In the steps of the nomads

The Drâa Valley

Some fifty kilometres south of Ouarzazate, you enter the Drâa Valley, a full 200-kilometre stretch of lush greenery. Once Morocco’s longest river, Oued Drâa waters the valley’s slopes, bringing forth cereals, henna, vegetables, and the finest dates to be found anywhere in the Kingdom – no less than sixteen varieties in all!

From Zagora to Tameghroute 

Famed for its “Timbuktu 52 days” signpost and the last oasis on the caravan road before the desert, Zagora is set in breathtaking surroundings and is an unexpectedly colourful little town – bunches of yellow dates atop the palm trees, pink oleander blossom, and houses of red ochre clay beneath the dazzling sunlight. The road crosses the mountains, then winds its way through a strip of cultivated land. There are no lack of ksars well worth visiting along the way, including those at Tamenougalt, Igdaoun, and Tinzouline. The village of Tameghroute contains a number of mosques with blue earthenware tiled roofs and white minarets, a highly reputed medersa and, of course, the famous Zaouïa Naciria library. It is also known for its handworked pottery, and you can visit numerous open-air potter’s workshops equipped with simple ovens and producing jars, dishes, pitchers, and other household containers.

The Tinfou dunes at M’hamid El Ghizlane 

Cars are a rare sight around Tinfou, and shepherds give way to nomads. You feel as if you had reached the very edge of the world. But it’s only when you finally get to M’hamid El Ghizlane that the real desert, in all its vast authenticity, takes over. The village comprises seven little douars that have preserved the Saharaoui, Jewish, Berber and Arab influences that brought them into being. This is the epicentre of nomad culture, and an annual international festival here brings together nomadic peoples from throughout the world in celebration of their age-old traditions. M’hamid El Ghizlane is surrounded by impressive sandy ergs – the largest being Erg Lihoudi, the Bogarn dunes, the howling dunes, Erg Smar and the Ch’gaga dunes. For those in search of adventure, 4-wheel drive and camel excursions, as well as bivouacking under the desert stars, are all on offer.