362. Trekking and Romance in the High Atlas Mountains

Where: Morocco
When: March 2011
With: Rachel

So I have decided to take a loose interpretation of the name of this entry in the book. While we didn't "trek" per say, we bussed ourselves all around those mountains, getting out to do small hikes in many locations. While we didn't experience "romance" per say, it was easy to fall in love with the view. And this post doesn't just cover the High Atlas Mountains, but the Middle and the Anti as well. Just setting the stage in case someone was expecting something else from this post.

It's damn near impossible to travel through Morocco without crossing the Atlas Mountains at some point. They stretch 1,600 miles across Northern Africa, from Morocco to Algeria. On our journeys from Fes to the Sahara and the Sahara back towards Marrakesh, we were zigzagging across them constantly. Sometimes, we were besides snowcapped peaks, and other times, at the bottom of massive gorges. Either way, I was shocked and surprised by how much the Moroccan landscape could change in the course of a day.

Our first pass through the Atlas Mountains was on the route from Fes to the Sahara. From our van, I could see the long, flat land give way to hilly terrain. The elevation change came quickly. And as we went up, cedar trees and mist started whizzing past us, as if we were in a Nordic country rather than on a road trip to the Sahara Desert.

In the early morning mist, it was easy to see we were up high, but it sure didn't feel like we were in Morocco!

We first took a quick stop off in the town of Ifrane. Created in the 1930s with the purpose of providing a hilltop resort for Europeans to escape the heat during the summer, this colonial respite feels no different than a mountaintop chalet in Switzerland. Definitely not what we were expecting, but our first taste of what the Atlas Mountains had to offer.

Here's Lahoucine, showing us around town in his traditional blue Berber robe. 

To add to this unique experience, we came across a point in the road where there were a ton of monkeys. Annnnd Lahoucine started to feed them. Really don't think that's allowed, but TIA, there are no rules. 

From up in the mountains, it was amazing to see the lush green valleys rolling through the hills. I sound like a broken record, but I didn't picture Morocco to look anything like this. 

As we continued our drive south, the landscape continued to change drastically. The lush green gave way to rocky outcrops and sandy, dried out mountains. There were even patches of snow. 

And just when I thought I was in the Atlas Mountains, I saw this strange outline et between the forest covered hills. Are those clouds? What is that?

And that's when I realized there was a lot more height to come. The view I saw was that of snow topped mountains. It was incredible how they just jutted straight up out of the landscape. The contrast of the dusty, desert like conditions compared to the rock and snow was hard to comprehend.

And as quickly as we were passing these massive mountains, we were suddenly at the bottom of a gorge. The water at the base of this gorge is actually a reservoir called the Barrage Al-Hassan Addakhil. 

As a pit stop on our long journey, we visited a geology center that contained fossils from the surrounding areas. Obviously with all the changes in elevation and geology, this area makes for the perfect place to excavate. And as is the case with a lot of desert regions, this area used to sit at the bottom of the ocean. Therefore, lots of pre-historic sea creatures left their marks on these stones. 

Our first pass through the Atlas Mountains came to an end at the Sahara Desert. But the next afternoon, we set out again to make another pass across the country, and this time, along a well-traveled caravan route that's been in use for thousands of years. 

The first sight we got across the landscape were these unique wells for grabbing water deep in the sands of the desert. The water provided comes from run off from the Atlas Mountains. All those little mounds are wells.

Atlas Mountains in the distance. 

We continued along the sandy road until we suddenly were at the top of a gorge. The bottom of the gorge wasn't easy to see as it was filled with palm trees and we could only see the tops. This was my first experience with a real, live oasis. And this particular one sat at the bottom of the Todra Gorge (love the woman with her blue robes blowing in the breeze). 

As per usual with gorges, there's a river that carves them. The river in this case is the Todra River. It cut through the High Atlas Mountains to create these lush, green slivers among the rocky, red mountains. Several cities have understandably popped up here, and many people have been living and surviving on the same farming techniques used for centuries. 

The Gorge at one of its narrowest parts. 

Just hanging out in a gorge, ready to explore an oasis.

Upon entering the oasis, I once again didn't feel like I was in Morocco. The palm trees were so thick and high, they blocked out all of the sun. It felt more like a rain forest than a desert. 

To enter, we had to cross this little stream, hopping from stone to stone. Normally I'd be ok with this, but I was so worried for my camera!

Our guided walk through the oasis village showed us how the locals live and continue to use ancient techniques to live their lives. This old man was probably in his 70s but was incredibly adept at scrambling barefoot up a palm tree to collect palm fronds. 

Throughout our walk, Alfie the dog followed us along. So cute.

As the trees broke and the sun set, we had a gorgeous view of the mountains high above us. 

These flowers amazed me. So lush and colorful. 

We got one last view at some of the villages in the Todra Gorge before heading in for the night. This place was like a dream. 

The next day, with the snow-covered Atlas Mountains still in the distance, we made the trek from the Todra Gorge to the Dades Gorge. 

Similar to the Todra Gorge, a river carved its way through the mountain, creating this crazy canyon. Except this one looked even steeper, mostly because the roads attempt to go right through it. 

Nothing beats looking down from your window to see this and know you're heading that way. 

Many of the local tribes used these gorges as their homes. Some remnants still remain of their lodgings. 

Feels like I'm in the Grand Canyon...

Our stop for the night was in the town of Ouarzazete. This town is the place to film your desert based movie. Among the movies shot here are Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator, The Mummy, and most recently, Game of Thrones. 

Our exploration of this area would have to wait a day, but our hotel in Ouarzazete was of movie star proportions and waiting was fine by us. The property was huge and luxurious and felt like one of the nicest hotels I've ever stayed in. 

The next day, we headed to Ait Ben Haddou, the real star, as it is the main filming location for those movies and shows mentioned earlier. Just take a look at this, you know you've seen it before. 

This UNESCO world heritage site is a prime example of a "ksar", a group of earthen buildings surrounded by a high defensive wall.  

To get to Ait Ben Haddou, we had to cross another river, this time with sand bags laid across to help us arrive dryly. Small children from the village ran to take our hands and help us across, but expected a tip at the end. I sadly had no change on me, and I don't think my mini guide was happy about it. 

The views from up top, with the Atlas Mountains, ever present in the background. 

A close up of the mud-thatched roofs within the walls. 

After leaving this village, we had one last stretch through the highest part of the mountains until we got to Marrakesh. Again, the feeling here was like being in the alpine hills of Switzerland rather than Morocco. 

So, I hope you will agree that while I didn't exactly do what the Book lays out for the High Atlas Mountains, to say I didn't trek them wouldn't be fair. They provided such a dramatic contrast to the Morocco I expected, and a much needed respite from the heat. Gorgeous!