From Marrakech Across the High Atlas Mountains
After two fascinating days in Marrakech, our road trip toward the Sahara began—a start, wild and full of anticipation. Before reaching the mountains, we made a detour into the beautiful Ourika Valley and the mountain village of Setti Fatma, where the landscape amazed us with lush green valleys, red earth, and snow-capped peaks of the High Atlas in the background—a contrast between color and elevation, wow!
Over Mountain Passes and Earthen Architecture
We then crossed a mountain pass at around 2,500 meters to reach the southern side of the Atlas Mountains. Instead of taking the main road, we chose a smaller route through Telouet—scenically even more impressive, leading us through stunning valleys lined with traditional adobe buildings toward the end—a spectacle of tradition and vastness. Our final stop was the Kasbah Aït Benhaddou, an ancient walled city on the former caravan route between the Sahara and Marrakech, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site—rugged and steeped in history.