Detour #311: Driving a Sports Car to the Sands of the Sahara, Morocco
Photo Nik Berg
A Mazda MX-5 may be an unlikely desert explorer, but Nik Berg proves that you don’t need all-wheel-drive for a Moroccan adventure.
The desert town of Ouarzazate is Morocco’s Hollywood. Huge film studios and the surrounding barren landscape have been the scene of many a blockbuster. From Lawrence of Arabia to Gladiator’s Maximus Aurelius and James Bond, countless silver screen heroes have seen action on set here and cinephiles can pay a visit to the town’s movie museum or take a tour of the Atlas or Cla studios on its outskirts.
For any Detourist, however, it’s the drive into the dunes that will be the main act. Just getting to Ouarzazate in the first place is an introduction packed with drama. The chances are you’ll be starting out in Marrakesh and that means driving over the Atlas Mountains on the Col Tizi N’Tichka. The 120-mile route involves climbing beyond 2,000 metres and the distinct possibility of encountering snow at almost any time of year.
Descending from the peak you enter a completely different landscape of arid plains and rich red rock. Similarly red mud bricks make up what little housing you’ll encounter on the N9 that takes you into Ouazarzate and beyond towards the edge of the Sahara.
Photo Shutterstock
Much of this 140-mile desert drive really is deserted, with large distances between settlements, but the stark beauty of the landscape is enough to keep you enthralled. It’s a two-lane road and you will find lumbering trucks and tourists along the way, but there are sufficient straights to make a safe pass.
Look out for oases along the way, patches of verdant green where life-giving water appears in the otherwise arid environment. Ahead looms the Anti-Atlas mountain range and a short series of switchbacks to negotiate. On the other side a more hospitable terrain greets you as the road follows the verdant Draa Valley. There are plenty of Kasbahs to rock along the way at Tamnougalt, Timiderte, Taguersift and Oulad Othmane.
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Zagora is the gateway to the Sahara itself and just 18 miles south-east you’ll see the first serious sand dunes of the largest (non-polar) desert in the world. To go deeper you’ll probably want to be astride a camel, or in a suitable 4x4, but don’t think that you need an off-road vehicle to sample the Sahara. For my trip to the desert’s edge I drove a Mazda MX-5. Its agility in the mountain hairpins and the option to drop the top to connect with this unique environment only added to the enjoyment.
Photo Nik Berg
ROADBOOK
CLASS: Desert Drive
NAME: Sands of the Sahara
ROUTE: Ouarzazate to Tinfou
COUNTRY: Morocco
Distance: 140 Miles
A Mazda MX-5 may be an unlikely desert explorer, but Nik Berg proves that you don’t need all-wheel-drive for a Moroccan adventure.