The Sahara, Part 1

Ted. Judy and I investigated various ways of exploring the Atlas Mountains and Sahara Desert and finally settled on a private tour. It was pricey but there were many advantages. When our friend Linda decided to join us, the economics became more favorable.

So, at 8:30 on a Thursday morning, Abdoul, our faithful guide and driver rang the buzzer at our riad (hotel) in Marrakech and our adventure began.

Judy, Abdoul & Linda

The three of us had contracted with a company called Desert Majesty for a four day, three night tour. They provided a driver, a very comfortable Toyota 4-wheel drive vehicle and all food and accommodations along the journey. The cost was about $450/person, excluding drinks and tips. Looking back, it was one of the best decisions that we have made in quite a while.

On our first day, we wandered through and over the Atlas mountains, exploring villages and kasbahs and marveling at the scenery.

Kasbah has various definitions but I equate it to a castle. For over a thousand years, there has been a trade route from Marrakech to Timbuktu, which is south of the Sahara in Mali. Caravans carried salt (once worth more than gold) to the south and gold and ivory to the north. The kasbahs we were visiting were built to protect the caravans. To me, this is analogous to the castles along the Rhine River but with camels instead of boats. 

Telouet Kasbah

Salt deposits

We spent our first night in a very nice riad in Ouarzazate. This town has several film studios and scenes from most desert movies you can name were probably filmed in this area. It is also the main launching point for desert excursions.

One thing we enjoyed at this particular riad was the availability of wine. A liquor license in Morocco costs over $100,000 so it is rare to find an affordable restaurant or hotel serving alcohol. Naturally, we jumped at the chance to check out the local wine and it is excellent!

So, the next morning, we headed east again, driving down the Dra’a valley during the harvest of their famous crop – dates. Oh my goodness, freshly picked dates are so moist and sweet, I don’t know if I can ever enjoy them at home again.

Dra'a Valley with date groves

Fresh dates ($2/box)

 After several hours, more villages and more kasbahs, we finally arrived in the tiny village of Mhamid. The road actually ended here as we were only about 15 miles from the closed border with Algeria. There are bad guys over there and the Moroccan army watches the border very carefully. The economy of Morocco is dependent on the safety of tourists so they don’t need any idiots coming over to cause trouble.

Included in our tour was a camel ride out to our desert camp. Abdoul turned us over to Hassim who led us on the hour and a half stroll across the dunes to our camp. Riding a camel is not a lot different from a horse. I would describe it as having a bigger “roll” and the saddle isn’t as comfy. It wasn’t bad but you do use muscles in different ways and most folks are a bit sore afterwards. By the way, our camels were very gentle.

I think I’ll close here and describe our experience at the camp in a second post.