Over the Mountains & Into the Desert

On Thursday, we left Fes and travelled south over the Middle Atlas mountains. On the way, we passed through a town called Ifrane which was most of the way up toward the summit. The Moroccans call this town the Switzerland of Morocco. Apparently there are a couple of ski areas nearby. As we made it further up, we passed snow covered peaks and saw what Moroccans call ski areas. Think Hyland Hills with fewer runs.

Our route took us along the Ziz River toward the Sahara. The Ziz valley contains the largest oasis in all of Africa. It stretches for dozens (maybe hundreds) of miles. Oases are marked by dense forest, lush ground cover and no buildings within. Humans figured out that if you build in the oasis, you kill it (not to mention that it can kill you when it floods).

We passed through the town of Erfoud, about 240 miles south of Fes. We switched vehicles at the Xaluca Resort for an hour long 4x4 trip into the dunes. By the time we arrived at our camp, it was dark so it was pretty hard to figure out what the landscape looked like. The air was clear and cool (mid 40s) and the stars were like those seen in Boundary Waters. We settled into camp which was made up of 4 "tents" surrounding a center area about 40 feet in diameter. We've never slept in a tent with wall-to-wall oriental rugs, king-sized bed, hot shower, and flush toilet. Yet the camp is taken down during sand storms! The tents are connected around the perimeter by a carpet wall. The camp floor is carpeted except for a fire pit in the center. One tent is opened toward the center of the camp - the dining tent. After another wonderful traditional Moroccan dinner with our guide Abde, we settled in for the night.

The next morning, our camel driver, Emil, woke us at 5:30 AM. We mounted camels and climbed along dune ridges about 3/4 of a mile to a dune crest. From there, we sat on a blanket and watched the sun rise over the Moroccan-Algerian border. Incredible sight! Behind us were about 100 or Japanese tourists. Fortunately, they were at least 1/4 mile away so they weren't too noisy.

We're now back at the Xaluca Resort in Erfoud for a relaxing day poolside. Tomorrow, we head west to Ouarzazate at the foot of the High Altas Mountains. It's almost hard to remember what Minnesota is like anymore! Hope you enjoy the photos. We have about 500 more! Tim and Wendy.