Our hotel last night was about 20km before Midelt, so our first point of note today was passing through this town, the apples capital of Morocco.
From here it was on across the High Atlas Mountains before descending into the Ziz Valley known for its date plantations, especially the premium medjool variety which can fetch 15 times the price of the cheapest dates ($US30/kg compared with $2).
From here we headed to Erfoud, the date capital of Morocco, that hosts an annual 5 day date festival. It is also a prolific fossil site.
Just outside Erfoud we stopped for lunch in a ksar (fortified village) and enjoyed a cooking class in making medfouna, a typical Amazigh (Berber) pizza stuffed with beef or lamb and vegetables (no cheese).
Then it was onto Merzouga and the
golden dunes of the Sahara desert where we stayed in a desert camp overnight after a fantastic camel ride at sunset in perfect weather… no wind, no clouds.
The Sahrawi nomads of Morocco are Bedouins and spend about six months in the mountains and six months in the valleys, dependent on the weather.
Onto the Ziz Valley, source of over 30% of the dates produced in Morocco, including Medjools. Date palms are either male or female and pollination is done manually to maximise the yield.
There is a dam on the Ziz River to provide water (for irrigation and drinking) as well as hydropower. 75% of power in Morocco is from hydro.
Then off to the Sahara! As we head south-east, we are only about 40km from the border with Algeria. There are a number of army vehicles and checkpoints visible, checking for a range of nefarious activities – drug smuggling and illegal immigration to mention just two.
Morocco Food Tour 