Erfoud. 11/16
We spent just one night here, on the edge of the Sahara, but would have gladly stayed longer. The Kasbah Hotel Chergui where we stayed was large and luxurious, and they provided a wonderful variety in their buffet style dinner and breakfast.
Fossil Shop in Erfoud: Who expects to find fossils in the desert? But 600 million years ago, this desert was under water. In the 1960’s, French archeologists discovered the rich deposits of fossils here. Different minerals give the fossils a variety of colors. Today local museums and shops sell beautiful pieces, from small beads for jewelry to large projects, even large, fossil-laden tables. We visited one such shop where we saw workers cutting and finishing beautiful pieces. And we visited their showroom where a few of our fellow tourists purchased some very gorgeous, and very expensive items. Since prices included shipping back home, tourists are very tempted to splurge.
From Erfoud we leave the bus behind and board 4×4 vehicles to drive into the Sahara Desert.
Sahara Desert Camp: Two nights 11/17-11/19
The OAT Desert Camp was great. We’re glamping now, with canvas tents, nice camp beds, pillows and our own private, en-suite bathroom facilities. Our OAT hosts prepared and served our meals in a separate tent. During our stay we were happy to enjoy our meals here.
Highlights of our time in the Desert:
Camel Ride: After breakfast we saddled up on camels to explore the dunes. This was great fun, and the occasion for many laughs and lots of photos.
Farming in he Desert: Mohammed’s Farm: Back on the 4×4’s we visited a local farm – yes a farm in the desert. The farmer was named Mohammed, of course, and he proudly showed us his remarkably green farm and explained how he was able to use and irrigate his land.
Village of Khamlia: Here we heard the Gnawa Musicians who were very lively and percussive.
Visit with a Nomad Family: Mr. Amer Tea was the head of this family which includes his son, daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren. Only the granddaughter is gettng an education and going to school in a nearby village. The older grandson helps his father. We were warmly welcomed to the Nomad family’s tent, treated with tea and snacks.
Learning about Islam: Our TEL, Aziz, did a great job teaching us about the basics of Islam and helping us to reject many misconceptions which are common in America. The practice of Islam involves commitment to the five pillars: faith, prayer, charity, fasting and pilgrimage to Mecca. In Morocco, Sunni Muslims are most of the population, but other faiths are accepted and welcomed. Historically, Muslims have usually been open and accepting of other faiths. Today different religions live peacefully together in Morocco.
Moving On: From our desert stay, we head out for another 7-8 hour drive to Ouarzazate, with stops along the way to visit a Berber Museum and have lunch.
Ouarzazate. Two nights 11/19-11/21
This city of 80,000 people in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains is nicknamed “the door of the desert.” It has long been a caravan stop for those heading toward Marrakesh. The salt mines here were as valuable as gold. Today it’s known primarily for its growing appeal to tourists and to American filmmakers who have used this location for years. The area benefits greatly from the business brought in by filmmakers, and many locals have benefited financially appearing as “extras” in American films.
Once again, our OAT accommodations at the Hotel Dar Kamar in Ouarzazate were great: lovely rooms in a luxurious setting, meals with a great and various buffet, and lots of places to meet, and share a drink in our down time.
The Film Industry: There are two active film studios in Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site: the smaller CLA Studios in the center of Ouarzazate, and the large, better-known Atlas Studios just a few kilometers out. For a fee, tourists can visit the studios, or explore the impressive set built for “Kingdom of Heaven.”
Here are just a few well-known films shot here: Lawrence of Arabia (1962), The Man Who would be King (1975), Jesus of Nazaeth (1977), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), The Mummy (1999), Gladiator I and II (2000 & 2023), The Kingdom of Heaven (2005).
In 2026, Christopher Nolan’s epic version of The Odyssey will hit American movie screens. Game of Thrones and Outer Banks are just two of the television series filmed here.
A Day in the Life: We visited the fortified village of Asfalou, to learn about daily life among villagers in Morocco. Our Guide for the day was a handsome, charming fellow named Mohammed (of course). He‘s never been to school, yet he speaks six languages. Mohammed said that he appeared as an extra appearing in Season 4 episode 6 of Game of Thrones.
A hundred and twenty families live in the village of Asfalou. Men work outside of village. When they’re not farming, 80% of the men work in tourism and/or movies. Children ages 6-12 years go to school in the village. For further education, they need to go elsewhere to a boarding school. Most older boys don’t go to school. Women work the farms and care for the children and their homes.
Our Family Visit: The head of the family we visited is a bricklayer and a farmer. He too is named Mohammed. He’s also a miller for the neighborhood, since he owns a modern machine to grind wheat and barley into flour or couscous. He demonstrated his machine for us and took us out to his farm where we stopped to cool off with tea sitting in a lovely olive grove.
The farmer’s wife prepares and bakes bread every other day. The women of four families take turns sharing the same oven. We were welcomed into the family home and treated to a delicious lunch.
Housing here is built with adobe bricks that keep a house cool in summer and warm in winter. It takes about 3000 such bricks to build a house of 100 square meters. Our host the brickmaker showed us how he makes these large bricks from a mix of manure, mud and straw. Then he put a few of us to work, shoveling this gooey and smelly mix of ingredients into the brick molds.
Imik Simik Women’s Association for Rural Development.
Beginning in 2012 with just fifteen women, the goal was to educate women and further their opportunities. Since 2021 they now have their own building where participants learned to sew, to cook, to develop healthcare and crafts. The Association supports itself by selling bread, pastries, cookies and couscous. It’s been supported generously by the Grand Circle Foundation (of which OAT is a part). During our visit, we helped with baking in the kitchen and then enjoyed tea and pastries while chatting with the women here about how the Association has helped to improve their lives.
*We love that the Grand Circle / Overseas Adventure Travel is committed to supporting and to giving back to the communities through which they bring their travelers.
Moving On: Riding the bus from Ouarzazate to Marrakesh, we passed through the Highest Atlas Mountains of Morocco, with plenty of them covered with snow. In these rural areas of Morocco where farming is the only way to make money, some family members leave the village seeking work and then send money home to help support the family.
