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Message: <blockquote data-quote="David Caudwell" data-source="post: 1131297" data-attributes="member: 34762">Hi Rob,Peter will be able to give you a much more detailed response but, in the meantime, just to say that some friends and I attempted more or less this route over a 10 day trip last May. All I can say is that the distances concerned are huge, the roads slow (and dangerous at night) and, cramming all this into 7 days, you'll get about 5 mins birding (exaggeration!) at each stop!! Plus there is certainly no leeway for the unexpected - on our trip we got trapped in Erfoud for 2 days due to flash floods which completely took out one bridge to the SW and rendered all other routes impassable. When the water finally subsided we still couldn't head West so had to give up on the coast and decided instead to head back to Marrakech via the Middle Atlas getting Tristram's (which we'd missed on the way over the Atlas - in May they are back at altitude, while you'll get them in the desert), Atlas Fly & Red-knobbed Coot as welcome consolation!In answer to your Marrakech-Oukaimeden-Ouarzazate query I think that is being optimistic in one day. By the time you've collected your baggage, sorted out the hire car, got some money and found your way out of Marrakech you'll be lucky to reach Oukaimeden by lunchtime assuming you want to stop on the way for stuff like your first House finches, Bulbuls, African Blue Tits & Chaffinches etc, not to mention Levaillant's Woodpecker as you get higher! At Oukaimeden you'll need plenty of time if you want to connect with Crimson-winged finch & Alp Acc & enjoy the spectacle of wheeling, mixed flocks of choughs, and indeed the mountains themselves! Assuming you've been lucky & seen everything you want by, say, 3pm you've then got to drive 80% of the way back to Marrakech before you can cut across to the Ouarzazate road and it's then a looong drive over the Atlas with no time for birding if you are going to arrive by a very late bedtime...And in doing so you'll already have driven past some good birds - Mourning Wheatear, for example. (Having done exactly that ourselves with Mourning Wheatear & then missing them East of Ouarzazte as well, we finally got ours on the Tagdilt track near the "orchard").All in all, if you've only got 7 days I would strongly advise rethinking your itinerary and either do Atlas and Coast or Atlas and Desert and save whatever's left for a return trip. Talking of which, my friends & I are planning a 4 day weekend to catch up with the coastal stuff sometime...dreams (<img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />Whatever you decide in the end, the country & birds are wonderful!Dave C</blockquote>

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