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Morocco - Winter Sun Birding
Tour Code: MAR10An 8-day birding holiday exploring the diverse habitats of southern Morocco, home to scarce desert specialities, overwintering birds and plenty of sunshine!
£1,995
£1,795
Highlights
Tour Itinerary and Reports
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Summary
Morocco is North Africa’s most biodiverse country and offers a vital winter refuge for an impressive array of birdlife. This two-centre tour takes us from the edge of the Sahara Desert to the Atlantic coast and the nearby foothills of the High Atlas Mountains. Travelling during the cooler winter season, we explore a fascinating range of habitats in search of both resident and wintering birds, while enjoying a welcome dose of winter sunshine.
We begin in Guelmim, south of Agadir, where we search the arid plains and low hills for sought-after desert specialists such as Greater Hoopoe Lark, Desert Wheatear, Trumpeter Finch, Thick-billed Lark, Streaked Scrub Warbler, Fulvous Babbler and sandgrouse. These wild, open landscapes also offer chances to encounter Dorcas Gazelle, Fennec Fox and the elusive North African Sengi. We then transfer north to Agadir via the Parc Animalier, where we may spot Double-spurred Francolin and African Ground Squirrel in the surrounding Argan forests, along with other notable mammals such as Dorcas Gazelle and Addax. From our coastal base, we explore the renowned Souss-Massa National Park, a vital stronghold for the critically endangered Northern Bald Ibis – one of the world’s rarest birds. Flocks can often be seen foraging along the coastal plains near Tamri or in the river valleys around Massa, which are also home to Bonelli’s Eagle, Black-winged Kite and Marbled Duck. Plain Martin and Black-crowned Tchagra add further North African interest, while Barbary Partridge, the endemic Moussier’s Redstart and wintering Bluethroat are among many additional highlights. We’ll also visit the estuary at Oued Souss, where we time our visit to coincide with peak activity among waders, gulls, herons and wildfowl. A day in the woodlands of the nearby Atlas foothills offers the chance to see Levaillant’s Woodpecker and African Blue Tit, while the surrounding scrubland may yield sightings of Tristram’s Warbler.
With its superb range of habitats and a rich supporting cast of birds and mammals, this tour offers a rewarding and memorable winter break in sunny southern Morocco.
- Outstanding birding in the sunshine during the depths of British wintertime
- Scarce desert specialities such as Streaked Scrub Warbler, Bar-tailed Lark, African Desert Warbler & Greater Hoopoe-lark
- A visit to Parc Animalier, the re-introduction site of Dorcas Gazelle, Addax and Ostrich
- Visiting a range of coastal sites where hundreds of overwintering shorebirds can be found
- Local specialities such as Black-crowned Tchagra and Plain Martin likely
- Led by an expert Naturetrek guide
Outline Itinerary
Dates & Prices
2026
Tour Leader: Martin Pitt
Martin has had an interest in wildlife since an early age and, although he worked in development and consultancy across the globe, he has always kept this interest going. He has been leading tours for Naturetrek, both in the UK and overseas, since 2017.
Primarily interested in birds and mammals, his time living in the Middle East (a year in the UAE and 2 years in Israel) gave him a deep love of desert ecosystems. More recently, he has spent an increasing amount of time focused on butterflies and dragonflies. He is the author of the ‘Crossbill Nature Guide to Southern Morocco’ and as of 2023 he is also the Bird Recorder for Hampshire.
Martin has led a number of tours, including day trips and weekends in Hampshire and the adjacent areas, as well as tours overseas including Austria, Ethiopia, France, Mexico, Morocco, Poland, Romania, Spain and Uzbekistan.
2027
Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?
For any interested natural history club or society, we can arrange for a private departure of this tour.
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Why Naturetrek?
At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:
- The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
- Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
- Outstanding value and exceptional customer service
Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!
