Camels & Kasbahs

The dunes, the old caravan routes and the kasbahs of the south.

Few countries move so effortlessly from imperial medinas to snow-touched mountains to the immense silence of the Sahara, all within a few hours' drive.

When to go

March to May and September to November, when the days are warm, the light is clear and the desert nights turn crisp rather than cold. Your advisor times it to the light, the crowds and your own calendar.

The experiences

A sense of what this journey can hold — each one arranged privately and shaped to you:

• Trace the old caravan routes by private vehicle through the Draa and Dades valleys, palm oases threading between ochre cliffs
• Explore a restored earthen kasbah with a local historian, its towers and courtyards recalling the trans-Saharan trade
• Set out at dusk on camelback along a stretch of the ancient road, following the shadows the dunes throw across the sand
• Sleep in a camp among the dunes after a day on the trade routes, the fire and the stars closing the day

A sense of the rhythm

This journey follows the grain of the old south, moving between kasbahs and dunes at the pace of the caravans that made them. Days combine unhurried driving through the valleys with time on foot and in the saddle, each night a different vantage on the desert. The mood is of slow discovery, the history close to the surface.

The routes over a single camp

Threading the kasbahs and caravan routes gives the desert its context, the trade and the settlements that the dunes alone cannot tell. You gain the arc of the old south, oasis to fortress to sand, rather than a single fixed view of the Sahara.

How to do it well

The counsel our advisors give travelers planning this journey:

• Travel the valleys with a historian who can read the kasbahs, whose walls hold centuries of trade
• Break the driving days with stops in the oases, cool and green against the surrounding rock
• Time the camel ride for late afternoon, when the heat eases and the shadows lengthen
• Carry cover for sun and dust alike, both constant companions on the southern routes

What only your advisor can open

The difference between a good trip and an unrepeatable one is access — and access is a relationship, not a booking. Every guide, room and moment is chosen and sequenced for you.

Who it's for

Travelers who value privacy, time and doing it once — beautifully — and who would rather have one trusted advisor orchestrate every detail than assemble it themselves.

Estimated investment

From US$10,200 per traveler, based on double occupancy — scaled to your dates, party size and level of privacy. A starting point, not a final quote; confirmed once your advisor tailors the itinerary.

Designed entirely around you

Nothing here is a package. A Forest Travel advisor shapes the whole journey and stays one message away before and throughout your trip.

Your Virtuoso privileges

As a Virtuoso member, Forest Travel includes benefits reserved for Virtuoso guests at the finest luxury hotels, at no added cost: a room upgrade on arrival when available, daily breakfast for two, a property credit toward dining or spa, and early check-in with late check-out when the hotel allows.

Continue exploring The Sahara

Part of our The Sahara travel guide. Related private journeys:

• The Desert Camp
• The Desert Honeymoon
• Dunes & Family

Begin the conversation

Tell a Forest Travel advisor how you like to travel and they will design Camels & Kasbahs around you — privately, every Virtuoso privilege included. Request your private consultation →