The Stunning Landscapes of Morocco

Morocco is a beautiful country with diverse landscapes ranging from the jaw-dropping peaks of the Atlas mountains to the golden sand dunes of the Sahara to the rocky coastline.  During a couple of our long weekends, we escaped the hustle and bustle of Marrakech to explore the quieter side of Morocco.  We booked a four day private tour that would take us through the winding roads of the Low and High Atlas Mountains, to see palm oases in the middle of the barren desert, to hike around impressive archeological sights, to witness the daily life of the Berber people, and the grand finale, to spend the night camping in the sand dunes of the Sahara desert.  Having a private guide gave us the amazing opportunity to explore the hidden gems along Morocco’s ancient camel caravan route at our own pace.

Our guide picked us up at our AirBnB early the first morning, and we headed toward the High Atlas Mountains. As we climbed through the windy roads, we passed hundreds of peaceful, quiet Berber villages.

What a drastic change from Marrakech just a short drive away!! The Berber people were the original inhabitants of Morocco. Agriculture is the primary industry – figs, argan oil, walnuts, carrots, onions, goats, and sheep. We passed a small school with boys playing soccer and girls clapping and singing. We saw goats being herded around the hillside, donkeys carrying supplies to and from the market, and nomads with their camels heading from the High Atlas Mountains to the Low Atlas mountains for the winter. Oddly enough, every roadside cafe had a giant Coca-Cola sign. We went through the Tizi n’Tichka Pass with some great panoramic views.

We stopped at a local shop and learned how argan oil is made.

One of the young girls even invited me to sit next to her and help crack them open with a rock to remove the outer husk.

We got to sample a few of the products and fell in love with the Amlou, a traditional Moroccan spread made with almonds, argan oil, and honey. We haven’t had decent peanut butter (and not even seen other nut butters) since we left the US. We were so excited, and I told Jimmy that I wanted the big jar and not the sampler size. Sadly, he pointed out that I messed up the conversion (you only have to move the decimal one position, but I assumed a bit too much). I thought the jar (a typical size for a jar of almond butter back home) was about 5 dollars…but it was actually 50 dollars!! Most expensive nut butter ever!! We settled for the small jar and knew we would undoubtedly be fighting over it when we got back to Marrakech.

Often the Berber villages are built into the side of the mountains. The buildings appear to be carved out of the earth. The reddish-brown clay ground blends right in to the dusty-red and orangy-pink sides of the homes, and you can’t tell where one ends and the next begins. Where the clay homes blend into the mountainside, you will sometimes notice that even the caves are inhabited.

One of the best examples of the Moroccan earthen clay architecture is at the World Heritage Site Ait Ben Hadou, a famous kasbah built in the 11th century. Kasbah is a castle or fortress with four fortified towers where the local leader lived.

This World Heritage site has been used in numerous movies and TV shows including some of our favorites Gladiator, Indiana Jones, and Game of Thrones. I embraced my inner Daenerys and could envision my Unsullied troups surrounding the kasbah gates ready to fight for me.

During our four day tour, we had some interesting and enlightening conversations with our guide/driver. Of course, he gave us tons of information about the landscapes, cities, and traditions of the local people, but we also had some discussion about recent politics and his life. He was born into a nomadic family that eventually settled in a village to help him and his siblings get an education. His family still lives in the village and thinks he is crazy for moving to the loud crowded city of Marrakech to work as a tour guide. He is a well-spoken and knowledgeable guide that can speak FIVE languages. But he, as well as almost every Moroccan that we met, has never left the country.

We take for granted how easy it is to bounce around from country to country to experience and learn from different cultures (and of course have amazing vacations).  Our tour guide hoped to one day visit the US, but he said that the US is one of the hardest for Moroccans to get a visa for and that there is a lottery system for selecting applicants. He really wanted to see NYC some day, as did some other Moroccans that we asked. However, a waiter at dinner one evening surprisingly told us he wanted to go to Kentucky. We were like “what? Not NYC?”  He said there are too many guns and that NYC is not safe.  So interesting to hear how others view the US.

But back to our tour guide, we asked him if there was a specific site that he wanted to see or food to try (you know, the reasons we travel), and he said that he didn’t know because he mostly wanted to go there to study!!! One of my favorite things about traveling is getting unique perspectives on the world and learning about  the hopes and dreams of others. Bottom line, we are all looking for ways to learn and educate ourselves to improve our lives and that of our families. And we often take for granted the educational opportunities that we have. Don’t get me wrong. We worked hard to get our degrees and advance our careers to get to where we are today, but as much as everybody loves to complain about the US, we are fortunate for opportunities that many others just don’t have.

Okay…back to the tour…we were discussing with our guide how dramatically the terrain changes in Morocco.  After coming across the High Atlas Mountains, we were driving through barren desert and then, bam, we rolled up to a gorgeous, green, lush oasis called the Todra Valley.

The Todra Valley, full of palms and other agricultural crops, dramatically changes again just a few miles up the road as it narrows to form the Todra Gorge.  The deep ravine was formed by a great river that, now, is just a trickle through the high pink and grey walls.

Amongst all the natural beauty, and of course, I had to pee…really badly! And we were about to take quite a bit of time to hike up to a cave to visit a nomadic Berber family. I asked our tour guide if there was any chance to pee, and he told me to pick a bush. When you gotta go, ya gotta go. So, I gave myself a little pep talk and picked the biggest bolder (the bushes would have not hid much) that covered me well on only two sides (best I could find). As I was thinking about City Slickers and worried about what might bite my butt from under the boulder, I also hoped that no one came along the road to catch a glimpse of my backside. I didn’t think I had to worry about straight ahead up the mountain. But, man, was a wrong. I was mid-pee, and we are talking about one of those massive pees that you held forever and now will go forever Austin Powers-style, when a small boy peaked his head out from the cave way high up the trail.

He was so excited to see the tour guide that he started sprinting down, straight at me. Ahhh! No! I can’t stop. So awkward. The terrain was rough and steep but that didn’t slow this kid down! Luckily, I managed to pull my pants back up right before he got near me. Whew! Not sure how much he saw, but I think he could care less about me peeing by a rock (he does live in a cave after all). He was just anxious to see our tour guide and talk to him. He talked nonstop all the way back up to the cave. And just like 5 year olds in the US, he wanted to play with our guide’s iPhone. Cute kid! And unique opportunity to see a different lifestyle… and to share with you one of my not-so-glamorous moments.

The highlight of this tour was spending a night camping in the Sahara desert. After driving through a rocky, barren valley between the Low and High Atlas Mountains, we came up to the edge of the highest sand dunes in Morocco.

Our tour guide pointed to the highest one in the distance and said that our camp was right next to it. The excitement was hard to contain as this was the part of our Moroccan adventure that we were most looking forward to. We dropped off our luggage at a small hotel and gathered just a few essentials in a small bag to bring with us. Our guide gave us traditional Berber turbans, taught us how to wrap them properly to protect face/hair from the wind/sand, and then introduced us to our camels. Oh, yes, that’s right. We were riding camels 1.5hrs from the small village to get to our campsite in the middle of the sand dunes!

As I petted my camel to get acquainted, I started to get nervous. How sure-footed are these guys with their skinny little legs and big bellies going up and down the steep dunes on the loose sand? Could we tip over if I leaned the wrong way? And we have to get on while they are lying down?!?!  As these giant creatures stand up, you get thrust forward as they get their hind legs out from underneath them. And then you get slung back as they fully stand up. Sort of like riding one of those mechanical bulls but the bull is also lifting you a couple meters off the ground at the same time. I wasn’t the only girl that let out a bit of a loud gasp. Three Australians joined us in our camel caravan. So off we went, the five of us with a camel guide into the Sahara.

We were all silent for the majority of the ride just absorbing the grandeur and immense scale of the sand dunes. The sun was setting at our backs and created dramatic silhouettes against the dunes.

In that moment, I reflected on how fortunate we were for this experience. In the past 3 months, we watched the famous centuries-old Palio race in Siena, hiked and boated around the Amalfi coast with our friends, celebrated Oktoberfest in Germany with other friends, and now we are on camels in the middle of giant sand dunes in the Sahara desert.

I felt like I was in a movie as my camel gracefully carried me across the glowing sand dunes. Now, I must point out that my camel was quite graceful, but I certainly was not, especially when we went down some of the steeper dunes. I also pondered how animals are so well adapted to their environment. The giant round padded feet of the camel made them very sturdy when walking through the loose sand. You can feel them sink in but never lose balance. Right before sunset, we made it just outside our camp. We stopped to enjoy the light show on one of the tallest sand dunes before completing the journey.

After the sun slid under the horizon, we walked barefoot through the soft sand across the last couple dunes to camp (carefully watching for patches of camel poop, of course). Once at camp, we were treated to a feast of rice, cooked vegetables, turkey skewers, a chicken tajine, and grapes. The dinner encore was African drumming, chanting, and dancing. Of course, we all joined in on a group African dance around the fire. And our hosts tried to teach us the drums, but we all failed miserably. So, we decided to take a late-night walk into the sand dunes to stargaze. We were fortunate to have a clear sky and calm evening to enjoy the brilliant twinkling lights. We all saw a few shooting stars and stared at the Milky Way contemplating how tiny we are in the universe.  After a full day of adventure, we retired for the evening in a little tent complete with soft mattress and warm blankets.

Our desert time ended early the next morning with a climb back up to the tall sand dune to watch the sunrise and take a few more pics in the dunes.

Then we headed back to the village on our trusty camels. Definitely an experience of a lifetime!!

Our drive back to Marrakech was long but full of ever-changing landscapes.  Just outside the sand dunes, we stopped to check out a local oasis that showcases ancient irrigation techniques permitting a wide-array of agriculture.

After living near the Blue Ridge mountains in NC, the High Atlas mountains seemed barren with sparse vegetation…until we came upon the Low Atlas mountain range.

The mountain range is dry, desolate and full of rocky outcrops and lunar landscapes.  Unlike the High Atlas full of Berber villages, very few locals call this area home, so we only saw an occasional lonely house surrounded by palm trees where some water was able to gather.  However, not too far away, and again, coming out of no where, our guide surprised us with this beautiful green view…the Draa Valley.

We were always in awe of the little pockets of green that sprung out of nowhere in the middle of the desert.  Finally, our four day adventure ended with another pass over the High Atlas mountains back to Marrakech, but this time, it looked so lush and green!

To round out exploring the landscapes of southern Morocco, we also took a day trip to the coast to see the village of Essaouira.  We spent the day ambling around the port and the medina, which was quite mellow compared to the one in Marrakech and definitely had a laid-back beach town vibe with a Moroccan twist.  Our favorite spot was the Skala du Port, a historic building complete with cannons and beautiful views looking back onto the red-walled medina through the swirling seagulls.

From here, you also get a birds-eye view of the bustling port full of fisherman bringing in the daily catch, repairing nets, and building boats.

Wandering past all the fisherman’s stalls and checking out the odd assortment of fish and sea creatures available was a fun way to experience a different side of Morocco.  A row of little white shacks lines the road leading up to this fish market.  The daily catch is proudly displayed and advertised by a loud salesman representing each stall and competing for your business.  Several guys are in the back of each stall by the grill ready to prepare whatever you choose. Although we aren’t big seafood eaters, we couldn’t pass up this uniquely Essaouiran experience to choose from such a wide, colorful array of fresh fish, shrimp, and lobster at very reasonable prices and have it grilled up right in front of us.  We chose a red snapper, sea bass, shrimp, and lobster plus salad, bread, and drinks for only around $25!

From the sea to the mountains to the sand dunes, Morocco is simply stunning and a place we will look back on with fond memories.  We just barely scratched the surface of all that Morocco has to offer and can’t wait for the next time to continue to explore a place unlike anywhere else on earth.