Ziz Oasis

When we got back to the bike from the Berber camp we loaded up and headed north. The morning was cool and the sky against the reddish sand dune was a brilliant blue. We would parallel the sand dunes for 12  kms. The road would be paralleling the Oued (river) Ziz. This river cuts a path through the High Atlas mountains. Soon we came upon an oasis palm grove. The Ziz Oasis runs along this part of the river for 57 kms. It is the largest oasis in the world. This entire valley was once covered by a sea. It is renowned as the “largest open air fossil museum in the world”. Fossils have been found here from the middle Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Along the road are places to turn off on dirt tracks to go search for fossils.

About midway through the oasis we came around the corner and saw an observation deck. It had a restaurant, coffee shop, souvenir shop and the parking area was full of vehicles. There were several rally cars there from Spain rallying through Morocco. There were almost 100 taking part in the rally. I also spotted a couple other cool looking rigs. One was an old converted school bus from Illinois, USA. I really wanted a look inside and chat with the owners. I never did see them. The 180° view from the canyon edge looking over the palm grove below was incredible.

The road turned north once again in the town of Errachidia. The road would follow the Ziz River through the Ziz Gorges. The next 50 km are part of the Ziz Canyon National Park. Is defined on the south end by a large lake just north of town. I had found a camping hotel in the middle of the gorge right on the river, Kasbah Hotel Camping Jurassique. Our plan was just to spend one night. The host was a fascinating mix. His appearance combined the charisma of Rod Stewart and Geraldo Via Via from Guatemala. He gave us a room directly on the river. We shared the area with several people in the hotels and several campers. The place was so inexpensive and the views were so incredible we decided to stay two nights. They offered a free breakfast and an incredible chicken tagine, again.

In the morning we headed north to do a exploration loop. Just a couple kilometers north we went through the Zâabal tunnel. This tunnel was built in 1929 where the French Legionnaires during the colonizing and protection period. We stopped at a bus stop to have some coffee and a snack. These are some of the best places to watch people. A vendor talked us into a deep fried pastry with sugar and cinnamon. The other thing he talked me into was a deep fried fish. It was actually a mash of sardines, deep fried and greasy. It tasted terrible. But there was one happy cat near us.

On the way back a small town was having it’s Monday market. We parked right out front and walked in looking for some fruit, dates and nuts. The smells, colors and chaos just put you on overload. There was the sweet smell of fruits and dates, saffron and other spices. There was the multi-colors of tents and fabrics along with hanging animal parts. The children were all very curious. Melanie had a great time bargaining for strawberries and dates. She also delighted several children with pieces of candy. All this at their parents okay, of course. When we headed back to the bike several boys surrounded us. One wanted a selfie on the bike. I took his picture and he walked away. He probably doesn’t quite get the concept that the selfie should have been for him. There was a little girl sitting with her grandmother on a bench. Melanie approached them and asked a grandmother if it was okay to give the little girl a piece of candy. She nodded her head yes, and then asked for a piece of candy for herself. Just priceless.

We headed back to the hotel with our hearts and tummies full. Our hearts from the people, our tummies from the dates. The next morning we took off headed towards Fez.

Cheers,

2WANDRRs