12 Days Trilobite And Mineral Tour
Enjoy your 12 Days Trilobite And Mineral 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, many of 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.
The most common and famous finds are trilobites and the nautiloid cephalopod Orthoceras. Orthoceras often found in huge numbers in black limestone, and 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 : Ouarzazate – Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah – Tamdakht site – back to Ouarzazate
Departure from Ouarzazate and drive toward Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah a historic village, then head to Tamdakht area where you can collect and gather the Echinoderms and Mycrasters and ammonoides and then back to hotel.
Day 2 : Ouarzazate – Beni Zoli – Serradrar – Alnif
Departure at morning to Ordovician area ( where you will see trilobites) in Beni Zoli, then visit Silurian area where black Orthoceras found in Serradrar. Overnight in Alnif.
Day 3 : Alnif – Jbel Tiskaouine – back to Alnif
At morning leave Alnif and drive to Cambrian site where you will see yellowish trilobites. Afterward, visit Ordovician area in Jbel Tiskaouine rich in Calymenes and Flexycalymenes. Then back to Alnif.
Day 4 : Alnif - Isoumour – Atchana – Oesis of Mharch
After breakfast in Alnif we drive in dry landscape and head to site where all kinds of Devonian trilobites lived together, lunch on the site and will it be picnic, then drive to Atchana which is contains Devonian trilobites and we will pass through Lakrabis and collect red Ammonites. Afterwards, we drive to oasis of Mharch where you will spend night in hotel.
Day 5 : 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 lunch in Rissani then drive to Merzouga where you will spend night in desert atmosphere in hotel with desert music.
Day 6 : Merzouga – Taouz – Boutariyt – Mifis Mine
We drive to Taouz and visit the area of Kem kem which is rich in fish crocodiles and spinosaurus bones and teeth then pass to Boutariyt and gather Echinoderms, next visit an old mine of filon 12 which known by its Vanadinites quartz and goethite, next visit old laid mine in Mifis and after that back to hotel in Merzouga at evening.
Day 7 : Merzouga – North Merzouga – Azourz site – Tisket site – Back to Merzouga
Leave Merzouga and drive to north of Merzouga where we will collect black Devonian Pyritised Goniatites in Azourz, then visit area trilobites in Tisket place, at afternoon collect sand roses and also bite of bones vertebras. Evening back to hotel in Merzouga.
Day 8 : Merzouga – Hamarlaghdad’s area – Jbel Boutchrafine – Arfoud
Leave Merzouga and drive to Hamarlaghdad area where you can collect Devonian formation rich in Corals, Bivaves, Brachiopods, Speripheres, Trilobites...then we drive to Jbel Boutchrafine and gather rolled trilobites, and then visit the Crinoids area and after drive to Erfoud and visit factories where trilobites cleaning and all big blocs are cut and make the table tops, book ends and many decorative items. Overnight in Erfoud.
Day 9 : Erfoud – ZIZ Valley – Ziz Gorge – Midelt
We leave Erfoud and drive to Midelt by passing through Ziz Vally and visit Echinoderms from Cretacious, Cidaris, then we will stop in Ziz Gorge and collect Jurassic Brachiopods and bivalves. Afterwards, drive to Midelt where we will spend night in hotel.
Day 10 : Midelt – Ahouli’s mine – Mibladan mine -Sidi Ayad
After breakfast in hotel we will drive to visit an old mine in Mibladan rich in Cerusite Barythe and Vanadinite but is difficult to find because it is very deep and dangerous digging. Next, we will drive again to visit another old mine in Ahouli and we will have lunch there, after we will drive to Sidi Ayad and collect Azurites and Malachites before back to hotel in Midelt city.
Day 11 : Midelt – Todgha Gouge – Dades Gorge – Ouarzazate
We will leave Midelt after breakfast and drive to Ouarzazate by passing through the two Gorges ( Todgha Gorge and Dades Gorge) and accommodation night in Ouarzazate.
Day 12 : Transfer to the 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
