Morocco deserts

M'hamid El Ghizlane Moroccan Oasis and tourists' paradise

noreply@blogger.com (Aznzar) — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 01:08:00 +0000

15 years ago M'hamid El Ghizlane was- the last oasis in the far south east of Morocco pre-Sahara – depending mainly on agriculture, but drought forced its inhabitants to look for other means of livelihood.

Many of them sold their land. They buy what they needed to accommodate the tourists who move in-groups to this area in search of peace, serenity and tranquility away from the pressures of life in the big cities in the West.

Tourism currently represents about 80 percent of economic activity in M'hamid El Ghizlane that fills the spread on both sides of main street shops, selling the artifacts, as well as, local travel and tourism agencies, and shops offer all types of services such as car hire and tours in the desert for wealthy tourists, and others are suitable for tourists with limited budgets.

Tourist who arrives to this remote corner of Morocco takes the opportunity to indulge in the local way of life.

The value of time in M'hamid El Ghizlane is not as in the West. Pattern of life is slow, so those people do not know the rush at all. The money is not their main objective because they are satisfied with income from tourism. Trips Organizer to desert earns 25 thousand Moroccan dirhams on average during the tourism season, which lasts five months from December to April, while the tour guide reaches 300 dirhams per day.

An expert in the promotion of tourism, Abdul Khaliq bin says : "Tourism developed in M'hamid El Ghizlane thanks to the presence of many monuments and antique forts in the area of Oulad Kriz . Mahamid exhibits its unique beauty of the desert and its diverse activities, such as trips by camels, tents and desert tourism which is the important investment of this hot destination. M'hamid El Ghizlane becomes a popular destination in Morocco, because whoever comes to visit Morocco, and especially to the desert has to visit M'hamid El Ghizlane, Marrakech and Essaouira. "

Tourism in M'hamid El Ghizlane meets and fulfills everyone’s requirements. The rich live in luxury hotels and ride 4x4 cars and enjoy everything as VIP does. However, most tourists who visit the Oasis accept accommodation in a small, modest hotel or in tents amid the sand where they can watch in long-sightedness the vast desert during the day, and hold stars in their hands at night. They can also relax under the palm trees or out on trips on the backs of camels or into 4X4 cars or enjoy walking beside the old forts, more than these, they can bury their bodies in the sand, or enjoy a traditional massage.

British Nancy Patterson - who was engaged in selling works of art before she open an hotel in M'hamid El Ghizlane- seek visitors to accept to be treated as friends but not as customers who pay for accommodation. Nancy encourages her visitors to enjoy interesting conversations in the middle of magic nature in the picturesque region.

She calls to encourage artists and musicians who’re abroad to come to M'hamid El Ghizlane, especially to meet local people and pursue their interests and activities in this center of tranquility of the desert.

Nancy Patterson Says: "I want tourists to come here and bring something of their personality and explore this part of Morocco, especially music and art ... which is live here, and here is a lot..."

A visitor named Tawfiq Yousefi lived several years in Canada and Belgium, he found inner peace in M'hamid El Ghizlane. Like many visitors to the Oasis Yousefi devotes in long hours in meditation and the search for self.

Tawfiq Yousefi said "It's a very traditional area. When we talk about tradition, we mean values. And if we found values, we found the love of humanity. It is one of popular areas in Morocco, where the principles of humanity still exist...warmth and kind hospitality."

Visitors come to M'hamid El Ghizlane from far countries, as Alaska and South Africa, Australia and New Zealand and others from Europe, Canada and the United States. But, tourists from the Arab world, they are not visiting this Oasis perhaps because of deserts in most Arab countries. For this reason, Nur al-Din Bocrap the nomads’ Festival Director in M'hamid El Ghizlane called Arab tourists to come to the oasis.

He said, "Our main ambition is to open up to the Arab world in particular and to the nomadic culture for sharing the differences, also for celebrating our sameness."

The M'hamid El Ghizlane was the station where caravans stop in their way from Timbuktu in Mali and to. Now it is still a meeting place for visitors from different cultures and religions.

Essaouira The sun-beaten town on the Atlantic coast

noreply@blogger.com (Aznzar) — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 17:25:00 +0000

Where Marrakech is a uniform pink, this sun-beaten town on the Atlantic coast is blue and white. The prosperity of the place peaked in the 18th and 19th centuries, when it was the most important port on the North African coast and a conduit between Europe and the African hinterland. It faded from consciousness in the 20th century, but drew plenty of travelling hippies in the 1960s and early 1970s. Its agreeably languid air stirs only by late afternoon when the fishing fleet returns to disgorge the day’s catch.

1. Ramparts

Essaouira‘s current layout can be traced back to 1765. That year, the town’s local ruler captured a French ship and hired one of its passengers, an architect, to rebuild his port. He had the city surrounded with a heavy defensive wall, much of which still stands. The most impressive stretch is the Skala de la Ville, where you can walk along the top of the ramparts and examine several ancient cannons.

2. Place Moulay Hassan

Place Moulay Hassan is the focal point of Essaouira. A square in two parts, narrow and elongated to the north and opening out at the southern end, it lies between the medina proper and the port, and everybody passes through it at some point. It’s lined by small cafés, where half the town seems to pass half of its time.

3. The port

Guarded by a toy-like, square fortress, Essaouira’s port, the Skala du Porte, is still a working concern complete with a boat yard, where vessels are still constructed out of wood. A daily market kicks into life between 3pm and 5pm with the arrival of the day’s catch. Visitors can watch as the fish are auctioned off and follow that up by feasting on fresh sardines, grilled to order at the port end of Place Moulay Hassan.

4. The medina

As in Marrakech, Essaouira’s medina is a labyrinth of narrow streets. It is, however, not as hard to navigate, bisected as it is by one long, straight street. This street begins at the port and runs all the way up to the north gate, the Bab Doukkala, undergoing two name changes along the way.

5. The mellah

During the 18th and 19^th centuries, a Jewish community gained prominence in Essaouira, becoming the most important economic group. They have all long since left and the town’s Jewish quarter is in a dilapidated state. You can reach the mellah by following the alleys just inside the ramparts beyond Skala de la Ville. You can still identify the former Jewish residences, fronted as they are by balconies. In some cases, the Hebrew inscriptions on their lintels are also visible.

6. The souks

At the heart of the medina is a lively market, the Souk Jdid, divided into four quarters by the intersection of two main thoroughfares.

There is a daily souk for fish, spice and grains and a cloistered square, known as the Joutia, where secondhand items are auctioned.

7. Place Orson Welles

Between the medina walls and the beach, a small park-like square goes by the name of Place Orson Welles, in honour of the great filmmaker who came to Essaouira in 1949 to shoot his version of Othello. Since then, Essaouira and the surrounding area have been used as movie locations in many international film projects, the most recent ones being Oliver Stone’s epic Alexander the Great and Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven.

8. The beaches

Essaouira’s beach, to the south of the medina, is one of the finest in Morocco. However, the strong winds that batter this part of the Atlantic coast frequently make it a little too cold for comfort – not that this bothers the boys who gather here year round to use the compact sand of the beach as a football pitch.

9. Galerie Damgaard

For about a quarter of a century, a generation of painters and sculptors have made Essaouira an important centre of artistic activity. Many of these artists have been brought to public attention by the Dane Frederic Damgaard who, since 1988, has run this influential gallery in the medina.

10. Musée des Arts et Traditions Populaires

This small and recently refurbished ethnographic museum occupies a 19th-century house that was formerly the town hall. It contains displays of ancient crafts, weapons and jewellery. Also displayed here are instruments and accessories that were used by religious brotherhoods. You can also view some stunning examples of Berber and Jewish costumes.

The Todra Gorge

noreply@blogger.com (Aznzar) — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 22:54:00 +0000

Most tourist itineraries include a stop at the Todra Gorge, and with good reason. At its deepest and narrowest point, only 15km from Tinerhir, this trench through the High Atlas presents an arresting spectacle, its gigantic rock walls changing colour to magical effect as the day unfolds. In high season, the combination of its easy accessibility (a surfaced road now runs all the way through it), and the confined space makes it a prime hunting ground for southern Morocco’s most persistent faux guides and touts, so choose wisely when hiring; recent positive feedback in guestbooks is in most cases the only available form of proof of a good-intentioned guide. The area has been increasingly recognized as a rock-climbing hot spot and now attracts a new clientele of independent climbers. Taxis up to the Todra Gorge are cheap and drop passengers off at a grouping of budget hotels just before the narrowing of the gorge. Flash flooding has damaged what was a newly surfaced road up the Todra to the village of Tamtatouche, 32km from Tinerhir (or 17km from the main part of the gorge). The road is still easily passable by car (though hotel owners in the gorge may tell you otherwise in order to extend your stay) and there is pressure on the government to repair the damage as soon as possible. A further 15km from Tamtatouche the village of Aït Hani is accessible by paved road. Minibuses run regularly throughout the day to these villages from the eastern end of the municipal gardens in Tinerhir, although arranging a ride in one of them just as far as the gorge (10dh) can be difficult. Returning to Tinerhir, you stand a better chance of a taxi if you walk back to the Zaouia Sidi Abdelâli, 3km south of the gorge, or hitch a lift with day visitors or other tourists.

Beyond Aït Hani, pistes continue over the Atlas via the village of Imilchil (famed for its annual wedding market), while another loops over to the Dadès Valley. You can arrange transport along the Imilchil route, either by chartering it at Tinerhir, or by paying for a place on a series of Berber lorries, which shuttle across for village souks. If you plan to drive the route, you will need a suitable (preferably 4x4) vehicle.

The climbing video by PeakPerformance about climbing in Morocco featuring Moroccan,

Petzl sponsored climber 'Said Belhaj'.

Climbing and walking

Having only recently been recognized for its climbing potential, the Hotels and excursion agencies of the Todra Gorge have yet to cash in on equipment rental and professional climbing excursions, which makes the area ideal for the experienced independent climber and underequipped for the novice. There are now
more than 150 bolted routes, French Grade 5+ to 8, of between 25m and 300m, with new ones being added each year. The Hôtel el Mansour keeps an excellent French topo-guide for reference. Also worth consulting are hotel log books, which will alert you to any problems on the rock: over the past few years, kids have tampered with several access bolts, and even fixtures for top ropes. Whichever routes you follow, be warned that you’ll need all your own gear as rental opportunities are extremely limited and unreliable.Hassan Mouhajir
(t010 13 42 94), who is best contacted through any of the budget hotels at the mouth of the gorge, has been working on the most comprehensive topo guide to the bolted routes in the area and can be hired as a climbing guide for 500dh (per person per day).

Most of the guides hanging around the gorge try to lead visitors on walks, but for the following route, which takes around one and a half to two hours to complete, you won’t need help to find the way. It starts just beyond the narrowest section of the gorge. Once through the cliffs, look for a side valley leading quite steeply left (south) from the roadside to a pronounced saddle between two peaks – you’ll be able to make out the path climbing on the left flank of the hillside. An easy ascent takes you to the pass in 45 minutes to one hour. From there you could potter up peaks for some great views over the gorge, or follow the path dropping downhill to your left, keeping to a line of silvery-grey rocks that fringe a dry riverbed. After around thirty minutes, the path then climbs briefly to a second saddle, from which it then descends to the edge of the Todra palmery, near the Camping l’Auberge Atlas.

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Majorelle Garden The jewel glow of Marrakech

noreply@blogger.com (Aznzar) — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 00:48:00 +0000

Montreal 13/12/10- A Canadian journalist seems fail to resist the charm of the imperial city Marrakesh and the "wonderful garden Majorelle" she describes it as "a mystical place with plants from all five continents " "And as to stay in Marrakesh, we'll have a look at the wonderful Majorelle garden, luxurious jewel of the city, with its almost mystical place plants from five continents, including 400 varieties of palm trees and 1800 varieties of cacti, eleven pools, chiseled kiosks Moorish, etc.,

"Odile Tremblay wrote in an article entitled" Caftans, Cinema and Garden, "published by the newspaper" Le Devoir "in its weekend edition. "We entered Majorelle by the street newly renamed Yves Saint Laurent. cinders of giant's fashion lie between banana and bamboo, in a memorial monument, topped by a Roman column, '"says the author who made the trip to the Red City to attend the tenth edition Festival International du Film de Marrakech (Marrakech International Film Festival). "The garden opens onto a small museum with the exhibition Yves Saint Laurent and Morocco. We see dresses inspired from the outfits of the country, some already Admired in 2008 at the exhibition Yves Saint Laurent Museum of Fine Arts Montreal, "says Canadian journalist.

"Caftans, djellabas, buntings are reinvested by the couturier, with wonderful colors of Morocco: saffron, ocher, plum, ruby, turquoise, etc..,transfigured on fabrics by a touch of genius, "she added,stating that "the most touching part of this exhibition consists of manuscripts of an album of Peter Berger's that he and Saint Laurent had with Marrakech and the country. " "Written words are mixed with photos, drawings of the designer, while snakes and arabesques (...)", continues the author.

Returning to the Festival of Marrakech, the author believes that "the press is in Marrakech for film stars, who march every night on the red carpet " referring to "the international competition of feature films, good degree, composed of many earlier films."

"Funniest then that festival of Marrakech, which celebrates this year its ten years. Stars on the fly: Scorsese, Coppola, John Malkovich, Harvey Keitel, Charlotte Rampling, Catherine Deneuve, Keenu Reeves the Dardenne brothers and all the elite of cinema, "writes the journalist.

Morocco's Climbing Goats

noreply@blogger.com (Aznzar) — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 03:02:00 +0000

Goats on trees are found mostly only in Morocco. The goats climb them because they like to eat the fruit of the argan tree, which is similar to an olive. Farmers actually follow the herds of goats as they move from tree to tree. Not because it is so strange to see goats in trees and the farmers like to point and stare, but because the fruit of the tree has a nut inside, which the goats can't digest, so they spit it up or excrete it which the farmers collect. The nut contains 1-3 kernels, which can be ground to make argan oil used in cooking and cosmetics. This oil has been collected by the people of the region for hundreds of years, but like many wild and useful things these days, the argan tree is slowly disappearing due to over-harvesting for the tree's wood and overgrazing by goats.

As a result a group of people and organizations have banded together to try to save the tree. To do so one of the primary locations where the trees grow has been declared a biosphere preserve. It was also decided that by making the world aware of the oil, it's great taste and supposed anti-aging properties, would create a demand for it. However, the people who planned to market the oil could not envision people wanting to put an oil on their food or their face that was collected from goat excrement. As a result, a campaign is being led to ban grazing on the trees by goats during certain parts of the year to allow the fruit to ripen and fall off on its own. The fruit is then collected and turned into oil by oil cooperatives. So far, this arrangement seems to be working.

People wanted to convert an ecological problem into an economic opportunity

noreply@blogger.com (Aznzar) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 23:40:00 +0000

In southwestern Morocco, research to conserve and develop a valuable but threatened forest resource – argan trees – has helped to dramatically boost the income of Berber women. Organized into small cooperatives, the women produce and market argan oil using a mix of traditional and modern methods. At the same time they learn to read, write, and manage a business.

The Taitmatine Cooperative is one of about 50 such groups in southwestern Morocco that have been set up since 1996. The champion and catalyst for improving argan oil production techniques and launching many of these cooperatives is Zoubida Charrouf, a chemistry professor at Mohammed V University.

Charrouf’s initial interest in the argan tree was largely environmental: how to protect an endangered tree unique to her country, a species long considered a “green curtain” against the desert. “At the time, we were losing more than 600 hectares of argan forest each year. But,” she says, “we also wanted to convert this ecological problem into an economic opportunity.”

Goats on the argan tree

'Hope': An Argan Oil Cooperative is Changing Women's Lives

"My life has really changed. It used to be that I could never leave the house. Today, I am earning an income and can send my children to school." These are the words of a woman who has been given a new lease on life, thanks to a cooperative run exclusively by women in Tamanar, in the Essaouira region of Morocco. Here a group of 50 women has integrated itself into the economy by capitalizing on a piece of ancestral knowhow.

The key is the argan or Moroccan ironwood, a long-lived tree that grows nowhere but in Morocco. Today it is threatened: in less than a century, more than a third of the argan forest has disappeared. Yet, with 20 million trees covering 800,000 hectares, it is the second most important forest species in Morocco and, although neglected, is a very valuable resource. The argan holds great promise as an oil-producer and constitutes a veritable "green curtain" against the relentless onslaught of the desert. Above all, it represents a source of income for people on the margins of society who have few other means of livelihood: in fact, the forest can provide subsistence for as many as three million people.

Marriage of tradition and progress

At the focal point of the struggle to preserve this tree, on which so many women condemned to poverty have pinned their hopes, stands a researcher from the Faculty of Sciences at Rabat, Zoubida Charrouf. She has focused her research efforts on the argan in the profound conviction that any attempt to conserve the tree will fail unless the local community can become involved in putting its products to economic use. At the heart of the campaign is a research project supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). This project has two objectives: to preserve the argan forest by finding a sustainable economic use for its products, and to improve the social and economic status of rural women. Toward this end, the British Embassy has helped purchase equipment for the Amal cooperative.

Traditional knowledge in the form of a simple gesture repeated thousands of time is key to the project's success. Since time immemorial, the women who live in arid regions — particularly in southwestern Morocco — have depended on this almost mythical tree. Its wood is used as fuel, its leaves and seeds as feed for goats. The tree has medicinal properties and its oil both nourishes and beautifies. Indeed, argan oil is reputed for its almost magical powers, but extracting it is difficult and time-consuming. Then Dr Charrouf had a splendid idea: form a cooperative among the destitute and illiterate women who depend on the argan, help them mechanize the process, and sell their output so they can earn a decent living. Thus was born the argan oil cooperative, in Tamanar, 70 kilometres south of Essaouira. Today it employs nearly 50 women on a full-time basis, and another 100 part-time, and has the distinction of being the first female-run argan oil cooperative in Morocco.

Women take charge

The Tamanar cooperative is called Amal, the Arabic word for hope, and this is exactly what it has meant for its members: widowed or divorced for the most part, and all of them poor, they now have the chance to lead a life of dignity as full members of society. With monthly earnings of 600 dirhams , these women — the eldest of whom has proudly celebrated her 80th birthday — are now masters of their own destiny since they have accepted responsibility for running the cooperative, after being trained in extraction techniques, processing, management, organization, and marketing. "We want to earn respect and show that we can take care of ourselves. We don't want to depend on anyone," says one. And those who are most determined have immersed themselves in the literacy courses offered by the cooperative: for two hours a day they learn to read, write, and count, so that they will be ready to take decisions.

Life for women in Tamanar has changed, slowly but surely. They are convinced of it, that they carry considerable social weight, and that their cooperative is a force to reckon with. "Men used to forbid their wives to work here. Now they come and ask for jobs for their wives," says one member of the cooperative. And because mothers and wives have their own income, economic activity is starting to take off in Tamanar. So is business: grocers can sell their produce, turnover is lively in the souks, and a solid purchasing power is making itself felt. "We're not that big, we're no Constantinople, but things are a far cry from what they used to be," says Dr Charrouf.

Multitude of blessings

The argan and its products are an inexhaustible source of blessings, for women, for the region, and for the struggle against desertification since cooperative members are also helping to replant the argan forest: each has committed herself to planting 10 trees a year. Local tourism has also received a boost, and close to 100 people come every day to visit the cooperative.

Tamanar has become the capital of the argan industry, thanks to the mechanization of production. The Berber women no longer have to put in 20 hours of backbreaking work to extract a litre of oil. To see them crushing the nuts and roasting them while singing and dancing as their mothers and their grandmothers used to do, one might not suspect that they are fully plugged into electronic commerce. In fact, the Amal cooperative is well established on the Internet through its website and accepts orders from far-away countries. And all of this success is due strictly to the efforts of women.

Tours : Aït Benhaddou Kasbah Tour & Ouarzazate Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Aznzar) — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 00:07:00 +0000

“See Ouarzazate and die” are feelings often expressed by Moroccans with regards to this magical city that is the door to the Sahara desert. Located just four hours from Marrakesh, Ouarzazate is the main Berber city in the south known for its spectacular sunsets and dramatic mountain and desert scenery. Surrounded by breathtaking valleys, Ouarzazate was once crossing point for African traders seeking to reach northern cities in Morocco and Europe. During the French period, Ouarzazate expanded considerably as a garrison town and became the administrative centre of the Zagora region.

Ouarzazate became famous when it’s nearby Kasbah; Aït Benhaddou appeared in the 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia. This spellbinding quiet town is the perfect home base for exploring the southern region of Morocco which is comprised of ancient Kasbahs, the Oasis of Fint, the Dadès Valley, the Gorge of Todra, the Atlas Films Studios, Mount Mgoun, Skoura and El Kelaa Des Mgouna (TheValley of Roses), Merzouga and the Dunes of Tinfo in Zagora.

ITINERARY

DAY 1:

►Fill up on a savory breakfast of baguette, fresh fruit, jams and a café cassis (Moroccoan cappuccino) at a local pâtisserie and then begin your one-day excursion to Aït Benhaddou & the Atlas Film Studios.

► Located 32 km from Ouarzazate lies the picturesque village. Aït Benhaddou of Aït Benhaddou is situated in Souss-Massa-Draâ on a hill along the Ouarzazate River. Lawrence of Arabia was filmed here and Orson Welles used it as a location for Sodome and Gomorrah; and for Jesus of Nazareth the whole lower part of the village was rebuilt. In recent years more controlled restoration has been carried out under UNESCO auspices. Aït Benhaddou is one of many locations in this region used for shooting Hollywood films.

►Your guide will lead you on a private tour through this Berber village of towered and crenulated Kasbahs that once guarded the lucrative caravan route through the Atlas Mountains. Explore the Kasbahs by foot with the option to ride a donkey across a river

►Make sure to bring along your camera and photograph this spectacular site and the stunning views that surround this Kasbah and its crenellated towers and dark red pise walls. By the river, you will find observe a collection of Kasbahs whose walls are decorated with blind arches and geometric designs. Make sure to take a walk behind the Kasbah and visit the series of ksars, individual plain earth houses still inhabited by Berber families. Your guide will share the fascinating history of Aït Benhaddou which once served as the former caravan route between the Sahara and Marrakech in present-day Morocco. Most of the town's inhabitants now live in a more modern village at the other side of the river; ten families however still live within the ksar. Aït Benhaddou was once a significant stop for traders carrying gold, salt and slaves along the famous Southern Caravan route moving through the Sahara.

►For lunch, relax on a terrace with clear views of Aït Benhaddou

and enjoy a traditional Moroccan meal of mfouar (steamed wheat), Takila (a Berber tajine), couscous and fruit. After lunch, browse the village shops then climb back in the comfortable air-conditioned/heated 4x4 and head to the village. of Tamadaght

►Only six miles away, is the village, dominated by the canyon walls of a Glaoui Kasbah. The Kasbah is famous and you will find its towers inhabited by storks. Walk outside the Kasbah’s lush terraced gardens and witness the same desert scenery that used in Gladiatorand Alexander the Great of Tamdaght

►On the return to Ouarzazate- last stop- visit at the Atlas Film Studios. David Lean filmed Lawrence of Arabia at The Atlas Film Studios in the early 1960’s. Since then many famous directors have followed in his footsteps to exploit the magnificent scenery. International blockbusters shot here in recent years include: the French version of Cleopatra, Bertolucci’s Sheltering Sky, Scorsese’s Kundun, Gillies MacKannon’s Hideous Kinky, Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, Black Hawke Down, Oliver Stone’s Alexander The Great, Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven, and Penelope Cruz’s Sahara.

►The tour ends with a short drive back to Ouarzazate, at sunset, with the reassuring feeling that you have seen spectacular scenery and experience a day rich in Berber history.

____________________________________________________________________

Half Day Tour Aït Benhaddou & Kasbah Taouirit

Duration: 9:00am - 3:00pm

Inclusion: Luxury Toyota 4x4

English, French Speaking Driver, Guide

Starting & Finishing Point: Your Hotel In Ouarzazate

ITINERARY

►Fill up on a savory breakfast of baguette, fresh fruit, jams and a café cassis (Moroccan cappuccino) at a local pâtisserie and then begin your one-day excursion to Aït Benhaddou & the Atlas Film Studios.

►Located 32 km from Ouarzazate lies the picturesque village of Aït Benhaddou. Aït Benhaddou is situated in Souss-Massa-Draâ on a hill along the Ouarzazate River.Lawrence of Arabiawas filmed here and Orson Welles used it as a location for Sodome and Gomorrah; and for Jesus of Nazareth the whole lower part of the village was rebuilt. In recent years more controlled restoration has been carried out under UNESCO auspices. Aït Benhaddou is one of many locations in this region used for shooting Hollywood films.

►Make sure to bring along your camera and photograph this spectacular site and the stunning views that surround this Kasbah and its crenellated towers and dark red pise walls. By the river, you will find observe a collection of Kasbahs whose walls are decorated with blind arches and geometric designs. Make sure to take a walk behind the Kasbah and visit the series of ksars, individual plain earth houses still inhabited by Berber families.

►Your guide will share the fascinating history of Aït Benhaddou which once served as the former caravan route between the Sahara and Marrakesh in present-day Morocco. Most of the town's inhabitants now live in a more modern village at the other side of the river; ten families however still live within the ksar. Aït Benhaddou was once a significant stop for traders carrying gold, salt and slaves along the famous Southern Caravan route moving through the Sahara.

►For lunch, relax on a terrace with clear views of Aït Benhaddou and enjoy a traditional Moroccan meal of mfouar (steamed wheat), Takila (a Berber tajine), couscous and fruit. After lunch, browse the village shops then climb back in the comfortable air-conditioned/heated 4x4 and head to the Kasbah Taouirit.

►Kasbah Taorirt was built by the Glaoui. Its location was strategic for trading routes and in the 1930’s when the Glaoui ruled the South it was then one of Morocco’s largest Kasbahs. Explore its nooks and crannies and discover some local female painters who sell their art inside as well as the many quality silver shops just steps outside the Kasbah.

►After visiting Kasbah Tourirt, return to your hotel in Ouarzazate for a relaxing afternoon by the pool or ask your guide about an extending your tour to the souk. At the souk you will have the opportunity to take in the smells of local spices such as Cumin, Saffron and cinnamon as well as Berber amber and musk while visiting small caftan and Moroccan Baboosh (shoe) shops.

source

When to go

noreply@blogger.com (Aznzar) — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 12:03:00 +0000

As far as the climate goes, it is better to visit the south – or at least the desert routes – outside midsummer, when for most of the day it’s far too hot for casual exploration, especially if you’re dependent on public transport. But July and August, the hottest months, can be wonderful on the coast, while in the mountains there are no set rules.

click to enlarge a picture

Spring, which comes late by European standards (around April to May), is perhaps the best overall time, with a summer climate in the south and in the mountains, as well as on the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts. Winter can be perfect by day in the south, though desert nights can get very cold – a major consideration if you’re staying in the cheaper hotels, which rarely have heating. If you’re planning to hike in the mountains, it’s best to keep to the months from April to October unless you have some experience of snow conditions.

Islamic religious calendar and its related festivals will have the most seasonal effect on your travel. The most important factor is Ramadan, the month of daytime fasting; this can be a problem for transport, and especially hiking, though the festive evenings do much to compensate.

Morocco’s climate

click to enlarge a picture

Maroccan traveller Who Walked Across the World

noreply@blogger.com (Aznzar) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 01:07:00 +0000

Series of documentary travelogues in which Tim Mackintosh Smith follows in the footsteps of 14th Century Moroccan scholar Ibn Battutah, who covered 75,000 miles, 40 countries and three continents in a 30-year odyssey. Beginning in north Africa, Tim visits Battutah’s birthplace of Tangier in Morocco, and stumbles on a performance of medieval trance music. In Egypt, he goes to a remote village where Battutah had an astonishing prophetic dream and visits the world’s oldest university in Cairo.

In Turkey, Tim watches an illegal whirling dervish ceremony, and in the Taurus mountains he meets the last of the Turkoman nomads. He chats to Tatars in Crimea, while in Delhi he watches a Muslim magician performing the Indian rope trick.

He explores the place of Islam in Hindu-dominated India and communist China, and tells the story of the Islamic trade empire of the 14th century. In China, he meets a clan who trace their ancestry back to Arabs, and witnesses an illegal Arabic lesson.

Watch the full documentary now

Wanderlust

Magicians and Mystics

Trade Winds

Where to go

noreply@blogger.com (Aznzar) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 01:03:00 +0000

Geographically, the country divides into four basic zones: the coast,Mediterranean and Atlantic; the great cities of the plains; the Rif and Atlas Mountains; and the oases and desert of the pre- and fully fledged Sahara. With two or three weeks – even two or three months – you can’t expect to cover all of this, though it’s easy enough (and highly recommended) to take in something of each aspect.

You are unlikely to miss the mountains, in any case. The three ranges of the Atlas, with the Rif a kind of extension in the north, cut right across the interior – physical and historical barriers, and inhabited for the most part by the indigenous Moroccan Berbers. Contrary to general preconceptions, it is actually the Berbers who make up most of the population (only around ten percent of Moroccans are “pure” Arabs) although with the shift to the industrialized cities, such distinctions are becoming less and less significant.

A more current distinction, perhaps, is the legacy of Morocco’s colonial occupation over the fifty-odd years before it reasserted its independence in 1956. The colonized country was divided into Spanish and French zones – the former contained Tetouan and the Rif, the Mediterranean.

Amazigh community

The Berbers were Morocco’s original inhabitants. The Arabs arrived at the end of the seventh century, after sweeping across North Africa and the Middle East in the name of their new revolutionary ideology, Islam. Eventually, nearly all the Berbers converted to the new religion and were immediately accepted as fellow Muslims by the Arabs. When Muslim armies invaded the Iberian peninsula from Morocco, the bulk of the troops were Berbers, and the two ethnic groups pretty much assimilated. Today, most Moroccans can claim both Arab and Berber ancestors, though a few (especially Shereefs, who trace their ancestry back to the Prophet Mohammed, and have the title “Moulay”) claim to be pure Arabs. But in the Rif and Atlas mountains, and in the Souss Valley, groups of pure Berbers remain, and retain their ancient languages (Tarfi t, spoken by about 1.5m people in the Rif; Tamazight, spoken by over m people in the Atlas; and Teshalhit, spoken by –4m people in the Souss Valley region). Recently, there has been a resurgence in Berber pride (often symbolized by the Berber letter ) TV programmes are now broadcast in Berber languages, and they are even taught in schools, but the country’s majority language remains Arabic

"Fes and Marrakesh are almost unique
in the Arab world for city life which

remains in large part medieval"

Broadly speaking, the coast is best enjoyed in the north at Tangier, beautiful and still shaped by its old “interna-tional” port status, Asilah and Larache, and in the south at El Jadida, at Essaouira, perhaps the most easy-going resort, or at remote Sidi Ifni. Agadir, the main package tour resort, is less worthwhile – but a functional enough base for exploration.

Inland, where the real interest of Morocco lies, the outstanding cities are Fes and Marrakesh. The great imperial capitals of the country’s various dynasties, they are almost unique in the Arab world for the chance they offer to witness some city life which, in patterns and appearance, remains in large part medieval. For monuments, Fes is the highlight, though Marrakesh, the “beginning of the south”, is for most visitors the more enjoyable and exciting.

Tajines

Like paella or casserole, the word tajine strictly refers to a vessel rather than to the food cooked in it. A tajine is a heavy ceramic plate covered with a conical lid of the same material. The prettiest tajines,

decorated in all sorts of colours and designs, come from Safi (see p.404), but the best tajines for actual use are plain reddish-brown in colour, and come from Salé .

The food in a tajine is arranged with the meat in the middle and the vegetables piled up around

it. Then the lid is put on, and the tajine is left to cook slowly over a low light, or better still, over a charcoal stove (kanoun), usually one made specifically for the tajine and sold with it. The classic tajines combine meat with fruit and spices.

Chicken is traditionally cooked in a tajine with green olives and lemons preserved in brine. Lamb or beef are often cooked with prunes and almonds. When eating a tajine, you start on the outside with the vegetables, and work your way to the meat at the heart of the dish, scooping up the food with bread.

Beyond a line drawn between Casablanca and Meknes – is, on the whole, easier and more relaxing than in the sometimes frenetic north. This is certainly true of the mountain ranges, where the Rif can feel disturbingly anarchic, while the southerly Atlas ranges (Middle, High and Anti) are beau-tiful and accessible. Hiking in the High Atlas, especially around North Africa’s highest peak, Djebel Toubkal, is in fact something of a growth industry. Even if you are no more than a casual walker, it’s worth considering, with summer treks possible at all levels of experience and altitude. And, despite inroads made by commercialization, it remains essentially “undiscovered” – like the Alps must have been in the nineteenth century.

Equally exploratory in mood are the great southern routes beyond – and across – the Atlas, amid the oases of the pre-Sahara. Major routes here can be travelled by bus, minor ones by rented car or local taxi, the really remote ones by four-wheel-drive vehicles or by getting lifts on local camions (lorries), sharing space with the market produce and livestock.

The oases, around Tinerhir, Zagora and Erfoud, or (for the committed) Tata or Figuig, are classic images of the Arab world, vast palmeries stretching into desert horizons. Equally memorable is the architecture that they share with the Atlas – bizarre and fabulous pisé (mud) kasbahs and ksour, with Gothic-looking turrets and multi-patterned walls.

Further south, you can follow a route through the Western Sahara all the way down to Dakhla, just 20km short of the Tropic of Cancer, where the weather is scorching even in midwinter.

memorable is the architecture that they share with the Atlas – bizarre and fabulous pisé (mud) kasbahs and ksour, with Gothic-looking turrets and multi-patterned walls.

Further south, you can follow a route through the Western Sahara all the way down to Dakhla, just 20km short of the Tropic of Cancer, where the weather is scorching even in midwinter.

When rain falls in the winter in the Anti-Atlas Mountains of south-western Morocco,

noreply@blogger.com (Aznzar) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:36:00 +0000

Things fall apart; the center cannot hold
– W.B. Yeats, “The Second Coming” (1921)

When rain falls in the winter in the Anti-Atlas Mountains of south-western Morocco, almond and wild pistachio trees bloom in the spring, their foliage dusted with dirt as the heat increases in summer. Juniper bushes dot the mountainside. In the summer the heat obscures the height of Adrar Tisfane (Mount Tisfane) to the west and Adrar Toubqal to the north. In the dead of winter, the peaks punctuate the bright blue sky, and the late afternoon light tinges the walls and earth a deep salmon.

Most years, in both the Anti-Atlas Mountains and the Souss Valley, rain is scarce or absent altogether, heat is dense, and dust covers everything.

Brushing off the dust – from floors, tea glasses, clothes – is constant and instinctual, like waving at a fl y on your lip, but just as futile. Some areas of the mountains are blessed with scattered almond or Argan trees, and when it rains, fields of barley sprout bright green in the spring. Most years, however, drought prevents even a modest harvest, and everything in sight is the color of parched earth. Resident women curse global warming, believing what they have heard on the radio about the earth getting hotter as evidence of their wretched lot and fuel for their desire to leave for the city.

You scan the dry landscape for flora, and notice the telephone and electricity poles that pass through the countryside without servicing it, en route to the towns. You notice the pink and yellow-painted cinder block houses, the half-constructed villas that encircle the stone villages. Then you wonder where the men are. Boys leave for the cities by the time they reach adolescence, joining the men who did the same in their youth. Women are alone with each other, their daughters, their young sons, and their daughters-in-law in these dry mountains. In the mornings, they collect fodder and wood, dressed in ankle-length navy wraps (tamlh.aft-s) over layers of colorful dresses, skirts, and pants, their heads wrapped in more color or in the traditional black. In the late afternoon sun, they perch like multicolored birds on the door stoops, chatting in the long shadows of their stone houses. Children scamper about or cling to their mothers’ backs if they are too young to play.

The omnipresent mountain woman at the end of the twentieth century was iconic of the Ashelhi Berber ethno-linguistic group, an entity for whom both language and land have become contested terrain in this post nationalist phase of the post-Independence period following the French Protectorate (1912–56). For both emigrant men in the cities and the broader Moroccan citizenry, the Berber woman came to personify the rugged, stoic, yet vulnerable homeland and its inseparable twin: the persistent, ancient, hearty, yet threatened language. In this set of associations, women effectively acted not only for themselves and their families, but also for the whole of the ethno-linguistic group. Women bore both the material and symbolic responsibilities for maintaining the land and the Tashelhit Berber language so closely associated with it. Emigrant men leaving the mountains for the cities, in particular, demonstrated to me that they considered the Tashelhit language as key to a moral universe whose values were expressed in talk, song, and non-verbal behavior, attesting to men’s continued relevance despite their infrequent presence in the tamazirt (homeland, countryside or rural place; pl. timizar). Through their native language, emigrant men maintained authority over family and community affairs, marked group boundaries, and delimited a geographical space in which the social and linguistic hierarchies favored them, a sharp contrast with the cities where Arabic held symbolic capital. This order of things entailed both responsibilities and privileges for women, as it became apparent to me during three and a half years of residence in Morocco (1995–9), three of them based in the market town of Taroudant from which I moved into the Anti-Atlas mountains and Sous plains for research and participated in national and religious rituals, agricultural cycles, school years, and life-cycle events such as engagements, weddings, circumcisions, and funerals.

Sahara Desert - The World's Largest Desert

noreply@blogger.com (Aznzar) — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 01:50:00 +0000

The Sahara desert stretches across much of North Africa covering over 9,000,000 square kilometers (roughly the size of the United States). In fact, the Sahara covers some 30% of the entire African continent. It is the hottest place in the world with summer temperatures that often exceeds 57 degrees Celsius. It has an annual rainfall of 0 - 25 millimeters and is very windy with windstorms sweeping the sand up to heights of 1000 meters and moving the sand dunes constantly.

The Sahara consists of one quarter volcanic mountains, one quarter sand, rocks and gravel-covered plains and small areas of vast permanent vegetation. The vegetation includes shrubs, grasses, and trees in the highland and in the oases along the river beds. Some of the plants are well adjusted to the climate since they sprout within three days of rain and sow their seeds within two weeks after that.

Animals in the Sahara are mainly Gerbils, Cape Hare, Deer, Weasels, Baboons, Jackals, Sand Foxes, Mongooses, Desert Hedgehogs and over 300 bird species.

The following towns and villages are located in the Sahara of Morocco:

Tata: Located where the desert meets the mountains, this small desert town has the reputation for being the hottest town in Morocco.

Tleta Tagmout: A desert oasis

Foum Zguid: Located where the Jebel Bani range meets the desert, this charming desert town boasts one of the largest palm groves in Morocco.

Zagora: Located in the magnificent Drâa Valley, this town is a popular starting for camel and 4x4 excursions into the desert. A sign proclaiming that it is 52 days to Timbuktu is one of the most photographed features of the town.

Tinfou: This small town is located along the Draa Valley route where the stony ground gives way to the sand-dunes of the desert.

Erg Chebbi: This settlement in the dunes of the Sahara offers basic tourist facilities for visitors exploring the enormous sand dunes.

Ouarzazate: Catering for the tourist trade, Ouarzazate has a number of hotels and visitors enjoy the typical Moroccan market in the city center. The Kasbah is beautifully preserved and gives in interesting glimpse into the lives of the people who live there.

Rissani: Also known as Tafilalt, a cluster of small villages around the town of Rissani, is located along the last stretch of the Ziz valley. The region has a long and fascinating history and was a kingdom separate from Morocco between the 8th and 14th centuries.

Merzouga: Located at the start of the oasis zone, inhabitants tap the underground water sources for drinking and irrigation purposes, and the area around the town is well cultivated.

Erfoud: This small oasis town is used by many travelers as a base for exploring the beautiful Ziz valley.

Popular activities in the Sahara include sunrise and sunset camel rides over the dunes, sleeping out under the desert skies, ATV/4X4 trips, visiting traditional Berber villages,

Music and Dance for War in Morocco

noreply@blogger.com (Aznzar) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 00:03:00 +0000

Berbers have been known for their impressive and heroic achievements in battles, and traditional Moroccan music and dance include some genres that were originally performed in times of war. Examples include the ahidni, ghiayta, and taskioine dances. With the emergence of the modern state in Africa, such war songs and dances only exist as cultural remnants. Participants may include both the educated and uneducated, the religious and nonreligious, the rural and urban dwellers, and so on. In some communities, both men and women participate; in others, war dances are only for men. Traditionally, the men wore or carried such war paraphernalia as swords, knives, rifles, arrows, sharpened sticks, and amulets as they danced to a particular war song. Of the different types of this genre, the ahidni dance is the most celebrated. Dancers stand close to one another in a circle, and as they sing, they rhythmically clap their hands and stomp their feet in an aggressive and belligerent manner.

Similarly, the ghiaytas war dance serves to provide soldiers with courage in preparation for a war and embodies a form of victory celebration. During the dance, the warriors, holding their rifles, move their bodies in response to the tune of pipes and the beat of drums. The performers shout rather than sing.

They carry their rifles on their heads, mimic the movements of soldiers in real combat situations, and then pretend to shoot at enemies. Dancing in a circle, the performers aim their rifles to the ground, and at the command of their leader fire blank shots. Among the Haha people of the High Atlas region, a simple reed flute with seven-holes takes the melody, and the rhythm is made by clapping and stomping to give a commanding and enchanting effect. The male performers dance in an aggressive manner that shows masculine passion.

The taskioine is another traditional warriors' dance exclusively for men. Wearing white tunics and turbans, with powder horns on their shoulders, the dancers respond to the beat of earthenware tambourines covered with skins. They make well-rehearsed sudden stops with aggressive stamping of the feet. Although the taskioine dance is more of a physical activity than an artistic performance, the aesthetic values are nevertheless present.

Another traditional war dance involves acrobatic displays from the brotherhood of Sidi Ahmed ou Moussa (or Hmaid ou Moussa, the saint of Tazeroualt, from the Anti-Atlas Mountains), who established a training center for acrobats at the village of Amizmiz near Marrakech. Originally, the young people of the area performed these exercises in preparation for their role as sharpshooters and archers. As traditional warfare gradually declined with the emergence of the modern nation-state in Africa, the young acrobats ofTazeroualt turned the skills associated with this traditional dance into a moneymaking circus. Some of the dancers have taken their talents overseas as entertainers in Europe and the United States. In the diaspora, the traditional elegant costumes with colorful embroidery have been largely retained.

NOTES

1. See W. Komla Amoaku, "Towards a Definition of Traditional African Music: A Look at the Ewe of Ghana," in Irene V. Jackson, ed., More Than Drumming (Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1985), 32.

2. Andalusia is the Arabic word for Spain; hence, the term Andalusian denotes the era of Arab conquest and control of parts of Spanish land.

3. See, for instance, Harold D. Nelson, ed., Morocco: A Country Study, 4th ed. (Washington, D.C.: American University Press, 1978), 140-141. See also Eugene Fodor and William Curtis, Fodor s Morocco 1973 (New York: David McKay, 1973),110-113.

A BRICKFIELD, MARRAKESH

noreply@blogger.com (Aznzar) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:20:00 +0000

The story-teller, whose legends are to be found in the "Thousand Nights and a Night," is generally a merry rogue with ready wit. His tales are told with a wealth of detail that would place them upon the index expurgatorius of the Western world, but men, women, and children crowd round to hear them, and if his tale lacks the ingredients most desired they do not hesitate to tell him so, whereupon he will respond at once to his critics, and add love or war in accordance with their instructions. One has heard of something like this in the serial market at home. His reward is scanty, like that of his fellow-workers, the acrobat and the snake charmer, but he has quite a professional manner, and stops at the most exciting points in his narrative for his companion to make a tour of the circle to collect fees. The quality of the adventures he retails is settled always by the price paid for them.

It is a strange sight, and unpleasant to the European, who believes that his morality, like his faith, is the only genuine article, to see young girls with antimony on their eyelids and henna on their nails, listening to stories that only the late Sir Richard Burton dared to render literally into the English tongue. While these children are young and impressionable they are allowed to run wild, but from the day when they become self-conscious they are strictly secluded.

Throughout Marrakesh one notes a spirit of industry. If a man has work, he seems to be happy and well content. Most traders are very courteous and gentle in their dealings, and many have a sense of humour that cannot fail to please. While in the city I ordered one or two lamps from a workman who had a little shop in the Madinah. He asked for three days, and on the evening of the third day I went to fetch them, in company with Salam. The workman, who had made them himself, drew the lamps one by one from a dark corner, and Salam, who has a hawk's eye, noticed that the glass of one was slightly cracked.

"Have a care, O Father of Lamps," he said; "the Englishman will not take a cracked glass."

"What is this," cried the Lamps' Father in great anger, "who sells cracked lamps? If there is a flaw in one of mine, ask me for two dollars."

Salam held the lamp with cracked glass up against the light. "Two dollars," he said briefly. The tradesman's face fell. He put his tongue out and smote it with his open hand.

"Ah," he said mournfully, when he had admonished the unruly member, "who can set a curb upon the tongue?

The Moroccan pre-Sahara begins as soon as you cross the Atlas to the south

noreply@blogger.com (Aznzar) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 23:21:00 +0000

Immediately when you arrive in the Sahara, for the first or the tenth time, you notice the stillness. An incredible, absolute silence prevails outside the towns; and within, even in busy places like the markets, there is a hushed quality in the air, as if the quiet were a constant force which, resenting the intrusion of sound, minimizes and disperses it straightaway. Then there is the sky, compared to which all other skies seem faint-hearted efforts. Solid and luminous, it is always the focal point of the landscape. At sunset, the precise, curved shadow of the earth rises into it swiftly from the horizon, cutting it into light section and dark section. When all daylight has gone, and the space is thick with stars, it is still of an intense and burning blue, darkest directly overhead and paling toward the earth, so that the night never really grows dark..

The Moroccan pre-Sahara begins as soon as you cross the Atlas to the south. It is not sand for the most part – more a wasteland of rock and scrub which the Berbers call hammada – but it is powerfully impressive. The quote from Paul Bowles may sound over the top, but staying at M’hamid or Merzouga, or just stopping a car on a desert road between towns somehow has this effect. There is, too, an irresistible sense of wonder as you catch a first glimpse of the great southern river valleys – the Drâa, Dadès, Todra, and Ziz. Long belts of date palm oases, scattered with the fabulous mud architecture of kasbahs and fortified ksour villages, these are the old caravan routes that reached back to Marrakesh and Fes and out across the Sahara to Timbuktu, Niger and old Sudan, carrying gold, slaves and salt well into the nineteenth century. They are beautiful routes, even today, tamed by modern roads and with the oases in decline, and if you’re travelling in Morocco for any length of time, they are a must. The simplest circuits – Marrakesh–Zagora–Marrakesh, or Marrakesh–Tinerhir–Midelt – can be covered in around five days, though to do them any degree of justice you need a lot longer. With ten days or more to spare, the loop from Ouarzazate to Merzouga (via Boumalne and Tinerhir), and thence southwest to Zagora and M’hamid, becomes a possibility, stringing together the region’s main highlights via good roads and dependable transport connections.

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The southern oases were long a mainstay of the pre-colonial economy. Their wealth, and the arrival of tribes from the desert, provided the impetus for two of the great royal dynasties: the Saadians (1154–1669) from the Drâa Valley, and the current ruling family, the Alaouites (1669–present) from the Tafilalt. By the nineteenth century, however, the advance of the Sahara and the uncertain upkeep of the water channels had reduced life to bare subsistence even in the most fertile strips. Under the French, with the creation of modern industry in the north and the exploitation of phosphates and minerals, they became less and less significant, while the old caravan routes were dealt a final death blow by the closure of the Algerian border after independence.

Today, there are a few urban centres in the south; Ouarzazate and Er Rachidia are the largest and both were created by the French to “pacify” the south; they seem only to underline the end of an age. Although the date harvests in October, centred on Erfoud, can still give employment to the ksour communities, the rest of the year sees only the modest production of a handful of crops – henna, barley, citrus fruits and, uniquely, roses – the latter developed by the French around El Kelâa des Mgouna for the production of rose-water and perfume in May. To make matters worse, in recent years the seasonal rains have consistently failed, turning the palmeries pale yellow. Perhaps as much as half the male population of the region now seeks work in the north for at least part.

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Extreme Adventure Itinerary

noreply@blogger.com (Aznzar) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:07:00 +0000

The extreme trips are about exploring new ground in the quest to find a ider variety and more interesting routes. The approach here is that real adventure is about facing unknowns. Sometimes the trip will not go according to plan and often time will be lost due to backtracking from deadend pilot routes. The itinerary therefore needs to remain flexible and the group will have to work together as a team with each member playing their part. Days will be long, camping on route will be the favoured mode of accommodation to maintain flexibilty, and there is the possibility the group will have to face up to unforeseen challenges.

There will be some hotels along the way at key points and time to stop and relax, but this is a more hardcore adventure for the experienced rider who wants to be involved with pioneering a new route over untested ground. Ultimately there should be a sense of acheivement from all the ground covered riding in challenging conditions.

Enduro Adventure Itinerary

noreply@blogger.com (Aznzar) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:05:00 +0000

The Eduro Adventure Itinerary is designed for riders with good experience riding off-road and wanting to cover on average of about 200km per day at a steady pace. Full days moving across different landscapes, with some nights camping.

Day 1 – Saturday

Arrive at hotel...
Introductions and brief safety talk

Day 2 - Sunday

150-200km route in and around the Erg Chebbi dunes to get to know the quads and re-familiarise riders with the variety of different terrains they will be facing in the coming week’s tour. Lunch-time stop at the Meski Oasis.

Day 3 - Monday
175-200km route along stoney and sandy pistes towards Zagora, travelling along the border with Algeria in places, where the group will pass several military outposts, hill forts and Berber villages and encampments. The group will need to cross several chotts, (dried river bed or lake) and there is a 10km meteor crater to cross also. The scenery is spectacular and the group will stop to camp that night.

Day 4 - Tuesday
150-200km route from night camp leaving early to make good time so the group can spend the afternoon relaxing by the pool at the hotel in Zagora. The pistes are fast taking the group through the only col (pass), a gateway from the Sahara to the lush oasis of the Draa valley. Zagora is the last major town before crossing the desert to Mauritania.

Day 5 - Wednesday
200km route from Zagora to Mhamid crossing the dunes at Iriki. Navigation is key to avoid the softer sections of sand as the dunes are constantly shifting. The final 10km is a dusty chott that leads into the palm groves of Mhamid where the group will make camp. This is a long and demanding day and depending on progress of the group there is a chance of making camp in the dark.

Day 6 – Thursday
There are 2 routes from night camp to stay in the evening with Berber tribesmen in their tents depending on how riders are fairing. A 175km easier southern route or a 250km route heading north back through the pass from the Sahara to Zagora. The first 100km of the northern route is along rugged mountain tracks and passes, later leading to sandy pistes. If the northern route is taken, it will be an early start and another tough day’s riding.

Day 7 – Friday
175km route back to Merzouga that should ensure an early arrival at the hotel to relax by the pool or do some shopping. Mostly fast sandy pistes with a large chott to cross, covering some of the same sections as day 2.

Day 8 – Saturday
Departure from hotel...

First Adventure Itinerary

noreply@blogger.com (Aznzar) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:02:00 +0000

he First Adventure Itinerary is designed for riders with a moderate or limited experience who have not ridden in Morocco. It allows the rider to build a wide experience of different conditions at a suitable pace without the pressure of long days and the need to cover big distances.
Day 1 - Saturday
Arrive at hotel
Day 2 - Sunday
Introduction to the quad bikes, safety equipment and general issues regarding safety
150km round trip to along well defined flat desert tracks to enable riders to get used to the terrain and their equipment. Mid-morning stop at deserted mud village and lunch-time break in the palm groves outside Rissani. Afternoon ride back to hotel, on terrain depending on the progress of the riders
Day 3 - Monday
180km round trip around the Erg Chebbi dunes with a lunch-time stop at Meski Oasis. Riders will experience soft sand conditions and the group will need to navigate around the drifting sand from the dunes. The route passes through a dry river bed where conditions can be equally demanding. Soft clay dust and sand masked by a hard clay crust, or soft mud depending on seasonal changes
Day 4 - Tuesday
150km route to night camp in Bedouin tents with local tribesmen. The ride will build on the experience gained so far.
Day 5 - Wednesday
150km route returning to the hotel closeby the Algerian border
Day 6 - Thursday
Optional rest day for those wanting to take a break from riding with a visit to the souks at Rissani on market day. There will be a lunch organised and the opportunity to shop and browse Moroccan carpets, jewellery and other handicraft.
For others wanting to continue to ride, the consensus will determine a route for this smaller group
Day 7 - Friday
Riding in the Erg Chebbi dunes, rising before dawn to take advantage or the harder sand conditions. The group will ride into the dunes and learn about navigating a course across this extreme landscape, returning to the hotel for lunch. Those wishing to explore the dunes further can opt to go on an evening trip after the heat of the day.
Day 8 - Saturday
Departure

Trips and Itineraries

noreply@blogger.com (Aznzar) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Morocco Winter Trips
October to May avoids the intense heat of the deserts south of the Atlas mountains. Here you will find huge baron landscapes punctuated with oases and fertile palm valleys where nomadic tribesmen have traded for centuries. A unique experience which is different to anything else you will encounter, big long tracks and mountainous sandy dunes.

Itinerary - First Adventure
Itinerary - Enduro Adventure
Itinerary - Extreme Adventure

Morocco Summer and Winter Trips are 6 days riding with collections from Alicante and Almeria, Spain, group collections can be arranged from Marrakech.

Geotag Icon Spotlight: all about argan

noreply@blogger.com (Aznzar) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 04:01:00 +0000

Throughout this journey, we will be documenting people, projects and ideas that we find inspiring – whether they relate to climate change, agriculture, rural transport, cooperative projects, human rights or humanitarian welfare (or anything else that interests us!) – in a series called “spotlight”. Here’s the first: on the argan tree, the women’s cooperatives who extract oil from it, and the tree’s importance in preventing desertification. If you like, you can listen to some audio we recorded in one of the cooperatives (”The merry nutcrackers“) as you read:

Towards the south of Morocco, away from the irrigated farmland of the north and its crops of potatoes, sugar cane, cereals, tomatoes, strawberries and field scale vegetables, we entered an area dominated by cereal production and extensive livestock farming (sheep, cattle and goats). Here, we regularly passed farmers carrying milk churns balanced between their legs as they drove their little Peugeot scooters to the local dairy co-operative. Threshing machines chugged away next to big stacks of cereals, which were transported there by tractor, donkey or camel.

Still further south, the mixed livestock gave way to goats, who are able to survive on the scrubby shrubs and trees found in this arid region. We spent many hours in the shade of thorny trees, sitting out the heat of the day, listening to larks singing away and watching goats climb the trees to reach their fruits. Having more than a passing interest in most (all!) things agricultural and natural, we set about finding out more about the trees. All the trees and bushes were the same species and, not recognising them, the first thing to find out was what they were. The first person we asked told us they were argan trees, and he went on to explain that oil is extracted from the seed by women, and is used for cooking, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

The argan tree (Argania spinosa) is a slow growing, spiny tree or shrub (growing up to 7-10 metres) endemic to south-western Morocco where it grows over an area of about 320,000 square miles.

As well as producing oil, the trees themselves provide forage for animals (the climbing goats) and fire wood for local communities. The waste pulp from the extraction process makes a highly palatable animal feed. It’s very much a multi use tree, and it plays an important part in the local economy, providing a much needed income for rural households.

Its roots consolidate the soil and its canopy provides shade for other plants and crops, helping to maintain soil fertility and structure, and reducing soil erosion by wind and (infrequent but heavy) rainfall. As such, it’s important in the battle against desertification and, to a certain degree, in mitigating the effects of climate change. The production of argan oil has been taking place for centuries on a small cottage industry scale and, traditionally, women have always done the processing – an extremely labour intensive job. Nowadays, oil production has largely moved from homesteads to women’s cooperatives, and this pooling of resources and cooperative investment is helping to create a thriving industry in the arid south-west of Morocco, making a significant contribution to the economy and living standards in the region. The highly marketable products are sold in upmarket retail outlets around the world.

Traditional method of extracting argan oil

Argan oil is extracted from the kernel of the fruits of the argan tree. This labour intensive process starts with the removal of the outer layer of the ripe fruit to extract the nut, either by hand or by feeding the fruit to goats and removing the undigested nut from the dung. The nuts are then cracked using a small rock as a hammer against a larger rock (anvil) to remove the oil-bearing kernel. The kernels are air dried in clay containers, lightly roasted, left to cool and then ground into a paste using a hand turned mill. This paste is mixed with water and hand squeezed to extract the emulsion. Due to the high water content, the oil doesn’t keep well, so it need to be pressed regularly and have salt added to preserve it. While this method is still used for home consumption, the inconsistency of the end product means that most commercial production is now carried out in cooperatives.

Cooperative method of extracting argan oil

With the pooling of resources and the ability to collectively invest, some of the production stages in cooperatives have been mechanised, allowing a greater output and a more consistent end product. This volume of production has allowed rural women to market their products nationally and globally, command higher prices and significantly increase their income. The following is an indicative example of the production in one of the cooperatives, but levels of mechanisation vary.

The removal of the outer fruit on the whole has been mechanised, so after harvesting, the manual work starts with the cracking of the nut. This is done in large rooms with sometimes dozens of women sitting on cushions, all with their own sacks of nuts in front of them, tapping away with a rock at an incredible speed to extract the kernels.

The room is filled with the sound of the rhythmic tapping and constant chatting, turning this lengthy part of the process from a solitary or small group task into communal and sociable work. At the end of the day each person has their kernels weighed and logged in a ledger. The women are free to work for as long or as little as they want or can, allowing them to fit the work around their other commitments.

After the kernels have been extracted, cooking grade oil is lightly roasted and then ground into a paste (most co-ops have mechanised this step). The paste is then mechanically pressed, meaning there is no need to add water and the purer oil produced is then filtered and bottled. Oil for cosmetic products is not roasted, but is pressed and filtered before being processed into the end products.

In recent decades, there has been a decline in argan trees, due partly to several years of lower than average rainfall and partly to population pressure, especially overgrazing by livestock and firewood collecting. But the population view the argan tree as a valuable resource worth protecting. Replanting programmes have now been introduced and, although initially these weren’t altogether successful (due to inappropriate management), they’re now improving. This, along with the increasing marketing of the oil and cosmetics as a high quality product in a world market, means the future looks promising for argan.

Morocco Travel Guide

noreply@blogger.com (Aznzar) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:54:00 +0000

The first reaction of most visitors to the flood of new impressions is to draw a long, deep breath and sigh; the odours of mint and blossom mingling with the acrid smell of the tanners' yard, the unearthly wail of the Muezzin and muleteers "balek! balek!", the subtle intricacies of an art that had reached its apogee and a daily rhythm that seems barely to have changed since the coming of islam.
For some, it begins with a glimpse of the cloud-veiled Rif, the first of three giant ranges that slice sideways across the mountain and culminate in the High Atlas, a wonderfully impressive barricade of snow-clad peaks that tower above a mystic city, dark ravines and hidden valleys. Beyond the oases of extraordinary fertility, planted with pomegranite and palm and the only bulwarks against the advances of the sterile desert. Here the air is luminous, the silence almost deafening and one understands instinctively the burning desire for purity which has fueled every Moroccan dynasty.

The Almohads, Merinids and Almoravids came from the dunes but their genius erupted further north in a spectacular flowering of mosques, minarets and palaces that is everyones vision of life in the Orient. The monuments of Fes and Marrakech defy heaven in their own opulence but, at the heart of even the most sumptuous, there is the modest, desert dream of a life of quiet contemplation passed amid ripening fruit and the gurgling of fountains.
For some, the countries main appeal lies in the quality of its beaches. Morocco has always been a crossroads, the place where the East collides with the West and Africa shakes hands with Europe across the narrow straits of Gibraltar. It also marks the merger of the Mediterranean with the Atlantic and this gives Morocco two strikingly different coasts.
You may like to combine a few days on one of the beaches together with exploring the kasbahs and oases of the pre-Sahara where the only waves are those shaped by the receding dunes. You could disappear into the medieval world of Morocco's ancient cities and souks or go skiing in Oukaimeden or trekking on foot or on horseback in the high Atlas or play golf on some of the finest courses in the world.
Moroccans are friendly, polite, competitive and intensely curious about the outside world. Islam is a thriving faith but Morocco's version is also extremely moderate, open minded and tolerant. You can go a long way into the heart of their culture just by feeling independent enough to accept their hospitality which pours forth from rich and poor alike whether in the city or the countryside. Such gestures of friendship are what transforms a good holiday into a great experience, for then you are no longer just visiting but really living.

The accommodation in Morocco ranges from the luxury Aman chain, through grand hotels, the traditional riads in the medinas of Marrakech, Fes, Essaouira, ... and boutique hotels, onto the ideosyncratic residences in the desert and the atlas mountains. The larger hotels and hotel chains also offer a wide range of facilities with good value.

Our staff know and have visited all the places and Hotels And Riads featured on this website

and we are probably the best qualified and most knowledgeable team to help you select the most suitable itinerary to match your personal interests and requirements. Most other holiday companies deal in the "masses" - we deal in individuals.

Morocco is an exciting country. We have no need to make idle promises and exaggerations. It is all there for you to experience, but we will help you create an itinerary that involves as little inconvenience as possible and steer you away from the places that may be of little or no interest to you.

Sahara, brief view

noreply@blogger.com (Aznzar) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:16:00 +0000

Sahara [Arab.,=desert], world's largest desert, c.3,500,000 sq mi (9,065,000 sq km), N Africa; the western part of a great arid zone that continues into SW Asia. Extending more than 3,000 mi (4,830 km), from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea, the Sahara is bounded on the N by the Atlas Mts., steppelands, and the Mediterranean Sea; it stretches south c.1,200 mi (1,930 km) to the Sahel , a steppe in W and central Africa that forms its southern border. The desert includes most of Western Sahara, Mauritania, Algeria, Niger, Libya, and Egypt; the southern portions of Morocco and Tunisia; and the northern portions of Senegal, Mali, Chad, and Sudan. The E Sahara is usually divided into three regions—the Libyan Desert , which extends west from the Nile valley through W Egypt and E Libya; the Arabian Desert , or Eastern Desert, which lies between the Nile valley and the Red Sea in Egypt; and the Nubian Desert , which is in NE Sudan.

Regions of sand dunes (erg) occupy only about 15% of the Sahara; "stone deserts," consisting of plateaus of denuded rock (hammada) or areas of coarse gravel (reg), cover about 70% of the region; mountains, oases, and transition zones account for the remainder. Sparse vegetation is found in most parts of the Sahara, with the exception of the sand dune regions. High mountain massifs rise in the central regions; they are the Ahagger (Hoggar) in S Algeria, which rises to more than 9,000 ft (2,740 m); the Tibesti Massif in N Chad, which rises to more than 11,000 ft (3,350 m); and the Aïr Mountains (Azbine) in N Niger, which rise to more than 6,000 ft (1,830 m). The mountains are deeply dissected and were in the past infamous for the shelter they provided to marauders preying on desert traffic. From west to east the four principal land routes across the desert are from Colomb-Bechar to Dakar; from Colomb-Bechar to Gao and Timbuktu by way of Reganne; from Touggourt to Agadez and Kano by way of In-Salah; and from Tripoli to Ghat.

Climate

The Sahara has one of the harshest climates in the world. Located in the trade winds belt, the region is subject to winds that are frequently strong and that blow constantly from the northeast between a subtropical high-pressure cell and an equatorial low-pressure cell. As air moves downward from the high-pressure into the low-pressure cell, it becomes warmer and drier. The desiccating and dust-laden winds are sometimes felt north and south of the desert, where they are variously known as sirocco, khamsin, simoom, and harmattan. The northern slopes of the Atlas Mts. intercept most of the moisture from winds blowing inshore from the Mediterranean Sea.

Border zones on the north and south, where the desert merges with the steppe, receive about 10 in. (25 cm) of rain a year with some seasonal regularity, but over most of the region rainfall is sparser, with an average annual total of less than 5 in. (12.7 cm); rainfall is usually torrential when it occurs after long dry periods that sometimes last for years. The region's low relative humidity rarely exceeds 30% and is often in the 4% to 5% range.

Daytime temperatures are high; Azizia, Libya, recorded the world's highest official temperature in the shade (136°F/58°C) in Sept., 1922. Heat loss is rapid at night and a diurnal range of 86°F (30°C) is common. Freezing temperatures are not uncommon at night from December to February.

Water and Other Resources

The Nile and Niger rivers, both fed by rains outside the desert, are the only permanent rivers in the region. Water is present at or just below the surface gravel in wadis (intermittent streams) that radiate from the mountain massifs, in scattered oases where the water table comes to the surface, and at greater depths in huge underground aquifers. The aquifers are believed to be filled with water dating from the Pleistocene epoch, when the Sahara was much wetter than it is today. The more than 20 lakes (called chotts in the north) and areas of salt flats and boggy salt marshes are also considered relics from this pluvial period.

Important discoveries of minerals, oil, and gas have been made in the Sahara. There are huge oil and gas deposits in Algeria and Libya, but in most cases, inaccessibility has delayed exploitation. In searching for oil reserves, underground deposits of water also have been found. Extensive iron ore deposits are worked in the Fort Gouraud area of Mauritania. Salt is still mined, as in the past, at Taoudenni, Mali, and at Bilma, Niger, and is transported, as in the days of the great medieval kingdoms of W Africa, by camel caravans across the desert.

People

Two thirds of the Sahara's estimated 2 million inhabitants (excluding those in the Nile valley) are concentrated in oases where date palms, fruits, vegetables, grains, and other crops are produced under irrigation. Nomads, with herds of sheep and goats and with camels for transportation, predominate in drier areas and continue to use oases (including modern oases created by the drilling of wells), as in centuries past, for water, trade, and provisioning stops. The principal ethnic groups of the Sahara are the Tuareg (of Berber origin), who dominate the mountains of the central Sahara; the peoples of mixed Berber and Arab origin in W Sahara; and the Tibu (Tébu), who dominate the Tibesti Massif.

History

The Sahara has undergone a series of wet periods, the most recent occurring c.5,000-10,000 years ago; it was not until c.3000 BC that the Sahara transformed into its present arid state. There is dispute as to whether the desertification of the region has continued into historic time. Those who support this theory contend that increasing aridity is the reason for the recorded advance of desert conditions into areas under cultivation in Roman times in the north and more recently (since the late 1960s) in the south. Opponents of this view explain such changes as being the result of alterations in land-use practices and neglect of water-supply and irrigation systems.

The camel was introduced probably in the 1st cent. AD and facilitated occupation by nomads (first the Berbers, later the Arabs), who lived in interdependence with the oasis dwellers, providing protection against enemies in exchange for supplies of food and water. A profitable trans-Saharan trade in gold and slaves from W Africa, salt from the desert, and cloth and other products from the cities on the Mediterranean coast was carried on by the nomads. The first European explorers to travel in the Sahara were Friedrich Horneman in 1805 and Mungo Park in 1806. Some areas of the Sahara remain virtually unexplored, although a network of air and automobile routes now crosses the desert and links the major oases and mining areas.

Bibliography

See C. Kruger et al., Sahara (tr. 1969); M. Williams and H. Faure, ed., The Sahara and the Nile: Quarternary Environments and Prehistoric Occupation in Northern Africa (1980); J. Cloudsley-Thompson, ed., Key Environments: Sahara Desert (1984); E. Gautier, Sahara (1987).

The Sahara desert of Morocco

noreply@blogger.com (Aznzar) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 19:50:00 +0000

The Sahara is the world's largest desert. Only a small part of the Sahara is fertile and it is here that corn, dates and other fruits grow. These parts are fed by underground rivers and oases. The Sahara can be an inspirational experience at night, with the air being crisp, clean and clear and the stars being so close you can almost touch them. The desert also has a deafening silence at night. The Sahara desert stretches across much of North Africa covering over 9 000 000 square kilometers (roughly the size of the United States). In fact, the Sahara covers some 30% of the entire African continent. It is the hottest place in the world with summer temperatures that often exceeds 57 degrees Celsius. It has an annual rainfall of 0 - 25 millimeters and is very windy with windstorms sweeping the sand up to heights of 1000 meters and moving the sand dunes constantly.

The Sahara consists of one quarter volcanic mountains, one quarter sand, rocks and gravel-covered plains and small areas of vast permanent vegetation. The vegetation includes shrubs, grasses, and trees in the highland and in the oases along the river beds. Some of the plants are well adjusted to the climate since they sprout within three days of rain and sow their seeds within two weeks after that.

Animals in the Sahara are mainly Gerbils, Cape Hare, Deer, Weasels, Baboons, Jackals, Sand Foxes, Mongooses, Desert Hedgehogs and over 300 bird species.

The following towns and villages are located in the Sahara of Morocco:

Tata: Located where the desert meets the mountains, this small desert town has the reputation for being the hottest town in Morocco.

Tleta Tagmout: A desert oasis

Foum Zguid: Located where the Jebel Bani range meets the desert, this charming desert town boasts one of the largest palm groves in Morocco.

Zagora: Located in the magnificent Drâa Valley, this town is a popular starting for camel excursions into the desert. A sign proclaiming that it is 52 days to Timbuktu is one of the most photographed features of the town.

Tinfou: This small town is located along the Draa Valley route where the stony ground gives way to the sand-dunes of the desert.

Erg Chebbi: This settlement in the dunes of the Sahara offers basic tourist facilities for visitors exploring the enormous sand dunes.

Ouarzazate: Catering for the tourist trade, Ouarzazate has a number of hotels and visitors enjoy the typical Moroccan market in the city center. The Kasbah is beautifully preserved and gives in interesting glimpse into the lives of the people who live there.

Rissani: Also known as Tafilalt, a cluster of small villages around the town of Rissani, is located along the last stretch of the Ziz valley. The region has a long and fascinating history and was a kingdom separate from Morocco between the 8th and 14th centuries.

Merzouga: Located at the start of the oasis zone, inhabitants tap the underground water sources for drinking and irrigation purposes, and the area around the town is well cultivated.

Erfoud: This small oasis town is used by many travelers as a base for exploring the beautiful Ziz valley.

Popular activities in the Sahara include sunrise and sunset camel rides over the dunes, sleeping out under the desert skies, ATV/4X4 trips, visiting traditional Berber villages, dune-boarding.

The Sahara desert of Morocco

noreply@blogger.com (Aznzar) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 19:50:00 +0000

The Sahara desert stretches across much of North Africa covering over 9 000 000 square kilometers (roughly the size of the United States)। In fact, the Sahara covers some 30% of the entire African continent. It is the hottest place in the world with summer temperatures that often exceeds 57 degrees Celsius. It has an annual rainfall of 0 - 25 millimeters and is very windy with windstorms sweeping the sand up to heights of 1000 meters and moving the sand dunes constantly.

The Sahara consists of one quarter volcanic mountains, one quarter sand, rocks and gravel-covered plains and small areas of vast permanent vegetation. The vegetation includes shrubs, grasses, and trees in the highland and in the oases along the river beds. Some of the plants are well adjusted to the climate since they sprout within three days of rain and sow their seeds within two weeks after that.

Animals in the Sahara are mainly Gerbils, Cape Hare, Deer, Weasels, Baboons, Jackals, Sand Foxes, Mongooses, Desert Hedgehogs and over 300 bird species.

The following towns and villages are located in the Sahara of Morocco:

Tata: Located where the desert meets the mountains, this small desert town has the reputation for being the hottest town in Morocco.

Tleta Tagmout: A desert oasis

Foum Zguid: Located where the Jebel Bani range meets the desert, this charming desert town boasts one of the largest palm groves in Morocco.

Zagora: Located in the magnificent Drâa Valley, this town is a popular starting for camel excursions into the desert. A sign proclaiming that it is 52 days to Timbuktu is one of the most photographed features of the town.

Tinfou: This small town is located along the Draa Valley route where the stony ground gives way to the sand-dunes of the desert.

Erg Chebbi: This settlement in the dunes of the Sahara offers basic tourist facilities for visitors exploring the enormous sand dunes.

Ouarzazate: Catering for the tourist trade, Ouarzazate has a number of hotels and visitors enjoy the typical Moroccan market in the city center. The Kasbah is beautifully preserved and gives in interesting glimpse into the lives of the people who live there.

Rissani: Also known as Tafilalt, a cluster of small villages around the town of Rissani, is located along the last stretch of the Ziz valley. The region has a long and fascinating history and was a kingdom separate from Morocco between the 8th and 14th centuries.

Merzouga: Located at the start of the oasis zone, inhabitants tap the underground water sources for drinking and irrigation purposes, and the area around the town is well cultivated.

Erfoud: This small oasis town is used by many travelers as a base for exploring the beautiful Ziz valley.

Popular activities in the Sahara include sunrise and sunset camel rides over the dunes, sleeping out under the desert skies, ATV/4X4 trips, visiting traditional Berber villages, dune-boarding,

How to Sand Surf

noreply@blogger.com (Aznzar) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 19:49:00 +0000

Erg Chebbi, Morocco, Africa
Member

By plasticostrich

eHow Community Member

Do you want to surf the perfect wave, or the perfect sand dune? Some of the world's largest sand dunes have been attracting quite a crowd of enthusiastic sandboarders lately. Learning to sand surf is a lot like learning to surf, but even more like learning to snowboard.

One of the best sand surf hotspots is in Swakopmund, Namibia (Namib Desert, Africa). Rated as one of the highest dunes in the world, Dune 7 stands around 300 meters tall (980 feet). As such, it is the ultimate spot for sand surfing..

Whether you want to sand surf on vacation in Africa, or at any other sandy spot, you will need the following:

Difficulty: Moderate
Instructions
Things You'll Need:
• A board
• A desert

1. Step 1
Pick the right location. You need a desert to sand surf...a real desert.

The best place would be Namibia. Where in the world is Namibia? Well, maybe the name is unfamiliar to you because it was formerly known as South West Africa, a former German colony in the colonial years before World War 2. In more recent years, it was a protectorate of South Africa and since 1989 an independent democratic country. Besides the Namib desert, it also spots one of the world's best game reserves namely the Etosha National Park. To summarize, your sand surfing destination can be found just above South Africa, on the left against the West Coast of Africa.
2. Step 2
You need a standard snowboard. If you haven't mastered the technique of surfing yet, you may also use a sled, or a board made of a simple, flattened cardboard box. Basically, any flat board will do nicely when you sand surf.
3. Step 3
Technique is important if you want to sand surf and not get injured. If you fall off at high speed, you hit sand, and the landing can be a tumble downhill. It is also important to realize that the bottom edge of a dune may very well not curve out gently, but hit gravel at a steep angle. It may be a very quick stop at the bottom if you don't slow down as you descend.
4. Step 4
Check the condition of the sand. The weather plays an important role in prime sand surfing conditions. A bit of humidity (mist) will compact the sand enough so that it will provide for a more solid surfing experience. If the sand is to loose and warm, it will create a drum sound as you walk over it as the sand shifts. That is usually a bad sign.
5. Step 5
Pack suntan lotion and more suntan lotion. You simply can't pack enough suntan lotion and hats. Good sunglasses and enough water will make up the rest of your surfing gear. It's just good common sense.
6. Step 6
If you can manage it, rent a quad bike. Climbing up a sand dune with a board is a tiresome experience and can take you easily 30 minutes or more, depending how fit you are. Most dunes are quite steep, so it is more like climbing up than walking up. If the sand is compact, which is ideal, it is easier to walk up. On a hot day, you may just sink into the sand up your knees while trying to plow ahead up the dune. A nice addition to your trip may be a quad bike, to drive up the from the backside of the dune.

Enjoy your sand surfing!

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