Day 3: Ait Ben Haddou - Ouarzazate: Kasbah Taourit - Agdz - Draa Valley - Tamnougalt - Timiderte - Ouarzazate
Today we let the alarm ring a little later and it is that in a couple of days that we have been on this trip on the Kasbah Route we have already seen that before 7:15 in the morning, at this time of year, no It is day, so, and more with the change of planning we did yesterday when we arrived in Ait Ben Haddou from Marrakech and decided to reduce the itinerary we had planned, dedicating ourselves today fully to the Route of the Thousand Kasbahs and starting the day at which time breakfast is served at Bagdag Café, which has been our accommodation in Ait Ben Haddou.
Just leave the room at 7:30 in the morning to work a little, Mohamed offers us the first coffee of the day, which we taste by the pool and at 8 we are already facing a delicious homemade breakfast, the most complete .
Breakfast in Bagdag Café
There are a few minutes to 9 when after loading our luggage in the rental car in Morocco, we return to the road that will take us 9 kilometers back to the N9, the road that will take us to Ouarzazate and his Kasbah Taourirt, the first visit today.
If you only have one day or do not want to drive a good option is to book this tour with a guide in Spanish where you will be picked up at the hotel.
If you have more days you have the option of booking a 3-day excursion to the desert of Merzouga, where you will pass by Ouarzazate or this two-day tour, both are with a guide in Spanish and will pick you up at the hotel.
Road to Ouarzazate
At this time of the morning the sun is already quite hot, we are about 17 degrees, although we must bear in mind that in the morning and at night the temperature drops a lot, so we can not forget about any piece of clothing, of which surely we have to get rid of in the central hours of the day, when the 25-30 degrees we are having these days reach.
We arrived to from Ait Ben Haddou to Ouarzazate in 30 minutes, going through his famous movie studios, where we don't stop, address to the Kasbah of Taourirt, which is on the outskirts of the city, where the first thing we do is park the car right in front. As soon as we leave, we see a cartel that says it is paid, so we ask the guardian and he tells us that the price is the will after the visit.
With the car and safely we take our cameras and before entering the Kasbah of Taourirt We cross the street to have a greater perspective of this.
Kasbah de Taourit in Ouarzazate
With a wider view of one of the best preserved kasbahs in Morocco, we cross the street again and after paying 20 dirhams per person, we enter one of the best known kasbahs in the country.
Kasbah de Taourit in Ouarzazate
It is said that the Kasbah of Taourit It is one of the most beautiful in Morocco and the truth is that we will not be the ones who deny such a claim, since we have to say that it is a visit more than recommended.
Its interior is beautifully decorated and we find intricate corridors that communicate the rooms with each other. As advice we will tell you that so that the interior does not become a true maze, it is best to look at the central staircase and on each floor see how it expands to the sides, drifting into different rooms. To go up or down, we just have to look again for this central staircase and go up or down.
Interior of the Kasbah de Taourit in Ouarzazate
We are about 45 minutes on this visit, which by the way, as we said before, we have to say that it is highly recommended.
Just in front there is a souk, focused on tourists, the truth is that we have to say that it does not look too bad, although we already bought our travel memories yesterday, so we prefer to skip the visit and leave it for an upcoming occasion.
Of course, on the first floor of the Kasbah there are a couple of beach bars with paintings exposed on the walls, made of adobe, which are wonderful. This is left in case anyone is encouraged to take them as memories.
With a good taste in the mouth for this visit, we make our way to the next stop of the day Agdz, taking the road towards Zagora, the desert gate, which is about 160 kilometers from here. In a few meters we enter the N9, surrounded by arid landscapes, only dotted with some bushes, small towns and locals that move along the side of the road, which give this route that touch that makes it unique.
Road to Agdz
And in those that we are lost among landscapes that have us dumbfounded, in the middle of nowhere a broken truck and a boy beckoning to stop. We could have passed by, but in honor of the truth it must be said that the boy was almost in the middle of the road and if we had not stopped, we would probably have had a scare. He explains that the truck belongs to his friend and that he is going to repair it, so he stays "hung" in the middle of nowhere and would thank us very much if we approached him to some town. We tell him that we are going to Agdz and he immediately tells us that he is doing great because that is where he goes and that if we take him he will be very grateful. And so we continue our way to Agdz, being again 3 in the car.
The landscapes of this area of Morocco are impressive, with cliffs with really amazing shades of colors. A show for the senses that we mix with a pleasant conversation with Moha that after a few minutes sharing a car, we discover that he speaks a little Spanish, thus being able to continue the conversation in a Castilian-French-Berber with which in the end, it turns out that we We understand perfectly.
Landscapes on the way to Agdz
Our GPS dials 1 hour to reach Agdz and does not fail. At 11:30 we arrived there and our companion insists that we enter his house for tea and how we cannot refuse a second time on this trip, wherever we go. And so we are in an Agdz house, in front of a terrific tea with dates of the Draa Valley that serve as an excuse to trace the Route of the Thousand Kasbahs in front of a map that Moha proposes to us as the best option to do in this area of Morocco, entering the Draa Valley.
Route of the Thousand Kasbahs
After 30 minutes we return to the car, with a route already defined for today in which we will first see the Agdz palm grove then continue until Tamnougalt, going into the Draa Valley and follow the road, dotted with palm trees, oasis and kasbahs until you reach Timiderte, where we will turn around to return to Ouarzazate.
We are on the central road of Agdz, so we turn left at the main roundabout, to reach the Kasbah semi abandoned and surrounded by an incredible palm grove of Agdz.
Entering the Kasbah of Agdz
Agdz
We have to say that it is a quite scenic area and that it is worth getting here. It does not take much time and is fully accessible by car, so you can leave it on some embankment and from there walk for a while to enjoy the surroundings.
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Book the best rated tours and excursions in Spanish from Marrakech by travelers:After a few minutes lost between adobe, we return to the main road, arriving in a few kilometers to the top of a mountain from where you have incredible views of the Agdz palm grove, with the kasbah in the background.
Views of the palm grove of Agdz
From here we follow the "old" road, as Moha has told us, on the way to Tamnougalt, passing through Ouriz, one of the points marked on this route.
We start the route around 12:30 in the morning from Agdz and although there is no more than 6 kilometers to Tamnougalt, 2 of them are through a small paved road where in the end you see a kind of "castle"Once here you have to follow a few meters and you see a sign that says" Tamnougalt ". From here you follow a small dirt road and there is the small parking lot. Normally at this point you will have a guide right next to you He will say that this visit can only be guided and that the price is 50 dirhams, plus 20 dirhams per person for each visit you make to the interior kasbahs (you can do one or two, or those you find necessary).
Tamnougalt on the Route of the Thousand Kasbahs
The population of Tamnougalt, called "mother of all castles", it is a fortified adobe town and stands out for its incredible kasbahs, its impressive decorations on the walls and the towers that seem to rise to infinity, with an earthy color that stands out over the blue of the sky and the green of the palm trees.
Tamnougalt
All houses are connected by interior, covered corridors, which keep the interior areas cool enough in the summer months so that temperatures are quite lower than outside.
Streets of Tamnougalt on the Route of the Thousand Kasbahs
Tamnougalt
During the visit, our guide explains the history of Tamnougalt in French, showing us the guts of the kasbahs, each one more impressive and with a much more interesting history, many of them being the scene of films like Aladdin. In these moments the kasbahs are being restored, very little by little, by the 12 families that live in these moments, something that, in honor to the truth, we have to say that it gives an impressive air to the place.
Interior of one of the Kasbahs
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Details of the interior of one of the kasbahs of Tamnougalt
After visiting 3 kasbahs that the guide recommends and getting lost through many of the inner streets of Tamnougalt, which leave us more if possible, impressed with this visit, we leave the central area, to go to the area of the gardens.
Tamnougalt on the Route of the Thousand Kasbahs
If we have to say that the visit to the Kasbahs is unique, you can not imagine how it is the visit to the surrounding gardens, which offer us wonderful views of Tamnougalt, offering us at the same time a selection of the best new dates, for True, great and the best grenades we have ever tasted.
Road to Tamnougalt Gardens
Tamnougalt Gardens on the Kasbah Route
Exterior view of Tamnougalt Kasbahs
We also have to say that when we saw that the visit was guided, this was a little disgust at first, since that was not the idea of the visit we had, but now, after the experience, we have to say that it is a visit totally recommended to do it accompanied by all the things that we would have missed if we had not done so
Road to Tamnougalt Gardens
Tamnougalt Gardens
There are a few minutes to 2 in the afternoon when we finish the visit, which has taken us just over an hour, under a very stifling heat, but that has been incredible. It seems a lie as this is one of the least commented visits in the forums or guides, when it is a true wonder.
Going back to the car in Tamnougalt
It went down 37 degrees we go back to the car to follow the Route of the Thousand Kasbahs, direction to Timiderte, where we cross several kasbahs, at the foot of the road, much less scenic than those we have seen so far, but equally important as to stop the car and travel a few minutes.
Kasbahs at the foot of the road
The road that runs along the Kasbah RouteIt remains surrounded by palm groves in almost all its section, which make this a unique route and for which this trip to the Kasbah Route is already worthwhile.
Landscapes of the Draa Valley
It is already 3 in the afternoon when we look again at the clock and we have just arrived at Timiderte, the last point of the Route of the Thousand Kasbahs that we have programmed for today, so we stopped at a gas station, surrounded by palm trees and a kasbah in the horizon, which make this a true oasis of peace.
Draa Valley in Morocco
We ordered a couple of chicken tajines, more coke and water plus a couple of coffees, by the way, for 140 dirhams with which we loaded with energy to continue our day touring this incredible Route of the Thousand Kasbahs.
Eating on the Thousand Kasbahs Route
During the meal we value approaching Zagora, since we are only 50 kilometers away, but immediately we return to reality and we see each other, that this is a visit that deserves more time and that we can do in the future with the rest of places we have left pending on this trip.
So at 15:45 in the afternoon we take the car again, to undo the road made during today, returning to enjoy some landscapes of film, this time stopping every few kilometers to first enjoy a landscape surrounded by palm trees and from Agdz, a much more arid landscape.
Landscapes of the Draa Valley
Landscapes much more arid past Agdz on the way to Ouarzazate
We arrive at Ouarzazate at 6 pm and take the opportunity to stop at a gas station and fill the tank, since in this area and then when we pass from Ait Ben Haddou, until we pass the Atlas area, we will not find again.
And we continue about 15 kilometers to what will be our accommodation today, between Ouarzazate and Ait Ben Haddou: L'Escale de Ouarzazate.
We park the car and do the chekin at an hour more than prudent, which allows us to rest for a while before leaving for the pool area to have a drink before dinner.
Enjoying a sunset in Ouarzazate
For dinner again we ordered a tagine and a plate of meat plus drinks and tea with mint for dessert, which goes up about 130 dirhams, which we will pay right to the room tomorrow before we leave.
It's 10 o'clock at night when we return to our room with a bittersweet feeling and this is not only the end of this trip to the Kasbah Route, we have talked to the owner, Christophe and when asked how is the Telouet road, a kasbah that we wanted to visit the road to Marrakech, tells us that if we have the flight tomorrow, it is best not to take a risk, because if something happens, the road is not suitable for passenger cars, no matter how much you call the workshop, you can not do Nothing the same day and there is danger of missing the flight.
He advises us to leave and go directly to Marrakech, leaving this visit for another occasion, so with this opinion, we have to make another small change of plans before we go to rest.
Day 4: Ouarzazate - Kasbah Telouet - Tizi-n-Tichka - Marrakech Airport - Girona
