I jumped at the chance to go on a Moroccan desert safari with no idea of what I was letting myself in for! First stop Agadir, a modern town built around the beautiful bay after the old town was destroyed by an earthquake in 1960. I became re-acquainted with the souk on a leisurely stroll to the beach from our hotel but resisted the temptation to bargain for one of the colourful ceramic plates temptingly displayed outside the small shops.

 

The next morning we set off in high spirits in our 4 x 4 vehicle heading for Ouarzazate via the Agadir kasbah now a wall-surrounded heap of rubble but with great views of the bay below. Thousands of kasbahs or walled settlements that were built throughout Morocco by the Portuguese. We drove through the land of the argan tree, a relative of the olive tree that produces berries from which oil is made for both cooking and cosmetic purposes. These berries must taste really good as the local goats climb high in the trees in order to feed on them. At Ouarzazate we visited a herboriste where we were shown creams and oils that remedied every condition you could imagine and ingredients to spice up our cooking.

 

Our safari continued through the Draa Valley where we stopped to take photographs of a herd of camels first bargaining with their fierce young herdswoman and her siblings regarding the price to be paid for the privilege but after a deal was struck she happy posed with a still woolly one week old camel. The baby was being hand reared so we were happy to subsidise the purchase of milk. We then headed off road for a while stopping en route to stroll through the Tamegrout oasis that was bursting with crops of all varieties. That afternoon we spent in Tamegrout itself where we visited a library of ancient hand written tomes and wandered through the streets to see the colourful wares of a local potter.

 

In the evening we were faced yet again with the problem of small change, there seems to be a permanent shortage in Morocco. First the problem was getting any drinks at all as the barman seemed to be doing 3 jobs at once. Finally we resolved it by ordering gin and tonics all round. When we tried to pay the barman had no change and kept escaping from the bar via a back entrance to avoid the issue. Finally I had to chase him round the hotel while he begged change from waiters and other customers in the bar! 

 

This morning the early bird got the freshly squeezed orange juice that had been put out for the large group of French people also staying in the hotel. It was a lovely morning enhanced by the stunning reds and purples of the bougainvillea around the pool in the inner courtyard and the prelude to some real off road experiences as we thundered through arid semi-desert with photo and comfort stops on the way. Clear blue skies brightened our photographs and lifted our spirits but after lunch the wind got up and sand swirled around us. We were advised that we needed turbans for our overnight adventure in the desert and had a demonstration of how to tie a turban before selecting our favourite colour. 

 

We had only an hour to prepare for our night in the desert but as we had to carry everything we needed on board our camel it did not take long and we were soon in our vehicle and speeding off road to the auberge where we would sip a glass of refreshing mint tea before mounting our steeds and setting off across the dunes. Our camels were roped together and led by one driver who strode along in front of us occasionally glancing back to shout “lean back” as we went down a dune. Lean back! I wished I could but I was so far back on the saddle already I had to reach forward to cling to the safety bar and from that position it was impossible to lean back – the hollow grunts from my camel suggested he did not approve of my lean back technique. The camel behind me kept coming alongside me and eventually actually bashed me in the ribs with is huge head. Despite our driver’s assurance that he was only trying to dislodge flies from his face I suspected that he was actually trying to unseat me in response to a plea from his mate.

 

It was weird and wonderful, plodding across the sand in silence with no idea where we were going and totally reliant on our driver’s sense of direction, earlier footprints having been covered with new sand. Just as I felt my legs could not stay in their unnaturally stretched position any longer I spied a pinprick of light and we were soon being led into our dining tent where we enjoyed a delicious tajine for dinner before going to our sleeping tent and curling up on our thin mattresses to try and get some sleep.

 

Very early the next morning we were able to enjoy a clear black sky studded with stars as we stumbled out of the camp to go to the toilet – less than basic facilities here. We were soon on our way, objective, a high dune from which to view the rising sun. We had to climb the dune without our trusty steeds and it was quite hard work but worth it as we sat on the ridge and waited for the sun to appear from behind the dunes stretching to the horizon in front of us. It was a magical moment.

 

Refreshed and replete after our return to civilisation our journey today took us through the Todra Gorges and along the Road of One Thousand and One Kasbahs. It was a wonderful day littered with photo opportunities and time to relish the beauty of the interior of this fascinating country. Our last stop, in the Valley of the Rose was a chance to relax over a refreshing mint tea and enjoy the landscape spread out in front of us before making our way to Ouarzazate for the night.

 

Kasbahs and filmsets were on the agenda today and we started with a walk around the beautiful Taourirt Kasbah and then called in to the Atlas Film Studios on our way to Ait Benhaddon , a well preserved 11th century kasbah made famous as the backdrop for films such as the Gladiator. Accompanied by our non-English speaking guide we skipped across the river on stepping ‘stones’ and made our way up to the highest part of the hill on which the kasbah was built winding our way through narrow, shop lined alleys. The vista from the top was amazing but soon to be surpassed by the fabulous views on the steep winding road that took us through the Tizi n’Tichka Pass on the way to Marrakech our final destination.

 

Marrakech. The name alone conjures up pictures of an ancient medina, narrow twisting souks and interesting old buildings. We were not disappointed and enjoyed a morning tour of Koutoubia Minaret, Jemaa el Fna, Bahia Palace and the souk. In the afternoon some luxuriated in the haman baths while others visited the Jardin Majorelle where I can highly recommend the ice cream, date and orange blossom. Our final evening began with a ride in a calash (pony and trap) to the centre of the medina and then stroll through the buzzing Jemaa el Fna on our way to a local restaurant and dinner and entertainment. A lovely farewell to a fascinating country.