Saghro
Winter Trek
Winter sun, volcanic towers, the last nomad winter pastures.
Jebel Saghro · Morocco
The trek
When the Atlas turns white,
the Saghro stays gold.
South of the Dades valley, between the High Atlas and the Sahara, Jebel Saghro is Morocco's winter mountain: 300 days of sun, volcanic pinnacles, and passes at 2,300 to 2,700 m that stay open when Toubkal demands crampons. In February the almond trees bloom pink and white against black rock, and the Ait Atta bring their herds down to the massif's winter pastures, as they have for five centuries.
8 to 14 participants. Five days on foot between N'Kob and the Bab n'Ali towers, with mule support, wild camps and stone gites, and tea shared in nomad tents along the way. Kasbah nights and a Marrakech riad bookend the week. The desert-mountain winter light does the rest.
Apply for the Saghro Winter Trek“When Toubkal is under snow, the Saghro is in blossom. Winter is not the off-season here. It is the season.”
Caravan through the Saghro
Bab n'Ali rock towers
Almond blossom villages
The experience
What awaits you
Bab n'Ali rock towers
The Saghro's signature: volcanic monoliths rising some 60 m from the valley floor. The route camps within walking distance for sunset and dawn light.
Ait Atta winter pastures
The massif is the historic winter grazing ground of the Ait Atta confederation. Meet families who still move their herds here, share tea in their tents, walk a day of the transhumance trails.
Almond blossom valleys
In late winter the irrigated valleys below the trail bloom pink and white against volcanic rock: the Saghro's brief, spectacular spring before the true spring.
Winter night skies
Camps around 2,000 m between desert and mountain, far from any town. Winter brings the clearest sky of the Moroccan year; the Milky Way rises over the pinnacles.
Kasbah nights
The trek opens and closes in restored kasbahs at N'Kob, a palm-grove village at the Saghro's southern foot, with hammam and slow dinners.
Marrakech recovery
Return over the Tichka to a Marrakech riad: hammam ceremony, deep tissue massage, a final medina evening.
Day by day
Eight days of winter sun.
Arrival Marrakech
Private transfer from Marrakech Menara to the riad. Welcome dinner and route briefing with the mountain guide.
Over the Tichka to N'Kob
Cross the Tizi n'Tichka (2,260 m) and follow the Draa palm groves to N'Kob. Kasbah night at the southern foot of the Saghro.
Into the massif
First trekking stage from the trailhead into the volcanic heart of the Saghro. First wild camp beneath the pinnacles.
Bab n'Ali
Trek to the Bab n'Ali rock towers. Sunset and dawn at the foot of the monoliths. Camp nearby.
Nomad plateaus
Cross the Ait Atta winter pastures, tea in a nomad tent, highest pass of the trek at around 2,600 m. Camp or stone gite.
Almond valleys to N'Kob
Final stage down through the almond valleys to N'Kob. Kasbah hammam and dinner in the palm grove.
Return to Marrakech
Drive back over the Tichka. Deep tissue massage and farewell dinner at the riad.
Departure
Breakfast and transfer to Marrakech Menara. Or extend: ask about additional nights in Marrakech.
Included
Everything.
- 7 nights accommodation (Marrakech riad 2, N'Kob kasbah 2, wild camps and gites 3)
- Certified mountain guide with deep Saghro experience
- Mule caravan, camp crew and cook on all trekking days
- Expedition-grade camp equipment for winter nights
- All meals throughout
- Private 4x4 transfers including the Tizi n'Tichka crossing
- Kasbah hammam and one deep tissue massage
- Trek permits and guide fees
- Single supplement on request
- The Umnya kit: hand-woven fouta, engraved flask, and the piece made for this retreat
Getting there
How to arrive.
Fly into Marrakech Menara (RAK); Ouarzazate (OZZ) shortens the approach for regional connections. Day 2 crosses the Tizi n'Tichka pass and follows the Draa palm groves to N'Kob, a full travel day through some of Morocco's greatest road scenery, included.
Trekking days are 5 to 7 hours on good trails with mule support; the highest pass is around 2,600 m. Winter nights under canvas are cold (0 to 5 degrees C) and gloriously starred; expedition-grade sleeping equipment is provided.
Nearest airports
These weeks run with a partner
This retreat is not on open sale. We build it with a studio, a club or a clinic that brings its own group, and we open a date around their season rather than ours. Tell us who you would bring and when, and we will come back with a week.
Design this together→2027 Season
Receive the full programme
8 days · 8 to 14 guests · Morocco. We send the itinerary, dates and availability by return.
No newsletters. One email with the programme, nothing more.
Trekking in Morocco
One country, five massifs, a trek for every season.
From the 4,000 m summits of the High Atlas to the volcanic towers of the Anti-Atlas and the dunes of Erg Chigaga, the Umnya trekking collection covers Morocco year-round. Start with the guide, then pick your season.
M'Goun Traverse
Central High Atlas · June
Atlas Mountains Retreat
Imlil & Toubkal · Sep to May
Trekking & Recovery
Marrakech & High Atlas · September
Sirwa Saffron Trek
Anti-Atlas · Saffron harvest, Oct to Nov
Trekking with the Nomads
Erg Chigaga, Sahara · Oct to Apr
Rif Mountain Trail
Chefchaouen · October & May
Where you stay
Superior accommodation, chosen on the ground by our own experts.
Nothing on this site was booked from a catalogue. Every riad, camp, kasbah and guesthouse was found, visited and slept in by one of our experts before it was ever offered to a guest. The standard is superior throughout, and the reason is practical: after a day of walking, surfing or altitude, comfort is not a luxury, it is what makes the next day possible.
Visited before it is offered
Our team travels the country year-round. If one of us has not slept there, it does not go into a programme.
Original, never generic
Private riads, our own exclusive-use camp in the dunes, restored family kasbahs, guesthouses in Berber villages. Places you cannot book from a screen.
Comfort as a working tool
Real beds, hot water, quiet rooms, proper food. Recovery is part of the programme, not an afterthought.
Groups & circles
Coming as a group?
Six of you or more, and the whole retreat can be arranged around your circle. Tell us the size and the dates, and we prepare a proposal for you.
Request a group proposal→A departure for your circle alone
A private date set aside for your group, at the pace and in the season that suit you.
One group at a time, never mixed
You are never placed among strangers. The camp, the table and the guides are yours.
Group rate and privatisation on request
For six guests or more we prepare a tailored proposal. Simply ask.
Winter is the season.
Submit your application. We respond within 48 hours.
Apply for the Saghro Winter Trek