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18th August 2019 by Johannes
Morocco, Motorcycle Travel Logbook

From the Anti-Atlas into the desert

From the Anti-Atlas into the desert
18th August 2019 by Johannes
Morocco, Motorcycle Travel Logbook

I finished the last episode in the village of Tamtetouchte. From there I went southwards to cross the Anti-Atlas, and what a crossing that was. The dirt road from Ikniouen to Nikob was one of the most spectacular mountain passes I ever did.

The start of the dirt road just south of Ikniouen.
On the highest point, the road followed a crest, together with a little guest house.
Nothing but thorny shrubbery grows here.

On the descent I goofed and dropped the Tenere in completely harmless switchback. Not really worth mentioning, except for my pure bad luck. The right hand guard took the brunt of the drop, bent out of shape and blocked the brake lever. So, I spent the next half hour exhausting my vocabulary of swearwords while trying to bend it back into shape (that bloody thing was not strong enough to take a fall but too strong for me … ). In the end I had to take it off completely to wedge it in-between two rocks for better leverage. Well, at least it did its job of protecting the brake lever. With a usable brake I continued towards civilization and found a campsite in the picturesque Wadi Draa.

Here I ended the day with probably the best photo I will ever take. This palm grove offered a perfect framing for the local kasbah and, by pure luck, a car passed by on the nearby road, illuminating the kasbah, right in the moment I took that picture.

Leaving my campsite and the Kasbah in Wadi Draa behind, I rode south west. Still in the Anti-Atlas mountains but I intended to reach the desert in the south, close to the Algerian border.

A village in the Anti-Atlas. I love the timelessness of this photo, if cameras existed back then, it would be impossible to tell whether it was taken 1 year or 1000 years ago.
Endless gravel roads…
Even endless roads end somewhere, this particular one ended in the town of Tata, in the southern foothills of the Anti-Atlas.
A Triporteur, the Moroccan flavour of a small scale goods and cargo transporter.
Camels in the desert. Just beyond this small ridge, the land becomes flat and the desert stretches to the Algerian border and far beyond. I followed the main road in south western direction with the intention of finding an oasis to camp.
Just outside the village of Akka, I was successful. Following a dirt road through some gardens, where the villagers grow fruits and vegetables, and continuing onwards through the sands after the road had ended, I found the perfect palm tree to pitch my tent below.
Just in time to admire the sunset.
This day’s night time photo. Stars above the oasis and a faint glow over Akka.
Sunrise; the difference in the light of sunrise and sunset has always intrigued me. While sunsets boast warm red and orange colours, sunrises are dominated by cooler yellow and even greenish light. For this day, I planned to turn northwards towards Marrakesh, crossing the Anti-Atlas again. I intended to leave the main roads and follow a shortcut through the mountains.
Market day in Tadakoust. Untill here, my plan to avoid the main road worked nicely, unfortunately the fish vendor (with blue headscarf) told me, my intended route was impassable and I had to return to the main road if I want to go northwards.
The boys were super excited to see a traveller and the hospitality by the villagers here was humbling. Immediately after I stepped off the Tenere, I was surrounded by curious locals and soon after was offered tea and some fruits.
More endless gravel roads south of the Anti-Atlas.
This endless road ended after 2 km at a guest house and camp site.
Every now and then the road leads through an oasis. I’d strongly recommend to stop, switch of the engine and just listen for a moment. The air is filled with birds’ songs.
Sweeping road on the high plains of the Anti-Atlas
Valley near Tafroute
A village on a mountain top, also near Tafroute. This region is spectacular.
I ended this day with a tea in the most spectacular riad of this trip.
Nighttime photo of the day. More on this riad in the next episode.
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