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Birding in Morocco in April offers an exhilarating experience for keen birders. As we embark on this 10-day tour through this diverse country, you'll be captivated by its rich avian diversity, stunning landscapes, and vibrant culture. April is an ideal time for birding in Morocco, as the weather is generally pleasantly mild, and many migratory species are passing through or setting up for the breeding season. From the rugged Atlas Mountains to the picturesque coastlines and expansive deserts of the Sahara, Morocco boasts a variety of habitats that support an impressive array of bird species including some northwest african specialties such as Crimson-winged Finch, Levaillant's Woodpecker, Desert Sparrow, Egyptian Nightjar, Hoopoe Lark and Lanner Falcon. We will also be searching for iconic species such as the critically endangered Northern Bald Ibis and Pharaoh Eagle-Owl
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African Desert Warbler
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Tour Information
Dates: April 3-12, 2025
Leader: Gavin McKinnon + local guides
Cost: $3890 CAD | $2870 USD
The tour fee above its based on double occupancy and includes all ground transportation, accommodation, all meals and professional guiding services. Single supplement is available for $400 CAD | $300 USD.
Deposit and Cancellation Information: $700 CAD| $550 USD
The deposit for this tour becomes non-refundable 150 days prior to the starting date of the tour. The remaining balance is due by February 1, 2025.
Group Size: 5-10 participants
This small group size and high guide to participant ratio ensures that everyone will have an enjoyable experience on this tour.
Itinerary
April 3: Arrival in Marrakesh and High Atlas Mountains
This morning we will greet you at the hotel Marrakech. After we drive up into the High Atlas Mountains, we will stop at Oukaimeden (2600m). Numerous resident species, including the Southern Grey Shrike, Little Owl, Sardinian Warbler, Spotless Starling, Moroccan Magpie, Moussier's Redstart, and House Bunting, should be visible as we travel through the agricultural fields. We will look for the near-endemic Levaillant's Woodpecker and the more widespread Blue Rock Thrush on the rocky slopes. We shall explore the snowline for the stunning Crimson-winged Finch when we get to the Oukaimeden ski resort. Alpine Chough, Red-billed Chough, Black Wheatear, 'Atlas' subspecies of Horned Lark, Alpine Accentor, and Rock Sparrow are among the other species found here.
April 4: High Atlas Mountains to Boumalne Dades
Following an early breakfast, we depart from the highlands, potentially making another stop along the way to look for Levaillant's Woodpecker. After leaving the relatively flat plains of Marrakech, we make our way back up and travel the magnificent and lengthy Tizi-n-Tichka pass (2260 meters) to Boumalne du Dades. We will attempt to locate another near-endemic, Tristram's Warbler. We should start to see some raptors as the route climbs into the hills, including the potential sightings of Bonelli's Eagle and Long-legged Buzzard. We will make a detour at Amerzgane before heading to Boumalne du Dades in order to search for Maghreb Wheatear.
April 5: Tagdilt Track
We are going to leave early today to visit the Tagdilt Track, an expansive trct of desert. This is one of the best places in Morocco for birding. There's a good chance to find some tricky species here such as the nomadic Thick-billed Lark, Temminck's Lark, Hoopoe Lark, Trumpeter Finch, Red-rumped Wheatear, Short-toed Lark, and Cream-colored Courser. We will spend the majority of the day exploring this area, provided the heat is not too extreme. After lunch we will go to a rocky canyon in search of Maghreb Wheatears, Desert Larks, and our first opportunity to see Pharaoh Eagle Owl, a species that often resides in caves.
April 6: Todra Gorge to Erg Chebbi Dunes
We start by traveling to Todra Gorge in search of Black Wheatear, Blue Rock-thrush, Crag Martin, Tristram's Warbler, and if we are lucky Bonelli's Eagle. Afterwards, we will continue east, stopping at a scrubby wadi in the hopes of spotting Scrub Warblers; if we're lucky, we might also see Trumpeter Finch and Thick-billed Lark. We finally make it to the true Saharan Desert and our hotel near the Erg Chebbi dunes.
April 7: Erg Chebbi Area
We have an entire day to visit the nearby gravel plains and Erg Chebbi dunes. For near-endemic species to northwest Africa and numerous Saharan specialties, this is the best place to look. Crowned and Spotted Sandgrouse, various larks including Greater Hoopoe and Bar-tailed, African Desert Warbler, Fulvous Chatterer, and Desert Sparrow are among our targets. Occasionally, with the help of the nomadic people living nearby, we find the eerily enigmatic Egyptian Nightjar during the day. A variety of migrants including the Lanner Falcon are possible. We aim to have seen the great majority of the region's specialties by the end of the day and to have had the chance to explore this stunning portion of the world and experience the true vastness of the Sahara Desert.
April 8: Erg Chebbi area to Ouzarrate
Before traveling northwest to Ouarzazate, a convenient stopover on our approach to the Moroccan coast, we have one last morning to catch up with any Saharan specialties that we missed the day before. We drive through the Anti-Atlas Mountains, which are made up of rocky hills, cliffs and deep gorges of volcanic formations. Roadside birding can be productive here and we hope to see White-crowned Wheatear and Southern Grey Shrike. There is a large body of water close to Ouzarrate that can provide great birding during migration. Among the potential species are the Eurasian Spoonbill, Ruddy Shelduck, "Maghreb" Crested Lark, Great Crested Grebe, and several shorebirds and passerines.
April 9: Ouzarrate to Agadir
We're going to spend the next two nights in Agadir, located on the Moroccan coast, after traveling west via the Sous Valley on this day. In the Souss Valley we hope to see Black crowned Tchagra, Laughing Dove, Cirl Bunting, Spanish Sparrow. In the town of Taroudant there may be Little and Pallid Swifts. Finally, after arriving in Agadir, we aim to have enough time to explore the Oued Sous in the late afternoon. There are plenty of shorebirds, waders, gulls, and terns in this coastal location, so there will probably be many of new species to the trip list!
April 10: Agadir Coast
Unlike any habitat we seen so far on the tour, we will spend a day birding the the coastal regions of Agadir, which offers some of the best birding in Morocco. We will be searching for shorebirds in the tidal regions, such as Black-winged Stilt, Bar-tailed Godwit, and Curlew Sandpiper. Finches such as Common Linnet and Eurasian Goldfinch, as well as Black-crowned Tchagra and Sardinian Warbler, may be seen in the nearby coastal scrub surrounding the marshes. We will also spend some time "gulling", in search of species such as the dapper Audouin's Gull, Mediterranean Gull and two subspecies of Lesser Black-backed Gull. This park is also one of the only reliable locations in Morocco to see the critically endangered Northern Bald Ibis. We will return to Agadir for a second night.
April 11: Agadir to Marrakesh
Our last morning of birding will be spent north of Tamri, which is another Northern Bald Ibis hotspot. We will do a seawatch where we may add some seabirds such as Cory's Shearwater, Northern Gannet, Great Skua and Razorbill to the trip list. We will return to the Marrakesh capital after lunch passing once again, through the Atlas Mountains.
April 12: Depart Marrakesh
Schedule departure from Marrakech today at anytime.
This morning we will greet you at the hotel Marrakech. After we drive up into the High Atlas Mountains, we will stop at Oukaimeden (2600m). Numerous resident species, including the Southern Grey Shrike, Little Owl, Sardinian Warbler, Spotless Starling, Moroccan Magpie, Moussier's Redstart, and House Bunting, should be visible as we travel through the agricultural fields. We will look for the near-endemic Levaillant's Woodpecker and the more widespread Blue Rock Thrush on the rocky slopes. We shall explore the snowline for the stunning Crimson-winged Finch when we get to the Oukaimeden ski resort. Alpine Chough, Red-billed Chough, Black Wheatear, 'Atlas' subspecies of Horned Lark, Alpine Accentor, and Rock Sparrow are among the other species found here.
April 4: High Atlas Mountains to Boumalne Dades
Following an early breakfast, we depart from the highlands, potentially making another stop along the way to look for Levaillant's Woodpecker. After leaving the relatively flat plains of Marrakech, we make our way back up and travel the magnificent and lengthy Tizi-n-Tichka pass (2260 meters) to Boumalne du Dades. We will attempt to locate another near-endemic, Tristram's Warbler. We should start to see some raptors as the route climbs into the hills, including the potential sightings of Bonelli's Eagle and Long-legged Buzzard. We will make a detour at Amerzgane before heading to Boumalne du Dades in order to search for Maghreb Wheatear.
April 5: Tagdilt Track
We are going to leave early today to visit the Tagdilt Track, an expansive trct of desert. This is one of the best places in Morocco for birding. There's a good chance to find some tricky species here such as the nomadic Thick-billed Lark, Temminck's Lark, Hoopoe Lark, Trumpeter Finch, Red-rumped Wheatear, Short-toed Lark, and Cream-colored Courser. We will spend the majority of the day exploring this area, provided the heat is not too extreme. After lunch we will go to a rocky canyon in search of Maghreb Wheatears, Desert Larks, and our first opportunity to see Pharaoh Eagle Owl, a species that often resides in caves.
April 6: Todra Gorge to Erg Chebbi Dunes
We start by traveling to Todra Gorge in search of Black Wheatear, Blue Rock-thrush, Crag Martin, Tristram's Warbler, and if we are lucky Bonelli's Eagle. Afterwards, we will continue east, stopping at a scrubby wadi in the hopes of spotting Scrub Warblers; if we're lucky, we might also see Trumpeter Finch and Thick-billed Lark. We finally make it to the true Saharan Desert and our hotel near the Erg Chebbi dunes.
April 7: Erg Chebbi Area
We have an entire day to visit the nearby gravel plains and Erg Chebbi dunes. For near-endemic species to northwest Africa and numerous Saharan specialties, this is the best place to look. Crowned and Spotted Sandgrouse, various larks including Greater Hoopoe and Bar-tailed, African Desert Warbler, Fulvous Chatterer, and Desert Sparrow are among our targets. Occasionally, with the help of the nomadic people living nearby, we find the eerily enigmatic Egyptian Nightjar during the day. A variety of migrants including the Lanner Falcon are possible. We aim to have seen the great majority of the region's specialties by the end of the day and to have had the chance to explore this stunning portion of the world and experience the true vastness of the Sahara Desert.
April 8: Erg Chebbi area to Ouzarrate
Before traveling northwest to Ouarzazate, a convenient stopover on our approach to the Moroccan coast, we have one last morning to catch up with any Saharan specialties that we missed the day before. We drive through the Anti-Atlas Mountains, which are made up of rocky hills, cliffs and deep gorges of volcanic formations. Roadside birding can be productive here and we hope to see White-crowned Wheatear and Southern Grey Shrike. There is a large body of water close to Ouzarrate that can provide great birding during migration. Among the potential species are the Eurasian Spoonbill, Ruddy Shelduck, "Maghreb" Crested Lark, Great Crested Grebe, and several shorebirds and passerines.
April 9: Ouzarrate to Agadir
We're going to spend the next two nights in Agadir, located on the Moroccan coast, after traveling west via the Sous Valley on this day. In the Souss Valley we hope to see Black crowned Tchagra, Laughing Dove, Cirl Bunting, Spanish Sparrow. In the town of Taroudant there may be Little and Pallid Swifts. Finally, after arriving in Agadir, we aim to have enough time to explore the Oued Sous in the late afternoon. There are plenty of shorebirds, waders, gulls, and terns in this coastal location, so there will probably be many of new species to the trip list!
April 10: Agadir Coast
Unlike any habitat we seen so far on the tour, we will spend a day birding the the coastal regions of Agadir, which offers some of the best birding in Morocco. We will be searching for shorebirds in the tidal regions, such as Black-winged Stilt, Bar-tailed Godwit, and Curlew Sandpiper. Finches such as Common Linnet and Eurasian Goldfinch, as well as Black-crowned Tchagra and Sardinian Warbler, may be seen in the nearby coastal scrub surrounding the marshes. We will also spend some time "gulling", in search of species such as the dapper Audouin's Gull, Mediterranean Gull and two subspecies of Lesser Black-backed Gull. This park is also one of the only reliable locations in Morocco to see the critically endangered Northern Bald Ibis. We will return to Agadir for a second night.
April 11: Agadir to Marrakesh
Our last morning of birding will be spent north of Tamri, which is another Northern Bald Ibis hotspot. We will do a seawatch where we may add some seabirds such as Cory's Shearwater, Northern Gannet, Great Skua and Razorbill to the trip list. We will return to the Marrakesh capital after lunch passing once again, through the Atlas Mountains.
April 12: Depart Marrakesh
Schedule departure from Marrakech today at anytime.