Desert Evasion Offline map ( 0524 88 86 82; www.desert-evasion.net; Imm El Ghifari, Ave
Mohamed V) Payment due upon receipt of keys.
Dune Car Offline map ( 0524 88 73 91; fax 024 884901; Ave Mohammed V) Reliable and
much cheaper than the international agencies; also has 4WDs.
Europcar/InterRent Offline map ( 0524 88 20 35; www.europcar.com; Place du 3 Mars)
Hertz Offline map ( 024 882084; www.hertz.com; 33 Blvd Mohammed V & airport) Child
seats available.
National Car Rental Offline map ( 024 882035; www.nationalcar.com; Place du 3 Mars &
airport)
Taxi Taxis leave from outside the main bus station to Agdz (Dh40), Aït Benhaddou (Dh30),
Boumalne du Dadès (Dh40), Marrakesh (Dh90 to Dh110), Skoura (Dh25), Tinerhir (Dh60) and
Zagora (Dh70).
Getting Around
Petits taxis run up and down Ave Mohammed V for flat rates of Dh5 per person (based on
three people sharing). The yellow STUDID bus (Dh5) runs half-hourly services up and down Ave
Mohammed V. Taxis into town from the airport cost Dh35 to Dh60.
DRÂA VALLEY
Until you see the desolate Drâa Valley, you can’t fully appreciate the amazing feat of Morocco’s
existence. Before the Almoravids could conquer territory all the way up to Barcelona, and
Saadians could monopolise the sugar trade, first they had to get past unassailable gorges,
mudbrick watchtowers and fiercely autonomous oases. Today a well-paved road and cushy
hotels make the going considerably less rough, yet this desert landscape still seems wildly
adventurous.
From Ouarzazate the N9 plunges southeast into the Drâa Valley, formed by a narrow ribbon
of water from the High Atlas that occasionally emerges triumphantly in a lush oasis. The lushest
and most fascinating section of the valley lies between Agdz and Zagora, a stretch of about
95km. The drive from Agdz to Zagora takes three to four hours, though the more scenic route
is the piste through the oasis (see Circuits Touristiques, Click here ). Beyond that, a road takes
you 96km further south to M’Hamid, a town 40km short of the Algerian border that recently
opened as a desert tourism destination and still has a no-man’s-land feel.
Agdz
POP 9400
Travellers who zoom from Ouarzazate to Zagora are missing out on Agdz (ag-daz), a classic
caravanserai oasis with a still- pristine palmeraie, ancient mudbrick kasbahs, ground-breaking
community garden, and a secret desert prison.
As you approach Agdz, you’ll see tajine-shaped Jebel Kissane on the horizon, and spot
mountain bikers heading off from Agdz to 1660m Tizi n’Tinififft, some 20km away. The
mountains glisten with what looks like snow, but that’s a mirage: it’s sunlight bouncing off