Wings Over the Sahara

A Private Expedition

Morocco - Private Sahara Expedition
Now you can encounter the endless Sahara, exhilarate in its pristine air and dramatic light, and penetrate its mysteries, even if your time is limited.

For millennia, only camel caravans could reveal the secrets of the desert. Today, you can soar above the sands to discover mountain bastions, ancient trade routes, endlessly shifting dunes, and unexpected beauty; and touch down at a remote oasis, to share in the ways of desert tribes. The experience will last a lifetime.

Travel in Style has engaged the services of Captain Vincent Ducroq, licensed in both the United States and France, to provide an unsurpassed Sahara experience. With wings placed above window level, his Cessna 230 is perfectly suited for viewing the grand sweep of sand, rocky plateaus, palm gardens, and jagged peaks stretching to the far horizon. The Cessna can soar as high as 4000 meters and fly on instruments alone, yet it can virtually follow a camel and touch down on dirt tracks.

You'll fly, trek, climb towering sand dunes for panoramic views and photos, and even ride a camel on this adventure. You'll reach fabled Zagora, the Saharan oasis of legend. At your desert camp beyond, you'll experience the night sky as it is known only to desert travelers

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Come away with us...to the Sahara!

This two-day, one-night caravan by air to the Grand Sahara may be added to any of our Morocco adventures.

DAY 1 - FLIGHT FROM MARRAKECH, ZAGORA OASIS (LD)

We will call for you at your hotel with an air-conditioned vehicle, and convey you to the airport of Marrakech, where your private Cessna awaits. After a round of introductions, your party will take its seats, while Captain Ducroq explains flight procedures, and answers questions about your routing, conditions, and what to expect. And then it's takeoff! You'll taxi onto the runway, gain speed, lift off, and head out over the vastness of the desert.

The green of fields around Marrakech soon gives way to subtle gradations of tans and browns and reds. In the distance, the slopes and peaks of the Atlas Mountains come into view. We'll be safely above the desert floor, yet at a much lower altitude than that used by scheduled aircraft, and you'll easily see the features pointed out by Captain Ducroq, and those that you espy on your own.

In an hour and a half, we'll reach Zagora, and touch down. Here, a chauffeur awaits with Land Rover to escort you through the palmeraie, the vast palm grove. Lunch will be taken Bedouin-style, near Tamegrout, and tea will be quickly prepared in the open. Then it's on into ancient Tamegrout itself, with its treasured library, repository of twelfth- and thirteen-century manuscripts inscribed on the skin of gazelles. We'll continue to the Potters' Yard, and the towering Tinfou Dune, ever-shifting landmark for desert wayfarers.

Now we'll set out into the golden dunes by Land Rover, away from any road, to meet up with a local tribe and take mint tea. This is a rare opportunity to encounter and interact with a people that has maintained its customs apart from Western culture. We recommend that you take a few utilitarian gifts from home, such as writing implements or notebooks. We are proud to work always with local enterprises, personnel, and communities, who receive 90 percent of the revenues we generate; and our policy and practice are to do nothing that interferes with their environment and traditions.

Then, it's off again into the desert . . . on the back of a camel! We'll learn the basics of handling these magnificent beasts--including the essential "stop" maneuver--and then saddle up and ride off. Within a half-hour, we'll attain our encampment, in time to witness a dramatic sunset, while our repast is prepared.

A spectacular night in the desert begins to unfold. The heat of day gives way to soft breezes. Millions of stars glow through the purest air; even as we watch, the same constellations are guiding distant caravans. Tents are at hand, with the amenities and comforts of a Sahara chieftain: carpets, kilims, blankets, cushions, and even furniture. Meanwhile, locals arrive as if from nowhere, to entertain with songs and dance and poetry. Eventually, we'll retire to our tents, snuggle under blankets, and fall asleep to a silence broken only by the breeze.

DAY 2 - FLIGHT FROM ZAGORA, MARRAKECH (B)

We'll awaken while the air and the sand are still cool, in time to experience the nuances of the evolving desert day. Fires are lit, tea is put on to brew, and we take our breakfast as the red sun rises swiftly over the horizon and the last stars flee the sky. The sand underneath heats in the intensifying rays, and soon warmth radiates from both above and below.

Our repast finished, we pack up our few belongings, like any desert traveller, and retrace our path to the oasis. By midmorning, we have reached our aircraft. We stow our bags and climb aboard for the return flight to Marrakech.

On arrival, local personnel are on hand to escort you to your hotel; or, if your desert venture marks the end of your sojourn in Morocco, to see to your transfer to the departure area to begin your homeward journey.

The Cessna has a capacity of five passengers without luggage, in addition to the pilot; or four passengers with a maximum of 60 kilograms (132 pounds) of luggage.

Please note: for our Bedouin-style lunch near Tamegrout, we can accommodate dietary restrictions or preferences, such as vegetarian, with advance notice.

As the Sahara can be cold at night, please bring a warm coat or jacket.

Rate includes:

• Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with mint tea and one large bottle of water.
• One night of accommodation in comfortable Bedouin tent, measuring at least 20 square meters, with carpets, furniture, and full bedding.
• Adequate bathroom facilities (without seat), one for each gender, and cold-water shower.
• Camel ride, services of local guide, and entrance fees
• Services of Cessna plane and private pilot for twelve hours on itinerary described.
• Private transportation between airport and Marrakech hotel

Not included:

• Travel Insurance (We require proof of insurance to accommodate you on this tour)
• Tips
• Expenses of a personal nature.

Additional Short Tour Opportunities:

We can offer the following excursions either totally by air, or in combination with overland exploration:

• Around and Over Marrakech (12 minutes)
• The Slopes and Valleys of the Atlas from Above (35 minutes)
• Soaring Over the High Atlas (1 hour 15 minutes)
• Day tour to Ouarzazate, Taroudant, Zagora, Essaouira, or Tata.
• Two-Day Adventure with an overnight desert encampment at the Dunes of Chgaga / Zagora / Merzouga and the Erg Chehbi Dunes.

Note on Travel/Medical Insurance

Proof of ravel and medical insurance is required in order to participate in this tour. An insurance premium is not included in the above rates. We will send you the necessary forms and information. You must carry a copy of your travel/medical/repatriation insurance contract, with your detailed personal data, during the caravan trip.

MINIMUM PARTICIPANTS: 2 .
MAXIMUM PARTICIPANTS: 5

RATE per person in US dollars, based on a minimum of two persons:

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