Sahara Expedition

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Four 4×4 Pickup Trucks from Marrakesh to the desert, crossing the Alto Atlas mountains, stopping at touristic points and passing by Berber village, an ancient civilization. We drove 1000 km in two days, through arid landscapes that changed colors and vegetation along the way. Some regions did not have any kind of plants, like in the canyons ­ 2700 m high ­ and the rocks made an incredible symmetric design.

The way is beautiful with very high mountains. Some were white from the snow, others with shades of green, red and yellow. Right on the start we met a serpent enchanter, in perfect scenery. The closer we got to the desert, the more cactus and orange sand we saw. Suddenly, we would run into an oasis where there was a village and everybody would wave and smile (a little toothless) at us, and all the women wore burqa. The houses were made of clay, stones and palm leaves. Clay keeps the humidity and fine temperatures, even when it is over 50°C. I took this trip in December, when it is between 5°C and 30°C, but really cold at night.

There were few cars on the road, most of them pickup trucks. Ours was good, but the driver was a lunatic: dangerous overtaking and high speed. We could not communicate; none of us spoke Arabic or French. The worst of all is that he insisted on talking to me, so I answered anything in Portuguese and made a weird face. But I realized how disrespectful they are with women when he told me to clean the car, and he did not want me to sit in the front seat. My fellow men only laughed.

On the first day our goal was to watch the sunset at TINFOU DUNES, where we camped. We passed by the cities of Ouarzazate, Agdz and headed to Zagora, through the mountains of the Anti-Atlas. When the car stopped and we saw the first dune, we stormed out and it was amazing to watch the sun going down sitting on the top of a dune. There were dromedaries, serpents and a luxurious Arabic camping waiting for us, all sparkly with pillows and a lot of rugs. The tents were made of pieces of fabric and wooden pillars. We had people serving us; we drank in crystal glasses and ate typical dishes (lots of curry and pepper). After that, we stayed on the rugs by the fire, drinking Moroccan wine. Islam forbids drinking alcohol, but the guide got us some. I had the time of my life, I never expected to have so much comfort in the desert.

The following day we returned to Marrakesh through Ouarzazate, had lunch overlooking Kasbah Of Aït Benhaddhou and went inside the Kasbah Of Taourirt, once a filming studio and scenario of adventure movies. A Kasbah is a fortress built in ancient times to defend the city, usually placed on top of a hill.

More photos from Morocco by car:

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Translated by Lúcia Maciel
English teacher