Dar Al Fannana is a beautiful traditional house on the very threshold of the vast Sahara desert, it belongs to Katherine Soutar, UK illustrator and Artist and her partner Abdol Laghfiri, A Saharaoiu Nomad who grew up in this area of the desert and knows its landscape, secrets and traditions intimately.
We can currently accommodate up to 6 guests in three rooms, either as three doubles or one/two doubles and twin beds.
We provide bed and breakfast or full board. Abdol and his brothers are superb cooks and all food is typically Moroccan and freshly prepared for each meal, if you have any special dietary requirements do please let us know as we can be flexible and cater to most needs
This is where you can relax and unwind and where most of your meals are served. It is also where we have our drum and song sessions and even dancing sometimes!
Our newly built toilet and shower block is the only part of the house that isn’t built traditionally but it is squeaky clean and spacious and we are very pleased with it!
We are now also on Airbnb! Click on the link below for details and booking
Katherine also runs regular art retreats here, you can find more details about these at katherinesoutarillustration.com
We have a small, sheltered garden and a roof terrace where you can watch the sunset over the desert
Most people who come to stay are keen to book a desert trip with us too, and we can cater for whatever kind of desert experience you would like to have, for all ages and abilities. We have our own camels and also a desert 4×4 so can create a trip for all needs, as a small family business we specialise in crafting the desert holiday that is perfect for you
If you are travelling into the desert from the house with us think about how many days you wish to trek for? how far/how long you want to walk or ride a camel in a day (bear in mind its hot and sometimes you will be walking over uneven ground and sand dunes, and that camel riding for long periods can also bring its own challenges!)
Our desert tours usually involve wild camping and sleeping out in the desert where there are no facilities of any sort but if that’s not for you we can arrange for a stay at a fixed bivouac instead. If a member of your party struggles with mobility you can travel to one of these by 4×4 or we can even arrange for them to join us at the wild camp instead of walking through the desert all day, but please bear in mind 4×4 transport for one into the desert can be relatively expensive
Is there anything you particularly want to see/visit? Sunset from the large dune at Erg Zahar for instance? Or the nearby Neolithic site where petroglyphs can be found? A wander around a local Kasbah? Let us know.
The long journey to M’hamid can be broken by staying overnight on the way, we know lovely places to do this and we can also arrange visits to places of interest along the way to make the journey even more enjoyable if you book transport with us too. It is a fantastic drive through some of the most spectacular scenery in Morocco too, as mountains rise and fall and change into endless palmeries and wide, wild plains just before you arrive in the desert…
Would you like to see the famous nomad sand bread being made? We do this as part of most trips at least one night in duration, but even if you want to just spend a relaxing time at our house we can arrange for tea and supper with sand bread making nearer to home in the palmerie and surrounding dunes as we live only metres away from the desert!
Music is an intrinsic part of life here and around the campfire at night drumming and singing are always a feature once supper is over.
The beauty of the night sky is also stunning in this land bereft of light pollution…
We want you to have the best and most authentic desert experience possible and will always try to find a way we can share the nomad way of life with you, whatever your needs may be. More than anything, we aim to tread lightly on this precious land and share its wild beauty with you and believe that walking with camels and leaving nothing behind but our footprints is the best way to do this, we hope you are with us x
We do not run trips into the desert all year round, it isn’t good to travel this way during the hottest months for people or for our camels, who carry the supplies. So we are restricted to the months of September to April
We do arrange trips to Essaouira in the summer though, staying in the medina there and are very happy to quote you for 3 or more persons
If you want us to quote you for a trip tailored completely to your needs for two or more persons please get in touch!
Camp Sahara, based at ‘The Artists house’ 