Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
South to the Desert
Day One
From
Ouarzazate
, the
road continues south
through the
Drâa Valley
down to the administrative
town of
Zagora
. A drive of
about four hours, stop
over at
Tamnougalt
, a
dramatic
ksar
(fortified
village) 10 minutes off the
main road, 5 km (3 miles)
after the small market
town of Agdz. Further
south is the Glaoui-era
Kasbah Timiderte
.
Zagora
itself is dominated by
Jbel
Zagora
, a rocky outcrop at
the town's end. The lively
market held on Wednesday
and Sunday teems with
dates, grown in abundance
here. Just south of the
centre is the pretty hamlet
of
Amezrou
. Nearby, the
Kasbah des Juifs
is
inhabited by Berber silver-
smiths (the Jews who
lived here are long gone).
Zagora's most famous
attraction is at the town's
exit: a sign with a camel
caravan that simply reads,
“Timbuktu, 52 Days .
Day Two
The village of M'Hamid is
96 km (60 miles) further
south of Zagora. En route,
Tamegroute's
mosque-
and-shrine complex is off
limits to non-Muslims,
except for the library with
its collection of ancient
manuscripts. Five
kilometres (3 miles)
further on, you will see
the first of the sand dunes
at
Tinfou
. The best dunes,
however, can be accessed
from
M'Hamid
, a sleepy
outpost at the road's end -
a one-street settlement, it
feels like it's at the end of
the world. Desert trips,
from excursions of a few
hours, to expeditions
lasting few days, can be
arranged from here.
Pharaonic props at Atlas Studios
Ouarzazate has become the
centre of the Moroccan film
industry and is also home to the
Atlas Corporation Studios, 6 km
(4 miles) north of town. They
were built specifically to provide
some infrastructure, including
sound stages and sets, for
movies. They can be toured
when no film shoots are in
progress. It's well worth
dropping in to see sets like the
Tibetan monastery built for
Kundun
and Egyptian temple
sets from French production,
Asterix and Cleopatra
. A yellow
bus shuttles between the studio
and Ouarzazate's main street,
Avenue Mohammed V.
d
Map D2
• 0524 88 22 33 • Open 8:30am-11:30am,
2:15-6pm daily; closed during shoots •
Guided tours last 30-40 mins • Adm
)
Horse and
Camel Fantasias
A company called North Africa
Horse, known for its choreo-
graphy of charges and equestrian
stunts for many of the “sword-
and-sandal” adventure films, also
puts on horse and camel shows
for tourists. Watch recreations of
famous scenes from movies
such as
Kingdom of Heaven
and
Alexander
over dinner. Call for
details.
d
Map D2 • Route de Skoura,
km 20 from Ouarzazate, next to Golf
Royal • 0524 88 66 90/ 0661 16 84 72
97
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