Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 0524 84 06 22;
www.jnanedar.ch
; s/d from Dh280/340, with shared bathroom Dh170/200)
In this
breezy garden-gazebo restaurant, enjoy leisurely lunches made with vegetables grown on
the premises. Scuffed but winsome pisé-walled guest rooms overlook the garden, some
featuring air-con, mosquito nets over beds and star-patterned walls. Prices include break-
fast.
QUICK GETAWAY: TINFOU DUNES
M'Hamid's grand Erg Chigaga or the great inland sea of dunes in Merzouga can make this small patch
of two to three dunes seem like a kiddie sand box by comparison. Around 8km south of Tamegroute,
you'll spot them marooned by the road on your left. On busy days it can feel like a playground here,
but it's still fun to climb and run down the big dunes.
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Tamegroute to M'Hamid
From Tamgroute the road south narrows to a single lane highway (being widened at the
time of research) and takes you through a dauntingly bleak landscape of sun-scorched
rubble, until the road ascends up and over Tizi Beni Selmane pass. Midway, the village of
Tagounite
has petrol and several cafes. It's also a jumping-off point for the
El Mesouira
and
Erg Lihoudi
dunes, which lie southwest of Tagounite.
La Dune Blanche
( 0667 96 64 64;
www.bivouac-laduneblanche-zagora.com
;
GPS coordinates N 29°56'05.53, W
005°41'28.13; per person incl half/full board Dh400/480)
La Dune Blanche offers a great alternat-
ive to staying in M'Hamid and gets you into the desert fast. Surrounded by dunes, 22km
south of Tagounite, accommodation is in beautiful pisé cottages dressed with fabric inside
to mimic the feel of a tent. Each 'tent' has a different colour and is furnished with com-
fortable beds dressed in natural woollen blankets, carpets and cut-metal lanterns, which
cast swirling patterns on the walls. From here any number of excursions are possible.
Given the location, it is necessary to book in advance. Salah will meet you at the petrol
station at Tagounite with a 4WD to take you the remainder of the way.
DESERT CAMP
€€
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