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129 Posts |
Posted - 11/11/2007 : 11:25 AM
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SAGHRO MASSIF MOROCCO
 When asked, I don’t think many hikers would think to mention Morocco as a trekking destination, yet the country has amazing opportunities worth exploring. Most hikers who do come, concentrate on the Mt. Toubkal region around the highest mountain in North Africa. But for my money, the Sahara desert side of the High Atlas offers the most interesting, and remote expanses that North Americans associate with wilderness with few other trekkers and opportunities to see wild life.
 This region is considered “savage” by Moroccans, yet it is populated by the Ait Atta tribe of Nomads. The land is dry, rocky, and resembles Canyonlands in Utah with volcanic massives, soaring cliffs and deep canyons. It suffers from very hot weather from April to September, but makes a great winter trekking desination from October to March. Make sure you have good footwear! The trail is very rocky and hard underfoot, without relief.
 Travel is by foot or mule.
 I trekked over 5 days with 2 Americans from Seattle - Tom and Rod, taking one day by car from Marrakech and one day to return to Marrakech, totaling 7 days in all. Our route started on the North side of the Saghro range, from a valley on the High Atlas side, then traversed the range, ending up on the Sahara side of the Saghro. We had one English speaking Berber guide - Housine, two Berber mule handlers – Mohamed and M’barak who also did all the cooking, and two unnamed mules to carry our tents, cook tent, food and luggage.
 Our guide Housine.
 Mohamed and M'Barak with our mules.
Day One: Departed Marrakech in the Land Cruiser early morning with our driver Salah, who joked, laughed and entertained us over the next 10 hours. We climbed over the Tizi n Tichka pass, swerving on hairpins in narrow lanes, with a few very bent and dented guard rails between us and a long plunge over the edge. Luckily Salah was a very skilled driver, and had us up and over the pass in 3.5 hours. The views were spectacular, though hazy at times. The steep mountains are sparsely treed, with a lot of red mud villages and terraced fields, reminding me of India. We quickly gained Ouarzazate, had lunch and sped off into the desert side off the High Atlas. We reached our Berber village of Tagdilte in the dark, so I had no idea where we were exactly. Our host welcomed us into his ghite dtape, which is French for a simple country inn. It was built from mud and straw, and after a hot shower, a nice dinner of couscous and chicken, and amazing views of gazillions of stars, we unrolled our sleeping bags and fell in, excited about what was to come the next morning.
 Tizi nTichka
Day two: Mohamed and M’barak – our mulers were up and waiting for us after breakfast, and after introductions they loaded the gear. We made sure we took enough water to last until our lunch stop (we bought bottled water yesterday). Housine called “yella” and led us off towards the distant treeless hills.
 Really reminded me of Albertas foothills!
We crossed flat rocky fields, leaving the simple village behind and began slowly climbing. At one point there were many toads on the path, and I had to be careful where I stepped.
 Saghro toad
 The mules took a different path, and we were soon gaining a pass in high hills. The valley beyond had a Nomad camp, and the woman there didn’t want us “lunching” in her “back yard”. Our mules apparently had gone on ahead to the next stop. Housine decided to climb a narrow gorge to gain the pass and meet them. However after an hour we still had not found them and left us to scout ahead. We joked about being abandoned, and like on Star Trek, the new guy sent to scout ahead never returns …
 The elephant
Eventually Housine did return and we arrived at the valley where we were to camp, but still no mules. Lucky for us there was a Nomad family nearby who served us fresh baked bread dipped in olive oil and sweet tea. After that we didn’t really care if the mules showed or not! But they did, and we had a great nights sleep and it poured rain all night.
 Nomad girls selling their hand made jewelry.
 Nomad camp
Day three:
Sunny day, and the tents dried fast. We were up early, and on the trail soon after breakfast.
 Somewhere looking toward Sahara desert and Algeria...
 Lunch
 More rain coming!
 Descending to the tiny village of Igli in the central plateau of Saghro.
 Napoleon's Hat
 Igli Ghite d'tape
 My home for the night.
 Breakfast.
Day Four:
 High plateau somewhere in Morocco.
 The Berber village of Boulouse, large village in the Saghro region.
 Hidden springs
 Rare red date palm. Dates are usually yellow when they're fresh! Great bird watching here...
 Bab n Ali towering behind our camp.
 Central Saghro Valley
 Day Five; Beautiful morning. Deteriorated into pouring rain for 3 hours. We walked all day to the last village, dead tired but thankful for a feast at the end of the trail. Rod and Tom joked about how it rained everyday… they came to Morocco to get away from the rain in Seattle - and it rarely rains in the Saghro!
 More rain coming!
 Old crumbling Kasbah in our final destination, the village of Ighazoune-n-Oumlas. From here we chose to return to Marrakech. but our other options could be to continue to the big Erg Chebbi dunes for camel trekking and exploring the Sahara side of Morocco.
For more information and pictures about trekking Morocco visit http://www.moroccoexplored.com/9-moroccotrekking.html |
Edited by - hopeless romantic on 12/10/2007 05:51 AM
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 Best grilled cheese maker ever
Whitehorse, YUKON
Canada
2148 Posts |
Posted - 11/11/2007 : 11:48 AM
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| Pics look great and all, yet I can't help but wonder why you posted this TR? You post a link at the bottom of the page for more information on trekking in Morocco, yet in your profile it says you own and run this travel company? Is this just some sort of advertisement hidden within a trip report? |
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Hope, BC
Canada
7098 Posts |
Posted - 11/11/2007 : 12:26 PM
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Thanks hopeless romantic for posting this trip report! Sure was interesting! Post more trip reports when you can... I couldn't help but wonder why darren would say such a thing. Especially considering others in this club provide adventure tours and post reports as well, END OF DISCUSSION.
It was great meeting you on Mt Cheam, keep up the good work!
Keep us posted, it is these reports around the world that are very interesting to see. |
Edited by - AcesHigh on 11/11/2007 12:29 PM |
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Hope, BC
Canada
7098 Posts |
Posted - 11/11/2007 : 12:49 PM
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Question:
How do them nomads (nomad girls) exist wayyyyyy out there in no mans land? I suspect they likely do not need money to survive? Even if they had money they wouldn't be able to buy anything anywhere.
What do them people eat out there? (Other than bread)...
I would assume their appetites would not be as large as ours, being accustomed to no fridges etc? |
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129 Posts |
Posted - 11/11/2007 : 2:35 PM
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Hey Darren Hi Aces High!!
A bit more discussion in defense...
I guess what I do for a living isn't hidden at all, and I never intended it to be hidden. Its just the way it is... I'm not a guide, I'm not the muler (or the mule for that matter thank goodness) I happen to organize treks in Morocco but I also love hiking, camping and trekking.
i know on other forums its not allowed, but here I think as long as it isn't abused, everyone seems OK with trip organizers to post trip reports. I say why not? You can go and do it on your own if you want, we're actually doing a favour by offering up places that people would never find in a guide book anyway, right?
If anyone wants they can go on the web and find any number of trekking guides. I think people in N. America haven't heard much about trekking in Morocco, I think most have never heard of it - and might decide to go - with who ever they choose. I thought people would find the Saghro different and interesting.
Also i did ask about this same issue last summer and no one else seemed to have a problem with it as long as I posted an honest to goodness trip report.
Aces High - Yeah the Saghro nomads are amazing elven like people. Totally different from the Berbers or the Arabs who populate most of Morocco. They live very primitive conditions, moving with the seasons with their sheep, goats and camels, sometimes long distances across the country. In the villages they trade meat for flour, tea and sugar. In some places in the High Atlas the nomads still live in caves. They need money, coming down from the mountains over several days to attend village markets to trade or sell animals, and buy rope and tools, clothes and other stuff. Their tents are woven camel or goat hair, and its mostly the women who are at "home" with the kids while the men are off tending the flocks all day. It's a real privilge to be invited in for tea!
Talk to you soon! |
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Anchorage, Alaska
USA
1340 Posts |
Posted - 11/11/2007 : 2:53 PM
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| Amazing place. Truly amazing. I've looked at maps of north Africa and wondered so many times; "what would that countryside look like?" I've seen satellite photos of the Atlas Mountains, because it was geologically interesting somehow, but I couldn't even tell you why anymore, it was so long ago. Also, your pics reminded somewhat of how I pictured Mongolia and the Heartland of Russia to look like. Too bad the pics are so small. Other than toads, were there any other creepy crawlies out there that would make you not want to tent it? Was water scarce? |
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129 Posts |
Posted - 11/12/2007 : 07:30 AM
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It was the first time I posted a TR and wanted to make the pics bigger but wasn't sure how they would upload from the site. All fixed now!
Lots of toads and frogs, no scorpions or snakes if thats what you mean. Never went looking... but I'm sure theyre out there. Water is scarce, but findable. We found a number of fresh springs with excellent water.
Moroccos desert and mountains a geologists dream. Everything is exposed and there are some quite amazing places. I once did a 6 day camel trek after which my neck was killling me from looking down constantly at the ground. I found amazing stuff, lots of fossils, strange crystals, rocks, and stone tools, flint, sand roses, sometimes people find meteorites. |
Edited by - hopeless romantic on 12/10/2007 05:56 AM |
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Popkum, BC
Canada
5887 Posts |
Posted - 11/12/2007 : 07:52 AM
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Very interesting looking area, I really enjoyed reading your report and seeing pictures of this cool area.
Happy trails,
Lynn |
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Utah's canyon trekking,deck chair packing desert explorer who dreams of visiting Canada someday
3988 Posts |
Posted - 11/12/2007 : 9:00 PM
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Wow! I was in Tangiers years back and never realized there was such amazing country to explore. Being a sailor, I stayed near the sea.
You're right! It DOES look like Utah in many ways; yet so profoundly different. Thanks for sharing an amazing trip into another area of the world. I believe there are treasures like this in most all destinations! I would recommend a reputable, guided hike. Let the locals show off their beauty. they are usually proud to do so. Great job! good luck with your adventures. |
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129 Posts |
Posted - 11/13/2007 : 04:12 AM
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| I enlarged all of the above pictures - finally figured out that Pano button is not the way to go - - . |
Edited by - hopeless romantic on 12/10/2007 05:58 AM |
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129 Posts |
Posted - 11/13/2007 : 04:23 AM
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Thanks for the compl. Brook and Mule. It's too bad Tangier was the only part of Morocco you saw rm. Tangier is not Morocco at all really but more like Tijuana is to Mexico - a former European outpost with a very tainted past.
Reality is Morocco has an amazing diverse landscape, not all desert like in the movies... only thing it really lacks is any extended forest, although at one time the mountains were covered. There are still large cedar forests in the N. Atlas.
A good part is still roadless so good for trekking. Mule trekking is really nice, I did back packing for years, but I love to have the energy at the end of a day to go exploring, and have the freedom to run around and look at things onroute. Plus the food is excellent!
Anyway will do next TR as soon as I can hopefully on M'Goun traverse or a Sahara trek with camels down the Old Salt Road. |
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Maple Ridge, BC
Canada
739 Posts |
Posted - 11/13/2007 : 09:26 AM
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The closest I ever got to Morocco was daydreaming where to go with my Eurail Pass 17 years ago. I never ended up taking the ferry from Spain, alas. Your pictures show I missed a great opportunity. Maybe I'll make it there yet, some day!
quote:
Originally posted by hopeless romantic
Mule trekking is really nice, I did back packing for years, but I love to have the energy at the end of a day to go exploring, and have the freedom to run around and look at things onroute. Plus the food is excellent!
YOU ATE THE MULE???
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Hope, BC
Canada
7098 Posts |
Posted - 11/13/2007 : 09:39 AM
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quote:
or a Sahara trek with camels down the Old Salt Road.
Just the sounds of that makes me thirsty!  |
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129 Posts |
Posted - 11/13/2007 : 1:11 PM
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| We ate 90 loaves of bread! For real... |
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Happy go lucky, plaid wearin, postholin, safeway gaitor sportin, old-school film shootin, giver of many regards
Abbotsford, B.C.
Canada
13465 Posts |
Posted - 11/19/2007 : 11:33 PM
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This is one powerful report of your adventures, blessed with great pictures of some unique sites and people. Very much appreciate you sharing this with us.
I recall you talking about this in planning during the hike to Mount Cheam.
Well done,..
K |
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Happy go lucky, plaid wearin, postholin, safeway gaitor sportin, old-school film shootin, giver of many regards
Abbotsford, B.C.
Canada
13465 Posts |
Posted - 11/27/2007 : 6:34 PM
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Checked that Moroccon website, indeed many beautiful and exotic places to see. Thanks again for sharing a exquisite array of photos and reporting with us.
K |
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129 Posts |
Posted - 11/29/2007 : 07:25 AM
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Thanks Karvitk. Wow I could write a lot about this country! I just got back from the southern dunes down in Chegaga, where it snowed for the first time in memory. We watched the big electrical storm come in... awesome. I took some amazing pictures.
 The desert in flash flood.
 We had to help the camels across with the 4x4.
 Snow in the dunes!!
Next day I was in a Tshirt and bare feet sipping tea in the sand! Morocco has had some crazy weather over the past 3 years. It rained so much 2 summers ago in the desert near Merzouga that 400 houses melted in 3 hours - a national disaster. The houses are made from mud, like adobe in the SW. A lake formed around the dunes for 3 months... 2 meters of snow in the High Atlas down to the desert the next winter - made the desert amazingly green... stuff you will never hear about on the news in Canada!
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ass wigglin, cheese lovin, 4x4 drivin, apostrophe hatin, hiking chick who loves camping on snow
spaceship..
Canada
7209 Posts |
Posted - 11/29/2007 : 10:01 AM
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Fascinating!
It's always great to see TR's from other parts of the world. |
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Smurf Village, BC
Canada
1497 Posts |
Posted - 11/29/2007 : 12:21 PM
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| So barren! So desolate! Very cool...er, or should I say hot. |
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 | Dru
Mountain Grammar Police
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Sardonic sandbagging scoundrel, Cascade Climbers lobotomized spraymeister, space blanket flyer, new millennium vulgarian betaboy and friend to all squids
Climbing, a mountain
Canada
∞ Posts |
Posted - 11/29/2007 : 2:09 PM
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Ahem.... this one has been around for a while, perhaps now is the time to mention that:
"Massive" = an adjective meaning large, or British slang for a gang ie. 'Respect to my brothers in the Bristol massive'
"Massif" = an upland area, a mountain range etc.
I suspect the latter is what's intended here.
A massif can be massive, true. |
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129 Posts |
Posted - 11/30/2007 : 04:13 AM
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Hmmm, a massive massif, or a mass of massif or a massive mass of massif? Ouch my head hurts. Always thought it was the French spelling...
OK Dru, lets do massif then. |
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Trekking Morocco Saghro Massif
