Sahara

It must have been a movie that I saw more than ten years ago that had me dreaming of traveling to the Sahara one day. Three years ago, I headed to Central Morocco to fulfill this dream — to the desert in Erg Chebbi, where the dunes can  reach up to 150 m or 492 ft high. Starting off in the late afternoon (to avoid the heat) at the town of Merzouga, I rode a camel for an hour and a half to arrive at a campground that has been set up in the middle of the desert. Mint tea was served and a delectable tagine dinner was prepared. This was followed by after-dinner…

Central Morocco

The other side of the Atlas Mountains lies the Morocco that was reason I journeyed here three years ago — the desert! However, I first have to traverse through the High Atlas mountain pass of Tizi n’Tichka, through Dra Valley, Dades Gorge, and Todra Palmeraie. Along the way, I was greeted by fortress-like mud-walled kasbahs, palm-fringed oases, changing landscapes, and friendly turbaned nomads astride on their one-humped camels (dromedaries). Welcome to Central Morocco – a region of spectacular gorges, valleys and desert!   Taourirt Kasbah in Ouarzazate is the former Glaoui Palace built in the 19th century and has 300 rooms and within…