4 Days Merzouga Wildlife Trip: Reptiles, Fennec & Birdslife

Begin your desert adventure with a full birdwatching excursion across Merzouga’s dunes and plains.  After breakfast, you will have the chance to observe crowned sandgrouse, spotted sandgrouse, and, if lucky, pin-tailed sandgrouse. Desert specialists including the African desert warbler, greater hoopoe lark, Egyptian nightjar, desert sparrow, desert lark, bar-tailed lark, black wheatear, and desert wheatear can also be seen. Additional highlights may include African houbara, cream-colored courser, streaked scrub warbler, fulvous chatterer, trumpeter finch, Temminck’s lark, great grey shrike, and the impressive pharaoh eagle owl. Seasonal flamingos may appear in desert lagoons, offering a rare desert spectacle.

In the late afternoon, venture on a two-hour quad ride into the dunes to track the Fennec fox, one of the Sahara’s most iconic and elusive mammals. Return to your desert lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Wake early, 30 minutes before sunrise, for a quad excursion to observe Fennec foxes in the soft morning light. After breakfast, continue your birdwatching to locate any species you may have missed on Day 1, revisiting prime habitats for sandgrouse, desert warblers, larks, and desert owls.

In the late afternoon, enjoy a sunset quad ride to spot Fennec foxes again. After dinner, embark on a nocturnal safari lasting three to four hours. Discover the desert’s small mammals such as Egyptian jerboas, gerbils, sand rats, fat-tailed gerbils, and northern elegant geckos. With luck, you may encounter the elusive sand cat (Felis margarita). Overnight in Merzouga.

After breakfast, enjoy a guided herpetological tour to discover the Sahara’s reptiles and desert-adapted species. Observe desert monitors, horned vipers (Cerastes cerastes and Cerastes vipera), sandfish, sand racers, Uromastyx, agamas, sand lizards, and scorpions. Learn about their ecological adaptations and the unique survival strategies that allow them to thrive in the extreme desert environment.

Before sunset, take a final quad excursion to track Fennec foxes, capturing their playful behavior against the backdrop of golden dunes. Return to your desert lodge for dinner and overnight.

Rise early to capture the desert sunrise alongside a camel caravan, a perfect moment for photography and observation of desert life. After breakfast, explore nearby oases and meet local nomadic families in a 4x4, gaining insight into traditional desert culture and survival. Before sunset, embark on one last Fennec fox excursion in the dunes, bringing your immersive Merzouga wildlife expedition to a close.