Oases & Mirages of Southern Morocco

This is the Morocco of sea, desert, mountains and the astonishing passes of the High Atlas, from which the traveller emerges to view the valleys of the Draa and the Dades rivers, lined with the valuable and versatile date palm.

Here, in days gone by, villagers under continuous attack created self sufficient communities within fortified villages ‘ksour’ and where the elaborately decorated castles of the Berbers known as ‘kasbahs’ can be found. Most of the towns and villages on this itinerary are memorable in one way or another, from the remarkably sited Ouarzazate, ‘where no noise is heard’, wedged between the High Atlas and the Sahara, to Zagora, known as the ‘Gateway to the Desert’ where the famous sign indicates: ‘Tomboctou 52 Jours’, whilst Erfoud is one of Morocco’s largest oases, in the heart of the desert.
Marrakech is naturally connected to these desert towns and oases, having been founded by the ‘Sons of Kouch’ who arrived from a caravan town in Mauretania in the 10th century, with its character and beauty enriched by the trade coming from the South.