Unique Places in Morocco

This is a barren but spectacular landscape in south eastern Morocco down by Erfoud and Merzouga.

The valley actually starts around a small town of Rich, part the Garrison town or Er-Rachidia and onto the desert towns of Erfoud, Merzouga and Taouz which is by the Erg-Chebbi desert.

The town of Rissani which is in the valley has many architectural sights and there is a great 21km circuit that will take you past many.

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Olive tree are generalized in Mediterranean area, and Morocco is no exception.

Being a resistant tree, it needs not too much water to survive, but... it needs some. That's why we may see in Morocco the trees lined along trenches, trying to retain the few water from raining.

Without the exuberance shown by the vineyards of Porto, they compose an interesting perspective of the fight against the advance of the desert.

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A few choices to make - other than the section of road between Erfoud and Merzouga which is incorrect the Michelin map is pretty much correct for Morocco's roads with all its signifying which is piste and which is bitumen.

going via Agdz or via Tazenahkt is really personal choice for scenery - the Michelin map shows the road between Agdz and up to Tazenakht in green meaning scenic well that stretch is really nothing to write home about! couldnt see anything that stands out along that route but I would say that if you havent been down to Agdz from Ouarzazate then its very scenic taking you along the Tizn Tiffinitt road with gorge below and then I would recommend contuining on down to Zagora to see the Draa valley road with its many kasbahs and ksars along the way.

I have a good tip for a place to stay being Riad Mallal 17 km north of Zagora if you wish.
just south of Zagora is very historic ksar town of Tamgroute with green pottery kiln and ancient library of korans - then just a little further south is a big solitary dune of Tindouf which is worth seeing and then drive back up to Agdz to head on for Foum Zguig.

So I strongly recommend taking the opportunity to allow a day for all that. and include a visit to kasbah Tamnougalt.

The section of road from Tazenakht up to Ait Benhaddou and over to Ouarzazate, instead of Agdz up to Ouarzazate, is also a scenic route with its own sights over Tizn Tiffinit and the mountains in the distance and up past the old movie set at the mines.

Then from the road between Tazenakht toward Foum driving down past the palmeraies that appear sort of in the middle of nowhere before Foum Zguid are interesting and attractive.

my first trip down there was nowhere to stay at Foum only rough working men hotels that you just dont stay at.
Tata has 2 good choices - Hotel La Renaissansce which Ive stayed at twice. the other choice across the road is more upmarket and more expensive but still reasonable. im always travelling on a budget though unless i need to splash out! There is at least one B and B type accommodation that we know of - it was 600 dirham for 2 5 years and more than we wanted to pay so didnt stay there.

But from Tata which way and how much do you plan to do?

Just near Akka is Tagadirt, ruins of an old mellah where a famed rabbi was born, for a visit and then choose whether you are going to go down to Amtoudi to see the amazing ancient granary of Id Aissa - also in my pages - I loved it there and see it as another excellent or significant destination to visit on its own or as a destination for a few days. Along the way to Amtoudi there is also a troglodyte granary at Ait Herbil you can look for.

if you dont want to go as far as Amtoudi - of which the road is good and can continue on to Bouzourkane and Tiznit - then you can take the opportunity of scenic and good road up from Tata to Igrhem and very scenic from there to Taliouine or Ighrem to Taroudant via a visit to Tioute
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or you can go up from Akka or Tata to Tamgoute (which is very scenic during almond blossom time which usually doesnt start til Feb but might be blooming from mid or late Jan) and on to Igrhem.

Let me know any ideas you come up with that need any more info.

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This was the hilight of our Moroccan outback adventure with Sahara Dreams Maroc.

Camping under the stars in the Sahara Desert was an amazing experience!! Our guide Habib really looked after us and made sure we were comfortable and well looked after.

If you plan to visit the Sahara Desert then I urge you to ask Sahara Dreams Maroc to take you! We had an awesome time and I guarantee you will too!

When you enquire you will receive an email from Hayat. Please say hello from me :o)

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If you are visiting the Sahara Desert then you must go on a camel ride!

It was the first time hubby and I had been on a camel and it won't be the last.

Admittedly my legs were a little wabbly and my butt was sore after being on the camel for over an hour but I would do it all again :o) In fact I would do our whole desert trip again!

This was day 4 of our big adventure with our guide Habib and Sahara Dreams Maroc. We headed out of the desert and our camp for the night back into town by camel. If you would like to read all about our adventure then please check out the travelogues below.

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We had one last place to visit on day 3 of our Moroccan outback safari adventure before we headed off to the Sahara Desert and our camp for the night.

Tamgroute is a popular place to visit for a number of reasons. The original Koran Library is situated here and there are interesting underground streets......but I really enjoyed visiting the Tamgroute Pottery factory.

We had the privilege of seeing the pottery being made and then fired out the back and of course I bought a nice little tagine pot here.

I totally recommend you visit Tamgroute if you plan to visit the Moroccan outback.

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After traversing the Atlas Mountains on the first day of our Desert trip from Marrakech, we were headed towards Ouarzazate. This was our first tourist stop along the way.

Kasbah Telouet is somewhere between Marrakech and Ouarzazate. This Castle is going through the ravages of time and crumbling. In 2010 work started to restore the Castle to it's original splendour. I am glad because the inside attests to the amazing intricate Moroccan designs and brilliant tile work.

The story behind Kasbah Telouet is entertaining in itself. I relate a little in my travelogue, but if you want to read it, and I urge you to....please click the link below.

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My tips are in the order of the places that we visited on our outback Morocco adventure with Sahara Dreams Maroc.

After leaving Marrakech we headed towards the Atlas Mountains. The scenery along the way changed from city to villages to flat countryside with the mountains looming in the distance. When we arrived at the Atlas Mountains the road narrowed and became windy. ....the full story is in my travelogue.

The Atlas Mountains span across 3 countries - Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. We crossed the Atlas Mountains a few times. The Dades and Todra Gorges are located in the High Atlas Mountains and should be on your 'must see' list. The views are spectacular!

Here are a select few shots of our impressions of the Atlas Mountains.