12 Days Mineral Morocco Tour
Our 12 Days Mineral Morocco Tour. Mining for fossils in Morocco is a labor-intense and delicate process since fossils, intended to be sold as scientific curiosities, or in cases even as natural works of art, have to be retrieved from the ground undamaged. Typically, teams of people, many of them local Berber tribesmen with deep regional roots, work in small trenches and pits with picks, chisels and shovels. Each fossil digger, numbering in the thousands, typically has their own spot, and leaves their equipment there each night. After having been extracted from the earth, locals clean and prepare the fossils for sale. Typically, middlemen gather in larger towns, such as Erfoud, to purchase bulks of fossil and mineral specimens and export them across the world.
The most common and famous finds are trilobites and the nautiloid cephalopod Orthoceras. Orthoceras are often found in huge numbers in black limestone, and their fossils, often polished along with the surrounding stone, are sold either as scientific curiosities, or fashioned into various ornamental shapes. Moroccan Orthoceras limestone is in cases fashioned into furniture, such as ornamental sinks, bathtubs, or coffee tables.
Day 1 : Agadir – Essaouira – Marrakesh
After your arrival in Agadir in morning, we will start our 12 Days Mineral Morocco Tour towards Essaouira and visit Cretaceous quarries and there you can see and collect Ammonites and Echinoderms before drive to hotel in Essaouira at evening.
Day 2 : Essaouira – Marrakesh via Chichawa
leave Essaouira and drive to see where the shark teeth found in Gara Tilda and then collect you to hotel or riad in Marrakesh.
Day 3 : Marrakech – Sidi Rahal’s mine – High Atla Mountain- Ouarzazate
Driving from Marrakesh to Sidi Rahal mine affluent in Quartz Chalcedonies, Amethust, Agate. Lunch meal will be picnic in Sidi Rahal mine, then, we will cross High Atlas Mountain to Ouarzazate and overnight in riad in Ouarzazate.
Day 4 : Ouarzazate – Daraa Valley – Alnif
After breakfast in your riad in ouarzazate we drive along Daraa valley with its beautiful scenery then visit an Ordovician huge trilobites found in Beni Zoli (lunch is picnic on the site), next drive to Serradrar where you will visit and gather black Orthoceras and then we end our journey day in Alnif and spend night in hotel.
Day 5 : Alnif – Jbel tiskaouine – back to Alnif
Departure at morning after breakfast and drive to Cambrian place notorious by its yellowish trilobites and lunch under palms in oasis, afterward we drive to visit Ordovician place in Jbel Tiskaouine which is rich in Calymenes and Flexycalymenes then we back to hotel in Alnif.
Day 6 : Alnif - Isoumour – Atchana – Oesis of Mharch
We drive from Alnis in dry landscape and head to site where all kinds of Devonian trilobites lived together, and lunch on the site and will it be picnic, then drive to Atchana which is contains Devonian trilobites and we pass through Lakrabis and collect red Ammonites. Afterwards, we drive to oasis of Mharch where you will spend night in hotel.
Day 7 : Oesis of Mharch – Lalla Mimouna site – Jbel Mdawar – Merzouga
Departure from Oasis of Mharch toward Mecessi to visit Lalla Mimouna site which contains Dovenian trilobites then we will head to Jbel Mdawar and see the Devonian Goniatites our picnic in Rissani then drive to Merzouga where you will spend night in desert atmosphere in hotel with desert music.
Day 8 : Merzouga – Taous – Kem Kem site – Boutariyt site – Back to Merzouga
After breakfast in hotel we drive to south of Merzouga towards famous Kem Kem site rich in Fish Crocodiles and Spinosaurus bones and teeth. Then we visit the Boutariyt place and gather Echinoderms ( lunch depends your option) next we head to an old mine of filon 12 which contains Vabadinites Quartz and Goethite. Afterwards, we will visit Mifis old laid mine, and then we back to the hotel in Merzouga.
Day 9 : Merzouga – Azourz Site – Tisket Site – back to Merzouga
Departure from hotel to north Merzouga, we drive to north of Merzouga and visit Azourz site which rich in black Devonian pyritised goniatites. Then visit Tisket site where trilobites found. Moreover, we will visit also Brythe mine, then picnic overthere in oasis. Then, in afternoon we collect sand roses made of Gypsum and sand ….then back to hotel in Merzouga.
Day 10 : Merzouga – Erfoud – Todgha Gorge – Dades Gorge
After breakfast in Merzouga we will drive to Ouarzazate via Todgha Gorge and Dades gorge and overnight in Gorge dades.
Day 11 : Dades Gorge – Ouarzazate – Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah – Agadir
Wake up morning and have breakfast in hotel we depart towards Ouarzazate and visit Taourirte Kasbah and atlas film’s studios and then head to visit a fortified village of Ait Ben Haddou. And next head directly to Agadir and we arrive there evening.
Day 12 : Agadir – Airport
We will transfer you to the airport for your departure flight home.
What is include during the tour:
- Touring in 4x4 Vihicle / Minibus / Bus
- Experienced English speaking Driver/Guide
- official local guides in imperial cities
- Camel ride in Sahara Desert
- Overnight at the Desert Camp
- Fuel of the transportation during the tour
- Braekfast and dinner in Sahara desert / Boumalane Dades / Ouarzazate
What is not include during the tour:
- Lunches
- Tips
- Drinks
- Travel inssurance
