When we came to Morocco we expected Desert. We definitely didn’t expect to be taken to ‘The Switzerland of Morocco’ somewhere between Fes and the Desert!
Ifrane is a town in the Middle Atlas region of Northern Morocco with about 14,000 residents – primarily students and teachers for Al Akhawayn University. It’s about 1600m above sea level in the Atlas mountains so snows in Winter and was a chilly 9 degree shock to the system after so many warm days. The architecture and layout reminds me of places like Banff and Whistler (minus the Australians). It’s one of the cleanest cities in the world, and also had the smallest and cutest electric car I think I’ve ever seen on public roads nestled in the corner!
Our guide has been great at adding interesting or unique side trips along the way. This morning we stopped at a little area on the side of the road that a group of Barbary macaque (Berber monkeys) have made their home. These tailless monkeys inhabit the Atlas Mountains and the Rock of Gibraltar and are often confused for apes. The adult males are highly involved in raising infants and often care for young that are not their own.
They had no regard for safe distance and were quite willing to unexpectedly bounce across Andrew and a couple of other people’s backs. Time for me to exit stage left…
Australians are the master of ‘big things’ along the roadside, and it turns out that Morocco is as well. Midelt is known for apples, so of course there’s a big apple as the centrepiece of a roundabout at the entry to the town. Previously it was painted red or green as the season changed, however recently they placed another apple at the other end of town, so now one red, one green!
The landscape continues to surprise us with snow capped mountains in the distance, vast rocky plains, high sedimentary rock formations. People seem to be able to live in all conditions, some must be particularly harsh.
It seems strange to come across a large patch of blue in the middle of the desert. The Hassan II Dam on the Moulouya River was completed in 2005 for flood mitigation, drinking water and irrigation.
After a long day of driving (10 hours!) we arrived at our hotel in Merzouga near the border of Algeria on the edge of the Erb Chebbi sand dunes. It was in a small group of hotels, literally in the middle of nowhere – flat rocky sand in every direction.
The hotel was on theme with the palatial style rooms, and we learned that our section of the hotel was relatively new, having slowly grown over the years with increased numbers of tourists. It’s a great reflection of their warm and friendly welcome and ability to ensure tourists have a great time. The pool in the middle of the complex added a nice touch of chilly blue, complete with a dose of sand that would be replenished regularly with the frequent wind storms.
I ventured out for a short walk from the hotel for my ‘2ks a day’. On the one hand the landscape is flat so you can see for miles, on the other hand everything is the same colour and seems to disappear into the horizon particularly as the wind whipped up… there was no way I was going far on my own!
As sunset approached we headed to the backdoor of the hotel for our camel ride. Thankfully local experts were on hand to help fix our attire and ensure we were somewhat shielded from the sand and wind.
We were introduced to our camels, only to be told that there are no camels in Morocco – only dromedarys. Learn something every day! Dromedaries are Arabian camels with a single hump and long legs. Maybe this dromedary v camel identity crisis is why they all seem to be mildly aloof! I love the way they sit 🙂
…and we rode off into the sunset, slightly bumpy, sure footed, nice and slow. They’re very cool animals.
The dunes are fun. These are the adventures that bring out the inner kid in everyone and Mohamed knew how to make the most of it capturing fabulous photos. I think they sum up the group that we’ve travelled with – soaking up experiences, making the most of life and sharing lots of laughs along the way. We’ve been very fortunate.
The dunes are also beautiful. They constantly change with the wind and the light, never the same, and equally stunning. We watched the sun set, before hopping back on our trusty dromedaries for the ride back to the hotel.
This has also been a reminder of the value of shared experiences and adventures to bring people together. Today it was a camel ride, next week it will be a run, swim or a workshop – when they’re designed well, the impact can be the same.
This hotel also knows how to feed people. We returned to the most enormous feast, including a new dish unique to the region – Medfouna (aka Berber Pizza). It’s a cheeseless filled dough and is sooo good!
If you ever get the chance to get out amongst the dunes, do it. It’s an experience like no other and one we’ll remember for a very long time.
Love M & A x
Comments are closed