Heading South

We had an early start from Fes heading due south. Our journey took us over the Middle and High Atlas Mountains, through the spectacular Ziz Gorge and ended up in a Berber Kasbah on the fringe of the Sahara Desert. On the way we passed ever changing and stunning landscapes and covered some 500 kilometres. Our first stop was for a coffee break at the town of Ifrane, which is also widely known as "Morocco's Switzerland", and for good reason. The French built Ifrane during the 1920's when Morocco was a Protectorate of France primarily for its position on the crest of the snow-capped Middle Atlas Mountains and indeed, with its wide tree-lined avenues, manicured lawns and elegant villas, it does give the appearance of an Alpine village. On departing Ifrane we began climbing up the Middle Atlas Mountains, surrounded on either side by pine and cedar forests. We stopped for lunch at a traditional Kasbah restaurant in the town of Midelt and dined on fresh water trout slowly cooked in foil over hot coals. Absolutely superb! We were delayed for a couple of hours here as Midelt was one of the stages of the annual Tour de Maroc Cycling Race. It was well worth the wait to see these dedicated professional bike riders whizzing by, flanked by their entourage and preceded by a phalanx of the Moroccan Motor Cycle Constabulary on their gleaming 1200cc BMW bikes. After Midelt we climbed steeply into the High Atlas Mountains then descended sharply down into the Ziz Valley, which, because of its sheer, towering cliffs, is also known as the Grand Canyon of Morocco. Our route ran alongside the Ziz River and every now and then we would pass by a verdant oasis, thick with groves of dark green date palms. The destination for our bus today was the Southern Moroccan Berber township of Merzouga, where we transferred into 4 wheel drive vehicles and drove to our opulent accommodation at the Tombouctou Kasbah and Spa, where we would chill out for a couple of days. I will let you know what I got up to in my next post.