1. Marrakech hotel - Palmeraie camel ride - Berber village mint tea - Palmeraie quad bike ride - Marrakech hotel
The first 20 minutes are on the road. Your driver collects you at your Marrakech hotel or riad and heads north for a short drive to the Palmeraie palm grove, which serves as base for both halves of the day.
Hour one belongs to the camels. You are dressed at the base in the blue Saharan robe and headscarf, then introduced to your camel and to the guide, who leads the caravan for an hour along the grove's shaded paths. The animal's rocking rhythm is gentle and easy to sit with, and the guide halts at good spots for pictures among the palms, the sandy clearings and the open views. Out here the Palmeraie is quiet enough to hear birdsong and the soft thud of hooves.
Then the break. You get down at a Berber village, take a seat in the shade and are served mint tea, brewed fresh, with homemade crepes. It is the hinge of the day, between the calm of the camel and the adrenaline of what follows.
The next 90 minutes are on the quads. Helmet, goggles and hood are handed out. A short briefing covers the controls, which are fully automatic and come down to throttle and brake, and a practice circuit settles you in. Then you follow your guide onto the Palmeraie's off-road trails for an hour and a half of riding: stretches of sand, hard-packed rocky track, dry riverbeds and open country, past Berber villages and clearings that run to the horizon.
The last 20 minutes are the drive home. You wash the dust off at the base and the driver runs you back to Marrakech, roughly 3.5 hours after the day began.