Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE SOUTHERN OASES
Break through the granite curtain of the High Atlas over the Tizi n'Tichka pass and you'll
find yourself descending from forested slopes into the flat, stony landscape of Morocco's
pre-Sahara. Cypress, juniper and apple blossom quickly give way to thorny acacias and
palm trees that flash in sudden bursts of green against a backdrop of mudbrick kasbahs and
secretive
ksours
(fortified villages). Snaking through the great
hammada
(stony desert)
down to the sandy fringes of the Sahara proper are the southern oases - the Drâa, Dadès
and Ziz - long green river valleys thick with date palms that once served the caravan routes
to Timbuktu, Niger and Sudan.
The hub of the region is the administrative centre of Ouarzazate, from where you can
embark on excursions south through the Drâa to M'Hamid and the impressive Erg Chigaga
dunefield, or east via Skoura along the Dadès Valley to Merzourga and the smaller dune-
field of Erg Chebbi.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Tizi n'Tichka
Higher than Tizi n'Test to the west but an easier drive along the N9, the
Tizi n'Tichka pass
(2260m) connects Marrakesh with the southern oases. It was built to bypass the old caravan
route to the Drâa, which meandered through the Ounilla Valley and was controlled
throughout the nineteenth century by the powerful Glaoui clan.
If you have a date with the desert, you can make it over Tizi n'Tichka from Marrakesh
within three hours. As you pass
Aït Ourir
, the road ascends and takes a turn for the scenic
amid oak trees and walnut groves. Past the village of
Taddert
, the road gets steeper and the
landscape is stripped of colour, except for hardy wildflowers and kids along the road
selling geodes dyed shocking red. In winter, check with the
Gendarmerie of the Col du Tichka
(
0524 89 06 15)
that the pass is open.
Once over the pass, you can choose one of two routes to Ouarzazate: the quicker journey
is to continue along the N9, while the more scenic route takes you via the splendid Glaoui
Kasbah in Telouet and the lush green Ounilla Valley all the way to Aït Benhaddou. You'll
find the turn-off to Telouet on the south side of the road some 20km after the pass. While
