A Dangerous Journey Through Morocco's High Atlas Mountains
Hello, and welcome back to my journey through Morocco. After camping in the desert around Merzouga and exploring the lush oasis at Skoura, it was finally time to say goodbye to nature and hello to a new city. My next destination is also probably one of the most famous in Morocco, Marrakech, a large and historic city, whose medina (old quarter) is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The drive from Skoura to Marrakech is typically an easy 4-5 hours, which is perfect for me because it is long enough to nap and chill, but not so long that the day is wasted and my neck hurts. I was actually looking forward to this drive because we would be traveling through the High Atlas Mountains via the Tizi n'Tichka pass, which, as you can see from the picture below, is quite scenic.
Before reaching the mountains, we pass by Ouarzazate, home to many famous movie sets, as well as Atlas Studios. I considered staying here instead of Skoura, but all of the accommodations were booked. Ultimately, I am glad this was how things worked out, as I had a natural and unique experience in Skoura.
Even from the road, I could tell Ouarzazate was much more of a touristy and manufactured experience. It is clearly much more developed, with quite a few big buildings and hotels. There are some large pharaoh statues visible from the road, probably left over from one of the Mummy movies, which do seem pretty cool. I didn’t notice them in time to take my own picture, but here is one I found from the internet.
Up to this point, the ride out of Skoura had been relatively peaceful. It was cool to watch as we passed through the different landscapes, from a lush oasis, to dry and rocky flat lands, then transitioning to the foothills leading into the High Atlas Mountain range.
If you have read some of my other posts in Morocco, you would know that my luck on travel days has not been the greatest. From the first day seasick party on the boat over, the 24-hour bus delay in the desert, to being abandoned on the side of the road hours from Skoura, travel days have not exactly been the most peaceful experiences thus far. Today, of course, would be no different.
As we gain in elevation, the clouds grow denser and darker. The driver of our 16-seater van is already speeding around every curve and car like he knew we would be delayed by a storm. His instincts were right of course, and what started as light rain quickly progressed to hail. Visibility was shockingly limited, with what can best be described as buckets of rain slamming the van from seemingly every direction.
Despite the conditions, the driver has not taken his foot off the gas, flashing cars as he swerves around them on the winding roads. Needless to say, no one in the van was napping through this, and even the local passengers had very concerned looks on their faces. Seeing how close we are to the edge of the road, I am also concerned. I consider sending a message to my family in case something happens, but there is no signal.
As we whip around one of the corners, we quickly slam on the brakes, and everyone jolts forward. One of the local passengers yells something in Arabic at the driver, and he yells back. A super awkward silence falls over the van as we slowly crawl our way through the mountains with bumper-to-bumper traffic for the next hour and a half. We eventually pass a small landslide that had covered much of the road, which explains why we had been so backed up. Luckily, it didn’t seem like anyone was hurt.
The rest of the ride was rather uneventful, and we arrived in Marrakech safely, although two hours later than expected.
I hope you enjoyed reading about my scary drive through the High Atlas Mountains. Please join me in my next post, where I will explore the famous and historic city of Marrakech.
If you would like to read more about my adventures along Morocco’s Route of 1,000 Kasbahs, please consider checking out some of my previous posts, including:
Famous Kasbah Amridil, A New Friend & A Magical Sunset View Over A Lush Oasis, which can be found here.
A Ruined Kasbah & A Dry Riverbed - On the Catastrophic Edge of Skoura's Lush Oasis, which can be found here.
All photos were taken by me unless otherwise sourced. Have a great day!