{"id":15164,"date":"2021-07-22T11:02:45","date_gmt":"2021-07-22T09:02:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kanaga-at.com\/trip-info\/morocco\/the-mud-kasbahs-between-the-desert-and-the-atlas-mountains\/"},"modified":"2022-05-18T15:42:14","modified_gmt":"2022-05-18T13:42:14","slug":"the-mud-kasbahs-between-the-desert-and-the-atlas-mountains","status":"publish","type":"info_viaggi","link":"https:\/\/www.kanaga-at.com\/en\/trip-info\/morocco\/the-mud-kasbahs-between-the-desert-and-the-atlas-mountains\/","title":{"rendered":"The mud kasbahs between the desert and the Atlas Mountains"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

\u00a9 A. Pappone<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

The region to the east of Marrakech is undoubtedly one of the most enchanting and traditional in the whole of Morocco<\/b>. <\/span>The valleys that open out from the slopes and peaks of the Atlas Mountains are a world unto themselves, far from any echo of the modernity that has taken over the rest of the country.<\/p>\r\n

The A\u00eft Bougoumez Valley<\/b>, known as the Happy Valley, is a paradise for trekking, nature and traditions lovers. Up until ten years ago, the access routes to these mountains consisted of vertiginous mule tracks <\/b>that could only be travelled on foot or by <\/span>donkey, and even today, many roads can only be travelled off-road. Here, the landscapes of rocky gorges, jagged canyons and steep slopes, barley terraces and snow-capped peaks, a prelude to the immense Saharan expanses of the south, are dotted with tiny stone and clay Berber villages <\/b>(ksour<\/i><\/b>), mud-brick towers <\/b>and ighremt (traditional dwellings).<\/p>\r\n

Further south is the Dades Valley, known as the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs<\/b>, due to the constant and characteristic presence of these traditional buildings, fortified clay palaces of the powerful local chieftains, <\/b>which form striking oases with a fairy-tale atmosphere, amidst the impervious rocky passages, lush palm groves, seasonal gueltas, but also the unsuspected rose fields of the Todra Gorge<\/b>.<\/p>\r\n

Continuing south-east, through the desolate, lunar expanses of the Ziz Valley, <\/b>where the gorges display amazing geological stratifications<\/b>, we arrive at the soft dunes of the Sahara Desert near Merzouga<\/b>. Here, legend has it that an entire family, who refused to give hospitality to a woman and her son, was entirely buried in sand by the wrath of God, at the point where Erg Chebbi <\/b>stands<\/span> today, a dune that reaches 160 m in height, in a range of indescribable shades of colour. This is one of the most beautiful desert areas for camel rides, along with the Erg Chicaga dunes<\/b>, 40 km of incredibly beautiful dunes south of the Dr\u00e2a Valley<\/b>, where the highest ones can reach up to 300 m in height.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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