Detour #05: Col Tizi N’Tichka, Atlas Mountains, Morocco
If it’s driving adventure you’re seeking then leave the souks and riads of Marrakesh behind for a trip across the Atlas Mountains and into the edges of the Sahara.
The N9, or Col Tizi N’Tichka takes you over the High Atlas range to Ouarzazate, treating drivers to 120 miles of unforgettable motoring. The name translates to ‘difficult path’ and, although it’s well paved and maintained that doesn’t make it easy. Climbing to a mighty 2,200 metres the views are either epic or non-existent as the road can get completely engulfed in cloud.
It’s a main route so traffic, including trucks, can be heavy. If you want to enjoy the scenery leave early in the morning, or if you want a pure challenge then tackle the road at night as Detour once did. After an afternoon in the sand dunes we left in darkness but still beat our guide back to Marrakesh by over an hour, seeing nothing except barriers, mountainside and the empty vastness of what lay beyond the edge. We still dream of that drive.
Words Nik Berg Twitter | Instagram
Photography Tom Salt @seesaltwork
Roadbook
Class: Mountain pass
Name: Col Tizi N’Tichka, N9
Route: Marrakesh to Ouarzazate
Country: Morocco
Distance: 120 miles