Desert, Gorges and Kasbahs

While taking my nephews on a trip exploring some of Morocco's highlights we covered the traditional tourist circuit from Marrakesh to Dades and Todra Gorge, to the desert of Erg Chigaga and back to Marrakesh. With quite a few other stops along the way.

Back to Dades Gorge for my third visit, it was too windy to do the circuit walk up the side gorge so instead we drove to the end of the road for normal vehicles. To travel further 4WD is needed. The switchback road to travel from the base of the gorge up to the clifftop was amazing and is shown in the photo below. We passed villages merging with the earthen colour of the cliffs. While beside the river were a patchwork of green, barley and other crops interspersed with the pink blossom covered peach trees, the light green of the almond trees and the bare brown branches of the walnuts. The gorges remained one of the Moroccan highlights for my nephews visit.
The weather also impacted on our desert visit as a sand storm blew and blew and blew, not blindingly but enough to stop our camel trip into the desert where we were to sleep on the sand, under a Berber tent and marvel at the stars overhead (although there is still not as many as in the southern hemisphere though). Instead we spent the late afternoon and evening lazing around in an Auberge bordering the desert, while the windows rattled. We did get out to see the stars, and the nearby lake, late in the evening after dinner. We returned to the sound of beating drums and singing as some of the locals entertained the other stranded visitors. Not to miss out completely, my nephews did get a camel ride into the desert for sunrise next morning. it wasn't great due to clouds low on the horizon. As I've already been on numerous camel rides, I decided bed was a better option.