Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today’s journey takes you up and over the High Atlas. You can often see the highest peak, Mount Toubkal (4,167m), on a clear day. The Berbers (the Mountain People) live here; to see their villages and to observe their everyday farmland and village activities is fascinating. Their traditional mud-brick homes are seen plus the rapid, recent change to concrete construction.
The N9 road continues to snake upwards to the Tizi-n-Tichka Pass (2,260m), the watershed of the High Atlas. From near to here great panoramic views can be seen, over the mountain range and the road recently traveled.
As you descend the pass you will notice the climate as it becomes drier toward Ouarzazate, a town growing rapidly due to the movie industry. Here you have an option to tour one of the 2 movie studios if you like, including an up-close look at some props and sets. The nearby regions have been featured in many movies, portraying landscapes all over the desert, Africa, and the middle east.
Reach Dar Ahlam in Skoura oasis; Lavish and luxurious, Dar Ahlam translates as the ‘House of Dreams’ for a reason. A renovated, 19th century kasbah (fort), this is a sleepy paradise that will inspire the most sceptical naysayer. Narrow passages lead to lantern-lit courtyards and secret terraces with conversation-ending views; all around are Balinese artefacts, muslin curtains, cushion-filled crannies. Outside, there’s a 4,500-acre palmeraie; beyond that, only the endless Sahara...
Gracefully made over with all modern comforts and the necessary technology, this singular fourteen room hideaway overlooks the Atlas Mountains, with a palm shaded swimming pool, hammam and candle-lit massage room.
Meals are served to you among a selection of distinct, private settings like the flourishing gardens by Louis Benech, the gifted designer of the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris and the Bosquet du Théâtre d'Eau at Versailles.