The road to the Sahara changed continuously and was quite long from Fes.
We moved from a rocky area, to trees of all kinds; Maple, Holm Oak, and Cedar even Palm trees.
For lunch we stopped at a small restaurant with many fruit trees. Rad picked us some plums and figs and it was very delicious.
On the way, we passed through the Atlas mountains. Morocco has three mountain ranges; the High Atlas, the Middle Atlas and the Anti-Atlas. We went through the High Atlas range which has the highest peak in northern Africa though not in the part of Morocco we were in. Water flows from springs in the mountains and from runoff from snow melt in the springs, feeding rivers that run into the desert. In order to control the runoff, Morocco has built a series of lakes which provide water for drinking and irrigation as well as hydro power. The mountains are quite rugged and rocky with little vegetation except near the rivers.
We passed an oasis which was along a river. This oasis went on for miles and was covered with palm trees, all full of dates ready to be harvested. The families harvest the dates and spread them in areas for them to dry.
After 9 hours of travel, which included passing a number of police officers looking for speeders, we were at the edge of the Sahara desert. We transferred to two Land Rovers for the last hour of the trip to our “camp”.
Of course, the tents include indoor plumbing, air conditioning, wifi, a swimming pool and more. Tomorrow brings exploration in the desert itself.
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