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The Berber Villages blend in with the mountain.

Marrakech to the dunes of Erg Chebbi – Atlas Mountains (Part 1)

January 3, 2013 By Jan Robinson 40 Comments

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Day 1 of a three day return TRIP to the dunes of Erg Chebbi, sees us leaving Marrakech in a Prado 4WD.  The distance of 562 km is estimated to take 9 hours when driven direct, but we would be using this outward bound portion of the trip to looks at things along the way, incorporating an overnight stop in the Dades Gorge. Our second night would be spent in Berber Tents in the Sahara desert and the morning we would be driven back to Marrakech with only one stop for lunch. We organised the trip before leaving Australia. It came with a driver and was shared with one other person whom we met on the day.

This post covers the mid morning session from Marrakech to the 2260 m high point in the Atlas Mountains.

[pinit] Road through the Atlas Mountains Morocco

It was surprising to see modern day shepherds resolutely protecting their flocks from predator vehicles, shortly after leaving MARRAKECH.

Moroccan Shepherd

This sight was to become less frequent the next day as the desert landscape began to dominate.

Morocco Atlas Mountains bound

In the unspoilt and lush Valley of Oued Zat, cultivation alternates between Olives, Citrus, Walnuts and vegetables while donkeys carried everything from grass to bricks. 

Only 30 km from dry and dusty Marrakech, the Atlas Mountains offer a peek into a dramatically different world. Even if you lack the time to travel as far as the Erg Chebbi dunes of the Sahara, I urge you to consider a day trip to the High Atlas. They offer outstanding scenery, a spectacular road and a change of pace. 

Working Donkeys are a common sight in Morocco.Moroccan Prickly Pear

Tizi Ait Barka morning rest stop provides spectacular views and a Latte and Muffin.

Tizi Ait Barka Morning Break

Traditional Berber villages dotted with satellite dishes blend old and new worlds together.

The Berber Villages blend in with the mountain.

Looking back toward Marrakech

The Prado faced the challenges of a road that snaked up to the high point of 2260 metres.  Our driver turned off the air-conditioning to help the engine and as we had left the 40 degree heat behind in Marrakech, we had no objections. 

The N9 from Marrakech to Tizi N Tichka Pass was built by the French Foreign Legion in 1936 and it’s views were spectacular.  I can only imagine it’s well maintained myriad twists and turns to be a motorcyclists dream.

Morocco Atlas Mtn. Road

Morocco Atlas Mtns. Scene

If you look closely at the photo below you can see a sprinkling of red poppies. Our driver said Yes, Yes in answer to my question – Are the flowers opium poppies?

Morocco Atlas Mtn. Poppies

The next instalments of the Journey continue to Ait Benhaddou and the Dades Gorge, on route to our destination of the Erg Chebbi dunes of the Sahara.

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Filed Under: Journey, Morocco, Road Trips Tagged With: Marrakech

About Jan Robinson

Jan Robinson writes about travel on her Budget Travel Talk blog. A solo traveller in her teens, for the last 40 years Jan has travelled through Australia, Asia, Europe, Turkey and New Zealand with her husband. They specialise in road trips, caravanning and Independent travel without spending a fortune. Her favourite destination is Turkey and she is currently dreaming of Myanmar and Mexico.

Previous Post: «Cassia, Bangkok Rose, Frangipani Flowering in Townsville in December/January Tuesday in Townsville
Next Post: Marrakech to the Dunes of Erg Chebbi – Argan Oil and Mountains (Part 2) Ait Ben Haddou in the Distance»

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. jade

    January 3, 2013 at 1:39 pm

    Wow, the greens are so vibrant! Love the beige and orange houses against the bright green grass and fields. Great shots

    Reply
    • Jan

      January 3, 2013 at 1:54 pm

      Such a surprising place and the rest of the trip was equally so.

      Reply
  2. Johanna at ZigaZag

    January 3, 2013 at 1:39 pm

    Modern day shepherds, rural scenes, donkey, winding snaking roads, opium poppies- what an intriguing and wonderful trip 🙂

    Reply
    • Jan

      January 3, 2013 at 1:53 pm

      I would love to go back one day and do more than just drive through these places, although we did get to do some investigating.

      Reply
  3. Jessica

    January 3, 2013 at 2:29 pm

    This looks like an amazing cultural experience! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Jan

      January 3, 2013 at 3:37 pm

      With more time available it would become more of a cultural experience, but the trip being just three days we spent a lot of time in the vehicle.

      Reply
  4. Muza-chan

    January 3, 2013 at 10:03 pm

    Traditional Berber villages are so beautiful…

    Reply
    • Jan

      January 4, 2013 at 8:06 am

      They are Muza-chan. Unfortunately we did not get to look inside one.

      Reply
  5. Jackie Smith

    January 4, 2013 at 12:17 am

    Oh you have so sparked the travel bug in me. I’d love to do this trip – your photos and narrative spot on!!

    Reply
    • Jan

      January 4, 2013 at 8:11 am

      Thanks Jackie, I thought the trip was fantastic as we saw a cross section of the country. It would have been wonderful to have had more time to explore.

      Reply
  6. Leigh

    January 4, 2013 at 6:28 am

    These are fabulous Jan. It’s a trip I’ve always wanted to do but I’ve never seen quite the set of photos that you’ve got. It’s so much greener than I would have ever imagined. Now when can I go is the question.

    Reply
    • Jan

      January 4, 2013 at 7:55 am

      Thanks Leigh, We were there in May. There are only certain areas (valleys) that are green. In the next weeks I will be doing more posts showing how the country changes on the way to Merzouga where the dunes of Erg Chebbi are. It was a very interesting trip.

      Reply
  7. Aleah | SolitaryWanderer.com

    January 4, 2013 at 9:25 am

    What spectacular views! Wish I can go there too and take my time. I would love to spend at least a month there!

    Reply
    • Jan

      January 4, 2013 at 10:33 am

      The views in the High Atlas are truly amazing. I could not have been more surprised.

      Reply
  8. Dick Jordan

    January 4, 2013 at 12:52 pm

    Nice photos and story.

    Reply
    • Jan

      January 4, 2013 at 1:05 pm

      Thanks for the feedback Dick.

      Reply
  9. Sensibletraveler

    January 4, 2013 at 12:57 pm

    That photo of the road from a distance looks like one of the roads they have the sports cars drive in the commercials.

    Reply
    • Jan

      January 4, 2013 at 1:05 pm

      Ha ha – it does!

      Reply
  10. Red Nomad OZ

    January 4, 2013 at 6:19 pm

    That is just AMAZING countryside! It looks like a cross between the Alps and the Outback. Fantastic!!

    Reply
    • Jan

      January 4, 2013 at 6:44 pm

      Yes it was. I was so glad that we decided to do that trip. More pictures to come too.

      Reply
  11. jenny@atasteoftravel

    January 5, 2013 at 12:47 pm

    It’s so green! We didn’t do this trip but now I want to..it looks great. Love your photos

    Reply
    • Jan

      January 5, 2013 at 10:23 pm

      It was a great trip – the green disappears soon though.

      Reply
  12. Life Images by Jill

    January 8, 2013 at 12:31 am

    oh wow – thank you for taking us along with you. So interesting to see places I haven’t travelled to. Fantastic views. I look forward to following along.

    Reply
    • Jan

      January 8, 2013 at 11:06 am

      Thanks Jill – next installment on Thursday!

      Reply
  13. Lisa Wood

    January 9, 2013 at 10:51 am

    That is incredible photos – its weird to see the technology among the old houses! Yet sure is a show of the times.
    How funny that the air-conditioning had to be turned off.
    Did the flowers have any affects on anyone 🙂

    Reply
    • Jan

      January 9, 2013 at 12:15 pm

      Marrakech was full of satellite dishes, but I was a little surprised to see it in the country; I think he turned the air-con off because it was easier on the engine going up the mountain; If they were opium poppies, I assume they were being used as a drug 🙂

      Reply
  14. Nancie

    January 9, 2013 at 11:12 am

    What gorgeous scenery! I’d probably eat at least two muffins if I could sit and just stare for a couple of hours!

    Reply
    • Jan

      January 9, 2013 at 12:16 pm

      It was a wonderful view, unfortunately we had to keep moving, so only time for one muffin!

      Reply
  15. Jan

    January 4, 2013 at 2:44 pm

    Good Idea – so many great places.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Marrakech to the Dunes of Erg Chebbi - Tale of two Gorges (Part 4) says:
    January 24, 2013 at 10:52 am

    […] Good – there you are – Time to get this TRIP back on the […]

    Reply
  2. Marrakech to the Dunes of Erg Chebbi - The Sahara (Part 5_ says:
    December 4, 2016 at 7:53 am

    […] Marrakech to the Dunes of Erg Chebbi Part 1 […]

    Reply

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