Morocco
Dec 14–21, 2026 · 7 days
Dec 14–21, 2026
7 days
Up to 14 participants
Trail Running
The challenge
The sun comes up over far-off mountains. You pull on your shoes in the warm morning light. The last village…
Read the full brief
The sun comes up over far-off mountains. You pull on your shoes in the warm morning light. The last village is behind you now. It won't come back for four days. Just sand, stone, and sky ahead.
I'm Dioni Gorla. I run trails for a living, and I train every day on the steep Nordkette peaks above Innsbruck. This time I want to run somewhere wilder. Join me in Morocco for seven days across the Sahara. We start in Marrakech, then cross the High Atlas over the Tichka pass at more than 2,200m. We drop south, down the long Draa Valley, past palm oases, to the edge of the desert.
Then we run. The first day is a short 10km to get used to the heat and the sand. After that it gets real. Stage days of 25km, then 16.5km, then 21km, past low dunes, dried river beds, and old lake floors. This is hard. The ground is stone and gravel and soft sand. The days are hot. But that effort is the whole point.
At night we sleep in wild camps under canvas. We share meals cooked by our camp chef. One evening we bake sand-bread over the fire. Your bags, your water, and a 4x4 follow us the whole way.
By the end you'll have run deep into the Erg Chigaga dunes. You'll be tired, dusty, and quiet. And when the sun sinks low and the sand turns gold, you'll just stand there and look.
Apply to join
We read every application. Small group — and I want to get the group right. If this sounds like you, apply below.
Day-by-Day
Day 1
Join me in Marrakech. We meet at the airport, then climb by minibus over the Atlas Mountains. We cross the Tichka pass at 2,200m. You'll see remote villages and green river valleys. The land turns dry as we drop south. After four hours, we reach Ouarzazate. That night, we share a welcome dinner together.
Day 2
We start early after breakfast. We drive south across the Anti-Atlas, down through the Draa River Valley, past palm oases. About four hours. We reach our first wild camp near Tidri (590m), at the foot of Jebel Bani. We meet the desert team, take a late lunch, then run our first 10km. Sand under your feet.
Day 3
Day 3 is our first real stage. We run about 25 km into the desert. The last village fades behind us. It won't come back for four days. We start on stone and gravel at the foot of Jebel Bani. Then come Acacia trees, low dunes, and wide flats of earth. We camp near a dried river bed.
Day 4
Day four is short but real. You'll run about 16.5 km west toward the great Erg Chigaga. The land keeps shifting beneath you: low dunes, dried river channels, ancient lake beds, and blackened stone. That raw Saharan floor is called hamada. You'll make camp near the Bougarn dunes, around 513m. Out here, the quiet stays with you.
Day 5
Day five is Stage 3. We run 21 km, tracking the Jebel Bani. We thread through the Erg Nsofa dunes, cross dried river beds, and a huge old lake bed. Then we share one last lunch at camp. After that, the core group rolls back towards Agdz. The dunes shimmer behind us, going quiet.
Day 6
Day 6 is the long road home. After an early breakfast, we drive north over the Atlas Mountains. We climb through alpine scenery, then drop down towards Marrakech. We get there around lunchtime, and the tour ends. The desert is behind you now. Your legs are tired, your head is full of sand and sky.
Day 7
Day 7 is our last run. A short 4x4 drive drops us at the old Iriqui lake, now a salt flat. We lace up and run 15 km west, out of the Sahara. Then we drive to Ouarzazate. We visit Ait Ben Haddou with a guide. The salt stretches white and flat behind you.
Day 8
Day 8. Our last morning. We pack up and leave Ouarzazate behind. The minibus climbs back over the Atlas Mountains, that big wall of rock we crossed at the start. About four hours of winding roads and shifting views. Then Marrakech comes into sight, and the tour ends. The desert still in your legs, the quiet still in your head.