We left Zagora in the not too early morning (it was January 1st at last), heading for the Sahara. Our first stop on the way was in the small town of Tamegroute, where we tried to visit the mosque and library (the first off limit for non-Muslims, the second closed due to it being January 1st), followed by a walk through the underground kasbah and a visit of the local pottery collective.
On to Zagora
We left Aït Benhaddou in the morning; during a short stop we had our last photo opportunity. From here we continued to Quarzazate, Morocco’s film capital with a number of studios.
After a quick glance at the kasbah and a visit to a community project, we continued the ride over the Anti Atlas into the lush Draa valley and towards Zagora.
On arrival we had the option for a walk around the palmeries nearby; during that walk our guide shared has wide knowledge on dates (or datteln, as he referred to them) with us – a true date-ing walk.
After the walk we got ready for the evening – New Years Eve. The hotel had a special that covered a welcome drink, loads of food (essentially all the Moroccan classics as multi-course meal), traditional music to start with and a DJ later on (which resulted in us having the main course over house music). The hotel also had an alcohol license with a pretty full bar – so all with in order for a good start of the new year … with loads music, plenty of dancing, too much food and – in some cases – drinks.
Aït Benhaddou
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We finally – after a long day of driving – made it to Aït Benhaddou, a fortified city that used to be an important stop for caravans passing through. Today it is famous for its kasbah, often dubbed as the … Continue reading
Over Tizi n’Tichka Pass
To reach this day’s destination, we had to cross the Atlas mountain range via the Tizi n’Tichka Pass – at 2260 meters Morocco’s highest pass.
Market Stop
We were now heading toward Aït Benhaddou – with a first stop to visit the weekly market in a small town on route.
The market was arranged in sections similar, from fruits and vegetables, household goods, clothing, bread to meat. The oddest bit was properly the meat section with animals slaughtered on-site, resulting in a bloody mess (literally) with blood everywhere on the floor.
Back to Imlil
It was a cold night in the mountain home; though with three blankets each the beds were warm (at least mine was … after about 20 minutes). Breakfast saw us early and the hot drinks were more than welcome.
After breakfast we got ready for the walk back to Imlil and our bus; only the re-union with our luggage took slightly longer than expected and required some agitated phone conversations.
From Pilgrimage to Cold
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After lunch the group split; the more energetic left for a small hike up to the shrine of Sidi Chamarouch (approx. 8 kms, with an elevation gain of around 300 to 350 meters), while the others had a look around … Continue reading
From Marrakesh into the Atlas
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It was back in August, when I counted my remaining vacation days for the year – and did figure out, that – due to all those public holidays around Christmas and New Year – I would have more than 2.5 … Continue reading
Maria La Gorda
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We spent the last two days of the trip at the beach of Maria La Gorda (literally translates to Mary, the fat) … two days with options for beach walks, beach cocktails, some nice snorkeling or for the more adventurous: diving … Continue reading
Viñales Farm Visit
For our last evening in Viñales we had an included visit to a farm; during that visit we also had dinner – with a full roast pig as main 😉
