A Drive through Central Morocco, in a Camper with our 3 Children

Background

Watching the sun rise over the giant red dunes of the Sahara for the last time marked the end of our stay; an unforgettable 3 nights spent in the desert. It was time for us to get back on the road. We were mid-way through our month in Morocco and needed to start our return journey back north. Fortunately, there remained a lot of exploring still to be done in this fascinating country. Rather than head due north, we’d decided to detour with a road trip via Marrakesh, so as not to miss the hustle and bustle of Morocco’s most famous and visited city.

A Tale of 2 Gorges

Leaving the desert behind, our drive took us through barren, dusty landscapes as we made our way north. We were heading for Morocco’s 2 most famous mountain gorges: Todra and Dades.

The Todra Gorge

Cutting an impressive rift through the high mountain landscape, the Todra gorge boasts enormous granite cliffs with, unusually, a road to drive on that takes you right through the base of the gorge.

The gorge is a paradise for rock climbing, with an area of some of the largest and most accessible rock faces just uphill from the main gorge designated especially for the sport. The scale of the cliffs means multi-pitch climbing to reach the top, so should only be attempted by those with the competence to do so. That said, sections of the wall are bolted for sport climbing, allowing for smaller sections to be attempted in isolation by the less serious climber. If required, local climbers offer guided visits to the rocks as well as selling locally produced guidebooks.

For those not up to such activities (ourselves included), the gorge makes an interesting stop off to wander around for an hour or two. You only really get a feeling of the scale of the place when stood in the middle of it.

The walls inside the gorge are lined with small souvenir stalls selling traditional handicrafts amongst other things, for those needing supplies or wanting to take a memento away with them.

Where to stay and eat at Todra Gorge…

Hotel guesthouses usually come with a restaurant attached, which represent the best option whether staying or just eating. A couple of the better examples are:

• Hotel Les Roches – Located within easy reach of the gorge, the hotel is well placed to service the climbing crowd. The restaurant also caters to coach trip groups at lunchtimes.
• Dar Al Manadir Todra Gorge – Comes with a great roof terrace offering up views of the gorge and surrounding mountain countryside. The restaurant serves set menus that come recommended.

• Camping – Le Soleil – A few miles below the gorge, so a bit far away for anyone without independent transport. This campsite is nothing out of the ordinary but we enjoyed a quiet and restful night there in our camper. It also has a pool open in the summer months.

Dades Gorge

As we continued on our way west towards Marrakesh, we took the chance to visit another of Morocco’s famous mountain gorges, the Dades Gorge. The gorge is approached along a mountain road that winds its way steadily uphill. Unlike the Todra Gorge that is very steep sided and enclosed, the Dades Gorge is far wider and spread out.

Driving up the approach road, you pass by ancient Kasbahs and through small mountain mud-brick settlements, offering views of impressive geological features. The most notable of these are the so-called ‘Monkey’s Fingers’, strange tubular rock formations formed by wind and jutting upwards from the ground below.

Further up the hill the road reaches a series of tight, hairpin switchbacks. This section is not for the feint-hearted and tested our poor old van to its limits! At the top is a small hotel/restaurant with great views (and fortunately for us a car park large enough to turn around in). With the weather starting to close in, we decided to listen to advice we’d heard of not going further up the gorge without a 4WD, deciding we’d been adventurous enough for one day.

For those wanting some more activity and adventure, there are numerous walking trails with viewpoints all around in the surrounding mountains. Some of these are well trodden, having been used for centuries by local shepherds who migrate their sheep up onto the mountains each year.

Having descended from the Dades Gorge, with the snowy High-Atlas mountains as a backdrop, we continued west. If viewing these high mountains from afar gives you a taste for climbing one, take a look at this guide for how to climb Mount Toubkal. We were just driving through, though, while admiring the barren landscape all around us, interspersed by grand kasbahs and lush green oasis towns, built amongst countless palms.

You always hope for surprises when touring Morocco. On this occasion, while stopped in a small town to buy some supplies, I was whisked by a shopkeeper down a backstreet, through some unmarked doors and into a small bakery to see the production line of loaves emerging from the oven. It was completely unexpected and a real treat to see. Needless to say, the piping hot bread was the best we tasted anywhere in Morocco!

Ouarzazate

The oasis city that has grown to become the dominating force in this area of Morocco in recent years is Ouarzazate, home to Morocco’s well established film industry, nicknamed ‘Ouallywood’ (pronounced ‘Wallywood’).

The city is home to several of Morocco’s leading film studios, with the city and the surrounding countryside playing host to a long list of film productions over the years requiring a desert landscape to film in. It is possible to take a visitor tour at the Atlas Studios, rumoured to be the largest film studios in the World.

Where to stay in Ouarzazate…

There is a good range of accommodation available in the city of Ouarzazate and the surrounding palmeraie. Some good options are:

• Le Petit Riad – As the name suggests, a small and personal riad guesthouse, close to the city and airport, and with a beautiful tiled outdoor pool area.
• Ecolodge La Palmeraie Ouarzazate – The Ecolodge is set within beautiful surroundings and has an emphasis on ecology and sustainable tourism, along with a pool in summer. The garden bungalows are a great option for families.

Where to eat in Ouarzazate…

As you’d imagine, there are no shortages of places to eat in a city of this size. Whether looking for upscale dining or simple roadside eats, there is something for everyone. Moroccan food obviously dominates, but there are also some other international cuisines on offer.

• La Maison Arabe – Excellent Moroccan fine dining in elegant surroundings. Evening meals are often accompanied by local musicians.
• Chez Sabrine – Freshly cooked, local food at great prices. Comes with the added bonus of great views of the neighbouring Kasbah to enjoy whilst eating.
• Restaurant Glacier 3 Mars – Delicious Italian and other international options are available at this restaurant and ice cream parlour.

Aït Benhaddou

Leaving Ouarzazate and heading north towards the High-Atlas mountains, we took the option of a detour from the main road for a visit to the picture-perfect mud-brick desert town of Aït Benhaddou, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The town provided one of the backdrops to the Ridley Scott film of ‘Gladiator’ from 2000, and wears this badge with pride, displaying references to and pictures of the film all over town.

With its place as a stop-off for the regular bus tours out of Marrakesh secured, the town is maintained and manicured to a level not often seen elsewhere in the country.

Although thronging with tourists, with never-ending souvenir shops to match, the town is still both pretty and dramatic and is well worth the short diversion to see. The main gates are approached either by bridge over the river from the adjacent newer town or, for more fun, by sandbag stepping stones.

The winding maze of lanes through the town lead you steadily uphill to reach an impressive viewpoint at the top for those willing to put the effort in to get there.

The High-Atlas Mountains

The High-Atlas comprise of Morocco’s highest mountains, capped with snow for much of the year. A favourite for organised tours from Marrakesh, activities include trekking and visiting traditional Berber settlements. We did such a tour on our previous visit to Marrakesh many years ago and I remember it being a lot of fun. This time though, we just planned on driving through on the main mountain pass road, while hoping to enjoy the views from our camper of what we’d heard had been called one of the most scenic drives in the World.

Breaking Down

Heading north along what was actually a decent quality minor P road from Aït Benhaddou, we were making good progress when disaster struck! The front right wheel collapsed on our van, forcing us to pull in sharply at the roadside. I guess we’d subjected our poor old van to one too many pothole or steep mountain climb during our stay so far. At an elevation approaching the snow line, with no breakdown cover, no internet signal, no ability to speak French and with 3 small children on board, this presented us with quite a considerable problem.

Once the initial panic had subsided, we were fortunate to flag down a local taxi driver (with customers in the back) who agreed to drive to the next town to get help. After a nervous 30 minute wait he returned with someone who could speak English, who discussed options with us and phoned for a mechanic. After waiting another hour, the mechanic arrived, put on his overalls, slid under the van, re-emerged after a few seconds and solemnly announced “it’s broken”. Tell us something we don’t know! You couldn’t make it up.

In all seriousness though, I don’t have a bad word for any of the people who helped us. It provided yet another example of how, in general, the Moroccans are a truly generous and hospitable nation of people. To cut a long story short, a breakdown recovery truck was called for, our van fitted on the back (just), the taxi that we’d first flagged down (and had waited the whole time) took Rachel and kids on the remaining 3 hour drive to Marrakesh, while John drove the whole way at 20-30 Km/h in the cab of the recovery truck. Amazingly, despite fairly major damage, the van was repaired the very next day (a Sunday) and the whole episode (breakdown truck, taxis, repairs, tips for helpers etc.) cost us around €500 all in. You’d never get that level of service back in the UK!

Fortunately, we’d already decided to book a riad guesthouse to stay at in Marrakesh, so as to give us a night off from the van. That meant we had somewhere to go with our house on wheels out of action. Finally, by 2am (approx 12 hours after breaking down), we were all safely tucked up in bed. It did mean that sadly all we saw of the journey over the mountains was darkness out of the windows. I guess that just gives us another reason to come back…

Reaching Marrakesh signalled the end of another long but unforgettable road trip through Morocco. Part of the charm of driving in this country is the expectation of unforeseen adventures along the way. This time though, with the breakdown, we got way more than we’d bargained for.

It’s good to know though (at least if our experience is anything to go by) that the prospect of breaking down in Morocco, even on minor roads, shouldn’t be anything to fear. They’re a resourceful bunch and it seems there is always someone on hand willing to help.

Now, time to take on Marrakesh…

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