Abandoned On the Route of 1,000 Kasbahs - A Journey to Skoura, Morocco

So, after being delayed one day, it was finally the morning I would leave the Saharan Desert town of Merzouga. My journey was meant to be by bus, however, it ended up being a packed 15-seat van instead.

My next major destination was Marrakech, but that was such a long way (about 10 hours), so I chose a place to stop in between to stay and break up the trip. The obvious choice would have been Ouarzazate, which is famously known as the “Hollywood of Africa.” This is the home of Atlas and CLA Studios, and there have been many famous movies and shows filmed here, including Gladiator, The Mummy, Game of Thrones, and many more. Unfortunately, I could not find any accommodations in Ouarzazate, so I opted for a less well-known stopover at the oasis town of Skoura.

Skoura, like Ouarzazate, is along a road that has historically been called the “Route of 1,000 Kasbahs,” which stretches roughly 350 kilometers from the Saharan town of Merzouga. Kasbahs are fortified mud-brick homes that have been historically used by Berbers for protection and storage along important trade routes. Skoura is known for its large palm oasis, stunning landscapes, and one of the best preserved kasbahs in all of Morocco.

During our journey to Skoura, I am suddenly awoken by the abrupt stop of the van, and the door sliding open, the bright midday sun and heat attacking my senses. Without being given a reason (at least not in English), everyone was told to get out of the van. As people’s bags were being quickly unloaded from the van, I questioned the driver, “Skoura? Is this Skoura?” and he simply pointed off to a group of parked cars a bit down the road, before quickly speeding off in the opposite direction.

Looking around, there is hardly a cloud in the sky, and the sun is beating hard. This dusty town seems deserted save for the van’s other passengers, who were all quickly scattering either in the direction of the nearby town or into cars and driving away. Google Maps doesn’t seem to have any clue where we are, as each of my friends’ maps was showing different locations, none of which was Skoura.

As we were running low on water and wanted to confirm our location, we ventured toward town to try and find a shop. This only resulted in us overheating further, as the streets were all deserted and the one shop we found was locked up.

At this point, the only signs of life were a few cars parked a few more minutes down the highway. When we arrived to them, there were a few men standing around smoking cigarettes. I asked them if they would drive us to Skoura, and after some short deliberation, one of the men stepped forward to offer to drive us. The price he quoted was nearly the same as what it cost for our ride in the van, but we had no other option but to accept.

We ended up driving with him for about 3 hours before reaching our homestay in Skoura. Luckily for us, he ran the air conditioning for the entirety of the journey, which is not the same standard of luxury we enjoyed during our van ride.

The homestay was a lovely mudbrick home that was both spacious but also very cozy, with a few small bedrooms connected to a shared common area with a large dining table and fireplace. We go to the second-story roof to enjoy some tea, look out over the oasis, and discuss which direction we should wander in for the remaining hour and a half of daylight. Having been stuck sitting in vehicles all day, we were eager to stretch our legs and discover this new place.

This seems like a good stopping point for today. I hope you enjoyed reading about my journey to Skoura. Part two will follow our wanderings through the desert oasis, where we discover unexpected ruins and historic kasbahs.

If you would like to read more about my adventures in Morocco, please consider checking out my previous post following my unexpected day in the Saharan Desert town of Merzouga, which can be found here.

All photos were taken by me. Have a great day!