Exploring Morocco
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For adventure travellers, the attractions
of Morocco are found in its three primary mountain ranges--the
middle, high, and anti-Atlas--and the Sahara. Trekking in the
High Atlas is especially popular. No traveller, however, should
pass up the opportunity to visit Morocco's great old cities.
Tangiers and Casablanca, long associated with expatriates and
French colonial charm, can still be fascinating. However, they
are ultimately much less appealing than the ancient imperial
cities of the interior: Fes, Meknes, and Marrakesh. In Fes
and Marrakesh in particular, the labyrinthine streets and passages
of the centuries-old medinas offer endless possibilities for
exploration.
Trekking in the
High Atlas is not to be passed up. The experience will reward
visitors with some of the most spectacular scenery and views
in Africa. The summit of Jebel Toukbal, Morocco's highest mountain,
is an excellent choice, offering stunning panoramic views of
the surrounding country. Although the two-day trek is suitable
for anyone who is reasonably fit, you will need to bring boots
and warm clothes--it can be hard going and cold on the way up
to 4165 meters, especially in the desert night. Fortunately there
is a lodge at Toukbal, located a little more than halfway up.
Although Toukbal is the most popular of the Atlas treks, there
are plenty of others available, and you can arrange trips of
virtually any length. For longer treks, and for walking in more
remote regions, a guide is strongly recommended.
The name itself
conjures up romantic images of vast unending sands, charming
desert oases, and of course the sheltering sky. If visitors to
Morocco really want to lose themselves and get away from it all,
there is no more extreme way to do so than to set off across
the great desert. Morocco, however, is really little more than
a starting point--it is Algiers that contains the Grand Ergs
of rolling dunes that most of us associate with Saharan adventure.
Although Morocco does offer a glimpse of Saharan dunes at the
southern extremity of the lovely Draa Valley, it is also a convenient
starting point for a trip to the Grand Erg Occidental (the western
sand sea of the Sahara) in western Algiers. The border crossings
at Oujda and Figuig are the most common departure points.
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