Maiden family expedition in the Sahara

Toubkal

New member
Hello members,
I would like to share my experience for a first trip with a toddler in the desert. Before being a dad, I was pretty much "free" to go and stay anywhere the sunset catches me. So for the first real expedition with my 2 years old daughter Aya was really excited and try to plan everything. I looked up new satellite maps, open some old routes and waypoints in my GPS. First I selected where I should start my family adventure and where to end it. I choose to stay indoor as its the winter and the nights get subzero temperatures at night. For an old desert fox like me its no big deal, but with the family I didn't want to ruin the trip and traumatize them, but surely later on it will get more adventurous. I chose Marrakech as a starting point, since I have to drive 400 miles South we needed to rest and enjoy some family time. I choose a hotel in a palm grove as an "appetizer", a bit luxurious but since its the madden trip I wanted to offer the best. The next day we woke up and had a little stroll in the Medina where I have my habits to buy spices (best in the country) and visit Jamaa El Fna Square which is UNESCO heritage site. My wife is from Paris France, so I took her to the Majorelle Botanical Garden and the Yves Saint Laurent Museum for the French heritage in Morocco. Later that day my high-school buddy flew over from London with his two kids 5 and 9 years old. He rented a Land Cruiser Prado (an LC was my condition so he can join the trip). We headed later that night to a Le Jardin restaurant in the medina for dinner, Moroccan food in a nice setting, I advise it for any traveler coming to Marrakech and wanting an authentic meal.
The next morning we headed to Casbah (fort) Ait Ben Haddou another UNESCO heritage site, where a lot of film and series have been shoot (Gladiator, Game of Thrones). After a long drive trough the Tizi n'Tichka pass at 7400 ft, we bifurcated to an extreme trail that saved us 1h30. A hard mountain trail of a few miles that will take you directly to the city. After the check-in at the hotel, we decided to catch the sunset over the Casbah (fort). At the detour of a street in the old town, to my surprise I've spotted an Italian Restaurant "La Terrazza" by Chef Carmine Magno. At first the tribe was septic, but after a few words I told them I wanted wine and pizza... We had a fabulous dinner, with homemade dryed-cured pork, Italian cheese, fresh pasta... and Moroccan wine... to keep it authentic.
In the morning after a nice breakfast we headed into the Casbah, what a pleasure even if its very touristic I highly advise to do the visit in the morning. After buying some handmade souvenirs we headed to the heart of the Sahara. A 200 miles drive alongside the Draa River with its palm grove snaking in a lunar landscape, Finally we'll get of the asphalt for a 800 miles dirt rock sand and fesh-fesh...
At M'hamid El Ghizlane we headed to our Hotel Carrefour des Nomades, pretty interesting with a casbah like architecture. Luc the Belgian owner is an interesting guy, very friendly and caring for his customers. (you can bring your alcohol to lunch or dinner at the restaurant since he doesn't have a licence to sell it.
I woke up with my daughter at 6 am, and I decided to take her for a sunrise over the palm grove and sand dunes. We parked on top of a Dune, I pulled up my bush kitchen and made a quick hot chocolate and Moroccan tea with some Moroccan pastry. After a quick briefing with the tribe about the day we headed to the military check point to enter the desert as its a remote place you need to register so if you get lost they can send a search and rescue mission. The first miles where fun and introduce my wife to the joy of navigation. We drove trough various type of tracks, one huge continous rock of 5 miles, sand, fesh-fesh (dirt like talc). I decided to make it for lunch into a secluded oasis at the Algerian border. Old ruins and an old well, that was it! One of my favorite spot! We pulled up bellow an acacia for shade, even if its the winter at midday the sun is very intense. After a good meal and a couple of beers we head to Sidi Ali Tafraout, a long drive in a quick dirt track where you can drive at 60mph for a while with some airs along the way. At the approach of the town a green patch of a few miles detonate in the ocher paysage. Approaching that green patch I suddenly stoped to check the herb. It was arugula salad! We pickup some for later on the trip. We pulled up at the Les jardins de Tafraout hotel, a nice hotel that surprised me for its refinement in the middle of the Sahara. After the dinner we were so tired that we fell asleep very early.
The next morning we headed to Merzouga sand dunes, as Morocco has only 2% of its territory covered by sand its pretty much rare in the immensity of rocks and dirt. To 'get out' of the town you need to cross a huge dune loved between two mountains. A steady speed and everything will be alright. We drove on the "Dakar Rally" tracks it was very fun and stumbled on some other fellow overlander. As always we had lunch under a centennial acacia, enjoying the colors of the landscape as its our last lunch in the wild. After a few hours we reach the immense dunes of Merzouga. Its a very touristic area for people that want to still enjoy the wild its possible to drive into the dunes and find yourself a nice spot in this immensity of sand. We decided to have a little fun in the dunes, more like a baptism of fire for my wife and friend. I took the whole tribe in the Land Cruiser 200 and had a roller coaster like ride to end our trip in a high note.
We headed back home to the Middle Atlas the next morning, the cedar looked magnificent after a week in the Sahara. We halted for lunch at Aglmam Sidi Ali lake no wind no noise you could hear the birds wing flap in the air. In that last lunch I knew that my 'mission' was accomplished make my loved one enjoy the desert and I can take it up a notch next time.

Casbah Ait Ben Haddou
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The military checkpoint to register your passage.
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Its not an adventure if you don't puncture a tire
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My lovely MaxtraxIMG_8540.JPEG
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Tucsontom

Adventurer
Made it to Marrakech last summer with my family (wife and 2 teenage daughters) - stayed in the Medina and did a one day trip to the Atlas Mountains (which still had bit of snow up high in June!). What an exotic place! We only had 4 nights and no car. I would have loved to go on a camping adventure and could not, so thanks for sharing and share more pix if you have them!
 

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