The rain clouds had prevented us from seeing just how close Marrakech is to the High Atlas Mountains. In the morning, the skies were clear as we drove towards them. The rain we got in the city turned into snow in the mountains so they were still white capped. This also meant that when we stopped for breaks, we were greeted by a real drop in temperature! I’m glad I had my down jacket for this stretch of the trip. As we dropped on the other side, the landscape changed from the fertile fields to much drier terrain. We spent the night in a lovely riad (guest house) in the new part of Aït Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that has been used in movies like Gladiator and the TV series Game of Thrones. We had to cross a river while being sand blasted but the wind was even worse as the top but the view was worth it! There are still some people living in the old fortified city so of course there are some shops for the many tourists who visit.
The next morning we left for our desert adventure. It really was one of the most amazing experiences and I highly recommend putting it on your bucket list!
Click here to view the fourth and final blog of our Moroccan adventure! If you missed the others, start here.
2 thoughts on “Morocco – Part 3 (High Atlas Mountains to the Sahara Desert)”