We cross the great Moroccan mountain range
1. IFRANE
Starting from Fez, Ifrane is the first target. But until you get to this city built by the French green, Mediterranean and leafy landscapes are crossed . To hell with the preconceived ideas and visual prejudices that describe Morocco with ocher colors! And the arrival in Ifrane finishes off the shock. Built during the French occupation near the only ski slopes in the country, Ifrane's DNA is alpine, with Pointy chalets, stately cafes and European parks (with speakers that transmit the voice of magnets included...) . The only local redoubt is the statue of the Atlas lion, a sad piece of stone that reminds us of this extinct species.
The green landscapes of Ifrane
two. FOREST OF CEDARS AND MONKEYS
This rare forest appears after a few curves of the N-13 and draws attention for the agglomeration of horses dressed as transvestites in the ditches. This curious means of transport is a wake-up call to go down and investigate. And suddenly… monkeys! Yes, those beings that you consider adorable and funny but who are really gluttons and kleptomaniacs. Some cousins of the apes of Gibraltar live here and they have more or less the same customs when it comes to interacting with humans and making the worthy exchange of food for a few photos. And all this is enriching for both sides.
3.**ROUTE 66 (MOROCCAN VERSION)**
After overcoming the first slopes of the Atlas, the highlands appear, a barren, desolate, apocalyptic and thirsty landscape. If it is given with the right music (a suggestion, the Malian group Tinariwen ), the road can become a kind of Moroccan route 66 , with dusty cities, canteens where they haven't seen a foreigner in four decades and children in the gutters who either say hello or want you to stop to rob you (they have that fame, the poor...) . Even suddenly small whirlpools form out of nowhere. There is beauty in the desolate, there is peace in a yellow horizon that sometimes breaks with the appearance of the snowy peaks of the High Atlas.
The impressive Ziz canyon
Four. ZIZ CANYON
That something is going to happen kilometers ahead is foreshadowed when crossing Midelt, after Rich and his bloody carnage and starting to climb. At the top of the area known as Tizi Talghmet (or camel's neck) the Ziz valley begins, that welcomes you with overwhelming throats. A bare meander where the water is so crystal clear that it turns pink (due to the sulphates in the soil) and where looking at each point makes you dizzy. Continuing with the Yankee analogy: Welcome to the Moroccan Grand Canyon (from the pink, not the red).
5. ZIZ VALLEY
Between Er Rachida and Erfoud, the Ziz goes from being a stream to being a river of palm trees. Because believing that a stream runs under so much foliage is almost an act of faith. The point is that the Ziz traces some gorges where the most spectacular thing is to enjoy the contrast of the moor with the green of an oasis measuring more than 50 kilometers long. And the best way is to stop at the viewpoint above Taznakht and lose the view down the valley.
Erg Chebbi, a big desert
6. MERZOUGA
Since the famous Ali, the lame man popularized excursions to the Sahara from Merzouga, this town is the perfect service station before getting lost in the dunes , with welcoming and friendly Riads like the Ouzine and very Pro facilities, showing that on the other side of the Atlas they also know how to treat the traveller.
7. ERG CHEBBI AND THE DESERT
But even the eastern confines of Morocco is reached with the aim of stepping on the sands of the Sahara and doing it in a big way, coming face to face with Erg Chebbi and its impressive dunes over 150 meters high. Getting here is not a journey and can be done by Quad or camel either. What is pedestrian is the ascent to its highest levels, a strenuous sport that has the reward of views and the subsequent descent to the haima camps.
The Todra Valley, a wonder
8. TINGHIR AND THE GORGES OF TODRA
At the foot of the High Atlas rise some of the most impressive formations and landscapes in Morocco. That is what happens with Tinghir, who drinks from the sources of the Todra to form an oasis that includes an old Kasbah and a medina with a Jewish quarter included . But Tinghir is quickly abandoned by the promise of the Todra gorges, one of the Sunday destinations of Moroccans s, who come to this crack to enjoy the water. However, its real attraction is the steep stone walls that have been eroded by the current and have become a Mecca for European climbers. So far groups arrive with the aim of making fun of the unevenness and gravity by sharing small landings with those Atlas goats who spend half their lives dancing chotis on the rocks.
The winding Dades Valley
9. KASHBAS OF DADES
The Dades Valley has two ways to tour and. The first is by looking at the dozens of old adobe fortresses (Kasbahs) that swirl throughout this fine valley and oasis. Some like the Imzzoudar are a real postcard while others barely survive the rains that remotely melt them. Even so, its ruins continue to have an inescapable magnetism.
10. DADES VALLEY
The second way is enjoying a whimsical landscape to rage . The Dades is not only a kind of mirage, it also has oddities like the monkey fingers, a rock formation that seems to have been sculpted on purpose in imitation of gigantic phalanges emanating from the mountain. The valley is seen as never before from its highest point, observing the cramps of the road and the trickle of water guilty of everything. Also worth investigating are some winding tributary gorges where Petra seems to suddenly appear.
The most important film studios in Africa
eleven. VALLEY OF THE ROSES
This flowery valley brings together the same ingredients as the Dades (palm trees, titanic walls and kasbahs, many kasbahs) but adorned with roses that make up the landscape in spring. A colorful explosion That justifies crossing here.
12. Ouarzazate
Ouarzazate is the big city on the other side, the main stop for the caravans that came from the Sahara and headed for Marrakech and the rest of the imperial cities. And it continues to act as such, only that trade has left a big gap for tourism and, above all, for cinema. Here are the most important studios in Africa, places where they assemble and disassemble any desert set in a plis-plás and that serve to simulate any Arab country. And yet its film museums aren't much. What is worthwhile is making a stop at the Kasbah of Taourit and quietly getting lost in its adjacent medina, the only authentic thing that still remains around here.
Ait Ben Haddou, a must see
13. DRAA VALLEY
The Draa is the last great valley on the other side of the peaks. Not surprisingly, it is the longest, with 200 kilometers between Agdz and Zagora, forming a highway of palm trees and abandoned fortresses, all of them with their corresponding photon. Its foliage, its dates and its constantly dichromatic landscape are worth it. And at the end: Zagora, another door to the desert with remains of Almoravid fortresses that complete the magic.
14. AIT BEN HADDOU
But among the thousand kasbahs that still survive in eastern Morocco, there is one that stands out: Ait Ben Haddou. Hollywood has its fault, which has used it so much that it has even built a false door that embellishes the already attractive silhouette. But also its impressive importance on the nomadic route as a commercial enclave . Its past prosperity today shines with its different Kasbahs that form a unique Ksar in the north of the Maghreb. And on top of that, it is very well equipped for visits, with a small route between its walls and through its fortresses.
Tichka, the greenest Morocco
fifteen. TICHKA MOUNTAIN
The farewell to the most authentic Morocco is given by climbing the Tichka mountain pass, which is crowned at 2,260 meters of altitude (the highest in the mountain range). In his ascent he leaves behind balconies, amazing terrace farming and fossil street stalls yes Once up there, the landscape is that of that green Morocco that was surprising on the first steps through the Atlas, with greenery, waterfalls and winding roads.
TRAVEL GUIDE
The east of Morocco has to be traveled by car. The most advisable thing is to do it with a local guide like those of Morocco 4x4 excursions who knows how to drive on these roads and circumvent the inflated prices of some establishments. And by the way, they can have some detail like letting you drive through the first dunes of the Sahara.
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