Since 2004 I have run tours to the High Atlas mountains and the Sahara desert in Southern Morocco. Though comprising two distinct landscapes, the two are only half a day’s drive from one another and are both populated by nomadic Berbers, enduring winter snows and desert sand storms.
The mountain nomads graze their goats in amongst the hard dry crags of the Atlas, where the rocks are coloured pink and green by mineral deposits and where they sleep in tents made from woven camel hair.
A little further south, the Jbel Sahrho is a tortured range of twisted strata thrown up by vulcanism and geological upheaval. Here, volcanic plugs jut from ancient bassltic lava fields, and the dry, dusty winds from the desert meet the moist winds from the north and west in an infinitely changing kaleidoscope of blue and gold.
Then there is the Sahara itself, the dunes continually renewing themselves as the sand shifts with winds that only seem to rest during the magic hours of dawn and dusk.
Throughout, the Berbers eke out a living as they have done since prehistory. Their adobe architecture constructed from blocks of mud and dung, and their lives intimately connected to a landscape we have to visit carefully in 4WD vehicles.
Finally we arrive at Marrakech, ancient capital of the Berbers and still a hub for trade in spices, crafts, and carpets handwoven by the nomads. The main square, the oldest continuously used open air theatre, is still home to dance troupes, snake charmers and fortune tellers and is now a UNESCO world heritage site. Aound it throngs the historical city, vibrant with the good humour and entrepreneurial spirit of the locals.
For 2017 I am offering a brand new itinerary in conjunction with FotoXplore Mococco, featuring several new locations as well as my favorites from past tours. The tour will run between 1st and 9th May.
Please email me if you would like more details or would like to be kept up to date with developements.
Giles Stokoe 