Along the Route of Kashbas to the Erg Chebbi desert

Over the Atlas mountains

I left Marrakesh airport on one of the frequent airport shuttle buses that connect the airport with the city (20dh). I got out at the central bus station and was lucky enough to catch a bus towards Ouarzazate (80dh) straight away. The 5 hour bus ride across the High Atlas was impressive - it never got boring due to the ever-changing landscape with its barren mountains, wild rivers, small villages, high passes and snow-capped peaks.

Some 30km before we reached Ouarzazate I asked the bus driver to drop me off at the turn-off to the village of Ait Benhaddou. Again, I was quite lucky to find a reasonable priced taxi (40dh) to Ait Benhaddou which is located another 10km off the main road. Once there, it was already dark but I still made the effort to find some decent accommodation. I was not too impressed with the tiny room I was offered at Ksar (90dh) and chose to stay in the far better La Rose du Sable (100dh) next door. This fairly new hotel offered friendly staff and excellent value-for-money - not to mention the delicious Tahine they served for dinner.

Route of Kashbas

I got up at 5am, shortly before sunrise. It was easy to make out the Kasbah in the morning twilight. I walked through the quiet little village in an eerie silence and climbed a small hill next to the Kasbah. Shortly thereafter, the first rays of sun hit the mud brick buildings of the Kasbah and painted them in a deep red colour. Gradually, the Kasbah came to life - shutters were opened and people emerged from their houses into the narrow alleys. Some inhabitants fetched water from one of the wells or went to work in the fields as long as the air was still cool. After an hour or so I descended from my view point on the hill and entered the maze-like alleys of the Kasbah. I spent another hour exploring the Kasbah and its surrounding before I went back to my hotel for a hearty breakfast.

Later this morning, I found a taxi on the small market square. The driver agreed to drive me around for the rest of the day (300dh). We left Ait Benhaddou and headed for Ouarzazate and its Kasbah Taourit. However, the first stop was at a somewhat more modern sight on the outskirts of Ouarzazate. Although a bit pricey (50dh), the Atlas Film Studios were quite interesting. I visited a number of movie sets, including Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven and Oliver Stone's Alexander.

The Ouarzazate's labyrinthine Kasbah Taourit (10dh) offered a safe haven from the scorching midday sun. The building is beautifully built and decorated and offered lovely views of both the surrounding valley and the Atlas mountains.

We left Ouarzazate and drove along the Street of Kasbahs, named after the numerous Kasbahs found along this stretch of road. I called at the most important ones. The famous and large Kasbah Amerhidl is depicted on the 50dh note and features a lovely palm garden in on of the courtyards plus an exhibition of household and agricultural tooling. It is very well maintained and certainly worth a visit (20dh baksheesh). According to its owner the Kasbah Ait Ben Abou is actually the tallest of its kind. The rooftop, some 15m above ground, offered excellent views of the surrounding palmeries and the Atlas mountain range (20dh baksheesh).

Back in Ouarzazate I went for my first shared taxi experience in Morocco. The so-called grand taxis link major cities on a regular basis, with "regular" meaning as soon as the taxi is full. Then again, "full" is defined as two people in the passenger seat and four in the back. The grand taxis are in fact cheaper and quicker than the bus - but a lot more uncomfortable. It took me two hours to get from Ouarzazate to Tinerhir (50dh) but by the time we got there my legs were numb since I couldn't move throughout the journey. In Tinerhir, I was quite happy to stay at the first hotel I checked out - the small but clean and friendly L'Avenir Hotel (60dh room only).

Todra Gorge

Once again, I got up quite early to beat the crowds to Tinerhir's Todra Gorge. I showed up at the main taxi stand at 7am and was lucky enough to find a grand taxi waiting for just one more passenger - me. I squeezed in and we set off. The taxi climbed a steep road with a wonderful view of the palmery and the rising morning sun, dropping off its local passengers en route. After some 15km I was the only passenger left and we arrived at the mouth of the gorge. I asked the driver to drop me off at the other end of the the gorge, another 300m up the road. Once there, I paid him (10dh) and started to walk down. It was still well before 8am and once the taxi was gone I had the gorge practically completely to myself. The sheer rock walls on either side made a dramatic and exciting setting for the narrow road and the river next to it.

Erg Chebbi

My next stop was at Merzouga, some 200km east from Tinerhir. Whilst I was looking for a bus or a shared taxi a young man approached me and offered me a free lift in his private car. However, about one hour into the drive we stopped at a remote petrol station near Touroug. Here, the driver offered me a ridiculously overpriced overnight stay in the desert which I declined friendly but firmly. As a result he suddenly threatened to leave me behind if I wouldn't agree to the trip. It would have been a timely and costly exercise to continue the journey on my own - there were no taxis or public buses on that road - so I was forced to accept his 'offer.' He then asked me for a full advance payment of 1,200dh. Luckily, I had a vague idea how I could still get out of this situation and pretended not to have enough money on me. I gave him 200dh and we continued to the nearest city - Rissani - where we stopped at a bank. As I had expected, the bank was in the busy centre of town. As soon as he stopped the car I pinned him down in the driver's seat whilst I grabbed the key from the ignition. I was out of the car and had retrieved my backpack from the booth in no time. Of course he came after me but as soon as he grabbed me I yelled at him. This alerted enough witnesses to prevent him from trying to hold me back any further. I told him he could keep the 200dh but I would keep his car keys in exchange. Then I left him and sat down in the nearest street café, waiting for things to happen. I did not have to wait long - within minutes he returned with what I later figured out was his boss. The latter - a ugly, red-faced man - ordered me to return the car key which I had safely stowed away. Of course I refused and he went ballistic: his face turned from red to purple but I remained stubborn. Eventually, he gave me my money back in exchange for the car key. Not surprisingly, he didn't wish me god speed but told me to watch my back whilst I was in the area.

Understandably, I didn't want to stay in Rissani much longer and took a shared taxi to Merzouga (15dh), some 30km away and next to the highest of the Erg Chebbi sand dunes. I had pre-booked the accomodation so the taxi dropped me off in front of the lovely little auberge Chez Julia, run by Austrian-born painter Julia. I told her what had happened to me and she confirmed she had heard similar stories before (so be wary when you're in the area - there are all sorts of scams going on). The room was a bit pricey (160dh room only) but nicely decorated. The service was excellent and the food simply delicious and served on a rooftop terrace. Another benefit was the location: the Erg Chebbi sand dunes were literally just down the road. I did not need a taxi or a camel to get there. It is not possible to climb the steep high dunes with a camel anyway.

Julia talked me into a 4x4 trip for the next day which cost me an arm and a leg (800dh for 6 hours) but was well worth it. The friendly driver picked me up after breakfast and we set off to explore the Erg Chebbi desert. Soon, we left the tarmac road and headed into the rock desert, past massive sand dunes and the occasional palm trees. The scenery drive was fascinating and took us close to the Algerian border where we turned around and drove back east, towards the towering sand dunes. We ate our packed lunch under some palm trees at the bottom of the dunes. One of our numerous stops was at a deserted miner's town where we explored some of the old mines and buildings. It was a truly memorable day with a lot of different impressions. Later that day, I explored the dusty streets of Merzouga - a rather grey village with not much to do.

The next morning, I followed the advise of my host and got up as early at 4am. My plan was to get to the top of the high dune for sunrise. It was pitch black when I left Chez Julia and walked down the road which ended at the desert. I started to walk across firm small sand dunes whilst the moonlight helped me to get my bearings towards the high dune. I arrived at the bottom of the high dune after about 15 minutes walk and started the climb. Although I did not go up the steepest bit it was quite a struggle to move upwards on or rather in the soft sand. Even before sunrise the air was hot and it took me some 45 minutes to climb the dune. Once on the top, I sat down and watched the sun rise just after 5am. I had a 360° view of the dunes below me, the mountains beyond and the little village of Merzouga. Best of all, there was no another person in sight. It was a fantastic experience to have the desert entirely to myself - I got the full sense of the majesty and the silence of the place. An experience not to be missed!

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