The drive from Fes to Merzouga was 7-8 hours long with many stops and attractions on the way. Middle Atlas mountains followed us all the way, rather we followed the mountains all the way.
The Middle Atlas range covers a vast area, lying just south of Fez and Meknes and running south towards Marrakech. Often covered in thick forest, with oak and cedar prevalent in the north, it is home to lakes, the Barbary “ape” (really a macaque) and numerous Berber towns, many of which are little visited by tourists.
It is the most fertile of the Atlas ranges and runs from for around 350 km south of Fez and Meknes. Although lower and generally less craggy than the High Atlas range, it has several peaks over 3,000 m and has a highest peak at Jebel Bou Naceur (3,340 m).
Monkeys on the road near Cedar forest of Azrou.
Berber lifestyle and tents – Along the way, we saw a lot of tents belonging to Berbers who are descendants of the pre-Arab inhabitants of North Africa. Berbers are estimated to make up more than three-fifths of the population in Morocco. We met a Berber family who showed us around his makeshift tent and talked about their nomadic life.
Midlet, city of Apples – City is named Midlet, since it is situated in central Morocco between the Middle Atlas and High Atlas mountain ranges. The cooler climate helps apple grow well in this region.
Errachida Dam – actually known as the Hassan Addakhil Dam is located on the Ziz River near the city of Errachida. Built in 1971, it provides drinking water, irrigation, and hydroelectricity for the Ziz valley, and protects the area’s oases from flooding. The dam creates the Hassan Addakhil Reservoir, a peaceful lake at the foothills of the High Atlas Mountains that offers a striking contrast to the surrounding arid desert landscape.
Ziz Valley – A birds eye view will show you that what was once the river has now been transformed into a magnificent palm grove of more than 20km long. The contrast of the green palm trees with the red mountain earth lets you see the typical ochre colored houses that are arranged along this valley to form a spectacular landscape that cannot be missed if you travel on these roads.
At the end of the day, just around sunset we reached Merzouga where we were greeted by tall red sand dunes.