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Published: November 22nd 2023
The following morning, we bid farewell to historic Fes and prepared for a long day of travel towards our next destination, Erfoud. Our route through the montane cedar woods of the middle Atlas Mountains, would take us past Ifrane, a charming ski resort, and continue to Erfoud via Errachidia and the Ziz Valley.
The stop at Ifrane was short, with time for a coffee and to try to imagine what our surroundings would look like covered in snow but, not long after leaving the village, we had another amusing stop to visit the local monkeys. Naturally, an enterprising young man was there to provide nuts so we could also feed them, and much merriment ensued when one of the cheeky cuties snatched a bag from someone's hand and ran away with it to sneer and eat it at a safe distance.
It was interesting to see the tremendous amount of road work taking place around the mountains. That, and the enormous windmills that adorn the top of many hills offered a marked contrast to the quaint villages we passed. I imagine that it won't be long before even these villages will be affected by the easier access and become
Ifrane
Unfortunately, it has been a while since the last lion was shot. They do not longer exist in the area.more modernized.
The drive itself was uneventful, although the changing terrain with its many wadis and canyon walls kept me concentrated in the views along the way until we got close to Erfoud and stopped for a panoramic view of Tafilalt, the largest Saharan oasis of Morocco. This oasis is crossed by the wadi Ziz and is spread over twenty or so communes including Erfoud and Rissani together with palm groves stretching 30 miles along the Wadi Ziz. Its old capital was the stronghold of
Sijilmassa, founded in AD 757 on the Saharan caravan route from the
Niger River to
Tangier, now in ruins. Rissani, where we were going the next day, was built near Sijilmassa’s ruins. Tafilalt is noted for its dates, most of which it exports.
Finally, we arrived at our hotel on the edge of the desert, the Kasbah Xaluca Maadid, a beautiful property in a sprawling kasbah-style with many attractions, not the least of which was a rooftop from which to watch the beautiful sunset over the desert.
The buffet style dinner was also one of the best during the trip.
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