Moroccan road trip in 6 days

Going to Morocco has been on our wish list for a few years and we finally booked flights at short notice last winter. February to March weather was still chilly especially in mountainous areas and experiencing hail & snow in Africa was phenomenal.

We did a lot of research and our route was changed more than a few times, and the one we came up with – as happens with road trips – altered along the way slightly too. The priority was to see Moroccan landscape, and particularly Atlas Mountains and Sahara Desert.

Day One: Marrakesh to Aït Benhaddou

Our target for the first day was to go over Atlas and reach Aït Benhaddou – the city which is called door to the desert. As we landed in Marrakesh the only obvious way to get there was via Tizi n’Tichka mountain pass. Maybe not the easiest road to drive, but as you are rising along the way the landscape begins to change and you get the best views over valleys and small mud villages.

Turn was easy to miss and with a little ‘help’ from a local nearly falling in front of our car trying to sell some precious gems we took a less known road via Telouet. There are lots of improvement going on with roads in Morocco, but this particular one was a challenging muddy and dusty road to drive through with a little car. We read beforehand it’s worth a detour because of Kasbah in this village.

Arriving we were greeted by kids playing football barefoot and a couple of sad donkeys parked at the back of the houses. We paid 20 dh each entrance fee and the whole Kasbah was for ourselves to explore. Crumbling from outside it took us by surprise with pretty much intact mosaics inside and views from roof terrace towards valley and mountains we had just driven from.

 

We soon realized we were racing against time to reach Aït Benhaddou for sunset as sun was slowly disappearing from the valleys behind us. We were navigating through small villages that seemed forever but as a bonus we got a glimpse of local life not touched by tourists.

On arrival we have been greeted by our host for the night dressed in traditional costume with Berber whiskey – a glass of sweet mint tea. It was served on a rooftop terrace with the best views you could ask for towards the red mud brick city and snowy mountains over horizon. The first night was probably the chilliest we have experienced in Morocco and as tourists normally come in summer they could only provide little gas or electric heaters in common areas only due to safety issues. We have spent most of our evening in the hallway absorbing the heat.

Aït Benhaddou certainly isn’t a ‘hidden gem’ in Morocco. It’s been used as a backdrop in movies and is one of the most visited tourist attractions the country has to offer. And this medieval city is truly impressive.

It’s always worth to get up early and get there before everyone else in such places. We were the first ones entering old town minutes after sunrise next morning and got the place to explore at our own pace with absolutely no one. A little bit of a ghost town in a way. There are very few people who still live in the actual old city area and mostly those who are selling souvenirs. They were not awake yet either and we were happy to avoid harassment of ‘just having a look in the shop’ as we walked around. There is no entrance fee, but as the fortress has 4 entrances, later on we’ve seen locals selling fake tickets.

Reaching the top via maze of little streets amazing panoramic views opened up and we could see the contrast between the old red clay city and the new one separated by a semi dry river and palm trees all around on one side and those snowy peaks of Atlas on the other.

 

Day Two: Aït Benhaddou to Todra Gorge

Coming back from the old city we hopped back over sand bags crossing the river, enjoyed a quick homemade breakfast and had to move on and continue our road trip towards the canyons of Morocco. Reading beforehand Dadès Gorge was more popular having a distinct picturesque curve and Todra Gorge was described as deeper and wilder. We couldn’t decide which one to choose so we planned our time to do both. 

Leaving Aït Benhaddou we left mountains behind too and got into more flat scenery with blooming almond trees and mud brick houses tucked behind them. As we were passing valley of roses we stopped to buy some dates and were curious to check out one of little shops selling oils looking specifically for Argan oil. The owner was nice, but as it’s a rose valley we just couldn’t escape without getting a sniff of all rose oil varieties he had to sell. I had rose water sprayed in my face more than five times so a little harassment is unavoidable anywhere. Eventually after negotiating for literally an hour we left with a pink bag of goodies and had a wish for a good trip. And we couldn’t get rid of the rose oil smell in our car for days to come.

Having spent more time smelling roses than we intended to, we had to speed up to reach at least one of the canyons in daylight for today. We had booked accommodation near Todra and had to do a short detour to reach Dadès George. The landscape started changing to orange rocky formations that lead us all the way to Dadès Valley where along the river we could see green patches of lush palm tree oasis looking very small in comparison to the heights of the canyon. Our little rental car climbed up a winding road only to look back at it from the top. It’s a nice place to see, but I would say Dadès Gorge is overrated and not really worth a detour, unless you plan to spend more time exploring here. The road leading towards it was way more scenic than the Gorge itself.

Descending back to the village to find somewhere to eat we came across a smiley guy offering tagines in his garden. Speaking some French would definitely have helped us out in small villages. We ordered some tea and the guy was pointing out at the herbs in his veggie patch – I think we chose a mix of mint and dill by the taste after.

Racing with sun became our regular practice on this road trip and we arrived at Todra in dark. Parking a bright blue car in front of the town mosque attracted village kids and we soon had lots of little fingerprints all over the windows and the biggest one even asked to pay him for the parking – he didn’t seem too bothered when we said no. The host greeted us in a small alley and after passing a couple goats we were shown into our room for the night. Mud brick shower next to the bed seemed adventurous and to top it up we later found out when it gets wet it smells like dung. As we were looking for authentic accommodation that’s exactly what we got.

Day Three: Todra Gorge to Merzouga

We woke up to an amazing views of the canyon and the river literally outside our window which came as a bonus. Rooftop terrace gave us a glimpse of gigantic rocks around, but we had to come down to the indoor restaurant for breakfast as they don’t serve outside during cold months. We met some other travellers and in house cat whilst almond yogurt, fresh dates, homemade jams and warm bread was served. Moroccans don’t understand sugar-free anything and we learned soon to ask sugar on the side rather than premixed in teas.

As we stayed just a short walk from Todra we were there minutes after sunrise. At the bottom of the Gorge there is the same little river flowing we could see from our window, which at one point must have carried so much water to carve this massive canyon out of the rocks. Some as high as 300 meters. And yes it’s a touristy spot with little hotels set up by the rocks, but as it’s so enormous you can escape the crowds easily. Being early always helps too. We have seen sleepy shop owners slowly setting up all the jewels, rock climbers, hikers, local shepherds with herds of goats, women doing their washing up in the river and even a few nomads living in the caves of the canyon. If we had more time – hiking here seemed like a perfect thing to do, but we had a long drive towards the desert ahead.

 

Landscapes and temperatures are changing quite dramatically in Morocco. Two days ago, going over mountains I was wearing gloves, hat and a warm jacket and now entering a desertous area I had quite literally to rip my clothes off. We were driving for miles over cracked dusty roads surrounded by lifeless scenery. Bizarre as it might sound this bareness was pleasant for the eye as we don’t see vast horizons in our daily lives.

On our way we met a couple motorbikes, but mostly bikes & donkeys. Little villages were so far from each other, each time we saw someone walking we thought where the heck is he going and how long it will take him in this heat.

 

There are quite a few options to reach Sahara and we chose to drive via Erfoud & Rissani. Entering the last stretch there was a bit more traffic with heavy loaded trucks and vans bringing pre-booked tours with their belongings to the desert.

You can get to Sahara from Marrakesh in a 10 hour tour and when you arrive the most popular way is to hop on a camel and go to the desert camp to spend a night there under the stars. If you arrive by car – you can leave it in the private parking and they take you further on the camels too. We were intrigued by sleeping under the stars, but we just didn’t feel like riding those poor camels. Some of the camps are quite remote meaning it would be around an hour or more riding too. Researching in advance for days and considering many options we found a hotel located literally on the edge of the sand dunes that looked good to explore the Sahara. We couldn’t wait to get there.

Despite being warm the weather was not quite welcoming as we were driving into what looked like a sand storm with stretches of orange sand on the road and dust swirling in the air. However, we didn’t want to go back as this meant to be our only night at the desert so we took the risk to keep going with a little thrill of the unknown.

A while later we could see a dull view of the mountains over the horizon which driving closer appeared to be massive sand dunes covered in orange cloud. It was certainly one of the wow moments and we were excited to get on the actual sand soon. The dunes stretch in this part of Sahara for around 25 kilometers and despite the fact that the most popular area here is Merzouga as an entrance point to explore The Erg Chebbi dunes we chose to avoid it and book accommodation in a nearby town Hassilabied which was close enough to drive back to eat and remote enough to escape the crowds.

On arrival we enquired if it was worth to go for sunset and as it was so stormy we were advised we had more chances for a nice sunrise. After a few sips of welcoming mint tea the adventurous side of us took over and we went out for short walk in the desert.

Seeing camels passing by in a blurry distance over layers of orange dunes was spectacular and dreadful weather conditions added some spooky charm experiencing Sahara for the first time. Looking back to town swinging palm trees and peaks of sun over foggy sky looked like apocalypse was about to happen.

Following stomach gurgle we drove to Merzouga to look for food. Driving bright blue car in circles didn’t help to choose where to eat as we were soon approached rather aggressively by one of the restaurant owners opening the car door while we were still driving. We agreed to come to eat to avoid further harassment and to be honest it was a very good tagine and couscous with a pleasant service eventually. Driving back it was dark already and we hoped to see some famous stars under desert sky, but the moonlight was so bright that we could barely see any. Next time.

Day Four: Merzouga to Agdz

Next day started early as the plan was to see sunrise shadows play with shapes of dunes. Being independent travellers, we were going in the desert without guides in pitch black dark, with a small torch just the two of us. It may sound ludicrous, but we were reading ahead lots of people done that, there are no scorpions or other dangerous creatures, just a few small desert foxes that are rare to see.

Bare in mind early hours at the desert in February is freezing cold and your shoes are soon soaked with cold sand too. Going bare foot was not even considered.

Climbing up and down the dunes is not easy as you feel like going two steps forward and one step back all the time. We were heading to what seemed the highest dune but having reached that one we could see higher and higher ones in the distance and we kept going over sand mountains leaving the city far behind. The sky was turning purply blue and we were rushing to get somewhere high to catch the sunrise on time. We walked so far we have reached the camps where people stayed overnight. It was two of us sitting completely knackered on the highest peak we could find enjoying the moment and personal achievement, getting our camera ready for perfect sunrise setting.

And what a mistake it was to settle next to camps. To our disappointment we could soon see people crawling from their tents climbing to our peak! Eventually it was 12 of us sitting tight next to each other and we were squeezed in the middle fuming inside. It felt like our personal space was invaded. In the whole massive desert we all chose one big dune. Cynically running away from the crowd – we got people much closer than we could expect.

Sunrise was incredible. Pink and orange light was slowly descending on the dunes and all peaks ahead of us had second of sparkle one after another. People soon disappeared back to the camps to ride camels towards the town and we finally had all desert to ourselves. And it was so quiet. Being here made us realize how noisy life usually is. We were walking back slowly wanting to stop everywhere to absorb as much of the desert experience as we could. It was getting warm quickly and was so pleasant just to sit in the sand. We both agreed it put a spell on us as we didn’t want to leave. If we would go back we would stay two nights to have one full day to explore the desert more.

After a delicious breakfast on the terrace we drove back to Merzouga to check out dunes there as we felt we wanted to spend some more time on the sand before the long drive ahead. There was a berber man falling in front of the car trying to up sell his camel ride and while we were passing the same restaurant we had our forced meal the day before they were waving with smiles on their faces as we became ‘friends’. As this route to dunes is so touristy there was a lot of rubbish everywhere and it just didn’t feel special. We made the best choice staying further away.

 

Sahara was not letting us go easy and we left late midday looking back to the orange mountains in our windscreen mirrors. I never felt so sad during our adventures. We knew we were leaving something special behind. It became one of the best memories to treasure from this road trip.

Heading back to Marrakesh to finish up our circuit we had to reach Agdz for the night. We planned to see as diverse Morocco as we can in less than a week and this stretch of a journey via south was eye catching too. It was a different type of desert with scattered stones, rocky limestone peaks, sun bleached bushes and beautiful dry acacia trees seemingly begging for water. It had the feeling of a dry African Savannah mixed with American Monument Valley. Rock formations followed us along the way turning into different shapes and heights with crumbling Kasbahs hiding in the shade.

Later on the river joined along the way and we could immediately see continuous palm oases and more life happening around – a difference fertile land and access to water makes. Despite some fancy hotels standing on the outskirts of little villages, life inside seems the same for years and hardly changed. In every village we passed there were smiley children chasing the car, local men chilling with a glass of mint tea whilst their heads covered with spiked capes, donkeys everywhere and little markets where you can get anything from dates to teapots.

We have reached accommodation at Agdz in the evening and were invited to quickly drop bags and come to the terrace to chill with a pot of tea and the biggest olives I have ever eaten. It was very peaceful with only one couple sitting in the terrace corner playing chess. The owner advised we could hike through the palms to the river in 15 minutes.

We didn’t think long and rushed to go while it was still light. We walked for over half an hour across palmeries seeing people working in the fields and the river was not even in a horizon. The sun quickly went down and we were soon trying to find our way back in the labyrinths of palm trees with a phone light. Believe it or not all palm trees and dusty little pathways look the same in the dark. Getting annoyed with ourselves walking what seemed in circles we finally found our way out using GPS (hallelujah it works everywhere) and were happy to call it a night and put our feet up.

Day Five: Agdz to Marrakesh

Fresh Moroccan bread was served in the morning from a little mud oven outside in the garden. Despite fully equipped kitchen they still do it authentic way every day. We were the first ones to check out and hearty breakfast with a good cup of coffee was exactly what we needed.

We drove into town centre to see palms of Agdz from the highest point. It looked like a green carpet rolling up to the rocky mount Jbel Kissane and the sight was spectacular. Asphalted road towards the river was the only thing spoiling the image of how things would have looked untouched by modern life. And saying modern means the road is used by motorbikes more than donkey carriages. The last night in Marrakesh was ahead and mountains to drive back over to get there, but we couldn’t resist driving along the alley to the river which we failed to find on foot last night. The longest river of Morocco seemed easy to swim across as the stream is not large, but this part being full of water keeps all the palmeries here preserved with varieties of trees like orange and almond hidden in between.

Leaving Agdz behind we stopped to glance over a huge rocky canyon that looked like dried lava. The depth seemed immeasurable with miniature palm trees at the very bottom. Heavy loaded trucks with straw, cows, sheep and even people were speeding by swinging and the barrier separating the road from the canyon was so minor my knees were jelly.

The road followed through Ouarzazate, which is home to Morocco’s little Hollywood sheltering a film production studio in the fields nearby. Being the most famous town in the region for celebrities and for movies filmed here it felt a little fake. And as none of us is a Game of Thrones fan we skipped all the glitz and glam without regretting too much.

We had a flight back booked from Marrakesh for the next day with less than a full day to explore the city itself so there was not much time left to wander around. Heading back towards Tizi n Tichka mountain pass we could see snowy peaks of the mountains in the horizon and after a few days of a desertous rocky landscape they looked like clouds to the eye. Weather conditions were way better to drive through this time and we could enjoy those spectacular views once again.

The journey was about to end where it began. We knew that driving in Marrakesh would be stressful to handle so we were pushing to reach it in daylight. And we almost managed. 

Day 6 and experiencing Marrakesh in less than 24 hours is here.

Did we tempt you to go on a Moroccan road trip yet? We hope we did!