Zagora - Dades and Todra Gorges - Ait Ben Haddou (MA)
Zagora : in the desert
N 30°19.630' W 005°50.311'
Zagora is another oasis about 300 km SW of Merzouga with only a few small towns along the road through the arid landscape. Athough cold at night, the days are sunny and wandering through the date palm plantations is the thing to do in the heat of the day. The highlight was climbing the 300 m high Jebel Zagora which put Zagora's remoteness well into perspective – not only now but 1000 years before.
Dades and Todra Gorges : natural wonders
N 31°39.571' W 005°34.436'
Carved into the southern side of the High Atlas are the spectacular canyons of Dades and Todra coloured in all inmaginable tones between yellow and pink! The cold (temperature in our room in the morning: 4°C) kept tourist presence to a minimum and we even had the experience of a light snow storm on decending the Dades valley at around 2000 m. To compensate for the cold were spoilt with extra Moroccan hospitality it seemed, being the only guests an our hotel. In the Dades Gorge every possible space on the valley floor between the villages is cultivated with vegetables and cereals. In contrast, the Todhra Gorge is steeper, wilder and not populated.
Aït Ben Haddou : spectacular kasbah
N 31°02.563' W 007°07.823'
Further south, the kasbah (fort) village of Aït Ben Haddou is spectacularly set in front of the snow-capped Atlas Mountains. We spent our time admiring the panoramic views be it from the hotels roof-terrace at breakfast time or from high points in the surroundings. Beautiful as it was, the snow caused us some concern as the pass to Marrakech had been closed for 3 days causing havoc on the roads which were very busy due to the up-comming all important Islamic lamb-festival.
N 30°19.630' W 005°50.311'
Zagora is another oasis about 300 km SW of Merzouga with only a few small towns along the road through the arid landscape. Athough cold at night, the days are sunny and wandering through the date palm plantations is the thing to do in the heat of the day. The highlight was climbing the 300 m high Jebel Zagora which put Zagora's remoteness well into perspective – not only now but 1000 years before.
Dades and Todra Gorges : natural wonders
N 31°39.571' W 005°34.436'
Carved into the southern side of the High Atlas are the spectacular canyons of Dades and Todra coloured in all inmaginable tones between yellow and pink! The cold (temperature in our room in the morning: 4°C) kept tourist presence to a minimum and we even had the experience of a light snow storm on decending the Dades valley at around 2000 m. To compensate for the cold were spoilt with extra Moroccan hospitality it seemed, being the only guests an our hotel. In the Dades Gorge every possible space on the valley floor between the villages is cultivated with vegetables and cereals. In contrast, the Todhra Gorge is steeper, wilder and not populated.
Aït Ben Haddou : spectacular kasbah
N 31°02.563' W 007°07.823'
Further south, the kasbah (fort) village of Aït Ben Haddou is spectacularly set in front of the snow-capped Atlas Mountains. We spent our time admiring the panoramic views be it from the hotels roof-terrace at breakfast time or from high points in the surroundings. Beautiful as it was, the snow caused us some concern as the pass to Marrakech had been closed for 3 days causing havoc on the roads which were very busy due to the up-comming all important Islamic lamb-festival.
posted by Retobados at 9:49 AM
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