Morocco's Desert Region
Recommended Excursions into the Sahara and the Deep South
FOUR WHEELS, ONE DAY TO THE DUNES AT CH'GAGGA
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11 HOURS IN THE HAMADA DU DRÂA - ref. ITCLFD08z
LA FIBULE DU DRÂA, ZAGORA - TAGOUNITE - M’HAMID - OUM LÂALAG - CH’GGAGA DUNES - TAMEGROUTE - ZAGORA
From the small, delightful kasbah-like Hotel Fibule Du Drâa in the oasis village of Zagora we set off at 07:00 with our driver and English-speaking guide further south in our air-conditioned 4WD for our adventure into a desert surrounded by many small dunes, interspersed with the black gravelly ‘Reg’ stretches of the Jbel Tadrart basin. Driving from this oasis inhabited since the XIth century down the eastern bank of the lush Oued Drâa, passing alongside the Jbel Zagora with its ruined kasbah and through the oases and ksours of Ktaoua, we arrive at the oasis village of Tagounite, (famous for its iron meteorites being found nearby) where we’ll stop for a short break before continuing on further south past the Dunes of Tinfou of the Jbel Tadrart - where the Hamada becomes sand desert and whose quaint hamlet of Tinfou was once a stop for the trans-Saharan caravans of salt, gold and slaves - for a further 30km to the last village in the Drâa Valley - M’Hamid El Bhali. M’Hamid was once an important trading post and dromedary market for the famous ‘Blue Men’ (Touaregs from Mauretania and Chad) and is still a meeting point for the nomads from the Sahel and deep Sahara . As the air has heated up and the winds have risen to make the sand swirl about us, you’ll notice that older dunes appear darker, for the iron in the sand has finally oxidised.
We strike out now towards the west alongside the Jbel Bani - the first settlements of the Berber tribes were founded here - through stands of acacia and tamaris to the oasis at Oum Lâalag (Mother Lalla - the Sacred Oasis), ever-present despite decades of drought, we catch site of the occasional baobab tress casting their precious shade until, after some 12km., we arrive at the more impressive dunes of this western extension of the Sahara - Dayet (Pool) Ch’ggaga. Here we’ll stop for our field picnic in a nomad’s tent at the foot of these remarkable dunes. Fossil remains of crocodiles, lions, bears and dinosaurs are still to be found here. Suitably refreshed, the afternoon will be spent retracing our path through Moulht Sellah, Oum Lâalag and the Oued N’Ame to another remarkable set of dunes at Erg Lihouïdi (Erg el Yehoudi, so named for the many settlers of Jewish origin who had traded in this region for centuries until the establishment of the State of Israel and a subsequent migration).
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On now for our last 15km of piste driving across the Reg until we regain the tarmacked road to drive north for some 50km to an unusual tightly-knitted grouping of ksours and kasbahs; this is the ancient village of Tamegroute , a seat of learning since the XIth century. We shall stop to visit the Library, with its XIII century illuminated Koran scrolls written on gazelle hide, some works of Pythagoras, some of Alexander the Great’s original maps together with some very early mathematics text books. We’ll now drive on to visit the Pottery Co-Operative just outside of Tamegroute, to see pottery being produced in the simplest of manners, in the simplest of kilns. If you have ever been to Fes, or have seen photographs of this Imperial City, here in Tamegroute you’ll see the famous green glaze associated with Fes’s tiled roofs, for the founders of the XVIIth century Abou Ben Naceur ‘Naciri Brotherhood’ in Tamegroute invited craftsmen and potters to this remote area with the intent to turn it into a thriving caravan hub city. |
Our last 18kms remain until we reach Zagora and the Fibule Du Drâa- around 6pm, for a quick shower and to witness the magnificent sunset, the rarefied heavens turning from bright blue to cobalt, to yellow to gold, to purple to black. The sands and stones change their colour too, in step with the lowering rays. You may have decided to stay here overnight in this pleasant hotel or, perhaps, you have opted to set out now, by the light of the moon, back up the Drâa Valley to the French Protectorate-era city of Ouarzazate and beyond.
STANDARD PROGRAMME PRICES PER PERSON IN UK £
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THIS PRICE INCLUDES: Experienced, licensed English-speaking desert guide throughout; field picnic of Moroccan salad, kebabs * or chicken * or vegetable tagine, in-season fruit, mint tea and bottled water. Modern 4 wheel drive air-conditioned vehicle with driver; visit of the Potteries and Library at Tamegroute.
* Those vegetarians or vegans amongst us need to pre-advise at time of reservation.
THIS PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE: Personal medical or accident insurance outside of the vehicle. Gratuity to guide/drover. Any expenditure of a personal nature, nor anything not specifically mentioned in the itinerary.
IT IS RECOMMENDED YOU BRING: Day pack; windcheater (seasonal), broad-brimmed hat (or you may purchase a ‘Chèche’ before you set out from Zagora; personal toiletries and towel; hygienic ‘Wipes’; filled water bottle; sunscreen, sunglasses; nibbles and/or dried fruit. Drinking chocolate if preferred. Camera, film and plastic bags for lenses. For those who wear contact lenses, perhaps it would be a good idea to bring along a spare pair of glasses.
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Morocco Rediscovered
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