertile Sous Valley, through scrub thickets and citrus groves where we could find European Roller, Black-shouldered Kite and Western Orphean Warbler. We could find anything from Black Kite migrating overhead, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater resting on roadside wires, to skulking Subalpine Warblers or a Lanner Falcon in a roadside promontory. Several stops will produce interesting migrant passerines, raptors, waders and storks. Overnight in Agadir, where we stay for two nights.

 

Day 10: Souss-Massa National Park
An early start will see us head to the Atlantic coast where we spend the morning in the Sous Massa National Park, known for stellar bird watching! We walk here to see endangered Bald Ibis, one of the rarest birds in the planet, with an important population here. We search the vegetation along the water's edge for skulking Squacco Heron, while the distinctive call of Black-crowned Tchagra rings out from dense cover. More easily observed birds can include Marbled Duck, Marsh Harrier, Osprey, Black-shouldered Kite, Glossy Ibis, Squacco and Purple Heron, Ruddy Shelduck, Plain Martin and possibly Tawny Eagle. Other possibilities include Savi's, Western Olivaceous and Moustached Warblers, Zitting Cisticola, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Pallid Swift, Red-rumped Swallow, Common Bulbul, and Spotless Starling.

After lunch we drive along the semi-arid steppes of the Sous valley with good chances for Lesser Short-toed Lark, Cream-colored Courser, Stone Curlew or sandgrouse. Later in the afternoon we will visit the Oued Sous - a delightful area very good for waders, terns and large flocks of roosting gulls, including Slender-billed, Audouin's and Mediterranean. Other species here include Greater Flamingo, Zitting Cisticola and Sardinian Warbler. At dusk we will check a nearby site for Red-necked Nightjar. Overnight in Agadir.

 

Day 11: Tamri and Departure
Time permitting we head to Tamri, to look again for Bald Ibis. We may also see Audouin's Gull, Zitting Cisticola, Barbary Partridge, Moussier's Redstart and Sardinian Warbler, before returning to Marrakesh for international flights out after 4 PM.

TOUR CODE:
This trip is not strenuous. If we need to walk in high places to see particular species, we will go slowly and perhaps split the group so some can stay at lower levels. Leisurely walking, very occasionally over moderately rough terrain, is the only physical requirement. All the hotels are 3 or 4 star. They are clean and offer good traditional meals. Some may be able to serve alcohol (wine, beer, etc) some may not. Remember that Morocco is a Muslim country and alcohol is not well seen by Muslims.

 

LEADERS: Gina Nichol, Steve Bird, & local guides