From the Atlas to the Sahara

Curti-Paris-Casablanca

Unfortunately, since we have to travel from Rome, this morning we wake up at 5:00, have a good breakfast and off we go towards Rome. At 7:30 we're on the GRA, the usual traffic, and at 8:30 we're at the Parcheggio Italia, which will host our car for the next few days. Once at the airport we run into the first mishap of the holiday, namely a delay of about 1 hour...nothing major. Finally we set off, and after about two hours we're at Paris CDG, and after 3 hours finally in Casablanca. After filling in the usual boarding card we quickly get through customs. The train station is conveniently located in the airport; from here you can easily reach Casablanca in about 30 min (30 Dh per person).

The trains in Morocco were a real surprise, fast and efficient; you can check fares and destinations on the ONCF website ( Once we arrived at the Casa Voyageurs station we were a bit puzzled; it's about 6:00, it's dark and there's no one to be seen on the street. We take a taxi that will take us to our first hotel, the Galia (not great). We drop our backpacks and go (again by taxi) to see the Hassan II mosque, the only true marvel of the city, with the tallest minaret in the world, a little over 200 m (!!!). Suddenly the streets fill up; obviously this is the month of Ramadan and everyone was eating. We take the opportunity to eat too; first we head to the Porte du Pesvhe but unfortunately it's closed, so we go to the nearby Ostreie (something like that)...good but not the best.

Casablanca-Marrakesh

We go out looking for something to sink our teeth into but (obviously) everything is closed...what restaurant/bar would be open just for tourists? With difficulty we manage to find a pastry shop that sells only a few croissants (very greasy and burnt). After breakfast we go to the station; at 9:05 the train for Marrakesh departs (3h, cost 75 Dh). All the locals speak both Moroccan Arabic (a dialect quite different from the mother tongue) and excellent French...then you meet various people (merchants) who speak English and Italian. The train runs on tracks laid in the middle of the rocky desert (hammada); you can't see anything for miles and miles and it's so hot....it's October (!!!!). Once we arrived in Marrakesh we reach our hotel, the Toulousain, very nice, located in the Gueliz area. Marrakesh is clearly different from Casablanca, much nicer and cleaner.

The first stop on our tour is the Koutoubia with its characteristic minaret; from there we head to the central square Djemaa el-Fna, called simply "the place" by the locals. The square is very large; there are loads of people, between tourists, merchants, water sellers and monkey tamers (!!!). We go to eat at the restaurant Chez Chegrouni, where we taste the local dishes: couscous and a tajine....excellent. After lunch we decide to venture into the souq; at first, with the guidebook in hand, I try to get my bearings...but it's completely useless, so we decide to let ourselves be passively carried along by the crowd of people. We come across the leather souq, the carpet souq, the brass souq and the most beautiful one (in my opinion), namely the spice souq.

When we head back we realise how easy it is to get lost; along the way we meet several desperate tourists...but as the guidebook suggests, by following the flow of people and with a bit of luck you reach (sooner or later) the exit. Another stop is the royal palace, nice but not the best.

Marrakesh-Ouarzazzate-Tinerhir

This morning we wake up calmly (strange, this is happening too often), have breakfast in a café (14 Dh) and head off to take some photos of the characteristic walls of Marrakesh. After buying some bottles of water we go to the Budget office located very close to our hotel to pick up the car...a beautiful Renault Clio sedan (with air conditioning). We fill up with gas (a full tank costs 420 Dh..gas is expensive here in Morocco). Finally we set off, after a few gear "grinds"..just to get used to it...we navigate "easily" through the traffic of Marrakesh. At the moment the road is very good, paved and the limit is 100 km/h. Shortly after we reach the Atlas, we begin to gain altitude and the curves increase. You have to be careful because behind every curve there could be a sheep or worse a car taking the curve too wide...eyes open.

The landscape is peculiar, lots of red earth, numerous prickly pears and many vendors along the roadside selling sparkling minerals with which the area is rich. Once past the Atlas the road becomes very easy and you can make up for lost time. We arrive in Ouarzazate and stop at the Kasbah of Taourirt to take some photos, then immediately set off for Tinerhir. The Kasbah is nice even though the most beautiful one seen in all of Morocco (at least the part I visited) is located just outside Ouarzazate on a hill, too bad it's a bit far away. The road to Tinerhir is very easy, you often travel "flat out" except when crossing the beautiful Berber villages.

Here too on the road you meet numerous children, watch out!!! Arriving at our destination we stop at the Hotel Oasis (very kind staff), the whole route was covered in 6 hours, we go to eat in the hotel restaurant (excellent) and then straight to bed, tomorrow will be tough.

Tinehir-Merzouga-Midelt

After a nice breakfast consisting of fresh squeezed orange juice, coffee with milk and slices of bread, we quickly get in the car. Throughout breakfast the hotel caretaker with a "dazzling" smile keeps us company telling us various anecdotes about his family. At 7:20 we set off, first stop only the Todra Gorges, the road is quite good, we cross beautiful Berber villages and numerous palm groves. At a certain point the road becomes single-lane so you have to be careful especially on the curves. Finally at a certain point we arrive at the petite gorge (the small gorge) truly a fantastic spectacle, the light almost disappears so high is the gorge. A few meters more and we arrive at the great gorge, less spectacular than the first. I must say a nice detour only 15 km from Tinerhir. Every time we stop on the roadside to take some photos, children approach us popping out of nowhere.

We continue on the road towards Merzouga, also in good condition, the rocky desert begins to give way to the sandy one. In fact the road is often slightly covered with sand and you have to do a bit of slalom. From Rissani it's not immediate to find the turnoff for Merzouga also because the locals have erased the name from the road signs (anyway you can figure it out from the mileage 32 km). On the road we are stopped at a checkpoint (one of the many we will find along the road) we are about 50 km from the (disputed) Algerian border. At a certain point ahead of us we see very tall orange-colored mountains...they are dunes!!! and who would have imagined they were so tall...impressive. Quickly we arrive in Merzouga, we ignore the usual fox guides (argh!!) and head down a small dirt road to a café at the foot of the dunes. We park the car and then off into the desert...

Beautiful, incredible, these hills of very tall sand...what a strange impression. The sand is very compact, you don't sink at all unless you decide to walk quickly along the slope of the dunes. Followed by the usual guide we take a nice walk, it's unbearably hot. With the desert in our hearts (Erg Chebbi) we set off for Er Rachidia, we return to the Atlas, the road is very smooth compared to the Marrakesh-Ouarzazate stretch. We arrive in Midelt around 17:00 after a good 10 hours of travel (1 hour of total stops). We stop at the Hotel Roi de la Biere, quite nice with friendly owners. After dropping off our bags we head to the most famous restaurant in the small town, the only one that serves vegetable tagine, the Restaurant Fez. It's six o'clock so we wait before the manager serves the locals waiting to "break" their daily fast.

At the end of the (excellent) meal I decide to taste the local mint tea (atay), excellent. On the way to the restaurant I meet some kids playing soccer, I watch them, and then I fix my eyes on the ball, the kid with the ball nods at me and passes me the ball (like a free kick with two touches),..I take my run-up and......wide!!! (what a figure).

Midelt-Fes

As usual this morning too we wake up early and at 7:40 we're in the car. Quickly we arrive in Azrou where there's a beautiful cedar forest (but how, yesterday we were in the middle of the desert!!!) that hosts very strange monkeys (you'll see them on a leash in Marrakesh). After Azrou we arrive in Ifrane, a real eyesore, since there are numerous chalets that hardly fit the landscape (architectural and otherwise) seen up to a few km ago. At 11:00 we finally arrive in Fes after a good 1100 km covered (not bad). We drop off the car at the Budget office and go to the hotel (Hotel Royal). First stop of the day is the medina of Fes, we arrive by taxi at Place er Rsif, from here we enter the souq. After a few vain attempts to figure out which road to follow, we give up and "hire" a kid who will show us around for about 30 Dh (Mohamed, if you're interested I'll give you his phone number).

Quickly he takes us to a shop (of course) strategically located at the edge of the tannery. We go up to the terrace, you enjoy an impressive view, there are many small vats containing various colors and you can see people dipping pieces...very suggestive. After buying the rug for the relatives we go around the alleys of the medina. They are very narrow and you have to watch out for the donkeys that often pass by.... We visit some very beautiful mosques (the most beautiful is the Andalusian Mosque) and the Koranic school. Thanks to the kid we manage to see the medina in 2 hours otherwise it would have been impossible. After the medina we take the usual taxi and go to see the Dar el Makhzen..nothing special compared to the tannery.

Fes-Rabat

This morning we take the train at 9:00 that will take us to Rabat in about 3 hours and 30 min (72.50 Dh per person). Rabat is a very nice city, you breathe a very relaxed atmosphere, the avenue that opens up in front of the station is very nice. The first-choice hotel was the Splendid but it was closed for works, then we went to the Hotel Royal, but as the owner tells us the price indicated on the Lonely Planet is wrong (it costs 434 Dh!!!). Last stop is the Hotel de la Paix, which even though from the outside looks like a cubbyhole is very nice and comfortable. First stop of the day is the Kasbah of the Udayas, you have to get around the usual fox guides (enter from the entrance near the sea) and off towards the Platforme du Semaphore from where you enjoy a splendid view over the Atlantic Ocean and the Hassan Tower.

Inside the kasbah there are many small streets colored in blue..very charming. Last stop of our tour is the Hassan Tower, actually it was supposed to be a minaret but it was never completed. Near the Hassan Tower stands the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, very nice, decorated in typical Moroccan style.

Rabat-Casablanca

Today we "close the loop" we take the train that departs at 11:00 and takes about 1 hour and 30 min (29.50 Dh). Arriving in Casablanca we stay at the nicest (and most expensive, 300 Dh) Hotel Noailles. We take a little walk around the city and then go to bed...tomorrow we go home.