7 April 2025
True, sunsets are gorgeous. Libation in hand, quiet evenings, good company: it’s a wonderful time. Meanwhile, sunrises, though often gorgeous, depends upon timing. Sunrise at Merzouga Dunes is 6:59 am. This is a reasonable time to get a cup of coffee and watch the sun come up.
”Morning’s Glory” was a bit weak. However, the early camel trains coming over the hill and heading west made the rise worth it.
After breakfast, we board our 4×4 vans, camels still chewing in their sleep I suppose, and caravan across the barren desert to meet our bus.
Speed Bumps or Camel Humps
The terrain is ever changing in the Sahara. Dunes, bare rock, greenish mountainsides indicating some rain, vast fields of produce and trees. The Atlas Mountains are ever-present in the near distance. The landscape lies between the High Atlas and the Small Atlas. And everywhere lie rocks, rocks and more rocks of all sizes. Almost as numerous are the sheep.
We speed along with Hassan, our driver. He slows for arrant sheep, pedestrians and speed bumps, which are numerous. Here, I am sure they refer to them as camel humps. Either name, one slows for them. The humps and the constant presence of police who man frequent check points. Better have papers in order for them.
Also, bus drivers must digitally record their speed during the day. The police may ask to see their recorder’s disk, kind of like an old CD but flimsy. It records time and speed. Buses may not go faster than100kph. Seems faster out here in the desert.
Ksars – Berber Fortified Villages
We drive past several old fortified villages called ksars. Ksars are often located in strategic spots, such as hilltops or near oases, to provide both security and access to resources. There are several to be found in the surrounding hills.
All the traditional architecture of pre-saharic valleys is based on the basis of fortification. Built from stone or mud-brick/adobe (mud and straw), these villages were designed to protect Berber communities from invasions, harsh weather, and raids. They typically featured high defensive walls, watchtowers, and a single fortified entrance. The long enclosed walkways are dark and cool, occasional gaps left in the timbered ceiling to let in light but not the heat.
Inside, they contained closely packed houses, granaries, mosques, and communal spaces, and sometimes an inn, often arranged around narrow alleys. In comparison, a kasbah is a building with several floors and watchtowers at the four corners and sometimes, not always, a central courtyard. Kasbah are usually isolated, but one can also find them inside a ksar.
It looks to be a challenging life and probably takes a tough person to remain. Nowadays, ksars are being gradually substituted by new dwellings made of reinforced concrete.
We stop at Ksar Elkhorbat. Here, there is an interesting Berber Museum which fills the several rooms and floors of a typical Berber house. Its adobe construction is evident with naturally cooled rooms because of the thickness and effectiveness of the adobe walls.
Who are the Berbers?
Berbers, more accurately referred to as the Imazighen (singular: Amazigh), are a diverse ethnic group indigenous to North Africa. They are a pre-Arab population that historically inhabited the region before the Arab expansion. (Arabs originated from Arabia).
Over time, Berbers have largely adopted Arab cultural and linguistic identities. The word “Berber” originates from a Roman term used as a broad and imprecise label for the non-Egyptian, non-Hellenized peoples of North Africa.
Today, there are an estimated 30 to 40 million Berber-speaking individuals in Africa, with the majority residing in Morocco and Algeria. The Imazighen are known for their rich cultural traditions, languages (part of the Afroasiatic language family), and deep historical ties to the Maghreb region, which encompasses parts of present-day Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania.
As an observation, it appears the further south and out of the large cities, the friendlier and humorous they are with us. Throughout the Sahara, the locals enjoyed engaging, and even teasing, the tourists. They display warmth and pleasantly waggish.
Spectacular Nature
The weather is perfect. Mild and dry conditions make for ideal hiking opportunities. Summers, as one can imagine, are far too hot. Wet season, usually around December to February, can cause a rapid rise of water in the rivers, creating torrents of raging waters racing through the narrow canyons.
Rivers fill and provide the water necessary to irrigate the lush fields found in the valleys. Fields provide a vibrant contrast to the mountains.
While slowly deepening and widening the canyons, the waters also can carry away huge boulders and the occasional foolish hiker.
Todra Gorge
The Todra Gorge, or Toudgha, is a dramatic series of river canyons, or wadi, carved by the Todra and Dadès Rivers. The 25 miles of gorges lie at the end of a lush valley filled with mud-brick villages and palm groves.
Towering limestone cliffs rise steeply on either side of a narrow passage. Some of these sheer rock walls reach heights of over 1312 feet, creating a stunning natural corridor that seems almost otherworldly. The Todra River runs through the bottom of a gorge that eventually narrows to a width of only 30 feet.
Despite its ruggedness, the gorge is alive with activity. A shallow, cool river runs through its base, offering a refreshing contrast to the dry surroundings. Nomadic herders, climbers, and travelers pass through, drawn by the stunning scenery and the challenge of scaling the cliffs. Small shops and cafes are nestled along the waters. Soare lots of street venders. Donkeys and mules make their way along ancient paths, hikers not so much.
Even here, what seems the middle of no-where, there are shopping opportunities. While there are groves of palm and almond trees, this is also an area of extensive rose production, used in the creation of rose water.
We enjoy an easy walk along the local path through the small agricultural fields of local farmers. Everything seems grow here from olives, figs, almonds, root vegetables, all things green. Water is plentiful provided by their wise use of channels directly it into their fields as needed.
Once back on the road, in spite of traffic, we continue our walk into the gorge. It is spectacular. Cliffs tower high overhead. We walk as far as the spring, which is the source for the Todra. Water is clear and cold as it rushes down the valley to continue to nourished farmer’s crops and to slowly carve an even deeper, more dramatic canyon.
Boumaine Dades
Our day concludes in Boumaine Dades (valley), a small, lively town 35 miles west of the gorges. Our drive weaves through dramatic landscape carved by wind, water and lots and lots of time. The city itself holds a spectacular position as it perches on the edge of the Dades Valley.
Rivers look dry. That represents a perilous deception. This valley exists only as a result of the power of water. Furthermore, Boumaine Dades serves as a gateway to the breathtaking Dades Gorges with its winding roads and lush oases. Despite its arid surroundings, Boumaine Dades thrives due to the Dades River, which nourishes fertile terraces of almond, fig, and walnut trees.
The river originates in the High Atlas Mountains, flowing about 220 miles southwest before joining the Draa River at the edge of the Sahara. The waters continue on their way creating a deep valley towered over by steep, rugged red and ochre cliffs.
Topping the cliffs is a clear blue-blue sky and puffy white clouds The contrast between the rocky desert, the blue sky, and the lush valley below is striking. Surely, we must be surrounded by some of the Morocco’s most spectacular scenery.
Today’s weather feels mild. In contrast, temperatures in summer often reach into the 120s. But as we said at home in the Central Valley, “But it’s a drrrrry heat.” Whatever: one slows down as air heats up.
Boumaine Dade appears a mix of traditional Berber architecture and modern conveniences, with markets and small cafés. Lots of guesthouses cater to travelers, rock climbers and hikers exploring the surrounding landscapes.
Xaluca Dades Hotel
Our Xaluca Dades Hotel is modern, in fact, they are still building it. Corridors are a maze, requiring beans to relocate the path to my room. Decor is sort of sub-Saharan. Our room’s balcony enjoys spectacular panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and villages below. I cannot imagine this site covered in show, but it happens.
Automatically, I check my maps to see where I am in the world. Shockingly, surrounded by miles of mountains and barren brown hills, this is the first area visited this week where Google Maps works!
Miles of blue lines appear signifying miles of roads allowing me to explore my environment. Mother Nature in this part of the world crafted something truly magnificent. But, while spectacular, the serpentine road leading into the gorge appears daunting.
Tomorrow, we drive that way.
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