Tangents Maroc Itinerary page

Nov 8th: Arrive in Marrakech.

Your first taste of Marrakech will be the nighttime highly charged circus atmosphere of Djemaa el Fna.Ā Music, performers, acrobats, snake charmers, etc. are everywhere.

Nov 9: Free time to explore the sights, sounds and smells especially of the fascinating souk (market). We will also visit a Jewish synagogue and the 500 year old Jewish cemetery.

Nov 10-11: Travel to Essaouira, Morocco's Gnawa center.

Essaouira is a lovely resort town by the sea with a cool vibe. Instrument and cd shops line the streets. You'll hear Gnawa, Tuareg/desert blues and Malian music pouring out of the Medina. Bob Marley lived in Essaouira and legend has it that Jimi Hendrix wrote Castle Made of Sand after spending a few days in Essaouira. It's not true but a nice story. (Hendrix's short visit was about a year and a half after Axis Bold of Love was released.) Essaouira is famous for its light - many artists live here. It is also famous for its fresh fish.

Nov 12: Bus to the special Berber mountain town Tafraoute. The people are a world away from the hustle and bustle of Marrakech. It's a genuine Berber town surrounded by richly colored mountains. Tafraoute specializes in babouches---slippers and shoes that are sold by the folks who make them. Beautiful, comfy, and well made.

Nov 13: Guided tour of Ameln Valley. This is a cluster of 26 Berber mountain villages that from a distance seem to be built out of the mountainside itself. We'll have a Berber guide.

Nov 14: Adventure driving day as we ride through the wild piste of an Anti Atlas mountain gorge on our way to Foum Zguid. Here's an excerpt about the gorge I wrote in an earlier mass email while in Morocco:

"5 hours of rocky magnificent gorge in serious stone heaven.
Barren and desolate terrain that was stunningly colorful with shifting
geological formations the whole way. And we never passed another car: And
out of nowhere appeared a small paradise oasis called Ait Mansour that was
tranquility personified."

Ait Mansour is a Moroccan Garden of Eden.

Our evening stay is in Foum Zguid - the final desert frontier town before reaching the Sahara desert.

Nov 15: Big adventure drive through Black Desert piste and Iriqui (huge dried up lake). Once upon a time the Sahara was a lush, green valley. We arrive at our nomad camp amid rich sand dunes in the afternoon.

We meet our Arabic nomad friends. You'll dig the nomads' tent settlement where we spend two nights.

Nov 16: Unforgettable guided desert trek with camels (including a lunch feast).

Nov 17: Afternoon drive to Zagora where we spend two nights.

Nov 18: Morning drive to Tamegroute famous for its traditional green pottery. We'll visit an underground kasbah potters' cooperative and a Berber man who has pioneered the use of henna design on pottery.

The potters' collective is a short walk to the Zaouia Naciri which at one time had the richest collection of Koranic volumes in Morocco. We'll visit its library which still has an extensive collection of Koranic manuscripts. Tamegroute is an important center of learning and religion. It is the historical center of the Naciri Sufi Brotherhood, one of the most influential and at one time one of the largest Sufi orders in the Islamic world. Tamegroute was a seat of learning from the 11th century and from the 17th century the base of the Naciri Brotherhood. Its leaders were known as the "peacemakers of the desert".

Nov 19: We take our hearty minibus on the breathtaking mountainous road back to Marrakech. We may take a picturesque detour near Ouarzazate and visit the UNESCO protected Ait Benhaddou. This famous kasbah was featured in Lawrence of Arabia, Jesus of Nazareth, Jewel of the Nile and Gladiator.

Nov 20-22: Marrakech is mostly free time. There is much to explore, and doing so on your own can be magical.

We will visit the Jardin Majorelle botanical gardens boasting 300 plant species. We'll also take our minibus on a two hour ride to the scenic Atlas mountain Berber village Setti Fatma. It has a river running through it with many makeshift pedestrian bridges. There will be a guided trek to one of its seven waterfalls. We'll likely have lunch prepared by a Berber family. You'll get a taste of genuine Berber village
hospitality.

Nov 22: Back to reality.